UpcomingEvents

The Wiki makes it very easy for people to add and advertise events. If any and every page can be modified, what can be the problem?

Experience has shown us several:

1. Event information needs to be entered into multiple locations

   • It is often the case that an event will need to be updated in multiple locations. For example, if there is a DoItYourselfFestival, then following places seem reasonable to modify: FrontPage, Events, DoItYourself, DoItYourselfFestival and the specific page for that festival. This is not only annoying but is directly counter to the database principal of entering unique information once, and only once.

2. Events are not always posted
   1. The event is not known (obvious)
   2. The Wiki is inaccessible (e.g., no access to a computer)
   3. The Wiki is too difficult to modify (e.g., too many pages to modify, intimidating)
   4. "I thought (the other person) was going to do it"
   5. The event is a last minute decision (phone is used)
   6. Forgetfulness, flakyness, etc.
3. Events are not always correct
   1. Over-exuberance (e.g., "I want a meeting but I haven't discussed it with anybody yet")
   2. Maliciousness? (Haven't seen it yet)

How do we deal with these problems? The events that get advertised seem to fall into one of a few categories:

1. Big events that the BarringtonCollective (or a local group) organizes (e.g., DoItYourselfFestivals, fund raisers, parties)

2. Meetings that the BarringtonCollective (or a local group) organizes

3. Classes that the BarringtonCollective (or a local group) organizes (e.g. FreeSkool)

4. Events added by relatively unknown or non-local individual (e.g., an individual representing a Santa Cruz group)

The big events seem to be the easiest and most useful for the Wiki to handle. They typically have a page of their own, or at least they should. This page is typically used for advertising and planning. After the event takes place, it's also a good place to store photos, reflections, etc. From experience, big events seem to coexist well with Wiki.

Meetings are a little challenging, but they seem to work. There is basically a 1-to-1 mapping of meetings and MeetingMinutes. Advertising a meeting with its own page doesn't make much sense, typically the meeting is just added to the FrontPage and the UpcomingEvents page. It's a bit of a hassle, but it seems to work. Meeting advertising seems to suffer from inconsistency, but I believe that has more to do with people not being familiar with the Wiki or another case of "I thought you were going to do it!" Both issues I think can be addressed by holding a Wiki class and simple encouragement by Wiki aficionados to those that are more timid and shy.

Classes, e.g., FreeSkool classes, are indeed more difficult. Classes often span multiple days and have loads of other constraints and exceptions. Computer calendar systems are reasonably complicated as a result of these human requirements. In addition, people often don't know if the classes are "still going." The last concern can be solved with contact info, i.e., email and/or phone. The first concern is tougher, because if it were to be computer operated it would require some fancy editing to make it work.

Traditional calendaring systems are just too complicated for most people to use. This leads to the syndrome of only one or two people entering events which is what we're trying to avoid in the first place. Solutions that have been tried in the past (PHP Calendar, Events page) have not proved very successful. A few ideas come to mind but I want to sleep on it first.

Random people posting events is not really a concern with the Wiki. If it's clearly out of place, it can simply be roll-backed.

Thoughts?

• -- Jingoro