TibiaWiki talk:Community Portal/Moving

Moving
As of late September 2010, we have been scheduled for permanent skin changes. The Oasis skin is now active, and Monaco will be gone in November.

Options

 * Wikifarms
 * Other supported fansites
 * Because TibiaWiki is under a free license, we could just export/import the entire database. Some changes might be required depending on the version of MW used. Because Tibia fansites are generally struggling to support themselves, I think it would be easy to find a partner. While I haven't done my research, I think we should look to the more respectable/long-standing fansites first (TN, TibiaML, etc.). A potential problem is that we need to sort out bandwidth requirements.

Pros
The benefits of moving are vast. (please add to this list)
 * We will be able to revert back to Monobook or Cologneblue (et cetera).
 * We will (probably) not have unannounced MediaWiki updates which break our pages.
 * We could be a more democratic community.

Cons
(please add to this list)
 * We will be unable to use Monaco or Oasis, since they are not under a free license.
 * Our Wikia domain has a high Google/search engine ranking. If we move, we will need to wait a long while before people link to the new domain. Thus, we most likely won't be the first result for "Tibiawiki" - this website will be.

Independent hosting: Moving away from a wikifarm has its benefits. Another wikifarm: Moving to a new wikifarm offers no specific benefits, but we still may be allowed to tailor the technical stuff to our own likings, rather than have them defined for us.
 * Specific benefits: (please contribute)
 * 1) Since our host will be directly involved with the community, they will have their own input on our proposed changes. We will overall have a more stable connection with staff.

Opinions
If you have time, please sign your name nder one of the appropriate header.
 * Oppose if you like/don't mind the changes and wish to stay.
 * Support if you dislike the changes and wish to leave.
 * Abstain if you are indifferent about the changes, and don't care either way.

Discussion
I created this page to discuss our options of leaving Wikia. Please keep on-topic, there's a section pertaining to the Oasis skin itself here: TibiaWiki talk:Community Portal.

Here are my initial thoughts; take them with a grain of salt and contribute to the discussion! I am generally leaning toward a private host who is already affiliated with Tibia. I have spoken to a friend who mentioned that TibiaNews had intentions on building a (mini) encyclopedia. If we moved to TN their goal would be achieved and they would have a large enough userbase who update the articles. However, I'm not sure many Tibia fansites can support our bandwidth requirements. (I use TN just as an example - please, don't assume I am biased). A downside is that I believe they too have quite heavy advertising.

We need to think realistically. No, we won't have ad-free hosting. We require that the administrators do frequent backups, and that they have enough bandwidth. We also require that they be active - because there are potential legal issues involved, with which we may need them to comply. -- Sixorish 00:56, October 25, 2010 (UTC)