Wikipedia on Wikipedia
The Missing Manual Posted
The Missing Manuals series, published by O'Reilly Media, today announced the migration of its book about Wikipedia to Wikipedia. As of today, the entire contents of "Wikipedia: The Missing Manual" by John Broughton is available for free online for editing and updating just like any other Wikipedia entry."What makes this project different than any of the other zillion books online today is the format we've chosen -- a wiki," explains Peter Meyers, Missing Manuals' managing editor. "Book viewers will be able to do all the same things they do on any other wiki: view the document, edit it, add to it--in short, whatever they want. The book resides in the site's Help area (wikipedia.org), naturally, since the book is all about helping people edit and navigate their way around Wikipedia."
Adds Meyers: "Our hope is that the Wikipedia community will flock to the book and 'curate' it by adding tips, tricks, and by updating the material to reflect changes to Wikipedia since we've published the original edition. Down the road, when it comes time for us to consider publishing a second edition of the print book, we'll think about whether to incorporate some of the community's changes into the new edition."
The drive to post "Wikipedia: The Missing Manual" to Wikipedia was spearheaded by author John Broughton. Broughton, a registered editor at Wikipedia since 2005 with more than 20,000 edits under his belt, says he's looking forward to seeing what changes and improvements his fellow Wikipedians will make to his book.
"Wikipedia already has thousands of pages of documentation on how to be a good editor. This 'Missing Manual' book is different--it offers systematic guidance for people who want to learn the 'core curriculum,' the critical information needed to avoid running afoul of the rules. The book is organized as a structured process for learning to edit, with numerous tips and tools for easier editing. With this book, Wikipedia now has something that charts the path from novice toward expert, with step-by-step illustrations for every topic along the way."
John Broughton plans to talk more about the migration of this book at O'Reilly's upcoming Tools of Change Conference, which will be held in New York City, Feb. 9 through 11, 2009.
"The Wikimedia Foundation is thrilled that John Broughton and O'Reilly have decided to release John's book under a free license," says Sue Gardner, executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation. "For years, John has done great work creating instructional materials that offer guidance for new Wikipedia editors. Now that the Missing Manual is being released under a free license, people will be able to reuse, update, translate and customize the material in it for different purposes and different audiences, which will make it even more useful for everyone."
Study up on Wikipedia
Wikipedia: The Missing Manual, 1st Edition
By John Broughton, shows you how to contribute to Wikipedia, the popular user-generated online reference that serves 9 million entries and 2.5 billion requests per day. Wikipedia: The Missing Manual gives you practical advice on how to create articles and collaborate with fellow editors, how to improve existing articles, and how to work with the Wikipedia community to review new articles, mediate disputes, and maintain the site. Up to the challenge?
MediaWiki, 1st Edition
Author Daniel J. Barrett says :
MediaWiki is the world's most popular wiki platform, the software that runs Wikipedia and thousands of other websites. Though it appears simple to use at first glance, MediaWiki has extraordinarily powerful and deep capabilities for managing and organizing knowledge. In corporate environments, MediaWiki can transform the way teams write and collaborate. This comprehensive book covers MediaWiki's rich (and sometimes subtle) features, helping you become a wiki expert in no time.
Wikipedia Reader's Guide: The Missing Manual, 1st Edition
Wikipedia Reader's Guide: The Missing Manual gives you the essential tools for getting the most out of Wikipedia. As a supplement to Wikipedia: The Missing Manual, this handbook provides a basic road map to the largest online collaborative encyclopedia. You'll learn the best ways to search Wikipedia for the information you need, how to navigate the encyclopedia by category, and what to do if you spot an error in an article. By John Broughton
How Wikipedia Works, 1st Edition
Wikipedia is made up of people just like you: students, professors, and everyday experts and fans. With about 10,000 articles added to Wikipedia each week, there are plenty of opportunities to join this global community. How Wikipedia Works explains how you can make the Web's go-to source for information even better. You'll learn the skills required to use and contribute to the world's largest reference work-like what constitutes good writing and research and how to work with images and templates. Instead of wondering where to begin, the question will be "How far will you go?" By Phoebe Ayers, Charles Matthews, Ben Yates
O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.
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