A new AutoCAD wiki, anyone? Input please, because I'm ready to go.

[tom.haws]

(This is a cross post from the AutoDesk LISP discussion group.)

Does anybody have opinions to share about my starting a new CAD wiki at wikia.com? Here's some info.

After repeated searches over the years for a Web 2.0-ish AutoCAD resource, and still coming up empty-handed, though I can scarcely believe the whole CAD community has been non-participating in Web 2.0, I am ready to start an OpenSource, Wikipedia style community CAD resource at wikia.com

Why would I think I might succeed?
Well, most importantly I am Wikipedia trained, having been a registered user there since 2003, and a system administrator there since 2004. I understand the fundamental principles of wiki success, and might help guide the wiki in its beginning to become both inviting and useful.

Why Wikia?
Wikia is head and shoulders above other wiki farms in traffic according to Alexa.

Why do it?
I think it's needed. Reini Urban's wiki was a great idea. It's time to take it off the ground in true wiki form!

What do I need?
At the moment, just two things:
1. I'd like to hear concerns, objections, suggestions, and offers if possible.
2. I'd like a little feedback about the scope and name. Should it be the CAD wiki (general Standard plus AutoCAD and Microstation stuff) or the AutoCAD wiki.

Tom Haws
Find me at Google

[Railrose]

A CAD Wiki would be great. A few have looked into it a while back & I think the main snag was that it was considered advertising by the Wiki gods, therefore refused.

[Opie]

There seems to be an AutoCAD wiki already started.

[Richard.Kent]

My god man, they misspelled engineering as "ingeneering". Three years ago I couldn't spell ingeneering, now I are one.

[tom.haws]

There seems to be an AutoCAD wiki already started.

This is great news!. I may simply walk in and make myself at home. I have content and experience. The only uncertainty for me is whether in this day and age of BricsCAD and Linux and diminishing monopoly power it might be better to go for a broader scope in the wiki. Maybe something like CAD.

I do envision including National CAD Standard info there, which is broader than just ACAD.

Which way do you think is best to go?

[Richard.Kent]

This is great news!. I may simply walk in and make myself at home. I have content and experience. The only uncertainty for me is whether in this day and age of BricsCAD and Linux and diminishing monopoly power it might be better to go for a broader scope in the wiki. Maybe something like CAD.

I do envision including National CAD Standard info there, which is broader than just ACAD.

Which way do you think is best to go?

I think what ever you add will be challenged, edited, removed, from now on. Too many experts out there throwing their considerable egos around.

As for National CAD Standards, the content is copyrighted and I doubt you can post that information, and the NCS is a red flag for the know it alls I was just talking about above. Doing that will be like throwing fresh meat into a pit of hungry, angry lions. jMany people have strong negative feelings about the NCS so be prepared. (I like them, BTW. When an A/E firm wants to know what standards to follow for our projects I simply say, NCS)

[tom.haws]

I think what ever you add will be challenged, edited, removed, from now on. Too many experts out there throwing their considerable egos around.

As for National CAD Standards, the content is copyrighted and I doubt you can post that information, and the NCS is a red flag for the know it alls I was just talking about above. Doing that will be like throwing fresh meat into a pit of hungry, angry lions. jMany people have strong negative feelings about the NCS so be prepared. (I like them, BTW. When an A/E firm wants to know what standards to follow for our projects I simply say, NCS)

I love it! As an old Wikipedia veteran, those words are music to my ears. I'll take all the huge egos I can get and they can challenge, edit, remove, and "fix" all they want as long as they practice the community rules such as wikilove, no personal attacks, "so fix it", be bold, etc.

I am sure we can't regurgitate the NCS verbatim, but we can create our own value based on it.

Hmm. Great observations so far. I am very glad I asked here. I'm sorry I am so new and have been so aloof all these years off in my little programming corner. I can tell I have missed a lot. Well, I still have a few more decades to make good, knock on wood.

Tom

[tom.haws]

A CAD Wiki would be great. A few have looked into it a while back & I think the main snag was that it was considered advertising by the Wiki gods, therefore refused.

I have started talks with the folks at Wikia, and there has been some good discussion at the Autodesk forum. http://discussion.autodesk.com/threa...hreadID=637509 I would love to get all the observations I can. Is there a different forum I should go to or person I should contact here at AUGI about this?

Here's what I told them at Wikia:

Anyway, I am looking carefully into starting a meaningful wiki for the DWG/AutoCAD/Intellicad/Bricscad/CAD(maybe) community, and I see that you made the first edit to AutoCAD wiki in Feb 2007 here. Pretty much nothing has happened since then, and I am wondering if you could point me in the direction of the original requester for that wiki. Thanks a million! Tom Haws 17:40, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

Here's a little more info on where I may be headed. I am coordinating this with others so that we do this right. So movement may be a little slow. I may want to adopt the AutoCAD wiki, since no action has happened since February. I would propose leaving the current owner's rights intact, and then giving me bureaucrat and sysop rights there. But not yet. I also may be interested in "renaming" or "moving" the AutoCAD wiki to DWGWiki (more Corporation/Software agnostic, if you know what I mean; there do exist AutoCAD clones) or CADWiki (huge scope and lots of softwares), depending on my talks. Would that be possible? It only has like two pages currently, one of which I added last week, and two templates I added. I believe there is demand in the huge online DWG community for this, so I want to do it right and keep my eyes and ears open. Any help you can give me, Angela, will be golden. Tom Haws 20:02, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

[maxorbit]

Check out

http://cadopedia.org

[tom.haws]

Check out

http://cadopedia.org

Perfect! I will be talking to them! Thanks, man.