Difference between revisions of "Main Page"

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The Stratics Community Wiki is the next evolution in data collection here at Stratics.  Historically data was collected, collated, and published by a group of highly dedicated individuals passionate about various MMORPGs that Stratics provided coverage of.  This system while excellent wasn't perfect, as amazing as they were the individuals publishing data were limited to the time they had available to collect and organize information.   
 
The Stratics Community Wiki is the next evolution in data collection here at Stratics.  Historically data was collected, collated, and published by a group of highly dedicated individuals passionate about various MMORPGs that Stratics provided coverage of.  This system while excellent wasn't perfect, as amazing as they were the individuals publishing data were limited to the time they had available to collect and organize information.   
 
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= Purpose of the Stratics Community Wiki =
 
= Purpose of the Stratics Community Wiki =
 
The Stratics Community Wiki is being built with several objectives in mind, among which are accessibility of data, ease of use, organization, thoroughness, and speed in updating data.
 
The Stratics Community Wiki is being built with several objectives in mind, among which are accessibility of data, ease of use, organization, thoroughness, and speed in updating data.
 
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== Accessibility, Ease of Use, and Organization of Data ==
 
== Accessibility, Ease of Use, and Organization of Data ==
 
The primary purpose of the Stratics Community Wiki is to make collected information about MMORPGs open and accessible for anyone to contribute to, update, or make use of within the scope of the creative commons license associated with the wiki.  Any registered valid member of Stratics has access to edit and update the content of the community wiki, removing many of the limitations which were present in the older system.  By opening up the wiki to anyone we harness the power of a passionate community .
 
The primary purpose of the Stratics Community Wiki is to make collected information about MMORPGs open and accessible for anyone to contribute to, update, or make use of within the scope of the creative commons license associated with the wiki.  Any registered valid member of Stratics has access to edit and update the content of the community wiki, removing many of the limitations which were present in the older system.  By opening up the wiki to anyone we harness the power of a passionate community .
 
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Mediawiki was chosen as a platform due to it's long term support, it has become the standard by which all other wiki platforms are measured and power sites such as Wikipedia.  Due to it's popular status the simple markup language used for formatting mediawiki pages has become standardized, and excellent documentation exists allowing anyone to easily learn, opening the door for community contributions.
 
Mediawiki was chosen as a platform due to it's long term support, it has become the standard by which all other wiki platforms are measured and power sites such as Wikipedia.  Due to it's popular status the simple markup language used for formatting mediawiki pages has become standardized, and excellent documentation exists allowing anyone to easily learn, opening the door for community contributions.
 
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Mediawiki automatically supports categorization, allowing pages to be associated quickly and easily.  This allows similar topics to be quickly grouped and navigated for ease of use.  Augmenting this is categorization Mediawiki supports the use of Namespaces, allowing us to use one wiki to support multiple titles while keeping the data from cross linking.
 
Mediawiki automatically supports categorization, allowing pages to be associated quickly and easily.  This allows similar topics to be quickly grouped and navigated for ease of use.  Augmenting this is categorization Mediawiki supports the use of Namespaces, allowing us to use one wiki to support multiple titles while keeping the data from cross linking.
 
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= History of the Stratics Community Wiki =
 
= History of the Stratics Community Wiki =
The Stratics Community Wiki at launch is the result of nearly 2 years of Research, Development, and testing.   
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The Stratics Community Wiki at launch is the result of nearly 2 years of research, development, and testing.   
 
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<br />
 
== A Better Way ==
 
== A Better Way ==
 
Shortly after Ryan Neilson aka Ron Bron purchase Stratics in 2014, the hunt was on for a more effective method for organizing and distributing data and the decision was made to go with a Wiki Format.  The First attempt at this was through a Xenforo plugin which allow for the creation of a Wiki directly in the Xenforo Software that powered the Stratics Community Forums.  While this system was functional in testing, and proved to be a better solution than the existing system, it left data at the mercy of Xenforo database which in the event of a catastrophic failure, or abandonment of the plugin by it's creators, would result in the potential loss of information.  Other concerns were the Xenforo/Mediawiki hybrid markup language used to create pages, which at times was confusing and difficult for novice writers to adapt too.  
 
Shortly after Ryan Neilson aka Ron Bron purchase Stratics in 2014, the hunt was on for a more effective method for organizing and distributing data and the decision was made to go with a Wiki Format.  The First attempt at this was through a Xenforo plugin which allow for the creation of a Wiki directly in the Xenforo Software that powered the Stratics Community Forums.  While this system was functional in testing, and proved to be a better solution than the existing system, it left data at the mercy of Xenforo database which in the event of a catastrophic failure, or abandonment of the plugin by it's creators, would result in the potential loss of information.  Other concerns were the Xenforo/Mediawiki hybrid markup language used to create pages, which at times was confusing and difficult for novice writers to adapt too.  
 
