New Wiki Gardening page

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by christianshearer, Mar 5, 2009.

  1. christianshearer

    christianshearer Junior Member

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    New Wiki Gardening Website
    We have been talking about how powerful a site like this might be. I just got the e-mail today that it has now been set up. Totally user edited and controlled. Add a plant, list your successes and failures. This could eventually have the most comprehensive list of plants, their uses, and the way people use them. I'm excited.

    Lots of love,
    Christian

    March 4, 2009


    Wikigardens (www.wikigardens.com) is a new website for the landscape
    architect, the practiced gardener, the amateur plant nerd and anyone who
    falls between the three. It is primarily a site for plant research. The
    site features a 50,000 plant encyclopedia, a garden showcase, a forum, a
    members' journal, seasonal topics of interest, and listings of local garden
    groups.

    What separates this site from other garden database websites is the "wiki"
    function which allows any member (membership is free) to contribute
    information about plants, successes and failures, helpful hints, post shots
    of their garden, etc. The information is vetted by other WikiGardens
    members to insure it is correct and trustworthy. The philosophy behind this
    is "many eyes make mistakes small" therefore the more users, the more
    accurate the information.

    Additionally unique to Wikigardens is the absence of annoying pop up and
    sidebar ads. Vendors who chose to buy advertising on the site do so in the
    form of links back to their own website. This feature is useful because
    vendors are sorted by the zip code closest to the member. When searching for
    a particular plant to purchase, your choices will be closer to home.

    Like any wiki site, it is only as robust and vigorous as the users who
    contribute to it. We invite any and all to visit Wikigardens, become a
    member and "dig" in the garden.

    For more information Contact:
    Michael Peterson
    503-236-7574
    [email protected]
     
  2. robwolters_nl

    robwolters_nl Junior Member

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    Re: New Wiki Gardening page

    Great initiative. Definitely signing up.
     
  3. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Re: New Wiki Gardening page

    Sounds like this could turn into a really great resource. Why learn the hard way when you can learn from others mistakes and successes!
     
  4. Tezza

    Tezza Junior Member

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    Re: New Wiki Gardening page

    Sorry to burst You bubbles ..but we allready had a wiki ...a permaculture wiki of all names lol


    Trouble was...it was too open to post any information...meaning.......The wiki allowed people to re write your hard earned information,and even possibly rename it,under their own name...

    Other possible reason i can think of ..was......

    Not enough people thought they had any thing to offer...

    No people had anything to offer..(apart from a few of us)..

    No one could be bothered ......

    the concept wasnt pushed or encouraged enough....

    A permaculture Wiki looked like the best thing since before sliced bread..... maybe to many bread dislikers in here...... :finga:



    All due respect.....a wiki garden probly wouldnt suit the average hardcore Permie.........Garden,isnt verry descriptive of much for permaculture,only gardens

    big difference .......

    Tezza
     
  5. FREE Permaculture

    FREE Permaculture Junior Member

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    Re: New Wiki Gardening page

    wiki bananas is all it is.
    he's just "borrowed" the wiki name, has nothing to do with wiki-pedia at all.
    it's just another $2 .com website with views to earning cash from advertisers :p
    the real wiki-gardens is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardens

    why on earth is it a sticky here?
    gullible moderators or what :rolleyes: :lol:
     
  6. Elsombre

    Elsombre New Member

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    Re: New Wiki Gardening page

    "Wiki bananas?"
    "Borrowed the wiki name?"

    Dear "FREE Permaculture," as the moderator of wikigardens allow me to respond to your characterization of wikigardens as "just another $2 .com website with views to earning cash from advertisers"

    1. WikiPedia is but one example of a wiki site - as defined by user generated content.
    2. The wikipedia link you cited has no plant specific information but focuses on the definitions and descriptions of permaculture.
    3. Our database is licensed under Creative Commons and is free to everyone, registered user or not. Like wikipedia, you must be a registered user to post information.
    4. I am out of pocket $500/month to support this site and welcome sponsors to contribute to keep it alive. Unlike wikipedia, we have no foundation or fundraisers to help meet our costs.

    Namaste
     
  7. 9anda1f

    9anda1f Administrator Staff Member

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    Re: New Wiki Gardening page

    I have seen repeated requests by posters here for a plant database, a repository of plant knowledge that included those specific pieces of information about different species that matter to Permaculture. Items such as coppicing, drought resistance, root patterns, etc. This is why I "stickied" the post.

