Agreed. That's why I asked about a year or so. I was just checking on what the plan there was so anyone else looking to use the same idea can take that into consideration as well.

AndyPoms wrote:

PhantomSoul wrote:The wiki is definitely tough to edit without either being a programmer or using some kind of BYO tool. Not every state is going to have editors that are savvy at directly editing the text of the wiki page, especially when it comes to complex color highlighting and table layout formatting.

That's why there is a template at the bottom of the page for people to copy & paste when adding a new city/town to the list.

That and as I mentioned, there's always the option for someone who doesn't want to edit the Wiki to post the information on the state's forum and let someone else put it into the Wiki.

Unless I'm mistaken, I don't think the idea here is to put closures that are only a day or even a couple of days, but to put more long-term closures. I don't think we need the Wiki to track every lane closure or half day bridge closure or the like. I think it's more about tracking changes that require editing the map. Anything else that is just notification would be best in the forum.

jondrush wrote:One other thought. I'm thinking that things that change regularly such as road closures and to-do lists should be handled in the forums. Things that are relatively static should be documented in the Wiki. I want to sticky a forum thread in each state forum that points to its wiki page, when you feel it is ready for prime time. Then we should transition static topics that are already stickied in your state forum to the wiki.

Make sense?

The Michigan forum is being used this way, mostly by enthusiastic area manager robc007, with some additions by Riamus. I think it works very well, since the forums afford greater visibility and are better suited to short-term information.

Using the Wiki for rapidly-changing information requires a certain amount of initiative—not just initiative, but an ongoing... I can't think of the word, but you know what I mean. You gotta stay on top of it. This may work for a few states, but I know I'm on the forum a hundred times for each time I visit the Wiki. I wouldn't want to make it the "standard" by any means, and I think the forums work best for this in general.

If you're going to be linking wiki articles on the forum anyway, well, a Google doc is equally linkable, equally shareable, and much easier to edit.

Proactive. That's the word I was looking for.

Either way, I don't mind the idea, but a linked Google doc may be an easier way to do it. I like the idea of a stickied closures thread. Allowing users to add closures to the Google doc would eliminate a step and some strain on state area managers and regional coordinators associated with having to add everything to the Wiki.