Purpose of Portland NETwiki: Difference between revisions
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To summarize the most important reasons PBEM manages and grows this resource: | To summarize the most important reasons PBEM manages and grows this resource: | ||
* '''Preservation and accessibility of institutional knowledge:''' Portland NET is the outcome of over 30 years of volunteer and PBEM staff expertise. Prior to NETwiki, much of this institutional knowledge was locked up in the heads of volunteers or under layers of nearly forgotten electronic files stored on PBEM drives and inaccessible to the wider NET community. Today, PBEM and NET can use NETwiki as a platform to establish, expand, and refine expertise and knowledge. | * '''Preservation and accessibility of community and institutional knowledge:''' Portland NET is the outcome of over 30 years of volunteer and PBEM staff expertise. Prior to NETwiki, much of this institutional knowledge was locked up in the heads of volunteers or under layers of nearly forgotten electronic files stored on PBEM drives and inaccessible to the wider NET community. Today, PBEM and NET can use NETwiki as a platform to establish, expand, and refine expertise and knowledge. A Wiki harnesses group productivity as opposed to individual productivity. | ||
* '''Saved PBEM staff time:''' An inordinate amount of PBEM staff time was spent writing emails to volunteers answering narrow questions about program protocols or best practices for response. Today, PBEM staff can publish much of that information to NETwiki and send volunteers links to comprehensive articles instead of calling up all the information or research needed in order to complete a reply. With that time saved, PBEM staff has increased capacity to respond to other volunteer requests and program needs. | * '''Saved PBEM staff time:''' An inordinate amount of PBEM staff time was spent writing emails to volunteers answering narrow questions about program protocols or best practices for response. Today, PBEM staff can publish much of that information to NETwiki and send volunteers links to comprehensive articles instead of calling up all the information or research needed in order to complete a reply. With that time saved, PBEM staff has increased capacity to respond to other volunteer requests and program needs. | ||
* '''Quick and easy edits:''' A Wiki allows team members to update or correct content on the fly, ensuring that information stays current without requiring specialized technical skills (as was needed for the NET Guidelines, which was published through Adobe InDesign). | * '''Quick and easy edits:''' A Wiki allows team members to update or correct content on the fly, ensuring that information stays current without requiring specialized technical skills (as was needed for the NET Guidelines, which was published through Adobe InDesign). Not for nothing, "Wiki" is a Hawaiian word meaning "quick". | ||
* '''User-friendly interface:''' The familiar, web-based format is easy to navigate for volunteers and staff alike, offering a more approachable alternative to complex platforms like WebEOC. | * '''User-friendly interface:''' The familiar, web-based format is easy to navigate for volunteers and staff alike, offering a more approachable alternative to complex platforms like WebEOC. | ||
* '''Offline capability:''' Wiki content can be exported or mirrored for offline use, supporting continuity of operations in disconnected environments, such as over the AREDN mesh network. | * '''Offline capability:''' Wiki content can be exported or mirrored for offline use, supporting continuity of operations in disconnected environments, such as over the AREDN mesh network. | ||
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== NETwiki Content Editors and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) == | == NETwiki Content Editors and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) == | ||
One of the entire points of convening NETwiki is to make knowledge and expertise in the NET community '''''participatory''''', and decoupling the authority of expertise in disaster response from PBEM - a small government bureau with limited staff time and knowledge - and handing it to neighborhoods. That notion is in line with the expectations of the online culture that built and builds wikis. Many community wikis also have low or no barriers to entry when it comes to authoritative control. Other wikis, such as internal corporate wikis, maintain strict content control. | |||
NETwiki falls between those ends of the spectrum. PBEM appreciates | |||
