Announcements

From RobertoBonefont - 2007-07-28

Dear Sa Bom Nim,

Thanks again... I'm not on any committee...but if I can assist with any email correspondance or making some phone calls... let me know.  I don't know what suggestions are now flowing with the video committee, but I would like to suggest asking specific parents who are attending and have video gear if they would mind doing some taping of specific events, maybe the Federation can offer "free entrance" for the day???  Offer to replace their DV tapes??  Give them unrestricted "up close" access to some of the demos???  Maybe Master Cruz could put together a short checklist to give "volunteers" on how to capture specific events, angles, etc.  I know it's easy for me to just sit here and "suggest"... anyway I hope this helps.

Do I call you concerning the KDJ wiki?  Or do you just want to do the "e" thing?  I know you are busy that's why I'm asking.

Thanks again,

Roberto Bonefont, Sr.

From SooBahkDo - 2007-07-27

Hello Master Bonefont,

I support whatever course of action you are motivated to pursue with respect to creating a KDJ Section on the wiki. 

One another note related to videoing the 60th Demonstrations and highlights of the 2007 National Festival so that it can be shared with others not present, Kwan Jang N im has approved that course of action.

Soooooooo now "somebody" needs to get our videographers identified and the Video Committee engaged, etc., etc.  Sa Bom Nim Wilcox and assistants are proxying for Master Cruz this year, but more help may be beneficial.

Now you may soon have even more to do. <G>  

Resepctfully,
Phil Duncan

From RobertoBonefont - 2007-07-26

Ok, I'm not doing much this summer except cutting my grass (just moved) and unpacking boxes...trying to lose some weight; perhaps this may be a good time for me to tackle taking this on...KDJ only wiki... my only other concern is how would this affect the KDJ cybergroup.  I can put a message up there to see if that membership would consider using a "KDJ wiki" vs the cybergroup.  I think perhaps they (KDJ) would be concern about how "free" they could be with their thoughts, putting protocol in the picture of course, because the wiki is "Federation Owned"...and I realize what that could mean vs the cybergroup is technically not "Federation Owned"...   The purpose of the KDJ wiki would be a place to collaborate issues among KDJ that concern them; propose ideas, suggestions to improve the overall effectiveness of our art, be it recruiting, technical issues or studio-owner issues, innovative ideas, technology-based learning, etc. with the goal of informing our leadership, board, etc.  Almost sounds like a mission statement...  Can I at least take a look at what I would be facing and see about designing portions of a "KDJ wiki" ... I can work with fellow KDJ at our dojang for ideas.  Let me know what you think.  I don't mind trying.

 Thanks,

Roberto Bonefont, Sr.

From SooBahkDo - 2007-07-25

Hello Master Bonefont,

I trust all is well.

Absolutely, you can create pages on the wiki with access limited to only Ko Dan Ja ranked members. The necessary features are built right into the wiki and are ready to use by whoever is motivated to do so. The biggest challenge will be maintaining a dedicated KDJ section of the wiki.  What I mean is if "someone" wanted to take ownership of the time consuming aspects of segmenting pages for a selected member group - ANY member group - they would need to:

1. Create new pages specifically for the target member group
2. Grant wiki users access to the pages in that section
3. Conceive, implement, maintain and constantly manage a navigation scheme for wiki users to move through the pages in that section
4. Channel and respond to the "help-desk" issues that will arise from members who cannot access something in the section, want to know how to do something in the section, need help navigating the section, etc.

If you want to pursue the KDJ only wiki section as a personal project to develop, your wiki account can be upgraded to admin level so that you can begin the work. After that you would pretty much be on your own far as implementation and ongoing management, recruiting assistants, adding user access when their rank changes, etc. Of course, be forewarned, I may jump in occasionally with structural suggestions and/or an occasional award winning post. <g>

I agree with you about the length of the index and because the wiki is a work in progress, one of the future wiki maintenance objectives is to consolidate all topically similar pages listed in the index into a single index entry; however, even that mundane task requires time to implement and I have not had volunteers lining up at the door asking to help "clean up" the wiki. Once the index modification is implemented, then length of the index could be reduced significantly and it might become more user friendly to navigate. Additionally, ALL navigation throughout the wiki can be significantly improved and is being modified on a continual basis, but navigation needs also change with every new page added, so it is a never ending challenge to provide users with navigation links that result in orderly movement through groups of topically similar or subject linked pages. This seems to be the aspect of the wiki that is most confusing to users and thus could benefit from some serious maintenance attention.

There is so much about the wiki that can be improved, alas if only the day had more hours or there were a dozen more wiki admins actively coordinating design improvements. Unfortunately, about all I have time to do is slap the information on a page without much regard for how it looks, and then email a direct link to the page to whoever needs the information so their group can view it for their own collaboration efforts. FYI: Since its inception, the wiki has also significantly reduced organizational administrative level mailings, postage and supply costs by thousands of dollars and that benefit will continue as long as Federation Officials continue to use the wiki for their collaboration work.

Please call me if you want to take the lead on the KDJ section and then we'll proceed from there.

Respectfully,
Phil Duncan

From RobertoBonefont - 2007-07-24

Sa Bom Nim,

Sounds like a good idea...I have to give you credit...and I don't know how you do it... well ok, I do... I just admire how you do it.  Your efforts to make communication easier is commendable Sa Bom Nim.  In spite of the available index, which can be very long, this idea has merit.  But... it's up to the end user.  I hope this does help.   Also have you considered giving the Ko Dan Ja ... a wiki... I know the software provides for a method to allow only certain members into certain portions of the wiki, perhaps a KO DAN JA wiki would centralize open communication only for Ko Dan Ja.  This can lead to easier sharing of information with Board members and Regional representatives.  Perhaps you can ask for volunteers to moderate it, I'm certainly willing to do my part to assist in communicating and making it easier on the wiki.  As a collaborative tool, I am certainly open to using the wiki.  In fact, we are starting to use similar collaborative wiki tools at work, so I'm no stranger to its effectiveness.

 In Moo Do,

Roberto Bonefont, Sr.