What is a Wiki and why should I care?

What is a Wiki?

A Wiki is simply a piece of content that is written by one or more authors. For a more detailed definition, go here.

So, Joe Member submits a Wiki titled, "How to Change a Motorcycle Tire." This article is based upon his personal experiences. A Wiki allows others that also have experience changing tires to contribute their experiences & techniques to the topic. The idea is that the collective tire changing experiences of many is likely better than the experience of a single person. You've probably heard that there is more than one way to skin a cat and Wiki's are based upon this premise.

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What a Wiki is NOT!

A wiki is not a discussion forum. So, please don't post questions that belong in the discussion forums. Wikis are not forum posts and as such, cannot be moved to the correct discussion forum.

How are Wikis created on ThumperTalk?

There are two ways to create a Wiki on ThumperTalk:

1. Click the "Wiki" tab in our global menu bar (up top) and finally "Add Wiki". From there, it's just like creating a new discussion forum topic, something that you're already used to doing. This route is for those that want to submit a new topic that doesn't already exist in the Wiki system. If the topic already exists, click the "Edit" button and add your thoughts and/or corrections. So, before you add a new Wiki, please use the search to see if the topic already exists. The idea is to have one topic with a lot of depth than many articles on the same topic from different points of view.

2. If you find a killer piece of content when reading a discussion topic on ThumperTalk that should be preserved as a reference for others, in the lower right of the post, you'll see the link, "Promote to Wiki". While this doesn't remove the post from the discussion topic you found it in, it does copy the content into our Wiki system.

What's a Wiki Tag?

Tags are simply pieces of information that summarize what a piece of content is about. When the right tags are applied to a piece of content, it makes the content easier for others to find and it allows us to relate Wikis to other like content on the site. For example, someone posts a question about the best way to install grips. If the discussion topic and Wiki are both tagged similarly (say "controls"), the site will be smart enough to show the related Wiki content in the right column next to the forum topic. The idea is not just more information, but better, more related information.

Why Should I Care?

Over the years, we've been told by many that ThumperTalk has been a great resource for them, saving them tons of time & money as well as helping them make the best decisions possible on a wide range of topics. The community has grown by leaps/bounds over the years, so in some ways, the sheer amount of information found in the many discussion forums on the site can be pretty daunting!

Our hope is that the Wiki system will be an organized, central repository for the best of the best information found on ThumperTalk that will inherently grow in its breadth, depth and value over time as more contribute their knowledge & experiences.