[CentOS-docs] adding stuff to wiki

Wed Jan 14 21:03:31 UTC 2009
Max Hetrick <maxhetrick at verizon.net>

Marcus Moeller wrote:
> Good Evening Jeff.
> 
>> Please consider being less discouraging to people who want to help.
> I think it's not about discouraging someone. Just post a snipset of
> what you want to contribute to the wiki, so we can discuss it here.

I can actually sympathize with the original poster here. I had to 
"prove" myself by continuing to come back to the CentOS wiki posting 
material, before I was trusted enough to be allowed to post things. I 
usually still always post a note asking for permission before I post a 
document I wrote, which sometimes gives me mixed emotions.

I too sometimes feel discouraged when asking to post to the wiki. Part 
of that is, I think, how e-mail is very bland to read. You can't always 
assume the intent of the e-mail, versus in person. I generally think 
that everyone is here to help, but I sometimes feel discouraged easily 
by this list and the wiki. Perhaps that's just me not reading people 
correctly, but I feel if a document has good content, and is related to 
CentOS, then it can be helpful to others using CentOS. Depending on the 
content, and the topic though, some feel it might not be suitable on the 
wiki.

While I understand the need to control the wiki against abuse of 
posting, I think that sometimes it's controlled a little too tightly, 
and things can be nit-picked at by others easily to the point where it 
makes the contributor feel discouraged very easily.

The problem with this is that if it happens enough, then people aren't 
going to want to contribute, and will keep their documentation to 
themselves, or on their own websites.

Opening the wiki up will help out in this aspect. Again, this is all my 
opinion, and perhaps it's just me not reading people well, but I do 
think that it's a real problem sometimes. I'm sure there are a ton of 
great writers that use CentOS, but don't want to post things here. But I 
also do understand the need to protect the pages.

To the original poster, Jeff, just remember that if you post a few 
things and continue to do so, the hassle of things goes away pretty 
quickly. As a whole, a little bit of hassle at first will help other 
users in the long-run, but I do understand your position as well.

Regards,
Max