"Webs
of knowledge" is a general, adaptable system that we've
developed for the purpose of brainstorming and content development.
The system was originally devised for aiding in the development
of an online encyclopedia, by creating interrelated sets or
clusters of knowledge. The basic idea is that similarly themed
content will strengthen and reinforce itself in a dynamical
structure.
Though the
webs of knowledge system was originally devised for developing
encyclopedia content, it generalizes nicely to most forms of
content development and brainstorming, including the holy grail
of producing systematic web content.
Producing
relevant, high-quality, systematic web content is probably
the most significant key to developing a thriving website.
Most websites begin as an initial jolt of creative impulse,
but quickly fade into oblivion due to a lack of consistent
content production. Most website creators have a very well
constructed, but abstract idea of what they'd like to see their
site look like. However, when the rubber hits the road, and
the production of new content that extends beyond the initial
vision becomdes burdensome, many web developers give up and
let their site sit stagnant. To have a successful website,
you must be committed to running a long, consistent race.
The purpose
of our "webs of knowledge" system is to help you
run that race. But there is no free lunch. You still have to
do some hard work. We're giving you some conceptual tools to
help make the work more systematic and consistent.
Before we
start, here's one simplistic example (that could be developed
significantly) of a web of knowledge on the topic of artificial
intelligence:
Topic: Artificial Intelligence
Sub-topic: Search Algorithms
Term: Simulated Annealing
Term: Genetic Algorithm
Sub-topic: Robotics
Term: Machine Vision
Notice the
hierarchy that starts to develop, going from general to specific.
This is the key to developing a web of knowledge.