Talk:Frontline Knowledge Explorer

From WikiADAPT

Hi Anna, I've rearranged a little to try and split it into clearer sections - feel free to move it back again if needed! --Ben Smith 17:22, 5 February 2009 (CET)

I thought this discussion page could split into several sections:

General Discussion

Hi All, My first go at a bit of editing - very exciting!

I've added a bit of intro in a section "What is Frontline Knowledge Express" taken alomst directly from the flyer text. Will need to remember to upload the flyer when it's ready.

Also I've cut and paste the Background and Rationale section in to a seperate page (as suggested by Ben I think) with a new bit of text linking to that. Not sure if it is good practice to make section headings also links?

Hi, I have made a few ammendments to the article based largely on our phone discussion yesterday (Thurs 5th Feb), notably: a mention in the logistics section about the daily tidy up; the name change; clarification on suggested reading / related resources; a link to an authors list page. ~a

I've uploaded the promotional flyer and put in the link - does ssomeone have the wiki Dummies Guide final version? It would be good to link to that in the "How to contribute section" I think. Alan

I think it's looking good now! Thanks for your Malawi inputs anna. Definitely helps suggest the shape contributions should take. I'll see if the CC folk here can't get some inputs in as well (even just references). Agreed that a link to the Dummies guide in a prominent place would be a big help for new visitors. Blane

Hmmmm... now I wonder why we don't have any contributions (yet)... from within our own organisations let alone anyone else. Is it that:

• people are unsure of how the wiki works or don't like the format
• people are nervous to make the plunge into the world of being a wiki contributor, as opposed to just a browser
• nobody wants to stick their neck out and be the first one to add some thoughts
• people are too busy and this just drops to the bottom of their to do list (even with the best intent)
• there are just too many online things going on, too many websites, too many emails, intranets, forums, etc. = overwhelmed
• people can't place weADAPT because the institutional identity is unclear to them and so they are put off from engaging
• people in reality just don't want to share (for any number of reasons)
• people are committed to investing in building up the web resources of their own organisations, and not others

Any thoughts?! --Annasei 14:41, 13 March 2009 (CET)

Well, you presently have 523 registered editors [for wikiADAPT as a whole], of whom around 150 have joined so far in 2009 [I'm sure in some part thanks to FKx avertising]: of the registered users, only 69 have done any editing [only 5 for the FKx]! I'm sure that the wiki technology is familiar to a lot of people now and should not be difficult to get into, but would welcome any ideas on how to make it simpler. --Nick Daisley 15:06, 13 March 2009 (CET) & additions in [brackets] --Annasei 16:13, 24 March 2009 (CET)

• If I'm optimistic I think we're suffering from a 'that looks cool I'll do it later' approach, and then as there is no follow up it gets pushed down the list of things to do and eventually drops off the radar completely.

• I think there may also be some people put off by not feeling that it's not their place to make contributions - people aren't very used to the all contributions welcome approach!

--Ben Smith 11:29, 25 March 2009 (CET)

We have extended the 'deadline' for FKx contributions by a week to Friday 3 April. This is due to low levels of contributions thus far and plans for a last big push in the next week and a half. This deadline only marks the end of the first phase in the formal 'experiment' part of testing the use of a wiki in facilitating the process of co-producing knowledge across different communities working on issues relating to climate adaptation. So after this time we will reflect on the process, write up the lessons we can draw from it and action points on how to follow up... maybe trying a few new tactics for a second round (probably on a different topic). But the wiki page on adaptation and DRR will always be here and can be added to and edited at any time in the future! Check out the 'history' tab to see when and by whom contributions get made and to get a sense of how much the article is being updated.

I am realising there is likely to be an important cultural and psycho-social dimension to this medium of engagement, particularly relating to learned behaviour around offering opinion, interjecting, changing other's contributions (pertaining to issues of dominance and power)... might be worth reflecting on more?! Presumably being such a new medium (some people have not yet heard of web 2.0) the rules of engagement are far less clear to people than spoken interactions for example, but much of those rules might be carried over depending on how much exposure people have had to these kinds of technologies. --Annasei 19:29, 27 March 2009 (CET)

This might be the case for many academics who would question the (potential) debate-free nature of the wiki process. At least with peer-review, one has the ability to respond to reviewer comments before anything is made available to the public. A format more like a forum might be more immediately comforting.

Also, academics need to publish, and will likely hold onto ideas for publication. Will a wiki work for a community comprised of individuals trained to publish? Is Wikipedia proving to be a forum for collecting ideas and synthesizing new knowledge, or more a tool for validating existing knowledge? Can wikiAdapt create knowledge through enabling creative exchange, even in an environment where new ideas are pounced on for publication? I'd like to hope it can!--Nicholas Parker 22:20, 31 March 2009 (CEST)

A while back I came across an interesting discussion of this issue here, and a review of the whole Open Access theme in the scientific context here, though I expect there are other debates online. --Nick Daisley 23:12, 31 March 2009 (CEST)

Technical Questions

If you're stuck on anything to do with the technology please ask questions here

I just received a request from a UNDP colleague in Nicaragua for a spanish version of the FKx. While it may not be feasible this time around, perhaps we should consider a multi-lingual option with regards to technical documents, etc., since this would allow other colleagues to become involved.--Jennifer Baumwoll 22:01, 20 February 2009 (CET)

Thanks Jennifer, I'll see what we can do - Tahia in our office in Oxford is from Bolivia and might be able to do a quick translation. . .definitely an issue to address in any future versions though --Sei admin 14:09, 22 February 2009 (CET)

Can we/should we change the title of this page to "Frontline Knowledge Express - climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction" or something similar. I can't see how this is done.

That sounds like a good idea to me, the current title was always only really a place-holder, and I think that now we have the flyer we should be as consistent as possible. I'll change titles as soon as we have one finalised. --Sei admin 10:23, 9 February 2009 (CET)

Hi Alan, as you can see the page has now been renamed as Frontline Knowledge Explorer - a much better name! --Ben Smith 17:07, 13 February 2009 (CET)

Content Questions

As content is created i'm sure there will be the need to discuss the direction that the work is moving; this can be done here

Target List for Contributors

Ideas of people who we would really like to get contributing to the exercise, and/or who might be influential in getting others involved:

• Mo Hamza
• Glenn Dolcemascolo (ISDR)
• Frank Thomalla
• Lisa Schipper
• Pablo Suarez
• Kai Kim Chiang
• J. Luis (Christian Aid DRR Officer)
• Akhilesh Surjan (UNU)
• Gernot Laganda (UNDP Technical advisor)
• John Handmer
• Nicholas Burke
• 'Kimitimburu' (U. Nairobi Student)
• 'Mangelq'
• John Magrath (Oxfam UK)
• Sanjay Awasthi (Oxfam Malawi)
• Maybin Ng'ambi (CEPA, Malawi)
• Francis Kasangu (DRR coordinator, Evangelical Association of Malawi)
• James Chiusiwa (Department of Disaster Management Affairs, Malawi)
• Duncan Ndhlovu (Disaster Risk Mgt sub-committee, WFP Malawi)
• Clement Kalonga (DRR & CC project officer, ActionAid Malawi)
• Dr Kamperewera (Deputy director, Dept of Environment Affairs, Malawi)
• Juan Hoffmaister
• UCT (especially Ailsa's DIMP team) and Gina Ziervogel
• Petra Tschakert and students at Penn State Uni