WikiConference India 2011/Submissions/Making Wiki more user- friendly

Timestamp
11:34, 30 August 2011 (UTC)
Title of the submission
Making Wiki more user friendly
Type of submission (workshop, tutorial, or presentation)
Presentation
Author of the submission
Gouri Nawathe
E-mail address or username (if username, please confirm email address in Special:Preferences)
gouri.nawathe@gmail.com
State of your origin (Country, if you are not based in India)
Maharashtra, India
Affiliation, if any (organization, company etc.)
IIT Bombay, Teach for India
Personal homepage or blog
Abstract (maximum 500 words)
That Wikipedia is a quite reliable source of knowledge is a well- known fact. However, in addition to the quality of content, it is necessary for the content to be presented in a manner which can be accessed by the users as easily as possible, and in a manner which makes it as easy to comprehend as possible. My presentation talks about adding a few simple additional features to the wiki pages to enhance the experience of the user(more specifically someone using it for academic purposes) and to make it more wholesome.

The presentation will highlight the following key points- 1. The need for a 'Pre-requisites' box at the beginning of a page,which will mention and provide links to the topics which should be known to the user before reading the page. 2. The need for a photo gallery attached to each page, for visual appeal has a direct impact on the ability to comprehend . 3.A 'Bin' feature in which you could enlist a key word which doesn't show up any results through search. This feature will let wiki editors know which key words don't have pages yet, and help in creating them. This is specifically for users like myself, I use Wiki a lot, but hardly ever have time to edit a page. So if I don't find something on Wiki, I just try to find it on other sites. There should be an option to report a missing page. 4.Usually, every sub topic under 'contents' has a brief explanation under it. Besides every sub-heading, there should be a 'more' option which directs you to links which explain the sub topic in detail. The presentation will highlight why the above features are needed, how they could be implemented/presented and the impact that they will have.

Track (Community/Knowledge/Outreach/Technology)
Knowledge/Technology
Will you attend Wikiconference if your submission is not accepted?
Probably not
Slides or further information (optional)