Information Systems:uniKB Project Notes

Content Organization

Mediawiki is an unstructured wiki, meaning that pages are stored at the same level in the database. While the wiki is functionally unstructured, presentation of content (navigating through the wiki) is left to user. One option is to create pages (i.e. articles) and subpages that purely contain links and impose structure that way (i.e. you can only travel down the roads you see in front of you). However, this leads to static navigation pages that don't adapt to changes. For example:

• Drugs
  • Over-the-counter drugs
    • Tylenol
  • Prescription drugs
    • Xanax
    • Sildenafil

If you then wanted to create a new navigation page Generic drugs under Prescription drugs, you would have to move all the links manually.

The smarter way is to use categories.

Developing best practices for categorization

Note: This is written in an instructive tone with the intent that if a manager or content administrator is simply to follow these rules, the process of categorization will become self-explaining/self-guiding. The emphasis should be on content input as categories and categorization is a) hard to understand without anything to categorize and b) will be an evolving process anyways so it is counter-productive to try and create a hard and fast structure that you don't intend to change.

• First and foremost, think of categories as topics or tags and devise some initial categories to get you started. Upon starting, the broader the better i.e a page about the Golden Retriever could be categorized under Dogs.
• Begin to write articles and categorize them using your categories. Make new categories on the fly, even if you're uncertain whether you'll keep them.
• Important fact: Categories are non-hierarchical, but you can make it seem (present them) as if they were. You do this by categorizing categories.
• Creating categories creates pages for those categories.
• Transclusion vs. inclusion. This is a key concept in understanding the non-hierarchical way that categories work. A dog can be black, and it can be a Terrier. You can associate the terms Black and Terrier with the term dog without one being "underneath" the other.
• The way to present categories in a hierarchy is to nest or subcategorize the categories themselves. However, it should be stressed again that this does not functionally place the category and it's linked pages under the category. That concept is purely related to user experience / user navigation.
• Your department is category. In terms of presentational/navigational hierarchy, this is the root node which the stems branch out. Therefore, nest your most general categories under your department category.
• Use detailed page names. Pages can be reached directly through search and through many navigation paths of varying lengths. A page is not just the pond at the end of the trail. It's the pond you can teleport to, fly over and fall into, and even be well within prior to you realizing it's a pond. Detailed page names should provide context while still being titular in character i.e. "Losing 50 lbs. in 2 days", not "How to lose 50 lbs. in 2 days by eating less complex carbs and consuming methamphetamine."