Wiki Update
It has been long since I made an announcement like this, and I am proud to say that we had made major advancements since then.
First of all, we have made major changes to the way we combat spam. A new CAPTCHA system (QuestyCAPTCHA) has replaced the old reCAPTCHA system. The new system is more effective and is easier to solve compared to the old system which can be easily defeated by character recognition technology. We now only challenge users when creating a new account, asking a simple questions regarding FTB or minecraft modding in general. All of the original username restrictions but one has been lifted. (We only block usernames ending in "bot". Bypass requests are still accepted)
Newly created accounts are now able to upload and overwrite files, a right only granted before to accounts with more than 50 edits and those that are 1 week old.
Then, we have the wiki software. I have spent a whole day during my vacation to update the wiki software, the wiki skin, and extensions. A lot of wrongly configured extensions (esp. TorBlock) have all been fixed now, and many of the translation extensions are now working properly. Translators are now able to get a list of translatable pages sorted by its type.
A variety of extensions that are mainly geared towards user experience has been installed, most notably the VisualEditor. VisualEditor is an extension that is in development by the Wikimedia Foundation, it allows users with completely no experience with the wikitext syntax to be able to edit the wiki. However, the interface for adding templates are currently not intuitive, we are addressing that issue as we speak. Certain UI elements are also currently not rendered properly but it does not interfere with the ability to edit the wiki. The backend of VisualEditor is also a bit quirky at the moment.
Installing VisualEditor is just one of the actions we have taken to improve user experience on the wiki. The GuidedTour extension has also been installed and I will be designing tours that guide new users through the process of editing the wiki, creating crafting grids (which is proven to be a huge problem to new users) and other aspects of the wiki like the ore dict and tilesheets.
Editor retention is also a major focus for the wiki team. Another Wikimedia Foundation technology, Echo, has been installed on the wiki. Its intent is to notify an editor whenever an edit of his is reviewed. Thank you buttons have been installed on the history of pages, the editor will be notified whenever an edit is thanked. Everyone is encouraged to click the thank button whenever you consider appropriate. An extension dedicated to encouraging users have also been installed. This extension allows users to give editors "awards", or WikiLove, effectively encouraging the editor and urging that editor to make more quality edits. Examples of such awards can be seen here and here.
In addition to positive feedback to editors, we are encouraging all staff to not give out warning templates to users. Instead we are new using an alternative and more moderate approach to inform the users of the guidelines and rules on the wiki. We also have a new tool that allows us to quickly tag articles that need improvement and at the same time provide feedback to the user that created it, further tweaking of that tool is required however, but it is currently operational. We are also considering to make article tags look less menacing so that users will not be intimidated by the consequences of creating articles that are not up to standard. (Mainly the stub tag)
Team Updates
No significant change has been made to the team since I made that last update on the wiki. Old members (@AgentTadpole, @MilConDoin, @Staxed) left, but new members joined (Welcome @Padfoote to the wiki!). The translating team has remained pretty much the same.
If you seek to join the wiki team, please see the information at the bottom of this page.
The Future of the Wiki - The Community
I have been devising a roadmap for the wiki for quite some time now. My ultimate goal of allowing the community to be in charge of the wiki and allowing anonymous edits have not changed since I assumed the position of team lead. For the next 3 to 4 months, we will be working towards one of the goal, allowing the community to be in charge of the wiki. And promoting community participation on the wiki will be the major goal during this period.
You will play a big role in the wiki from now on, showcase your creations on the wiki, add your own research or images to existing articles, create guides for mods, add articles for your modpack and even change what you deem necessary (including guidelines, but I request that changes made to guidelines be based on consensus) for people you reach your content. (just don't start an edit war please, you will be temp blocked) The wiki team is open to suggestions, tell us what you think things should be and we shall put it into consideration. We will be overhauling the main page of the wiki to allow users to easily navigate the wiki. (I admit it looks crappy currently)
We are also rethinking our content strategy. From now on we will be focusing on guides and the mechanics of items. We will also be focusing on documenting the nature and the reception of modpacks and mods and documenting the history of FTB and all of its teams and team members.
The Future of the Wiki - The Wiki Team
I am not sure what the wiki team will become in the future, this depends how the community is involved with the wiki. Team members will probably be elected on the wiki team by editors I'm not sure.
But the wiki team's job during this transition is to maintain order during the upcoming brief chaos that is bound to happen, spotting bad edits (vandalism, spam, edit warring), assessing content quality and building an infrastructure for community editors.
The Future of the Wiki - The FTB Team
I was disappointed to hear the FTB Team's attitude towards the wiki. I have put a lot of effort into making the wiki a place where information can be easily acquired. The FTB Team plays a big role in the success of the wiki, the wiki needs promotion, the wiki needs the viewers. I was especially disappointed when the changelogs are put on confluence, it seems that the wiki was never considered before. If the changelogs were put on the wiki, it would attract a huge amount of users and potential editors to the wiki, we are missing out on a huge opportunity here.
Translators
The translator team will still remain the same, at least for now. Translator applications should be PM'd to me with a sample translation of a few paragraphs of a guide.
What Now?
Go create an account on the wiki, start editing, provide feedback, report bugs.
We are making our last recruitment in the foreseeable future.
Recruitment Details
Requirements
PM Jinbobo with your vision of the wiki and a list of what needs to be changed.
fdasdfgag asdfg ,egt alkhfjdlautalidhfajhfdlsagfjhsadhhdhdhhdhdhhhhhhhhhhhshdfhaluey974y a4ty b;aity ab;hgf a
For people who don't bother read the post:
It has been long since I made an announcement like this, and I am proud to say that we had made major advancements since then.
