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Cool trick for logging into a wiki without an account.
If you’ve ever done a workshop that requires teachers (or students) to use GOOGLE, you know how chaotic things get because most teachers come into the workshops without Google Accounts. And you lose valuable class time setting them up.
Even if you create a “public wiki,” the new PB wiki now models a behavior similar to Google. The moment workshop participants try to edit a page, it throws everyone onto a page that requires them to log in or create an account.
But the wise people at PB Wiki left a work-around that saves the day!!!!
It’s called MAGIC URL. If you go into wiki settings and click on “SHARING”, you will see a very long URL. I took that URL and converted it to TINY URL. Then, I pasted it on the opening page of my workshop wiki.
When it came time for teams to write on the wiki, I simply had them click on that URL. It gave them immediate access without ever having to create a PB Wiki account.
This tip could save your day!
Remember, however, this will leave no paper trail on who did the editing. So it's best used when participants will only have one-time use.
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Bonus Tip:
I create a lot of wiki "templates" for my workshops. Each team is assigned a page that they can write on. They can also click through the other team pages to see how others have responded. If I want to give the same workshop a month from now to an entirely different group, I simply revert to the last revision I made before the workshop started. And in an instant, I get a clean slate!
Anne
Even if you create a “public wiki,” the new PB wiki now models a behavior similar to Google. The moment workshop participants try to edit a page, it throws everyone onto a page that requires them to log in or create an account.
But the wise people at PB Wiki left a work-around that saves the day!!!!
It’s called MAGIC URL. If you go into wiki settings and click on “SHARING”, you will see a very long URL. I took that URL and converted it to TINY URL. Then, I pasted it on the opening page of my workshop wiki.
When it came time for teams to write on the wiki, I simply had them click on that URL. It gave them immediate access without ever having to create a PB Wiki account.
This tip could save your day!
Remember, however, this will leave no paper trail on who did the editing. So it's best used when participants will only have one-time use.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bonus Tip:
I create a lot of wiki "templates" for my workshops. Each team is assigned a page that they can write on. They can also click through the other team pages to see how others have responded. If I want to give the same workshop a month from now to an entirely different group, I simply revert to the last revision I made before the workshop started. And in an instant, I get a clean slate!
Anne
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Inappropriate?Hi, that's great! The Magic URL is a great resource for the use case that you're talking about, but it does have the same kind of security problems as single invite keys/passwords across entire wikis (and magic URL's will, by extension, change whenever you change the invite key). Therefore, while the magic URL in its current form will remain with PBwiki 1.0, PBwiki 2.0 wikis no longer use the same mechanism for logging in. Therefore, you will need to have an account to log into a PBwiki 2.0 wiki.
That said, we are also exploring ways to make it easier for wiki owners to collaborate with users they don't want to sign in with a PBwiki account/email address.
Thanks for using PBwiki, and for the great tip!
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Inappropriate?We have used the "magic URL" to direct people who were "registered members" on our website to access the wiki. We only want to allow read (or comment) access, but no other ability to write. We do not want to have to manage accounts in any other way and do not want to force them to create a PBwiki account that we then have to manage.
How can I do this with 2.0 as there is no "sharing" link or magic URL While I could create a "generic account" and give people the ID / password I want to go directly to the wiki from my web page link - no additional login page.
Suggestions? -
Inappropriate?I agree with Dave. Not everyone wants a PBWiki Account. Some may be one-time users. Or perhaps, it's the wiki that has a limited, finite purpose. People may be accessing a wiki for a workshop, for instance.
Most education workshops are tightly timed. I think it's extremely important to have some method that allows access to a wiki without sending invites to someone's email account or forcing registration because THAT is a workshop-killer! You can't even begin to imagine what trouble it causes or how much time it wastes.
Many people never even get the invites because the PB wiki invite is seen as spam. And we are forced to spend a lot of time problem-solving. So this means you've lost valuable time -- and you're starting a workshop with a lot of angry, frustrated people. Not a good place to be!
I thought the "magic URL" idea was a great feature. Can we persuade you guys at PB Wiki to keep it?
I’m concerned.
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this is one of the best points
