Collaboration project - your help is needed!

[ka3jjz]

Some of you may know that the database has a 'collaboration' area (which is currently unused) where folks would be encouraged to add data for their particular state or county. That area would point to our wiki, and would be a central collection for data that isn't ready for the database, such as frequencies or talkgroups under research, as well as other kinds of data that is currently being moved from the database such as 10 codes, maps, and so on.

The other source of data is the wiki itself. We have a large number of articles and other items with a location specific focus - everything from state-related wiki articles, other web pages, mailing lists, online scanners, apparatus photos and more. While the majority of the focus is on the US, we also have some stuff for our Canadian friends.

It's much too large for 1 or 2 people - working part time - to handle in a timely fashion (the Chief hasn't given me a deadline - yet). I have considered simply linking and anchoring to the various articles as they are, but the sheer volume is too much - we'd be creating a spaghetti rats nest of links all over the place which would over time become a nightmare to maintain.

What is needed here are folks that can gather up all the data for a given state or set of states. All the data related to a given state will need to be gathered into a single page (or pages). Right now, just copying it will do nicely. We'll wipe the data once it's been validated and everything goes live, but not before.

For example, if you are doing the state of Illinois, gather up ALL the information for Illinois into a single page or pages, depending on whether there is any county-related information (in which case, each county should get its own page). It's very tedious, I agree, but it's pretty much the only way to do this. Keep an eye out for any new development in your state's area, because that data too will need cataloging. Keep the page or page(s) you develop until it's called for (the database moves are going on now - and I've got enough to do with other things...) Please send me a note (at ka3jjz@netscape.com) if you are willing to help, and what state(s) you'd like to tackle (we have data, in some form or other, for 44 states - and not every area has the same number of links. Some have more, others much less). I will keep a spreadsheet with users and what state(s) are being handled and coordinate it from here.

This is not going to be a small project - depending on the amount of data, it could take some time to copy all this data and consolidate it. But the more people I get, the smaller the job will become (for you guys anyway).

Here is the list of links - as the Mailing Lists article has the largest number of states, we'll use that for our 'master list' for the time being...leave anything alone that has a regional focus for now (we will have to tackle it, but there's LOTS less of those than we have for the state stuff)

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/United_States

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index..._Mailing_Lists

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index...gory:Apparatus

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index..._Organizations

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Live_Scanners

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Canada

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index...Special_Events


73 Mike

[poltergeisty]

Wow! My brain is operating on over load here lately.


So your moving the database into a wiki database? So all that info. needs t be moved?

[ka3jjz]

No, right now what is being moved is all the so-called 'unformatted content'. This would include things like Fire Tone out lists, 10 code lists, maps, station lists, ect. This is the sort of stuff that one would find in the 'files' tab for each entry in the database. This is intended to give the RR users the ability to update this data without the need for someone to put in a submission ticket to get this done.

The frequencies, talkgroup IDs, trunk system layouts and so on are staying put.

73 Mike

[tonsoffun]

I made an article and added the Fire Toneouts to our Canadian page. Also added individual toneouts to each seperate county page. All info came from the files page. Is this what you guys want to accomplish?

What will happen when this info is in the wiki, will the info in the database be removed?. Edit- Never mind seen the answer.

Take care
Ron

[ka3jjz]

sorry I've been slow to respond - my connection at home is down, and I haven't a clue as to why.

Yes, that is what Lindsay is trying to accomplish - all of that kind of stuff should go to the wiki, and as you have seen, at some point will be wiped from the database. Thanks for jumping in here! 73 Mike

[riccom]

Originally Posted by ka3jjz

sorry I've been slow to respond - my connection at home is down, and I haven't a clue as to why.

Yes, that is what Lindsay is trying to accomplish - all of that kind of stuff should go to the wiki, and as you have seen, at some point will be wiped from the database. Thanks for jumping in here! 73 Mike

I am trying to start a wiki info for the st tammany area, in Lousianan and the Slidell trs, in wiki, i may need a bit of help here, but i think once i get this down, it will be easy.

I like this idea, and if i can get to add more in to it, i will

well there goes my request to be a lousiana db admin (laughs)

[ka3jjz]

ric, don't be afraid to ask questions. Email me and I'll get it sorted out. Use the quick editing guide and Mediawiki links found on the wiki homepage. It's actually laid out fairly well, although in spots it's really not as clear as it could be

Here is your starter page:

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index...isiana%28US%29

73 Mike

[riccom]

Originally Posted by ka3jjz

ric, don't be afraid to ask questions. Email me and I'll get it sorted out. Use the quick editing guide and Mediawiki links found on the wiki homepage. It's actually laid out fairly well, although in spots it's really not as clear as it could be

Here is your starter page:

Louisiana(US) - The RadioReference Wiki

73 Mike

Mike I may need some help here is the thing

The St tammany page is for the Parish, and thats fine, but here is the deal

The fire Protection district and the st tammany s.o. i feel should be diffrent pages,

I have tons of info for them both, ccan this be done please???

[ka3jjz]

Sure - build your pages, and use a link from the Louisiana page I gave you to point to them; for example

* [[fire Protection district]]
* [[st tammany s.o]]

Pretty easy....73 Mike

[Sinister]

Mike,
I wanted to post this instead of sending a PM incase someone else has the same question. I started the New Hampshire Wiki, and will be using the main page as a leap off to other pages in an attempt to keep the main NH page clean. My question is, when I create a seperate page how can the user get back to the NH home page. Right now there is no way to navigate back.

[captclint]

Originally Posted by Sinister

My question is, when I create a separate page how can the user get back to the NH home page. Right now there is no way to navigate back.

Had the same issue. I just put a link at the end that says: Return to NH Home Page. BTW, I like the idea of keeping the main collaboration pages clean. Already did that with my county page.
I also decided that the individual linked pages that were created should not show up in the Collaboration Category list, because it would get very cluttered. I used this link on all the individual sub pages [[:Category:Character sets]]

To link to a Wikipedia:Category page without putting the article into the category, use an initial colon in the link.

However, I really don't know what that does to the wiki indexing, or if this is what Mike would want. I'm sure he'll let me know.

[ka3jjz]

What you can't use the back arrow of your browser? However, Capt's method works just fine, particularly if you link to more than one page in a chain. For example;

main page ----->page 1----->page 2------>page 3

There, return links make a lot of sense. The FreeScan user manual is set up like this too Whatever floats your boat, hi

73 Mike

[qlajlu]

Originally Posted by Sinister

Mike,
I wanted to post this instead of sending a PM incase someone else has the same question. I started the New Hampshire Wiki, and will be using the main page as a leap off to other pages in an attempt to keep the main NH page clean. My question is, when I create a seperate page how can the user get back to the NH home page. Right now there is no way to navigate back.

Install an outside link at the bottom of the page that takes the reader back to the Home Page (i.e. [url Return to New Hampshire Home Page]) where the url is the url of the Home Page. {I'm pretty sure that is the proper syntax}

[ka3jjz]

You don't need the URL, an Interwiki link will work. Same idea, though 73 Mike