Ethan WhiteDec 5, 2022

I cannot overstate how much time and energy we have saved by having a lab wiki where we record collective knowledge and solutions to common problems. Instead of trying to recreate something someone did two years ago it's a quick search and then often just copy-paste.

Here's ours: https://wiki.weecology.org/

Weecology Wiki

Weecology's Lab Wiki

Weecology Wiki
Show threadpowersoffourDec 5, 2022
@ethanwhite How long did it take for this to become part of the culture of the lab? Did you see it as really requiring a lot of top-down direction to store things there? I find that with these things I often start out with good intentions, but the discussions end of fragmenting, I make minor compromises in the moment, etc, and then there's no follow-through. (And: I take the blame; this feels like something I could fix!)
Show threadEthan White
@powersoffour It definitely requires a fair bit of effort up front and then periodically again as people change and interest ebbs and flows. When we have the energy there’s a lot of “start by checking the wiki” and if there wasn’t something there then “now that you’ve worked through that can you add it to the wiki” level management. This coupled with instilling a “it doesn’t have to be perfect to be useful” approach to the whole thing definitely takes some work.
Dec 5, 2022 at 10:30pmToot!
Show threadHao YeDec 6, 2022
@ethanwhite @powersoffour
I think perhaps “now that you’ve worked through that can you add it to the wiki” is similar to "progress isn't permanent unless it's been committed". It's an additional step to learn, but important for record-keeping!
Show threadEthan WhiteDec 6, 2022
@hye @powersoffour I think that's a great way of thinking about it!