Revision history for WikiRoles
Revision [18191]
Last edited on 2008-01-28 00:10:34 by JavaWoman [Modified links pointing to docs server]No Differences
Additions:
A //role// **is not** a person: a single person can have ("play") multiple roles, and a single role can be played by different persons.
Rather, I see a role as referring to a **process**: a role defines the **relationship** of a person with a Wiki, how a person is **interacting with** a Wiki. A role name is a word describing what someone is __doing__, rather than what someone is __allowed__ to do: when someone __is__ editing a page, obviously that someone does have sufficient "permissions" to be editing or he would not be doing it: thus permissions enable roles, but are not the same thing as roles or even attached to roles.
Rather, I see a role as referring to a **process**: a role defines the **relationship** of a person with a Wiki, how a person is **interacting with** a Wiki. A role name is a word describing what someone is __doing__, rather than what someone is __allowed__ to do: when someone __is__ editing a page, obviously that someone does have sufficient "permissions" to be editing or he would not be doing it: thus permissions enable roles, but are not the same thing as roles or even attached to roles.
Deletions:
Rather, I see a role as referring to a **process**: a role name is a word describing what someone is __doing__, rather than what someone is __allowed__ to do: when someone __is__ editing a page, obviously that someone does have sufficient "permissions" to be editing or he would not be doing it: thus permissions enable roles, but are not the same thing as roles or even attached to roles.
Additions:
~1) Next, we have editors:---Without editors that are **not** (also) WikiOwner, WikiMaster or WikiAdmin, we effectively have a personal blogging system, or maybe a CMS (content management system). While [[WikiMaster]]s and [[WikiAdmin]]s are special kinds of users, it's the //other// users that determine the "wikiness" of a system. The editor role in a Wiki is anyone who is creating or editing content: a Wiki's editors determine its content. Generally in the Wiki World, any WikiUser can edit any page but - depending on the application used and its implementation - there may be exceptions determined by the WikiMaster or [[WikiAdmin]]s, for instance by requiring people to create an account to gain edit rights; and by protecting certain pages so they can be edited only by specific roles or users.---In WikiLingo we call this role the **WikiEditor**.---When a WikiAdmin has configured the system such that users need an account to play the role of WikiEditor and create and edit content they must choose a WikiName for themselves by which name they'll be known; in this case we must define yet another role:
Deletions:
Additions:
Rather, I see a role as referring to a **process**: a role name is a word describing what someone is __doing__, rather than what someone is __allowed__ to do: when someone __is__ editing a page, obviously that someone does have sufficient "permissions" to be editing or he would not be doing it: thus permissions enable roles, but are not the same thing as roles or even attached to roles.
Deletions:
Additions:
So we have the following roles, in order of decreasing (creative or destructive) powers while playing a role:
Deletions:
Revision [1494]
Edited on 2004-09-30 17:00:55 by JavaWoman [partial rewrite attempting clarification]Additions:
I've tried to make this as general as possible, not dependent on any particular Wiki system or implementation. The following is a classification of the different roles I see people can play in relation to a Wiki.
(I've also edited this now in an attempt to clarify what I mean by "roles" - it seems the concept is clear in my mind, but my writing does not (yet) convey that clarity. Please bear with me... drawing a picture might help but I cannot do that (easily) here.)
==What a role is not==
A //role// **is not** a person: a single person can have ("play") multiple roles, and a single role can be played by different persons: a role defines the **relationship** of a person with a Wiki, how a person is **interacting with** a Wiki.
A //role// **is not** a permission: permissions **enable** people to play (different) roles.
==What a role is==
Rather, I see a role as referring to a **process**: it is a word describing what someone is __doing__, rather than what someone is __allowed__ to do: when someone __is__ editing a page, obviously that someone does have sufficient "permissions" to be editing or he would not be doing it: thus permissions enable roles, but are not the same thing as roles or even attached to roles.
Associated with roles are **powers** and **responsibilities**: things a (user playing that) role can or cannot do, and things a role should or should not do. Roles are like hats people wear; when working with a Wiki you may be wearing different hats, but at every moment you're likely to wear only a single one. I find it helps to be aware of what hat you're wearing while doing things "with" or "to" a Wiki, and to wear only a single hat at a time.
==Why roles?==
My main focus for //roles// and wanting to name them is that different roles with respect to a Wiki (any Wiki) have and use different user interfaces for that Wiki. I want to talk about user interfaces but in order to do that I need to talk about roles (what someone __is doing__) first. That's what this page is about.
Sorry if this is still not clear; if not, please do comment (more) to force me to **make** it clear - or let me know if it is any clearer now, in this second incarnation. (Please also keep in mind that I can think a lot faster than I can write; I'll try to communicate what is (at the moment) clear in my own thinking, but that doesn't mean the thought process itself is "complete".)
~1) Next, we have editors:---Without editors that are **not** (also) WikiOwner, WikiMaster or WikiAdmin, we effectively have a personal blogging system, or maybe a CMS (content management system). While [[WikiMaster]]s and [[WikiAdmin]]s are special kinds of users, it's the //other// users that determine the "wikiness" of a system. The editor role in a Wiki is anyoe who is creating or editing content: a Wiki's editors determine its content. Generally in the Wiki World, any WikiUser can edit any page but - depending on the application used and its implementation - there may be exceptions determined by the WikiMaster or [[WikiAdmin]]s, for instance by requiring people to create an account to gain edit rights; and by protecting certain pages so they can be edited only by specific roles or users.---In WikiLingo we call this role the **WikiEditor**.---When a WikiAdmin has configure the system such that users need an account to play the role of WikiEditor and create and edit content they must choose a WikiName for themselves by which name they'll be known; in this case we must define yet another role:
The list above omits one role name I had included there previously: that of **WikiUser**. I now regard this as a generic role: a WikiUser anyone doing something with a Wiki through its web-based user interface. That includes [[WikiVisitor]]s and [[WikiEditor]]s; also [[WikiAdmin]]s if the system not only provides them with special tools, but does so via a Wiki interface.
