AFS Wiki FAQ
From AFSWiki
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This page details frequently asked questions (FAQ) and their corresponding frequently-given responses. If your question is not already listed here please ask for further help by writing mailto:sysadmin@www.afswiki.org.
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Frequently Asked General Questions about AFSWiki
What's the AFS Wiki?
The AFS Wiki is a collaborative, online manual accessible and editable by all AFS volunteers. Find it at http://www.afswiki.org. As an attendee of the Chicago Volunteer Conference, you already have a username and password that lets you edit the Wiki as you wish.
Another name for the Wiki might be, "Everything an AFS Volunteer Needs To Do Their Job." Although the AFS Wiki doesn't yet contain enough to merit that title, it's our goal. The Wiki will soon replace much of the information in http://www.afsonline.org. One exception is personal and statistical information about participants and leads, which will be accessible through AFS International's Global Link system.
We've started building the Wiki with some information on hosting, sending, and support, but so far we have very little on other areas. We need your help to achieve our goal.
How do I get a username and password?
See AFSWiki Request New User Process.
Once I have a username and password, how do I log in?
Navigate to the login screen at www.afswiki.org.
Once you first log in, please navigate to the Preferences link in the top right corner. There, you should change your password to something personal. Please create your own password that is easy to remember, but secure and known only to you. You must change your password soon, because for security reasons, we will suspend accounts that have not changed the temporary password.
What makes a Wiki different than a normal website?
Typical web pages can only can be changed by their author. AFS Wiki pages can be changed by any volunteer with a username and password.
There are a few exceptions to this "Any Volunteer Can Edit" policy: sensitive documents, such as application forms or lists of government regulations, can only be changed by a group of specially trained users.
How do Wikis avoid total chaos?
Wiki is based on the principle of read first, then correct and contribute. Authors are conservative in their approach, looking to improve, rather than change or control information. Like many things, the honor system and a few established rules of thumb can achieve a lot when volunteers come together.
Even in totally anonymous wikis, people don't typically make changes unless they can improve on the original. Note that "improvement" is the goal, not "perfection:" we want you to make changes even if you know that the resulting document won't be perfect.
Additionally, we're somewhat protected because only AFS volunteers can view content and make changes. Also the history of a page is retained indefinitely, allowing us to recover past versions if necessary, and allowing any curious person to see who has made what changes.
How will I know that I've succeeded in my quest to embody the Spirit of the AFS Wiki?
Next time you have a question about being a volunteer, try to answer it by consulting the AFS Wiki. If the answer is missing, first find the answer through other means. Then update AFS Wiki to serve the next person with your same question .
Next time someone else asks you a question, do NOT answer it directly. Instead, you will make sure the AFS Wiki provides the answer, updating it if necessary. Then you will refer your questioner to the appropriate page of the Wiki.
Once you have embodied these principles, you will have achieved the True Wiki Spirit.
Should all volunteers be using the Wiki in place of the AFS Online Library?
The current plan is that the AFS OnLine Library contents will be moved to the Wiki by mid 2008. Until that point volunteers can use both sites to get information. We encourage you to add information that is missing on Wiki so that the next user will be able to find this information.
How do I learn more about using AFS Wiki?
We have created an online tutorial to help guide new users through the basics of finding information, knowledge and documents on AFS Wiki. It is entitled Accessing Information on AFS Wiki and will have you feeling confident as a user in very little time.
Editing and Creating Content
How do I edit a page?
A great way to get started and help improve the AFS Wiki is to edit an existing page, adding or updating content that you know to be missing or inaccurate. For example, try searching for your area team. Its contact information is probably missing or incomplete; you can fix that!
For a comprehensive overview of editing and adding content, go through the online tutorial Making Changes to AFS Wiki. You can also go straight to a page and try editing it. To do this, click on the "edit" tab at the top of the page, make your changes, click "show preview" to make sure the changes look right, then click "save page" to finish.
