Aut(i)Wiki Design Survey

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Over the summer of 2008, I want to help create a wiki, which will essentially be by and for YOU, the autistic community. The initial goal of this wiki is to create a comprehensive directory of U.S. state resources and resources in other countries throughout the world. Do you know of an awesome doctor who understands your autism needs? Do you know of a person who is able to diagnose adults on the autism spectrum? Do you feel that the services offered by your state's Vocational Rehabilitation (or similar service in your area) is horrible and doesn't help at all; do they do anything right? Are you wondering if your town offers a support group for adults? Well, Aut(i)Wiki is the place to find, report, rate, and comment on the resources you need! Imagine, an encyclopedia of sorts (okay, fine, Wikipedia), but tailored to autism resources only, and even a rating system for those resources. Aut(i)Wiki will also seek to compile the ultimate list of online autism communities.

However, there's a slight hitch: I need YOUR help in order to create the wiki. In the first stage, I wish to have the autism community complete a survey about the general design of Aut(i)Wiki. Then I will analyze the survey results and design the Aut(i)Wiki based on those. Your help will again be needed once Aut(i)Wiki is up and running; to add content, monitor the boards for spammers, and to promote a friendly, respectful environment. A last survey will then be conducted to make any possibly needed adjustments or changes.

For the purposes of this survey, no identifying information will be collected nor used. Data collected will be used for the purposes of the Aut(i)Wiki design only. Completed surveys may be posted to this site or sent via e-mail at [email protected] Thank you!

1.) How do you imagine the design of Aut(i)Wiki?



2.) What other goals or purposes should be included in Aut(i)Wiki along with the resource and autism community listings and rankings?



3.) How should Aut(i)Wiki relate to other autistic communities?



4.) What technologies, resources, and/or deliverables would be most useful (aka what type of Wiki, platforms, etc. - don't worry if you don't know!)



5.) Please make some suggestions on how to get people actively involved and participating in the creation Aut(i)Wiki (aka motivation)?



6.) How do you envision control over the running of such a Wiki (for example, monitoring posts, editing, keeping away flamers and troublemakers)?


7.) Any other suggestions, opinions, or comments:

1.) How do you imagine the design of Aut(i)Wiki?

A searchable resource for finding support groups, events, doctors, educators, publications.


2.) What other goals or purposes should be included in Aut(i)Wiki along with the resource and autism community listings and rankings?

I'm not sure what you mean by rankings. Are the users ranking their communities? I don't think that kind of subjective information belongs. I would try to maintain a calendar of events, index of publications, and a list of doctors or support persons by area.


3.) How should Aut(i)Wiki relate to other autistic communities?

A category with communities with a brief page about each community site would probably do. I'd limit each community to 1 page and lock access so that only a responsible person could edit the page. Too much hate between the communities to trust them to leave each other alone.


4.) What technologies, resources, and/or deliverables would be most useful (aka what type of Wiki, platforms, etc. - don't worry if you don't know!)

We use Mediawiki running on WAMP for our office. It seems to work pretty well. In general Mediawiki recommends LAMP, so you might want to go that way. There are hosting providers on the net that will host the wiki for you so that you don't need to figure out all the details.


5.) Please make some suggestions on how to get people actively involved and participating in the creation Aut(i)Wiki (aka motivation)?

I really think your best bet is to start the Wiki within an existing community (like WP). A wiki by itself does not provide community features - just talk pages for each user and each content page. It does not encourage people to participate on its own. If you have a community with bulletin boads, etc - people can talk about their experiences and are more likely to update the wiki pages with doctors, educators, etc of people that have helped them or their child.


6.) How do you envision control over the running of such a Wiki (for example, monitoring posts, editing, keeping away flamers and troublemakers)?

You'll need a dedicated staff (probably volunteers) the police all the changes.


7.) Any other suggestions, opinions, or comments:

Like I said before, I don't think a wiki by itself fosters community. It's the other way around.

1.) How do you imagine the design of Aut(i)Wiki?
I imagine a search bar, as well as taps at the top of the screen to help navigate. There would be umbrella categories, like "education" or "activism" and under those subcategories. In the subcategories would be information on whatever the category is. If it was something about finding good people to give a diagnosis, then there would be general information about how to find these good professionals as well a list of reliable people.


2.) What other goals or purposes should be included in Aut(i)Wiki along with the resource and autism community listings and rankings?
As I said before, general information, or at least links to general information. Major news relating to autism could be posted on this site as well.