    Here we have been offered access to such a database (with more than 2000 entries already if I remember correctly) and an opportunity to contribute. I actually visited the very professionally done site and poked around some. Did a search on Tagasaste. Guess what? No entry yet! Here's an opportunity for some of our experts here (and I mean you many hands-on experts) to contribute. A lot of work has gone into the Wiki Garden site, and I'd like to thank Christian for his original post, and also thank Elsombre for all the work done to create the site.

    I'm sure it's not all things to all people, but what in this world is? On the first day of my PDC, when confronted with some negative sentiment about something (I forget what), Darren Doherty informed us that Permaculture is about positivism, not negativism. I took that to heart and remember his words often when I observe something that has been carefully "built up" being "torn down" by others. How can our comments, and more importantly our actions, help contribute to building up this resource that has been freely offered? If after looking over the site you can add to the already significant database, please do! If you find room for improvement and can offer constructive criticism, I'm sure it will be welcomed.

    :D
    Bill Kearns
     
  8. Tezza

    Tezza Junior Member

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    Re: New Wiki Gardening page

    I typed in "Permaculture"..... Result Nothing......

    This is permaculture in here...Permaculture Gardening ,Permaculture Landscaping......... not 'gardening or landscapi..

    Next we be getting a sticky for Roundup cos someone got a weed problem........


    Tezza
     
  9. Tezza

    Tezza Junior Member

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    Re: New Wiki Gardening page

    hiya again


    Was wondering if you as a moderator/administrator that maybe you could find about our old permaculture wiki we had on these very boards probly back as far ago as 4 years maybe...

    maybe the forum runners of today could check this out and explain where and why it was remooved?

    Id like an answer on this one please :) :) :) :) :) :)


    Tezza
     
  10. greenmachine

    greenmachine Junior Member

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    Re: New Wiki Gardening page

    Hi I agree lets be positive, some times it takes a few different attempts for things to be successful, just as there were many search engines before Google. I like the idea.
     
  11. 9anda1f

    9anda1f Administrator Staff Member

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  12. FREE Permaculture

    FREE Permaculture Junior Member

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    Re: New Wiki Gardening page

    this was the thread, https://forums.permaculture.org.au/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2399 it was permapedia that murray kicked off but wasn't good timing as that was when everyone left the site so didn't get the support, at least it was on topic, gardens are not on topic otherwise you may aswell sticky every garden forum in the world here.
    just would of thought permaculture was what this site is about and there's plenty of worthy sites to sticky,
    not commercial sites.

    and gimme a break on $500 a month to host a $2 .com [​IMG]
     
  13. Elsombre

    Elsombre New Member

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    Re: New Wiki Gardening page

    Dear "Free Permaculture",

    You may be right that a gardening wiki is not the right place for permaculture-specific plant information. You and others who share your interests will determine the directions that wikigardens follows. Our next upgrade will include a "native" category as well as a link to the TNC Ecoregions map. Whether or not this site ever provides permaculture information is entirely up to you.

    If your existing site https://permaculture.wikia.com/wiki/Permaculture_Wiki meets your needs then you should use it.

    BTW - Hosting costs (quad-core, 8 GB, RAID1, bandwidth, email, etc.), upkeep (think bug fixes, code revisions, updates) and new feature development easily hit $500 monthly.

    Cheers
     
  14. robwolters_nl

    robwolters_nl Junior Member

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    Re: New Wiki Gardening page

    Bit of an extreme example....the site being mentioned is a plant information which could very easily be used in a permaculture setting whereas I would struggle to find a place there for Roundup. I don't see why the site mention permaculture; it's a plant database. I would think that some (like myself) could find that a handy resource.
     
  15. stevieray

    stevieray Junior Member

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    Re: New Wiki Gardening page

    Are you saying that a gardening/plant wiki is not on-topic in a forum entitled "Planting, growing, nurturing"?

    It may be debated whether this is sticky-worthy, but some of the comments from various people above seem fairly extreme. Maybe there's some old wounds being opened here that are "off topic".

    My 2c.
     
  16. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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    Re: New Wiki Gardening page

    I contributed to the permapedia until the site was shut. I have cannot exactly remember why it was shut down but it wasnt due to forum membership at all. I believe it was due to time and financial constraints at 'head office' level.

    Good luck with the new pedia.

    cheers,
     

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