There is an entry for Greyhawk in the wikipedia, but what if someone were to create a Greyhawk wiki for fans to add to. It could be an online campaign setting, authored and edited by fans. Of course, room would have to be made for places to explain canonical variation.
I think what he was suggeting is the creation of a Greyhawk Wiki... not a page in the Wikpedia. In such a place we could each add our own articles. It would allow the creation of a very rich and cross referenced place for Greyhawk.
I have been working with a friend to try and set this up for another project. It is more complicated than I can do, but it does not seem too difficult for the computer talented. It does allow for articles to grow over time, and keeps them fresher than in an archive. There are some issues with the ability to alter the work of others (particluarly is someone simply erases or defaces another's work).
However, it is a strong idea, at least on it's face.
I see. I blame late night blurry-eyed, fuzzy-brained sleep deprivation for my misunderstanding. Yeah, that's it! Yes, it's a good idea, but as you said, there can be a few issues with it (changing other people’s entries, etc.). A special thread could always be set up here at CF for such a thing too. I haven't seen something like this yet really on any site. Usually forums are just for discussion of random topics, not a showcase for articles that can be commented on.
For example:
Greyhawk Article Forum(title forum): people can submit their articles as threads, can update/edit them whenever they want without fear of somebody else doing so, and can also get feedback on them too.
Sub-Forums:
Regional Greyhawk Articles: articles on the various lands.
Folks, Feuds, & Factions: npc's, power groups, etc.
Unearthed Arcana: magic items, spells, new equipment, etc.
Deities & Demigods: all things divine.
Zagyg's Lair: for things that don't fit the other categories, or are just "out there".
It could work, and would be very simple for admins as all they need to do is set up the forum/sub-forums and let it run its course pretty much.
In my experience, it does not seem like the ability to edit another's work is detrimental to the wiki experience overall. There is the occassional jackass who likes to muck things up, but the vast majority of people who read a wiki are quick to correct such things, and a single perpetrator cannot possibly keep up with an army of determined fans. Sure, your work might get edited, but usually corrections are made to keep things in line with canon. With Greyhawk that can be tricky, but then again, it can be far worse with Star Trek and Memory Alpha seems to be doing well. Wikis of this type have a tendency to note inconsistencies in canon and list many possible interpretations or stories rather than deleting things wholesale that someone disagrees with. For those who want to add to Greyhawk what is not covered in existing sourcebooks, a separate non-canon wiki (like Memory Beta) could serve that purpose. I honestly think wikis are one of the best developments of the 21st century.
I agree that it is not a big fear, but unlike most wiki's this would be fan fiction. People often feel proprietary about such works.
Maybe there should (as an example) be core pages and additional details/alternate pages. So, there would be an Greyhawk Page which would have an article like this
Quote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyhawk
and then additional pages with more details or alternates.
I talked to GLH quite some time ago about setting up a Greyhawk Underdark wiki on CF, partially as an experiment to see how people treated it. I heard via the grapevine that the machinery was in place to support one here, but I lost interest / never got an official go-ahead.
So... if the machinery is in place, then let's go!
Incidentally, if we stated explicitly that it was NOT fan fiction on the front page, I don't think anyone would have reason to complain. Some still would, but you can give people free money and they'd complain it wasn't the right color.
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