Re: The Site from a Newbie Perspective
> .... It is hard to find the information that I need. I have found better help from searching on google than using this site. Maybe this is because I haven't grasped the logic of this site, but if this is the case the questions why can't I grasp the order of this site?
Tikiwiki.org is a large, "organic" site that, like any open wiki, may not display an obvious "order" since there is no inherent hierarchy of information. In addition, the audience here is not only new users but also people who have been using (or developing) Tiki for various lengths of time. This means a user at any particular level has to find the information he/she needs from among volumes of irrelevant stuff. Also, admittedly the search function here has been lagging and is still not as effective as it should be.
> But I find this site even more lacking as a reference for users who will come to my site and need reference materials. My options are to help you alter this site to satisfy this need or create this on my own separately. It seems that it would serve the greater good if this site could be altered to satisfy this need.
This site isn't meant to be the reference for Tikiwiki users. As pointed out in one of the top paragraphs of the index page, that is the job of http://doc.tikiwiki.org. The documentation is a volunteer effort that trails behind Tiki development, but most doc pages either have useable information or point to other, older pages that do. If the user still needs help after visiting the doc pages, then there's the tikiwiki.org forums and IRC.
You have to keep in mind that there are many levels of users using this site. While the newbie will be overwhelmed by the amount of information on the page, the veteran would be frustrated by the lack of information updates, "power-user information", developer-relevant things, etc. if the site were revised to be newbie-centric. A balance has to be reached, and of course this is an ongoing process.
> This site satisfies the need for the admin with the following:
>
> * What is TikiWiki
> * Why select Tiki? (Not 'use' as on left 'menu bar'.)
> * Feature List
> * Software Requirements
> * Reviews
> * Friendly Hosts
> * Tiki First Steps
Seems to me the top paragraphs and links at top left provide answers on some of those points. I see links like "About Tiki," "Tiki features," "Why use Tiki," "Installation guides," "Reviews," etc. Did you miss those, or did they not give you satisfying answers?
> This site does not satisfy the needs of a Newbie user who has to deal with wiki after someone else has already chosen Tiki as the solution. Just gathering my thoughts here, but the needs of this user community are as follows:
>
> * What is a Wiki?
> * WhyWikiWorks
> * WikiPhilosophy
> * WikiSyntax/Sandbox (See my suggestion page WikiSyntaxHelp.)
> * Wiki Etiquette
> * Editing Customs (should I edit or comment?)
>
> I am sure there would be more to add to this, but I think this latter set of users should be prominently served by the left 'menubar'. Even better would be that the 'menubar' would be clear who the customer of the information is so that a person feels well-served be the information provided.
>
> Any comments welcome.
I think there is some resistance to changing the current page layout and info organization at this site, maybe because of the various user levels that have to be catered to, as I mentioned. But I think it's good to point out problems from the newbie's perspective, because the oldtimers may no longer have a clear idea of how the site strikes newcomers. As for the basic issues like "what is a wiki?" I suppose there is an assumption here that most visitors already understand the basics. Topics like wiki etiquette don't need to be front-page items, IMO.
-- Gary
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