[Talk-us] Role of the Wiki

[Scott Rollins]

I'll just say that, whether "bug" or "feature," this message perfectly
encapsulates why I am unwilling to spend my time working on OSM. I don't
want to waste my time, and by not having a good place to learn what to do,
I have to do a whole lot of work to figure out whether the additions I'm making
will be useful or simply clutter up the database.

I love the concept of OSM, and I'm glad to have the ability to use maps
based on OSM's work...but the setup of the project leaves me feeling unable
to usefully contribute.

Scott


On Wed, Dec 5, 2012 at 9:02 AM, Serge Wroclawski <emacsen at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Tue, Dec 4, 2012 at 8:44 PM, Jeff Meyer <jeff at gwhat.org> wrote:
> > Hi - N00b question here:
> >
> > What's the role of the wiki as a source of information in the OSM
> community?
>
> It's a mixed bag, some of the information is very good and of high
> quality and some is outdated, and some is of low quality.
>
> The problem is that the wiki is not a single entity, but rather a
> collection of the work of lots of people.
>
> And as others have said, those busy mapping often don't have
> time/interest to document, and those people who love documentation and
> process aren't always in the thick of the actual mapping- so they're
> giving proscriptive orders on high, with little thought to reality.
>
> > In my brief period here, I've been told things like this:
> >
> > - For tags: RTFW
>
> Most tags are well documented. Remember, OSM is a folksonomy. Tags are
> accepted by their use. If a tag is in heavy use, it will show up in
> taginfo. Some tags are very accepted (highway=residential), and others
> are controversial and others are just one person's opinion.
>
> In the end, "accepted" is a complex term in the OSM context. The
> tagging list has a process that they follow, but that doesn't mean a
> lot. I've had tags that I've used and propsed be argued against with
> vehemence on that list, only to see them later be used by others,
> appear as defaults in editors, etc. and still AFAIK not be on the
> wiki, where I've also seen tags by the taggling list be on the wiki
> but no one actually use.
>
> > - For relations: do NOT read the wiki & HELL YES read the wiki
>
> Relations are a complex topic. They're generally loved by those who
> like to talk in theory but not in practice.
>
> The problem is they're very hard to work with.
>
> > - Imports: the wiki's out of date
>
> > (Also - I've received information off IRC that conflicts with both email
> &
> > wiki)
>
> As it's been said, everyone will give you their own opinions. No
> single member of our community is an authoritative source (not even
> SteveC).
>
> > In general, is there a method to when the wiki is or is not relevant?
>
> You eventually get a feel for it, but it's hard to know as a newbie, for
> sure.
>
> You can also find info at help.openstreetmap.org.
>
> - Serge
>
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>



-- 
Scott Rollins, <organist at gmail.com>
Portsmouth, VA
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