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talk:sandbox [2018/11/14 21:14] (current) – created - external edit 127.0.0.1
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 +I've never encountered a situation where having a Sandbox was an obstacle to people becoming more involved with a wiki. The Sandbox provides a safe environment to try things out. Maybe it's only perceived safety but that's what a newcomer needs.
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 +Posted by Jason Yip at Feb 18, 2007 01:55
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 +A wiki **is** complicated and has steep learning curve Even if you are experienced wiki user, you have a learning curve on each new wiki because of the different wiki syntax.
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 +The question is interesting though - does a sand box actually help to new users? In my wiki, targeting local common Mac users, there are very few edits of the sandbox. However, in a popular wiki like  [[http://moinmoin.wikiwikiweb.de|http://moinmoin.wikiwikiweb.de <sup></sup>]]  , the sandbox the most edited page.
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 +It seems that common users can't understand the concept of a sandbox, and they better have an easy way to participate in real pages, while advanced users are happy to play in it.
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 +Posted by Nir Soffer at Mar 05, 2007 13:57
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 +I believe the conceptually, a wiki is an extremely simple thing. If a user is just editing basic content—say correcting a typo or adding a few additional sentences to an existing document—that is something any user who can use web-based email can do. On that level, there is very little learning curve.
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 +I think that wikis get complicated when it comes to the macros and the wiki markup. I can appreciate the value of wiki markup, but my goodness! is there a lot of startup cost! And really, how many characters does one save between learning a new wiki markup versus HTML? All these wiki products tout the value of "no HTML needed" but I find it annoying to have to learn new markup that does the same thing that HTML does.
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 +WYSIWYGs can be annoying, too, when it doesn't really give you what you see. This is especially problematic for the low-tech users it's designed to accommodate because they will not have the knowhow to go into wiki markup and tweak it.
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 +I think on balance, having both options available to new users is the best solution. I would introduce users first to real pages with real information. Then, perhaps even at a later date, give them access to a sandbox where they can fearlessly play with markup and macros without impunity.
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 +Posted by karen lai at Jul 02, 2007 19:00
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 +I actually find wiki sandboxes to be quite helpful.
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 +More helpful in those with WYSIWYG's and no preview option. It allows practise with the editor and makes me more comfortable using them
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 +Posted by Nick Cliff at Dec 13, 2007 18:12
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talk/sandbox.txt · Last modified: 2018/11/14 21:14 by 127.0.0.1