Re: Offer to upload a book, subject to conditions

Simetrical wrote:

>On 2/7/07, Robert Scott Horning <[email protected]> wrote:
>  
>
>>Has she considered Wikisource?  The goal of Wikisource is to preserve
>>the content as is, with the only editing to improve minor spelling
>>issues or to fix the content to a more historically accurate version.
>> "Donated" works are acceptable from what I understand as well.
>>    
>>
>
>According to the policy,
><http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Wikisource:What_Wikisource_includes>,
>non-documentary sources "must have been published in a medium that
>includes peer review or editorial controls; this excludes
>self-publication".  Although she may publish the book more
>conventionally too, it's not going to happen right away and it may not
>happen at all, so I don't think it qualifies (yet).
>  
>
The purpose of this is to avoid people who seek vanity publishers. 
 There have been a few "books" that have been uploaded to Wikibooks that 
IMHO are really just vanity publishing, but usually the idea that the 
content must be editable to others scares away most of those who seek to 
go this route.  Obviously Wikisource gets hit much harder on something 
like this, which is why they have such a firm policy.

Honestly, another "alternative" to this perhaps might be Wikiversity. 
 The policies are not quite as firm there, but I would have to say that 
the definition of a textbook on Wikiversity would be much stronger than 
perhaps what you would find on Wikibooks, where more general purpose 
"How-to" books are allowed.  If this could be integrated into a 
Wikiversity "course", there might even be some very real interest in 
having this hosted on Wikiversity.  Certainly this is something to bring 
up on the Wikiversity "Collequium" (the Wikiversity village pump).

Her professional credentials may have some influence on Wikiversity, as 
well as if the textbook is actually being used (or has been used) in an 
actual college course.  Such things shouldn't matter ultimately, but 
Wikiversity is trying to get something going and this would also help 
bring legitimacy to that project.  If this professor were to  accept 
some legitimate "peer review" and legitimate criticism, try fix up some 
things that may be some glaring holes (she would still retain general 
editorial control), perhaps there might be some room as well.

I'm just trying to find a solution to this.  If she is simply tired of 
working on it, Wikibooks would be a better solution as it would open it 
up for further editing by somebody who might be interested in taking it 
somewhere in a new direction.  At least try to offer a suggestion to go 
this route or try to find out why she is insisting on maintaining 
control over the word of the book and not opening it up for collaboration.

Another very real possibility, and something I'm just trying to dig up 
right now, is the Academia Wikia, which you can find at: 
 http://academia.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

They mainly do scholarly research, but something like this may also 
appeal to participants there.  I will admit that I don't have any 
contact with the regular contributors there, however.

-- 
Robert Scott Horning