HardwoodWiki:About

What's a wiki?
To most web users, Wikipedia is probably the best known example of a wiki. Wiki is Hawaiian for 'quick'. A wiki, then, is a website which can quickly be edited by every visitor. Authentication and authorization is not necessary. To change wiki content, all that's required is being able to type.

Purpose of this wiki
The purpose of this wiki is to be the single biggest central repository of information about plantation forestry investments. This wiki is not meant to become a speaking tube for any particular party of interests in the market. To paint a complete picture, we need to look at the market from all different angles. This does not mean that we should only see neutral information on this wiki. Quite the opposite! Let a duped investor describe what he thinks has gone wrong with his investment. Let the provider of the investment describe why their investments are so attractive and let the many foundations tell how each of them serves the investor's interests best.

Rules of engagement for this wiki
There are actually only very few house rules for this wiki. Almost all contributions are welcome, except if these are only meant to spread Spam or to commit vandalism.

Besides that, it would be pleasant if discussions could be conducted somewhat civilly, although this is in no way obligatory. Due to the (recent) history of the teak market it can hardly be expected that random frustrations will not be exchanged. However, in your utterances, be so friendly to consider that you're not the only user of this wiki.

History of this wiki
This wiki was started on May 10 2007 by Rowan Rodrik van der Molen, shortly followed on May 26 by its Dutch-language sister-wiki (Hardhoutbeleggingen Wiki). At the time, Rowan worked as a web developer for Sicirec S.A. (later part of the Sicirec Group). Sicirec S.A. had before that time always published much information and critical notes about a number of providers of teak investments. But, Sicirec had to quit her role as an advocacy organization when the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets repeatedly refused to handle Sicirec's license application. Rowan had been frustrated before with the impossibility of sketching a complete picture of even the small set of investment providers about which Sicirec informed her customers with his limited time and means. Now that Sicirec had to give up her role as investment adviser and middleman, much information would have to go from Sicirec's website. This seemed like an opportune moment to further develop the idea of a wiki about forestry investments. With permission of Sicirec S.A., all the information about teak investment providers was copied from the Sicirec website to make a start with this wiki (and its Dutch sister-site).

Promotion of this wiki
You can't find enough information on this wiki? Then, please let the plantation companies in which you're interested know that you'd like to see more information from their organizations. Also ask your fellow investors to take a look here and make amendments. In the end, the informative value of this wiki depends on the number of visitors. Among the visitors will always inevitably be one with something interesting to tell.

You can go to HardwoodWiki:Promotion for more information on the promotion of this wiki.

nl:HardhoutWiki:Info