~1) WikiEditor (who may choose a WikiName)
In addition I use the concept of WikiUser which applies to anyone using a Wiki through its web-based user interface: WikiVisitor, WikiEditor or WikiAdmin. (Someone playing the role of WikiOwner or WikiMaster generally uses a different user interface to interact with a Wiki application.)
(I've also edited this now in an attempt to clarify what I mean by "roles" - it seems the concept is clear in my mind, but my writing does not (yet) convey that clarity. Please bear with me... drawing a picture might help but I cannot do that (easily) here.)
==What a role is not==
A //role// **is not** a person: a single person can have ("play") multiple roles, and a single role can be played by different persons: a role defines the **relationship** of a person with a Wiki, how a person is **interacting with** a Wiki.
A //role// **is not** a permission: permissions **enable** people to play (different) roles.
==What a role is==
Rather, I see a role as referring to a **process**: it is a word describing what someone is __doing__, rather than what someone is __allowed__ to do: when someone __is__ editing a page, obviously that someone does have sufficient "permissions" to be editing or he would not be doing it: thus permissions enable roles, but are not the same thing as roles or even attached to roles.
Associated with roles are **powers** and **responsibilities**: things a (user playing that) role can or cannot do, and things a role should or should not do. Roles are like hats people wear; when working with a Wiki you may be wearing different hats, but at every moment you're likely to wear only a single one. I find it helps to be aware of what hat you're wearing while doing things "with" or "to" a Wiki, and to wear only a single hat at a time.
==Why roles?==
My main focus for //roles// and wanting to name them is that different roles with respect to a Wiki (any Wiki) have and use different user interfaces for that Wiki. I want to talk about user interfaces but in order to do that I need to talk about roles (what someone __is doing__) first. That's what this page is about.
Sorry if this is still not clear; if not, please do comment (more) to force me to **make** it clear - or let me know if it is any clearer now, in this second incarnation. (Please also keep in mind that I can think a lot faster than I can write; I'll try to communicate what is (at the moment) clear in my own thinking, but that doesn't mean the thought process itself is "complete".)
~1) Next, we have editors:---Without editors that are **not** (also) WikiOwner, WikiMaster or WikiAdmin, we effectively have a personal blogging system, or maybe a CMS (content management system). While [[WikiMaster]]s and [[WikiAdmin]]s are special kinds of users, it's the //other// users that determine the "wikiness" of a system. The editor role in a Wiki is anyoe who is creating or editing content: a Wiki's editors determine its content. Generally in the Wiki World, any WikiUser can edit any page but - depending on the application used and its implementation - there may be exceptions determined by the WikiMaster or [[WikiAdmin]]s, for instance by requiring people to create an account to gain edit rights; and by protecting certain pages so they can be edited only by specific roles or users.---In WikiLingo we call this role the **WikiEditor**.---When a WikiAdmin has configure the system such that users need an account to play the role of WikiEditor and create and edit content they must choose a WikiName for themselves by which name they'll be known; in this case we must define yet another role:
The list above omits one role name I had included there previously: that of **WikiUser**. I now regard this as a generic role: a WikiUser anyone doing something with a Wiki through its web-based user interface. That includes [[WikiVisitor]]s and [[WikiEditor]]s; also [[WikiAdmin]]s if the system not only provides them with special tools, but does so via a Wiki interface.
~1) WikiEditor (who may choose a WikiName)
In addition I use the concept of WikiUser which applies to anyone using a Wiki through its web-based user interface: WikiVisitor, WikiEditor or WikiAdmin. (Someone playing the role of WikiOwner or WikiMaster generally uses a different user interface to interact with a Wiki application.)
Deletions:
//Roles// are not persons: a single person can have multiple roles, and a single role can be played by different persons: a role defines the **relationship** of a person with a Wiki.
Associated with roles are **powers** and **responsibilities**: things a (user with that) role can or cannot do, and things a role should or should not do. Roles are like hats people wear; when working with a Wiki you may be wearing different hats, but at every moment you're likely to wear only a single one. I find it helps to be aware of what hat you're wearing while doing things "with" or "to" a Wiki, and to wear only a single hat at a time.
~1) Finally, we have users:---Without users that are **not** also WikiOwner, WikiMaster or WikiAdmin, we have a personal blogging system, or maybe a CMS (content management system). While [[WikiMaster]]s and [[WikiAdmin]]s are special kinds of users, it's the //other// users that determine the "wikiness" of a system. The user role in a Wiki is not only a reader or site visitor: a user determines its content. Generally, any user can edit any page but there may be exceptions determined by the WikiMaster or [[WikiAdmin]]s, for instance by requiring people to create an account to gain edit rights; and by protecting certain pages so they can be edited only by specific roles or users.---In WikiLingo we call this role the **WikiUser**.---When users need an account to create and edit content (configured by a WikiAdmin) they must choose a WikiName for themselves by which name they'll be known; in this case we must define yet another role:
~1) WikiUser (who may choose a WikiName)
Additions:
====Some thoughts on roles of the people associated with a Wiki====
