SuggestedEdits
Two ways of thinking about them
SuggestedEdit
Suggested changes to a WikiPage, generally made to help with the formatting and presentation of the AboutUs page, sometimes to introduce WikiFormatting instead of HTML. Also content changes are made as suggested edits. Remember, this is a wiki, so feel free to make changes or revert to a previous state.
EfficientlyExpressedSuggestions
- short
- concise suggestion to someone on how to improve their wikipage.
Finding simple ways to express simple ideas can be a key element of successful collaboration. Often, discussing a change is not necessary; using a way to suggest something that cuts past tiresome discussion is refreshing to all parties involved. Consider a couple everyday examples:
- Johnny: Hey, can I go to the bathroom, Collins?
- Teacher: Yes, Johnny, you may.
or
- Billy: Okay, so I'll stop by the store on the way home, and pick up some sour cream.
- Gina: Whipped cream.
- Billy: Oh, that's right.
On a wiki, anybody can change (almost) any document, and anybody can revert any change just as easily. So, changing a document on a wiki is an easy, low-risk way to "suggest" a simple change; this is generally what is meant when people talk of Efficiently Expressed Suggestions (EES).
If somebody doesn't like your change, then there might be something to talk about. But in more cases than you might think, changes get quietly accepted by the others watching a given document; the benefit of the change is immediately apparent to all parties.
In some cases, an EES is a good way to avoid criticizing someone's writing, which might (mistakenly) be taken personally, and begin an unnecessary and potentially damaging argument. The EES is always accompanied – whether explicitly or not – by the sentiment "Don't like it? Then change it back! Or, let's talk it over!"
As wiki-based communities develop, people make more frequent "suggestions" by directly making the changes they think need to be made, and a strong sense of trust evolves among people who work together frequently. It is difficult to say whether this activity builds trust, or whether the evolving trust invites more frequent "EES" usage. Kind of like chickens and eggs.
