I'll throw out a straw man framework just to stimulate further
discussion. If we had a forum format, I could see the following wide
subject areas:
= = = = = = = = Statalist Forum = = = = = = = =
Orientation & FAQ (Posting limited to Admin and Moderators)
Stata Install, Setup & Platform issues
Inputting data: conversion, infiling, datatypes, dictionary,
labelling, formatting
Data manipulation: generate and egen, recode, summarizing, merging
Basic Stats, tabulate and all the rest
Graphics
Advanced Stats, regression, svy:, xt:, sampling
Automation: writing do, ado, hlp & dlg files
Matrix Manipulation and Mata
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
The above would also provide a basic skeleton for a Wiki as well.
Previous comment touched briefly on StataCorp's participation.
StataCorp employees will occasionally answer questions dealing with
advanced and/or undocumented features of Stata. Their presence is
appreciated but there is no question that the list is entirely
independent of StataCorp. I am not familiar with the history here,
but I suspect the list began among a small group and has grown from
there using the tools that were available at the time. StataCorp does
mirror the list, but the process is not perfect as there can be some
mangling of threads or dropped messages that make it difficult to
follow a subject. As discussed, there are forum and wiki applications
that provide a modern integrated way for user communities to share and
archive information.
Should there be sufficient user interest then it may be appropriate
for Marcello Pagano and a number of the "senior" (in wisdom and
experience, if not years of participation) list members to
metaphorically sit down with StataCorp and discuss the feasibility of
making a transition to a different vehicle for the hosting of the
Statalist community with StataCorp picking up the tab for the backend
development and hosting. User interest is only part of the picture,
however. To put things plainly, if the senior users who provide the
greatest amount of help here are opposed to the idea, it wouldn't and
shouldn't get off the ground. As an alternative, though, I could see
the creation of a wiki being something that could take place
independent of, and with little impact upon, the functioning of the
current list.
Incidently, I did a search of Statalist for previous mention of a Wiki
and lo and behold a similar idea was lofted in early January 2006 - is
this a seasonal pattern, I wonder?
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