If making your first edit on a real page feels too dangerous (even though it's not -- we can always recover previous versions of the page), there is a special sandbox. In addition, we are developing an AFS Wiki Style Guide that should, as it develops, should help answer your questions about how to deal with certain types of content, such as linking to other pages, adding images, etc..
How do I make fancy changes like adding links, adding new pages, changing formatting, etc?
The best way to learn is by copying what you like on other pages: click "edit" on any page and you'll see how the effect was achieved. Unless you type "save page," clicking "edit" won't affect the original.
There are also general reference guides for editing a wiki. One of them covers General Formatting and another focuses specifically on Creating Links. Links to these pages and more are on the AFS Wiki Reference page.
How do I create an article with pictures?
On the left hand side, under search, in the box labeled toolbox, click on "Upload file." Upload the file to wiki. Inside the article, reference the image in the form
[[ Image:filename.jpg | 100px | thumb | Caption text here ]]
See also the article: AFSWiki add photo to existing page
How do I create a booklet of selected articles?
See: HOWTO create an AFS Wiki booklet
Why...?
...should I be editing this volunteer manual?
AFS is a volunteer-based organization, and we believe that much of the best advice for volunteers comes from other volunteers. As a conference invitee, you're a leader and have information that's worth making available to fellow volunteers.
...are we changing the technology? I'm used to using AFS Online.
We have about reached the limits of what AFS Online can do for us. By moving AFS Online's static information to the AFS Wiki and the personal and statistical information about participants to AFS International's Global Link system, we'll get the best combination of technologies available.
The AFS Wiki is editable by all our volunteers, so it's easy to keep up-to-date. It allows us to search for any word or phrase within the system. Volunteers and staff alike can organize the information however we like and, for example, create multiple ways of organizing the same information according to the preferences of multiple groups of users. These functionalities are not available from AFS Online.
Although you will probably have to learn some new skills to use the AFS Wiki, Wikis in general are an increasingly common technology. Their use is a skill that some volunteers will already have, while others will be able to reuse the skills they learn here in other projects. The online encyclopedia at wikipedia.org is the 9th most visited site on the web and runs on exactly the same software as AFS Wiki.
...do we require a username and password for access?
...is the email address for the sysadmins " @ www.afswiki.org" and not " @ afswiki.org"?
The wiki was originally conceived of as having a country-specific subdomain, with a global site, as well. Hence, www.afswiki.org, so you can have de.afswiki.org and za.afswiki.org, etc.. It may fall under the category of thinking too far ahead, but it is much easier for us to manage localization if it is all one big site (has to do with structure of the mediawiki software). See de.wikipedia.org, for example.
Where can I get ideas on what to work on?
See the AFS Wiki Current Issue List.
ADD YOUR QUESTIONS HERE
Will volunteers and staff need training in order to navigate the Wiki?
Users who will be making substantial changes may need some minimal training, but the idea of the wiki is that it is easy to use and for most people doing simple edits, no training is needed. The wiki itself provides help. However, in Mid March 2008 the Training group and Volunteer Services have started creating traning documents that volunteers will be able to download, and print. These will be available before August 1, 2008 (when AFSOnline Library is turned off).
How long will I have access to information in the library section of AFS Online?
The current plan is to move the most important info from AFS Online Library to Wiki by August 1, 2008. After that point AFS OnLine Library will be turned off.
Will there be an official launch of the AFS Wiki?
Sounds like a good idea.. Anyone have any ideas on how to do this?
What is the communication plan and timeline to let all registered volunteers know about the Wiki and the change over from AFS Online?
In late November, 2007, all registered volunteers were sent an email informing them about the Wiki. In Mid March 2008 a posting was made on AFS Online letting volunteers know that the Library would be turned off on May 1 2008. This date was then postponed to August 1 2008. In addition a notice was published in the InBox for staff.
How can I edit a locked document or suggest edits for the printing of a new version of a document that I can not change?
A locked document can not be edited, however in the discussion section of a page suggested edits can be listed.
Who do I contact if I have a problem logging on or need help with the Wiki?
Send an mail to sysadmin@www.afswiki.org
