Collaborative History – Creating (and Fostering) a Wiki Community Tracey Baker, Joe Hoover, & Rose Sherman MW2009 Indianapolis, IN April 16, 2009

What is Placeography? A website about ANY place anywhere that anyone can edit A site to share knowledge, images, and MEMORIES of places Goals Share the history of places Foster interest in historic preservation Collaborate with libraries, local historical societies, schools, museums and historic preservation groups www.placeography.org

A website about ANY place anywhere that anyone can edit

A site to share knowledge, images, and MEMORIES of places

Goals

Share the history of places

Foster interest in historic preservation

Collaborate with libraries, local historical societies, schools, museums and historic preservation groups

Tools Tenacity Tactics The 3Ts of Community Building

Tools

Tenacity

Tactics

Tools Software Mediawiki – open source wiki software used in Wikipedia Semantic forms Semantic forms Forms based entry

Software

Mediawiki – open source wiki software used in Wikipedia

Semantic forms

Semantic forms

Forms based entry

User interface Closely resembles Wikipedia’s Recognize Placeography as a wiki Identity MHS deliberately subordinated its brand Presented as a tool for others rather than an MHS project Tools

User interface

Closely resembles Wikipedia’s

Recognize Placeography as a wiki

Identity

MHS deliberately subordinated its brand

Presented as a tool for others rather than an MHS project

Tenacity Leadership and passion Passion about the topic is a good thing Keep open to learning and discovering Inviting Participation Active and Passive invitations

Leadership and passion

Passion about the topic is a good thing

Keep open to learning and discovering

Inviting Participation

Active and Passive invitations

Tenacity Active invitations Meet and greet new users on the site Go to them; Meet them in real life Start local think global It is not cheap or easy

Active invitations

Meet and greet new users on the site

Go to them; Meet them in real life

Start local think global

It is not cheap or easy

Portals for organizations Entryways for organizations Partners in Placeography growth and development A place to link to tours and projects Passive invitations Site design Facilitate relationships Portals/Projects Tenacity

Portals for organizations

Entryways for organizations

Partners in Placeography growth and development

A place to link to tours and projects

Passive invitations

Site design

Facilitate relationships

Portals/Projects

Projects Specific work by an organization or class Ways to organize information on the site May focus on a particular community or type of building or site Tenacity Badges Way to make relationships with information Creates list Passive invitations

Projects

Specific work by an organization or class

Ways to organize information on the site

May focus on a particular community or type of building or site

Badges

Way to make relationships with information

Creates list

Passive invitations

Tactics Internal marketing to coworkers Educating individuals Re-purposing content Seeking internal partners Getting leads and suggestions Advertise Printed collateral Web advertising Press release

Internal marketing to coworkers

Educating individuals

Re-purposing content

Seeking internal partners

Getting leads and suggestions

Advertise

Printed collateral

Web advertising

Press release

Progress since launch: By 12/31/2008 we aimed to have: As of 3/31/2009 we had far exceeded some of these goals: 150 place entries 1,250 entries for buildings, sites, & structures 20% of entries are for places outside the Twin Cities metro area 3% of entries are for places outside the Twin Cities metro area 100 registered users outside MHS 200+ registered users 5 administrators outside MHS 0 administrators outside MHS

Questions? placeography.org