Need Help Choosing A Medium To Share My Digital Works

#1 Koniving

Welcoming Committee

The Guide
23,384 posts

Posted 01 October 2016 - 02:23 PM

I'm looking to find a place that can host (My) Battletech information or more specifically the elements of a manual which I can freely edit and/or have edited, be easy to surf back and forth between topics and information and allow interjection and interaction over the long haul.

Think Tech Manual / Sarna, but expanding beyond clearly established canon.

The debate is... as a reader and Battletech fan, would you prefer to browse this information through a Wiki-style format, an online Journal/blog, a sub-reddit, a forum or some other means?... And if someone has any information on places I can go for the above or other means, please do share.

Edited by Koniving, 01 October 2016 - 03:22 PM.

#2 BodakOfSseth

Member

Leftenant General
267 posts

LocationBay Area, CA

Posted 01 October 2016 - 02:53 PM

At first blush, it sounds like you're looking to build a wiki - It's going to give you greater access to interconnectivity of individual pages and information, as well as providing links to other locations such as blog, forum, etc.

You might look into https://www.mediawik.../wiki/MediaWiki

Part of the Wikipedia organization, you know the technology is going to be pretty sound.
The question then becomes where do you host it? open on the internet? someone else's site? your own site through a webhost?

#3 Koniving

Welcoming Committee

The Guide
23,384 posts

Posted 01 October 2016 - 03:32 PM

ScottAleric, on 01 October 2016 - 02:53 PM, said:

The question then becomes where do you host it? open on the internet? someone else's site? your own site through a webhost?

That does kinda boil down the question doesn't it? Zhizhu had a place but as interest in MWO waned the group itself is drifting apart due to several diverging interests. So at present I don't have a unique site to host it. I have found some similar things such as WikiDot and Wikia. WikiDot has hosting options in the free to cheap range. Wikia has a decent free option but has a very strict set of rules for the rapid generation of new content (which isn't exactly easy with a newborn and job). I'm sure there are others, too. Wikis also have the issue of allowing others or strict sets of others to add/edit content which isn't so bad but it lacks more direct communication such as comments / discussions by itself. This lends itself to other possible things.

Though as you said, MediaWiki's thing requires a site to host/use it. Said site could include said forum and the like.

-----------

A sample, kinda-sorta of some of the stuff I want to do. This is a Battletech weapon variant, with stats given out based on available lore and rules:
GM Whirlwind/5
Unfortunately Sarna's need for specific references, page numbers, etc. can really slow down progress on making a library of weapon variants, as well as the fact that there are many variants that exist with no actual details where a little fan-fluffing and cross referencing can fill in gaps, but such is frowned upon at Sarna.

I plan on going well beyond just that but it makes for a good start.

Edited by Koniving, 01 October 2016 - 03:59 PM.

#4 BodakOfSseth

Member

Leftenant General
267 posts

LocationBay Area, CA

Posted 01 October 2016 - 04:27 PM

Then I'd suggest getting your own host and site. It's not actually expensive to set up a site and host these days. My wife and I go through www.dreamhost.com for all our hosting needs. It's been a while, but we're fairly sure they support Mediawiki as a 1-click install.

And their prices are very reasonable.