First of all, we have made major changes to the way we combat spam. A new CAPTCHA system (QuestyCAPTCHA) has replaced the old reCAPTCHA system. The new system is more effective and is easier to solve compared to the old system which can be easily defeated by character recognition technology. We now only challenge users when creating a new account, asking a simple questions regarding FTB or minecraft modding in general. All of the original username restrictions but one has been lifted. (We only block usernames ending in "bot". Bypass requests are still accepted)
Newly created accounts are now able to upload and overwrite files, a right only granted before to accounts with more than 50 edits and those that are 1 week old.
Then, we have the wiki software. I have spent a whole day during my vacation to update the wiki software, the wiki skin, and extensions. A lot of wrongly configured extensions (esp. TorBlock) have all been fixed now, and many of the translation extensions are now working properly. Translators are now able to get a list of translatable pages sorted by its type.
A variety of extensions that are mainly geared towards user experience has been installed, most notably the VisualEditor. VisualEditor is an extension that is in development by the Wikimedia Foundation, it allows users with completely no experience with the wikitext syntax to be able to edit the wiki. However, the interface for adding templates are currently not intuitive, we are addressing that issue as we speak. Certain UI elements are also currently not rendered properly but it does not interfere with the ability to edit the wiki. The backend of VisualEditor is also a bit quirky at the moment.
Installing VisualEditor is just one of the actions we have taken to improve user experience on the wiki. The GuidedTour extension has also been installed and I will be designing tours that guide new users through the process of editing the wiki, creating crafting grids (which is proven to be a huge problem to new users) and other aspects of the wiki like the ore dict and tilesheets.
Editor retention is also a major focus for the wiki team. Another Wikimedia Foundation technology, Echo, has been installed on the wiki. Its intent is to notify an editor whenever an edit of his is reviewed. Thank you buttons have been installed on the history of pages, the editor will be notified whenever an edit is thanked. Everyone is encouraged to click the thank button whenever you consider appropriate. An extension dedicated to encouraging users have also been installed. This extension allows users to give editors "awards", or WikiLove, effectively encouraging the editor and urging that editor to make more quality edits. Examples of such awards can be seen here and here.
In addition to positive feedback to editors, we are encouraging all staff to not give out warning templates to users. Instead we are new using an alternative and more moderate approach to inform the users of the guidelines and rules on the wiki. We also have a new tool that allows us to quickly tag articles that need improvement and at the same time provide feedback to the user that created it, further tweaking of that tool is required however, but it is currently operational. We are also considering to make article tags look less menacing so that users will not be intimidated by the consequences of creating articles that are not up to standard. (Mainly the stub tag)
Team Updates
No significant change has been made to the team since I made that last update on the wiki. Old members (@AgentTadpole, @MilConDoin, @Staxed) left, but new members joined (Welcome @Padfoote to the wiki!). The translating team has remained pretty much the same.
If you seek to join the wiki team, please see the information at the bottom of this page.
The Future of the Wiki - The Community
I have been devising a roadmap for the wiki for quite some time now. My ultimate goal of allowing the community to be in charge of the wiki and allowing anonymous edits have not changed since I assumed the position of team lead. For the next 3 to 4 months, we will be working towards one of the goal, allowing the community to be in charge of the wiki. And promoting community participation on the wiki will be the major goal during this period.
You will play a big role in the wiki from now on, showcase your creations on the wiki, add your own research or images to existing articles, create guides for mods, add articles for your modpack and even change what you deem necessary (including guidelines, but I request that changes made to guidelines be based on consensus) for people you reach your content. (just don't start an edit war please, you will be temp blocked) The wiki team is open to suggestions, tell us what you think things should be and we shall put it into consideration. We will be overhauling the main page of the wiki to allow users to easily navigate the wiki. (I admit it looks crappy currently)
We are also rethinking our content strategy. From now on we will be focusing on guides and the mechanics of items. We will also be focusing on documenting the nature and the reception of modpacks and mods and documenting the history of FTB and all of its teams and team members.
The Future of the Wiki - The Wiki Team
I am not sure what the wiki team will become in the future, this depends how the community is involved with the wiki. Team members will probably be elected on the wiki team by editors I'm not sure.
But the wiki team's job during this transition is to maintain order during the upcoming brief chaos that is bound to happen, spotting bad edits (vandalism, spam, edit warring), assessing content quality and building an infrastructure for community editors.
The Future of the Wiki - The FTB Team
I was disappointed to hear the FTB Team's attitude towards the wiki. I have put a lot of effort into making the wiki a place where information can be easily acquired. The FTB Team plays a big role in the success of the wiki, the wiki needs promotion, the wiki needs the viewers. I was especially disappointed when the changelogs are put on confluence, it seems that the wiki was never considered before. If the changelogs were put on the wiki, it would attract a huge amount of users and potential editors to the wiki, we are missing out on a huge opportunity here.
Translators
The translator team will still remain the same, at least for now. Translator applications should be PM'd to me with a sample translation of a few paragraphs of a guide.
What Now?
Go create an account on the wiki, start editing, provide feedback, report bugs.
We are making our last recruitment in the foreseeable future.
Recruitment Details
Requirements
- Strong organization skills
- Active
- Knows how to communicate on IRC or TS
- Experience with wikis is preferable but not required
PM Jinbobo with your vision of the wiki and a list of what needs to be changed.
fdasdfgag asdfg ,egt alkhfjdlautalidhfajhfdlsagfjhsadhhdhdhhdhdhhhhhhhhhhhshdfhaluey974y a4ty b;aity ab;hgf a
For people who don't bother read the post:
The wiki has lifted its username restrictions and welcomes community contributions.
Last edited:
