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11-2-2017 18:05:40  #1


Typewriter Wiki

In another unrelated thread, the subject of typewriter terminology came up, and its importance in terms of how typewriter novices, enthusiasts, and collectors communicate with each other. The idea of having a concise online reference that everyone could use was raised, and I had suggested a dedicated thread within the forum to host this. There is no question the value such an information source would have in developing a common language for all typewriter buyers.

It was at this point that M. Höhne made the excellent suggestion that a typewriter Wiki could be created. For those not familiar with Wiki sites, Wikipedia is an example of one. A typewriter Wiki would look and work just like Wikipedia, but obviously would be purely focused on one subject: typewriters. There are thousands of Wiki sites out there that focus on singular subjects and many are the collected work of enthusiasts and hobbyists. 

Going this route is appealing to me because it would be a fun, community project. Unlike individual websites and blogs that have typewriter-related information, the content of a Wiki is open to everyone's contributions and can be edited by all involved. And that content, including the building of it, can be a part of an ongoing discussion. In short, the reference material presented would be something that was agreed upon by all involved, and would be the result of pooling resources and knowledge.

So what's the point of this thread? Before I begin the work of setting up such a Wiki, I'd like the feedback from fellow Typewriter Talk members, and would like to see how many would be interested in contributing and working on such a project. Keep in mind, much like Wikipedia, this would be a continual work in progress, which is something else that makes the format attractive to me; imagine taking part in building an online repository of typewriter information that you helped to create along with other typewriter enthusiasts. I certainly don't have the time to tackle such a project on my own, and if there is only lukewarm interest I won't see that as an incentive to take the idea to the next level, so please share your thoughts in this thread.


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

11-2-2017 19:03:46  #2


Re: Typewriter Wiki

I, for one, would welcome our Wiki overloads.

 

13-2-2017 08:38:08  #3


Re: Typewriter Wiki

Well, why not. I have no time, however, and time (as well as knowledge) is the thing it needs people to have... Then again. We have a website here, why not create a wiki within this forum? It might drive traffic, bring people in, and serve as a space for clarifying and amplifying the information contained in the wiki. Do it as a section with a series of editable threads - I guess 'editable' is the key... Hmm... 

 

13-2-2017 11:21:44  #4


Re: Typewriter Wiki

I think Kat is on to something here -- it'll make this forum even more of a destination point. But yeah, the editability might be an issue.

Call it QWIKI? (I know, that shows a bias toward QWERTY keyboards. Never mind!)

 

13-2-2017 12:45:05  #5


Re: Typewriter Wiki

This sounds great to me.

 

13-2-2017 15:43:16  #6


Re: Typewriter Wiki

I volunteer to write the entry on "that thingy." 

 

13-2-2017 17:32:23  #7


Re: Typewriter Wiki

I'll do the one on "carriage return lever." 

 

13-2-2017 18:41:18  #8


Re: Typewriter Wiki

 

To address a few of the previous comments, the original idea was to create it within the forum (it is a good idea), but the forum as most of you know is very limited and a standalone Wiki would be a better platform for such a collaborative project.

That's not to say it couldn't be done here, or at least start it here and move the information over to a proper Wiki if one is established later on. I could create a Wiki sub-forum here with dedicated threads for each subject that the Wiki would contain. Each thread would contain all the relevant information in the first post, which I would have to manually compile from everyone's posts in that thread. I have done something similar to this in another forum for a collaborative design project, and it actually works fairly well.


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
     Thread Starter
 

15-3-2017 11:32:06  #9


Re: Typewriter Wiki

I would be interested in helping out with creating and maintaining  this project.


Smith Premier typewriters are cool!
 

15-3-2017 18:53:00  #10


Re: Typewriter Wiki

Great idea.  I'm new but always finding or digging up history or technical type of information.  Might be great for questions as from my daughter on why my typewriters don't have the numeral 1; or more diplomatic than my curmudgeon answers to "what font does that typewriter have?"

 

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