3.) How should Aut(i)Wiki relate to other autistic communities?
As best as it can. You'll want the communities to know about it so they can use it and contribute to it.


5.) Please make some suggestions on how to get people actively involved and participating in the creation Aut(i)Wiki (aka motivation)?
Just try to make people envision what this could turn into. It could become the central resource on autism, and then anyone who helped would have the satisfaction of knowing they started it.


6.) How do you envision control over the running of such a Wiki (for example, monitoring posts, editing, keeping away flamers and troublemakers)?
Similar to Wrongplanet

7.) Any other suggestions, opinions, or comments:
Not at the moment. I have to say this is a remarkable initiative on your part. Keep it up.

1.) How do you imagine the design of Aut(i)Wiki?
Like wikipedia


2.) What other goals or purposes should be included in Aut(i)Wiki along with the resource and autism community listings and rankings?
no ranking information on autistic authors, information on autism and what the autism spectrum is, access to treatments


3.) How should Aut(i)Wiki relate to other autistic communities?
It should be a stopping for people to get as much information on autism as they can


4.) What technologies, resources, and/or deliverables would be most useful (aka what type of Wiki, platforms, etc. - don't worry if you don't know!)
Include a search engine



5.) Please make some suggestions on how to get people actively involved and participating in the creation Aut(i)Wiki (aka motivation)?
encourage people to contribute their own ideas, make this wiki one that is constantly updatabel simmilar to wikipedia


6.) How do you envision control over the running of such a Wiki (for example, monitoring posts, editing, keeping away flamers and troublemakers)?
simmilar to wikipedia or wrongplanet

7.) Any other suggestions, opinions, or comments:
nope

.) How do you imagine the design of Aut(i)Wiki?

Clear, uncluttered, organized. Extensive cross-linking and referencing both within the site and to external resources.



2.) What other goals or purposes should be included in Aut(i)Wiki along with the resource and autism community listings and rankings?

Support of the ASD community. While some attention should be applied to its' causes, I would like to see the majority designated towards coping with the condition - as someone on the spectrum, a parent, significant other, or friend.


3.) How should Aut(i)Wiki relate to other autistic communities?

Autonomously. It is a dangerous situation for a resource designed as a resource to tie into organizations with agendas.


4.) What technologies, resources, and/or deliverables would be most useful (aka what type of Wiki, platforms, etc. - don't worry if you don't know!)

That will probably be best discerned through experience; a variety of formats (written, video, audio) would suit the range of desired stimuli for those within the spectrum. Podcasts? Who knows. But there would need to be more research there.


5.) Please make some suggestions on how to get people actively involved and participating in the creation Aut(i)Wiki (aka motivation)?

Tough question; will have to ponder this one.


6.) How do you envision control over the running of such a Wiki (for example, monitoring posts, editing, keeping away flamers and troublemakers)?

Problematic, at this exists even on an open discussion site such as this. As noted elsewhere, there are rampant issues with the editing and re-editing of information on the Wiki system, with complaints of abuse and inaccurate information a common occurrence. Requiring a number of approvals/disapprovals prior to posting would help; a method to allow contributors to substantiate their entries would also be desirable. With the wide divide between (as was written in another thread) the curebes and the curenots, I can envision a debacle of epic proportions as each side attempts to shape content to suit their agendas.


7.) Any other suggestions, opinions, or comments:

Interesting idea, will help however I can.


M.

1.) How do you imagine the design of Aut(i)Wiki?
easy and acesible



2.) What other goals or purposes should be included in Aut(i)Wiki along with the resource and autism community listings and rankings?
infomation on autism on a autism pepoleperspective.



3.) How should Aut(i)Wiki relate to other autistic communities?
have a link to ech community explaning what they do



4.) What technologies, resources, and/or deliverables would be most useful (aka what type of Wiki, platforms, etc. - don't worry if you don't know!)
don't care as long as it works



5.) Please make some suggestions on how to get people actively involved and participating in the creation Aut(i)Wiki (aka motivation)?
prizes, members of the month, karma?



6.) How do you envision control over the running of such a Wiki (for example, monitoring posts, editing, keeping away flamers and troublemakers)?
run it a bit like wikipedia:

1. people vote for who they want moderators at end of each year.
2. only moderators can ban people
3. users can ask moderators for people to be banned, the moderator then looks into the issue.
4. a 3 strike system unless instanty banned
5. admins who arn't active for a year lose admin privlages.


7.) Any other suggestions, opinions, or comments:
love to join in. see how it grows. point a link to the site once it's up.

also make the url a easy to rember one.