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<br />
 
After the community funded purchase of Stratics by the Leadership team in December of 2015, and the emergence of new technology becoming available the existing Wiki project was scrapped and a new Wiki using a bridged version of Mediawiki began it's planning phase.  The benefits quickly became apparent, as now data would be stored on a separate database adding a layer of protection, and if in the future Xenforo was to become depreciated and unsuitable for Stratics continuing needs the Wiki could be ran as a standalone installation.  
 
After the community funded purchase of Stratics by the Leadership team in December of 2015, and the emergence of new technology becoming available the existing Wiki project was scrapped and a new Wiki using a bridged version of Mediawiki began it's planning phase.  The benefits quickly became apparent, as now data would be stored on a separate database adding a layer of protection, and if in the future Xenforo was to become depreciated and unsuitable for Stratics continuing needs the Wiki could be ran as a standalone installation.  
 
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<br />
 
== Implementation and Testing ==
 
== Implementation and Testing ==
 
After several months of planning Mediawiki was installed and bridged to the forums and alpha testing began by the Leadership team and current staff members.  During this time the search for a manager for the new Wiki began and on his hiring he began designing templates and importing new data not previously available on Stratics to the new Wiki in preparation for a closed beta test phase.
 
After several months of planning Mediawiki was installed and bridged to the forums and alpha testing began by the Leadership team and current staff members.  During this time the search for a manager for the new Wiki began and on his hiring he began designing templates and importing new data not previously available on Stratics to the new Wiki in preparation for a closed beta test phase.
 
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In September 2016 closed Beta Testing began,  on the opening of closed beta the Wiki consisted of over 10000 pages of information that had previously been unavailable on Stratics.
 
In September 2016 closed Beta Testing began,  on the opening of closed beta the Wiki consisted of over 10000 pages of information that had previously been unavailable on Stratics.

Revision as of 11:55, 6 September 2016

The Stratics Community Wiki is the next evolution in data collection here at Stratics. Historically data was collected, collated, and published by a group of highly dedicated individuals passionate about various MMORPGs that Stratics provided coverage of. This system while excellent wasn't perfect, as amazing as they were the individuals publishing data were limited to the time they had available to collect and organize information.

Purpose of the Stratics Community Wiki

The Stratics Community Wiki is being built with several objectives in mind, among which are accessibility of data, ease of use, organization, thoroughness, and speed in updating data.

Accessibility, Ease of Use, and Organization of Data

The primary purpose of the Stratics Community Wiki is to make collected information about MMORPGs open and accessible for anyone to contribute to, update, or make use of within the scope of the creative commons license associated with the wiki. Any registered valid member of Stratics has access to edit and update the content of the community wiki, removing many of the limitations which were present in the older system. By opening up the wiki to anyone we harness the power of a passionate community .
Mediawiki was chosen as a platform due to it's long term support, it has become the standard by which all other wiki platforms are measured and power sites such as Wikipedia. Due to it's popular status the simple markup language used for formatting mediawiki pages has become standardized, and excellent documentation exists allowing anyone to easily learn, opening the door for community contributions.
Mediawiki automatically supports categorization, allowing pages to be associated quickly and easily. This allows similar topics to be quickly grouped and navigated for ease of use. Augmenting this is categorization Mediawiki supports the use of Namespaces, allowing us to use one wiki to support multiple titles while keeping the data from cross linking.

History of the Stratics Community Wiki

The Stratics Community Wiki at launch is the result of nearly 2 years of research, development, and testing.

A Better Way

Shortly after Ryan Neilson aka Ron Bron purchase Stratics in 2014, the hunt was on for a more effective method for organizing and distributing data and the decision was made to go with a Wiki Format. The First attempt at this was through a Xenforo plugin which allow for the creation of a Wiki directly in the Xenforo Software that powered the Stratics Community Forums. While this system was functional in testing, and proved to be a better solution than the existing system, it left data at the mercy of Xenforo database which in the event of a catastrophic failure, or abandonment of the plugin by it's creators, would result in the potential loss of information. Other concerns were the Xenforo/Mediawiki hybrid markup language used to create pages, which at times was confusing and difficult for novice writers to adapt too.
After the community funded purchase of Stratics by the Leadership team in December of 2015, and the emergence of new technology becoming available the existing Wiki project was scrapped and a new Wiki using a bridged version of Mediawiki began it's planning phase. The benefits quickly became apparent, as now data would be stored on a separate database adding a layer of protection, and if in the future Xenforo was to become depreciated and unsuitable for Stratics continuing needs the Wiki could be ran as a standalone installation.

Implementation and Testing

After several months of planning Mediawiki was installed and bridged to the forums and alpha testing began by the Leadership team and current staff members. During this time the search for a manager for the new Wiki began and on his hiring he began designing templates and importing new data not previously available on Stratics to the new Wiki in preparation for a closed beta test phase.
In September 2016 closed Beta Testing began, on the opening of closed beta the Wiki consisted of over 10000 pages of information that had previously been unavailable on Stratics.