Wiki Collaboration

Wiki collaboration parties are a great way for the community to brainstorm ideas for a great wiki page. The goal of the session is for everyone to understand how the page would be developed and structured, so that each section supports the entire wiki page. See Upcoming Wiki Collaboration for a list of parties that will be held in the near future.

The various roles during a Wiki collaboration are:

• Host: Bravely leading the charge towards a great wiki page
• Support: Provides assistance where needed
• Participant: Eager to collaborate and improve the page

Before the party - Preparatory work

• Decide time and place that we are meeting
• Have a list of examples of material that should be on the wiki page
• Review the list, and ensure completeness

During the party - Making decisions

• Follow the instructions of the host
• Categorize examples and sort through them
• Organize sections based on the categorization
• Settle on the final structure of the page
• Volunteer to write up sections over the week

After the party - Crafting the page

• Over the next 3-5 days, write up the individual sections
• Host will oversee and provide feedback as needed
• Obtain feedback from the Brilliant community
• Excellent wiki pages will be featured on the homepage!

If this is your first time being involved, the best way to get started is to join in the discussion and help contribute ideas. Most importantly, have fun and benefit from the experience.

Before the party

• Contribute examples of what you want to see on the wiki page. It doesn't need to be fully formed, but provide enough details for others to understand.
• Review all listed examples, so that you have a better understanding of what will be discussed.

During the party

• Follow the discussion guidelines that were laid out by the host. Staying on topic helps us proceed efficiently.
• The prompts are separated into sessions of finding motivation, reviewing examples and organizing structure, as a systematic way for us to cover various concerns.
• Don't be afraid to voice your opinion when relevant.

After the party

• Work on sections that you have been assigned.
• Make improvements it based on feedback from the community.

The host is crucial to the success of the wiki collaboration party, as they provide the overall direction and further guidance. Below is an outline of the host's responsibilities, and further in-depth information is available here.

Before the party - Get organized

• Decide on a topic and target audience for the page
• Fix a 90 min time slot for when we are meeting
• Post problems related to the topic, as a way to gather interested participants
• Contribute examples to the wiki page
• Remind people about the session

During the party - Get things going

• Take a roll call of participants
• Be explicit about what we are doing
• Figure out target audience and motivation for reading
• Review the examples, categorize and sort them
• Ensure that we have a complete list of information
• Discuss organization of individual sections of the page
• Present the final structure
• Assign out sections to be written
• Thanks participants for their support
• Update wiki page with discussed structure

After the party - Get it completed

• Open lines of communication for further discussion
• Check in with participants on the state of their writeup
• Provide feedback / suggestions for improvements
• Fill in for those who are too busy
• Let Calvin know once the page is completed

If you are interested in being a host, please let Calvin know your topic of interest.