Pete Forsyth/Wikify the Bus!

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NOTE This is happening. Pete Forsyth, Kristin Wolff, and Steven Walling are working on it with the Bus' Politicorps program, and Google Apps. -Pete 23:03, 15 June 2008 (PDT)


The Bus Project is an innovative vehicle for hands-on democracy; as such, it does really cool stuff with steering wheels, gas pedals, and passengers. It's time for an additional mode of transport, for ideas and plans: the wiki!

WikiWikiWeb is a Portland-born concept, invented by software developer Ward Cunningham. The most famous wiki-based web site is undoubtedly Wikipedia, which has leveraged the contributions of innumerable self-appointed writers and editors into an astonishing compendium of human knowledge.

But wikis are used effectively in more targeted ways, too. Organizations as diverse as Portland's Free Geek, Intel, and the Central Intelligence Agency have incorporated wiki-based sites, encouraging their members or employees to conduct at least some of their work out in the open. The results are unpredictable, but often transformative; indeed, Wikipedia founder Jimbo Wales recently testified to a Senate committee about the CIA's wiki, and how it had enabled different working groups to collaborate and vastly increase their efficiency.

The Bus has experimented with wikis on several occasions, most recently for the Rebooting Democracy conference. But the idea hasn't really taken hold. Like any new technology, it will not simply "take off" because of its potential. The holdup is not technical, though, so much as cultural.

Moving to a wiki as a central information system would mean a fundamental shift in how the Bus deals with information. A coordinated plan composed of nudges, reminders, demonstrations, and suggestions will be necessary to make it work. A clearly-articulated vision of why and how wiki use can help the organization is essential, and multiple opportunities for training and education would smooth the way.

This document aims to (1) make the case for why moving to wikis is a good thing, and (2) provide a blueprint for how that can be most easily accomplished.

How would a wiki-based Bus look?

What would work better?

What are the tradeoffs?

Politicorps as the driving force



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