Unlocking content - News

The WikiVet steering group met on the 29th May 2012, and decided that it was time to start opening up a lot more pages of written content to the public.

Why has all content not been open to non-registered users previously?

WikiVet has previously had all content locked to only registered users, except for certain navigation pages, news stories or particular pages that have to be open. This meant that most of our pages were not found by search engines, and meant that if people wanted to view content they would have to register. Registration is still strictly controlled.

Why was this decision taken?

The decision was taken to start opening a lot more pages as many more of these encyclopaedic pages are now of a high standard. The layout of the pages has improved, many more pages have several images, links and references. By opening them up these great pages will now be found much more easily by internet search engines, which will enable people to find them. WikiVet feels that this content is valuable to people beyond the veterinary profession, we hope that others will find this information that has been written and reviewed by vets a useful source of information.

What pages will be open to the public?

Written encyclopaedic pages of content that meet WikiVet's standards will be unlocked.

What pages will remain accessible only be registered users?

Encyclopaedic pages that are not complete will remain locked and visible only to registered users, to ensure that people don't stumble across a bad page. Any potentially contentious pages will also remain locked and visible only to registered users. WikiVet will also keep the majority of it's learning resources locked, as an incentive for those related to the veterinary profession to register.

Benefits for non-registered users of the site:

Non-registered users will be much more likely to come across WikiVet in a standard internet search. They will benefit from the great content that has been written by the veterinary profession, for the veterinary profession.

Benefits for registered users of the site

Graduated Vets and Nurses will be able to direct clients to WikiVet pages and the clients will be able to view these pages without registering. Registered users are also the only ones that will be able to edit content.

Timescale

As there are thousands of pages within WikiVet, this process will not happen overnight! Over the coming months WikiVet will start to strategically open up sections of content, which will be notified via the home page, and via our Facebook and Twitter feeds.