Wiki Front Door

FrontPage, WelcomeVisitors and WikiWikiWeb overlap a lot. This could be confusing for new visitors, and OnceAndOnlyOnce is probably in order to provide visitors with a single, straightforward and welcoming WikiFrontDoor, that leads cleanly to starting points and new user help.

How would people go about refactoring the existing three pages in order to minimize or eliminate redundancy and accentuate clarity? Or do you disagree with the idea in the first place? I seem to recall an earlier page on this topic, but I can't find it. -- EarleMartin FrontPageDiscussion? [That's it -- thanks. EM]

I don't see a problem with some overlap, myself. People come into the wiki through many avenues, often via a Google search straight into the middle of the maelstrom, so the desire for a single primary entry point is probably moot. -- DanMuller

(A year later) I have to admit that it still irks me. -- EarleMartin

There are those situations where consolidation is good, this is not one of them. All three pages are classic to wiki, and all three are used as entry points. Sometimes less is more, but in this case, more is less, or something like that.

I disagree entirely. The three pages are mostly overlap, and disjointed overlap at that. They should be pared down to WelcomeVisitors, with technical and historical issues introduced from WikiWikiWeb. What good is "classic" if it is simultaneous with "redundant" and "confusing"? You may be a jaded old-timer, but take it from me that three "main pages" is very confusing for the new visitor -- I've tested it. -- EarleMartin

ThinkingOutLoud: Perhaps the three pages should be modified to clarify purpose and reinforce each other by confining the content in the following manner:

For example:

FrontPage - About Pages - how the WikiWikiWeb is organized using pages and spell out how pages are created, how they are changed, and how pages can be related to one another. Included could be pointers to Roadmaps and to how the Category system works.
WelcomeVisitors - About People - could be about how the visitor can become familiar with the interaction mechanisms, the creation of a HomePage, what passes for acceptable and unacceptable behaviour and introduction to how Stewards can help in correcting abuses and inappropriate behaviours. Here also could be introduction to ways a visitor can get to know something of the people and projects which have become part of the history of WikiWikiWeb.
WikiWikiWeb - About Software - that makes this Wiki work, and the ongoing Emphasis on People, Projects, Patterns, Extreme and Agile Methodology, and Programming Languages and Methods.

-- DonaldNoyes

I like this approach, very much. It makes good sense.

What would also be nice is a clear pointer to the WikiWikiSandbox as a lot of housekeeping is needed because newcomers do trial edits on the front door pages. Some of this is deliberate, but some is not. -- JohnFletcher

I added a line in the WelcomeVisitors page to provide that "clear pointer". -- DonaldNoyes

CategoryWikiMaintenance