Unit Histories on Wikipedia

[ol'fido]

Does anybody have Wikipedia entry for their CAP unit like the ones that many USAF squadrons, groups, and wings have?

[Eclipse]

I think that would probably fall into something too local for Wiki's standards.

[ol'fido]

I don't know. If we run them as a stub off Wing entries that might work. I have seen some pretty obscure stuff on there.

[Pylon]

I personally don't think entries on individual units meets the notability threshold for Wikipedia's standards of inclusion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:What_Wikipedia_is_not#Wikipedia_is_not_a_directory

Wikipedia is not a directory of everything that exists or has existed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Notability#Self-promotion_and_indiscriminate_publicity

Self-promotion, paid material, autobiography, and product placement are not valid routes to an encyclopedia article. The barometer of notability is whether people independent of the topic itself (or of its manufacturer, creator, author, inventor, or vendor) have actually considered the topic notable enough that they have written and published non-trivial works of their own that focus upon it – without incentive, promotion, or other influence by people connected to the topic matter.

Would anybody outside of Civil Air Patrol ever have enough interest in CAP's individual units and their histories to be compelled to document it themselves without incentive or connection to the organization?  I think not.

[JeffDG]

It may be nice, but putting it on Wikipedia is not necessarily required.

The Wiki format is freely available, with lots of free Wiki servers available.  You can download fully configured virtual machines for wiki hosting as a matter of fact.

It might be a great way to maintain this type of data if someone were to set up a CAPwiki.

[jimmydeanno]

I could see Wiki permitting a few units here and there - most notably the ones involved in WWII service, or other notable events.  My last unit was the "longest continually operating CAP unit" and we had old logs that showed our members flying target towing missions, etc.  Some new unit that has 3 members certainly wouldn't have the notability to merit being on there.

[RiverAux]

How about we get what few active historians we have to write histories to put up on our own unit web sites before we start populating someone else's site? 

[manfredvonrichthofen]

I am trying to find any history that I can on my unit. There is hardly anything that I have been able to find, about 2000 is the earliest. I know my unit is one of the oldest in the Wing, created at the very very latest in the early 1960's. I know my father was a cadet in this unit in the mid 60's.

I just can't seem to find enough of what I am looking for, none of it needs to be massive events or anything. I just want as much as I can.

[ol'fido]

Herr Rittmeister,

Check local libraries for newspapers on microfilm. Might take a while to go through but they may have stories on your unit. Local newsies are always looking for local color as filler.

Olefido

I can see how Wikipedia might reject anything that local but on the other hand they have entries for units that are long gone as well as some very obscure references to private military organizations that were very popular in the 19th century. A subordinate unit of a national or state organization might rate.We'll never know until we try.

As for the prohibitions on self promotion... If the piece is kept basically in the same format for a USAF squadron and doesn't come off as some PAO puff piece it might fly.

I would like to see a CAP History Wiki that was a little more searchable and available like the main Wikipedia for individual unit historians to put in info on their units.

I am not a big computer person so I don't know what flies and what dies on some of these sites but I am trying to put more tools in the tool box for the local historian. We have had some excelllent work done lately on the overall organizational history. I just want to bring that excellence down to the group and squadron level.

[tarheel gumby]

How about we get what few active historians we have to write histories to put up on our own unit web sites before we start populating someone else's site? 

Check out www.ashevillecap. org There is a start of my squadron's history. I am in the process of rewriting it at this time, to make it more relevant and readable.

I am trying to find any history that I can on my unit. There is hardly anything that I have been able to find, about 2000 is the earliest. I know my unit is one of the oldest in the Wing, created at the very very latest in the early 1960's. I know my father was a cadet in this unit in the mid 60's.

I just can't seem to find enough of what I am looking for, none of it needs to be massive events or anything. I just want as much as I can.

Newspaper archives are the best places to start right along with former members, some of them might have scrapbooks that have the information that you seek.