The American Iris Society

Creating the Iris Wiki - Spring 2019

The Iris Encyclopedia has become a major resource for irisarians and AIS. Its alter ego, the Iris Wiki, has been slower to develop. It is being created; however, the Board might encourage quicker adoption. Some suggestions follow on how we might lead by example.

Wiki refers to two properties of the Iris Encyclopedia or of any wiki: each page is editable and copies of all versions of the page are available for reference or use. This is how the Iris Encyclopedia is built up, an edit at a time. Correcting a typo, adding a sentence, inserting a photo, adding a link, and creating new pages, all these mean the Iris Encyclopedia is continually improving its usefulness. By incrementally adding and editing when you have time, energy, and knowledge to share, you are creating the Iris Encyclopedia! For example,the cultivar 'Gypsy Lord' has 59 versions including 2 comments.

In addition to building up topics an edit at a time, the wiki grows with the creation of new topics. Cultivars and species, people, history, and gardens are the main source for new topics. However, the wiki is not limited to these topics. We can include whatever we believe would be useful for irisarians or AIS.

This means there are two needs:

1. Engaging all AIS members in improving all parts of the Iris Encyclopedia.
2. Sparking members creativity to identify and create new capabilities.

How can the Board participate, as individuals or as a group, in growing the Iris Encyclopedia? What might you as an individual Board members need to be comfortable doing this? How can we (AIS) encourage widespread participation in creating the Iris Encyclopedia?

I'll be glad to help however I can - getting you started, discuss what you would like to do, tips. Where can we go from here?

Wayne Messer
wrmesser@gmail.com

See the most recent version of this report here: Using the Iris Wiki

Version submitted for Spring 2019 Board Report: Using the Iris Wiki

Some Current Examples

Main Index - Alphabetical list of iris topics found on the Iris Encyclopedia, the AIS website, and other AIS related websites.

New Hybridizers - List of the hybridizers registering their first iris in the years 2010 to 2017 (currently). It is updated with the new hybridizers each year.

Events - 2019 Iris Shows listed by date and the Spring 2019 Regional Meetings. The first comes from a list maintained by the Exhibition Schedules Chair which is sorted before inserting into the wiki page. The second is a listing of the meetings supplied by each Region or available on their website.

Hybridizers by Location - A page of searches that you can use to get started finding hybridizers from your area: states, provinces, and country.

Lost & Found - A page to ask for irises you are seeking. Examples have included looking for any by particular hybridizers.

World of Irises Titles - The titles for the most recent 100 posts are displayed and linked to the posts.

Possible Examples

Updating the Bibliography of Hybridizing (in AIS Bulletins) created by Betty Roberts. There are also posts labeled hybridizing in the World of Irises that could be included. And other posts labeled breeding reblooming irises also should be included.

Committees - reports, working papers, indexes

World of Irises Index

World of Irises Photo Index - Alphabetical list of photos contents. Note the seedlings are included.

Bulletin Index Update

Society for Louisiana Irises Remembrances entries addition to hybridizers entries. Either link or complete entry. See Hybridizer Charles W. Arny Jr for an example.

What's New? - Listing of recently created pages. Can this be updated automatically?

Paul Archer's spreadsheet of seedlings numbers and their registered names. Conversion to a table so can be searched?

Thoughts

How might we accomplish our tasks with the wiki? AIS, Parts of AIS, Specific topics, Creating articles (drafts), Creating Indexes, Living documents,

Challenge each committee

Challenge each Section, Region, and Affiliate

A separate AIS web in the wiki?

A separate Hybridizer Web in the wiki

What information, tasks, or decisions do you have that might benefit from others help or input?.

Wikipedia for inspiration of what we might do.

- WayneMesser - 30 Mar 2019