Instructions for the Collaborative System
Created | Updated Jun 14, 2004
Skip straight to the instructions. || Creating and Contributing to this Account's Entries || Helping Non-Members with their Entries
Welcome to the instructions for the Collaborative Account Project. These instructions are intended for those that wish to join the project, and thus will gain access to the account. The purpose behind the project is to speed up the writing process, as well as to have information on topics that has been contributed by a wide range of researchers.
Joining the project is beneficial in two ways: you can write an entry yourself that any other member may contribute to and enhance; and, you can help to construct the entries of non-members who still wish to participate. We'll start with information about the first benefit.
For example, some people may like the idea of writing an entry about their home city or nation, but couldn't stand to research the history of it. Well, using the Collaborator account, you can write about the things that you are interested in. Then, other members that come from the same place can come along and feel more obliged to research the history of it. Then, somebody else remembers that brilliant place of interest they found when they visited the place, and they add that to the entry... and so it goes on, and before you know it, a very full, diverse and perhaps entertaining account of the topic is born!
The second benefit of joining is of helping others collaborate. Non-members may generate collaborative entries by posting threads to the main page for the content of their entry. The members of the Collaboration Team can take what they have written in the threads and put them into guide entries of the Collaborator account. As you do this, you might even wish to edit it for spelling and grammar as you go (you may not alter the actual content without the permission of the autor[s], however).
Have fun!
Skippable Introductory Preamble
Welcome to the instructions for the Collaborative Account Project. These instructions are intended for those that wish to join the project, and thus will gain access to the account. The purpose behind the project is to speed up the writing process, as well as to have information on topics that has been contributed by a wide range of researchers.
Joining the project is beneficial in two ways: you can write an entry yourself that any other member may contribute to and enhance; and, you can help to construct the entries of non-members who still wish to participate. We'll start with information about the first benefit.
For example, some people may like the idea of writing an entry about their home city or nation, but couldn't stand to research the history of it. Well, using the Collaborator account, you can write about the things that you are interested in. Then, other members that come from the same place can come along and feel more obliged to research the history of it. Then, somebody else remembers that brilliant place of interest they found when they visited the place, and they add that to the entry... and so it goes on, and before you know it, a very full, diverse and perhaps entertaining account of the topic is born!
The second benefit of joining is of helping others collaborate. Non-members may generate collaborative entries by posting threads to the main page for the content of their entry. The members of the Collaboration Team can take what they have written in the threads and put them into guide entries of the Collaborator account. As you do this, you might even wish to edit it for spelling and grammar as you go (you may not alter the actual content without the permission of the autor[s], however).
Instructions For Becoming a Member and Using the Collaborative Features
- You first need to become a member. To start this process, please post to the New Members conversation on the main page (the personal space). In this post, explain why you want to join, what you might write and so on.
- When discussions in this conversation are complete, you may e-mail the address that is given stating your name and researcher number once more. The project e-mail address is: 'collab at corfizz dot plus dot com', written in long hand here.
- You will receive an e-mail back that contains the password to the account.
- Log in to the Collaborator account.
- Now, you have a choice on what to do. Details on what you can do are given in new sections below.
Creating and Contributing to Collaborative Entries on the Account.
- If you wish to start a new collaborative entry, just create it as you would any other guide entry, but use the Collaborator account. Your submission will then be modifiable by any other member.
- Before making any alterations to an existent entry, copy it and post it to the journal of the personal space of the Collaborator account. One journal entry should be used for every collaborative guide entry created.
- Once you have made modifications, add your normal researcher ID number to the researcher list and update the entry. Do not remove anybody else's researcher number in the process of doing this.
- Consider adding the entry to the Writing Workshop so that people who do not wish to use the Collaborator account can still make suggestions on the entry.
- Once it is generally considered that an entry is finished, it should be added to Peer Review, and can then enter the Edited Guide in the normal way.
- Log out of the Collaborator account when done.
- Subscribe to the journal and personal space of Collaborator so that you are informed whenever somebody makes changes to an entry.
Creating and Contributing to Entries that Non-Members are Creating.
- You will notice that there are three more sections to the Collaborative project pages. These are entitled 'consequential', 'evolutionary' and 'team' collaborative entries. The purpose of distinguishing between these types of entry-writing is to try to find the fastest and most efficient way to make good-quality guide entries. Choose one that you are interested in and go to its page when logged in as Collaborator.
- You will find that details about the type of entry-writing is given, as well as lists of entries at different stages of the process. Select a non-completed entry that you are interested in and go to the corresponding thread that exists for its creation.
- Read the posts and copy what the author(s) wants as the content of the entry to a real guide entry.
- Add the U-numbers of all the contributing researchers to the list of researchers and press the 'Set Researchers' button.
- Add the name of the guide entry, its A-number and the names and U-numbers of all contributors to the relevant stage on the front page of the type of entry-writing. You will find templates and instructions in the 'edit entry' section of the entry.
- Post to the thread that you were involved in and inform the writers and researchers of what you have done, and whether you have changed some spelling or grammar mistakes for them (do not change the actual content of their entry without their permission, however).
Have fun!
