New WadoPedia section

[wadoka]

I have created a new section to the forum called WadoPedia and in their I have a structure to hold posts on the kata, kihon kumite, idori and so on. Some of the levels are locked but that is only to stop people adding extraneous threads to the existing ones, namely all the Wado kata and kihon kumite.

I know that many threads suffer from topic drift towards the end but this structure may help us in the long run to find things again and for new visitors to access some of the pooled knowledge.

I have made it a Members Only area but am in two minds over that at the moment. Maybe this would encourage the lurkers to register.

People are free to still use the general Wado Talk section to start off specific threads on a particular kata, if it takes off and has good content then I can manually move it into WadoPedia section.

Let's see how it goes. This is all work in progress, like Wado.

[Tim49]

I have created a new section to the forum called WadoPedia and in their I have a structure to hold posts on the kata, kihon kumite, idori and so on. Some of the levels are locked but that is only to stop people adding extraneous threads to the existing ones, namely all the Wado kata and kihon kumite.

I know that many threads suffer from topic drift towards the end but this structure may help us in the long run to find things again and for new visitors to access some of the pooled knowledge.

I have made it a Members Only area but am in two minds over that at the moment. Maybe this would encourage the lurkers to register.

People are free to still use the general Wado Talk section to start off specific threads on a particular kata, if it takes off and has good content then I can manually move it into WadoPedia section.

Let's see how it goes. This is all work in progress, like Wado.

Good idea, my inclination is that we should keep it as members only, for the very same reason. Though in reality, registered member or not, through shyness some people just won't contribute, even though we are such a friendly bunch.

Tim

[wadoka]

The reason why I am in two minds is more about search engines having access. Part of me feels that there is good credible information and discussions here, and if people were to search on a Wado topic I hope this forum would rate quite highly in the search engine results.

The other part of me thinks if we do have a pool of information here then at least get people to register so we can see how many people are coming here. Not that the number is important but mate we shouldn't leave it on a plate for everyone else.

[claas]

I think this WadoPedia is a good thing. I don't have a strong opinion about locked vs open, but I am speculating that having it open could be a different strategy for getting people to register and write, since many times the idea to register comes from seeing an interesting topic or a post.

So it all depends on the writers here.. does it make a difference for you people when writing, if the area is open or closed? (For me it makes no difference, since anyone can register anyway.)


Also the amount of topics on a certain technique/kata could be a good thing to consider. Perhaps the solo katas might need the possibility for several threads, but at least I don't think individual kihon kumite does. In my opinion also each kata should be compressed to one thread. On forums things do get a little messy - that's just a fact of life. I think trying to separate like this, might even make it more messy. For example ten pages about one kata is not as bad as four topics (with names that in many cases aren't very descriptive) with partially the same stuff about the kata in question.
So maybe for example in the section for kihon kumite you could pick straigth away the topic for the kihon kumite, instead of picking a new section, or what do you think?
Same goes for kata.

[wadoka]

Hi class thank you for your feedback, always nice to receive.

The reason why I wanted to start off, with individual compartments for each solo kata and each kihon kumite was to hopefully collect the specifics. Talk on the sequencing on shuto uke, could be kept separate from the first three movements. Maybe that is a balance to try. Not easy as the threads do meander from one thing to another, such is Wado.

General talk can still go on in the Wado Talk area, and that are is public and there is probably enough content there to draw interested people in to register.

[claas]

I do understand this, but my feeling is that topics concentrating on too small entities die out, while the stuff discussed might become alive later in the case when the thread is active. Of course trainingwise there are no small entities, but writing-on-a-forum-wise there are. :)
Anyway, this is just thinking and is partially based on other forums also.

BTW, there are two a:s and one s in claas. (Not that it matters, because it's not my real name. :) )

[kyudo]

we shouldn't leave it on a plate for everyone else.

But isn't that exactly what an online discussion board is all about? I'd say it's about sharing views and opinions. Share and lock doesn't make much sense to me. Limiting the privilege of contributing to a choosen few is fine. But why go through all the trouble if no one else can read it?

[dkc]

The previous poster said sharing views etc I go along with this idea....and although I know some members dont like it....It is also a source of learning . I know its not the same as in class but we dont all have the access to you very senior grades.I have picked many ideas and points up from reading most of the posts I check ther forum on average 3 times a day.
A last point again im sure unpopular is coul;d new members be made more welcome .If like me they have some lack of knowledge instead of berating them would it not be better to re educate them in a friendly way.I know im not the only one to have been "frightened" to post and put off coming back by some reactions we have recieved.
I am now going to hide in my bunker till it goes quiet again.

[wadoka]

Sharing and access is easy, they just have to register, which in itself is not difficult. Often it is only courteous to do so, when providing a free service.

It gives me a pointer in terms of usage, should I move it onto another server as it is growing and so on.

A couple of clicks and that section is open, so it isn't set in stone.

[kyudo]

The previous poster said sharing views etc I go along with this idea....and although I know some members dont like it....It is also a source of learning . I know its not the same as in class but we dont all have the access to you very senior grades.I have picked many ideas and points up from reading most of the posts I check ther forum on average 3 times a day.
A last point again im sure unpopular is coul;d new members be made more welcome .If like me they have some lack of knowledge instead of berating them would it not be better to re educate them in a friendly way.I know im not the only one to have been "frightened" to post and put off coming back by some reactions we have recieved.
I am now going to hide in my bunker till it goes quiet again.

You have some good points, dkc.
For me, interacting on discussion boards has given me access to the wider world of wado. Before online contact, my wado was pretty much confined to my sensei's dojo. The reality in that dojo was my wado reality. Since then I've learned a hell of a lot. Not directly through online discussion, but surely enabled by online discussion. I've met online a number of people that I've come to appreciate highly. To the point of taking the trouble of traveling to meet some of them in person. I'm still hope to meet one day some people that I met online but who live on the other side of the globe. That includes members of this forum. So I agree with you that the online sharing of knowledge is often under-valued.
That said, if you are frightened to post, then perhaps you're not ready to post. As in kumite, there comes a point when you have to play with the seniors. They might kick your ass. However, in a decent dojo they will make you life difficult, though not impossible. It may hurt, but you will learn from the experience. That's the nature of wado. And fortunately, it is the nature of this forum.