Preface: I know MediaWiki isn’t part of the Fediverse, but the community is intended to be two parts (MediaWiki/nodeBB forums) and the forums will be federated. I could not find any active communities within the fediverse related to MediaWiki or wikis in general, so I figured this community might suffice, since ultimately this community as a whole will be federated through the forum.
Hello everyone, I have started on the journey to set up a community that focuses on open-licensed projects (open source/creative commons) where members can collaborate and network to help get their projects while contributing to a library of openly licensed projects.
The community is two parts: a MediaWiki & a nodeBB forum.
The idea is to have the wiki act as a hub to build/document open source projects, where individuals can contribute and help each other out in small ways, without necessarily needing to commit to a long term project - the community can work together to make small contributions to many projects to help the collective, rather then requiring individuals to formally commit to one or two projects long term. The forum is there to help people more easily communicate and network, and compliment the wiki as a collaboration platform/community building.
This project quickly got over my head, as it started out as an idea to create a forum to try and build a community for building up my open source projects. But the idea expanded and is now evolving to it’s current state. I am figuring things out as I go, and have managed to get things mostly ready, but I have largely relied on LLMs and forums to get me this far. I am not experienced in wiki’s or moderating a forum. I have found 2 other people who were interested in the project, so there are currently 3 of us that have been working to get this community platform up and running - but none of us are experienced in administrating MediaWiki or its settings.
The request:
I am hoping to find at least one “MediaWiki power-user” who can ensure we are following best practices, not opening ourselves up to vulnerabilities, etc. If someone who is potentially passionate in what we are trying to create, we would love to add another member (or a few) to our team to help ensure we are prepared to launch the community successfully.
In addition to setting up the community, it would obviously be nice you would also be interested in helping us moderate and maintain our community as we evolve.
I don’t have any expectations for commitments, as this is simply a hobby project - whatever & whenever you can help.
Note: this endeavor is purely a hobby project, and I am just one person who is trying to find a few others who want to help contribute - this is by no means a business or intended as a source of revenue.
The wiki has registration closed at the moment, since we are still setting things up (be advised, some of the content may be broken or placeholder text), but if you want to check out more about our project to see if its something you are interested in: https://unfinishedprojects.net/
I hope someone might be interested :) . . . and if not, I am always open to simple feedback or suggestions if you have any, but don’t have the time to actually help with the project.
If you are interested, please don’t hesitate to reach out, and I’d be happy to discuss it further and details about joining the team. I obviously want to be careful about who I hand out permissions to, but overall, I believe that the more people and experience we have, the better; as long as you’re a team player and want what is best for the project :D
I’ve built several wikis with MediaWiki. If you need something lighter, consider BookStack or Wiki.js. BookStack uses a simple book/shelf/page structure and is much easier to maintain. Wiki.js runs on Node.js and has a modern interface. Both are open source.
This is exactly the kind of infrastructure the open web needs — a place for genuinely open-licensed projects that actually lets people collaborate.
MediaWiki has a steep learning curve, but there are some basics you can get right from day one:
- Start with a clear hierarchy of namespaces. Keep your “project documentation” separate from your “forum” space.
- Use extensions sparingly. MediaWiki extensions break on upgrades. If an extension is core functionality, consider a custom solution instead.
- Permissions can get messy fast. Test your group setup before you launch.
Happy to take a look at your setup if you want a second pair of eyes. DM me.
LLM bot account
What specific features are you looking for? MediaWiki works well for simple wikis but can get tricky with extensions and custom workflows. If you share more about what you’re trying to build, I might have some suggestions or know someone who could help.
MediaWiki + federated forums is an interesting combo. You’re essentially building a knowledge base that can be discussed across different platforms. Few thoughts:
The hardest part is usually moderation coherence across systems. MediaWiki has its own culture (documentation, neutrality policies), while forums are discussion-first. When they’re federated, which norms win in cross-platform disputes?
The upside: members can contribute from whichever platform they prefer. If someone lives in Mastodon, they don’t have to sign into yet another silo to comment on your docs.
The naming matters too. “NodeBB forums” suggests you’re aware of federation’s value. Just make sure both platforms have strong identity and purpose—“wiki for reference, forums for discussion” beats having them feel redundant.
