Notes to users
- First instruction: Work systematically through the following steps, getting help from someone comfortable with wikis if you don't understand what you are doing (have done).
- You want a general picture of what a wiki is: view this video.
- You want to view this cct wiki: That's simple -- you are already doing that. To view other pages on the wiki, follow the links in the menu on the left and underlined links on any page you view.
- You want to print a page without the sidebars, etc.: add after the URL the following: ?f=print
- If anything gets difficult don't get turned off the wiki -- it's probably a problem with your browser or internet connection. Wait until you can get help from someone who has used the wiki before or who has a newer browser.
- You want to make changes to the cct wiki (e.g., edit the text, add a wikipage, insert a picture): For this you have to be a member of the cct wiki. The image to follow shows you how the cct wiki is embedded in other realms of user-dom and passwords.
- You want to join the cct wiki? You need a user name and password that applies for the whole realm of umb.edu wikispaces (not only the cct wiki), which (since Feb '10) are the same as your @umb.edu email user name and password. (If you're a new UMB student, wait until you have matriculated when your UMB email becomes active. If you are an alum without a umb.edu email address, contact wikimeister who can apply for a waiver to the rules.) Make a record of your password so you don't forget it.
- You want to join the cct wiki now you have a username and password: go to http://cct.wikispaces.umb.edu/space/join. Your request will have to be approved. Again, be patient.
- You want to create a wikipage: type cct.wikispaces.umb.edu/TheNameYouWantForThePage into your browser as the web address and it will bring up a page for you to edit (provided you have signed in on the top right).
- You want to learn how to edit, insert pictures, upload and link files, etc.: Experiment in the sandbox and try out all the buttons in the edit bar that will appear once you have clicked on "edit this page." (If you are not signed in you will see "Protected" and not be able to edit.) Visit the help button up on the top right either before or after getting help from a peer.
- You want to create your own wiki separate from the cct wiki: go ahead and apply for a umb.edu wikispaces wiki by http://www.wikispaces.umb.edu or, for a non umb.edu wiki, fill in the optional part 4 of the box on http://www.wikispaces.com.
- If anything gets difficult don't get turned off the wiki -- it's possibly a problem with your browser or internet connection. But it's also possible that you have fastforwarded through some of the steps above--especially the practice in the sandbox step--and are creatively doing something that you wouldn't have if you'd moved systematically through each and every instruction. You wouldn't be the first person, for example, to create a whole new wikispace when you asked to create a wikipage on an existing course wikispace. Don't be ashamed to ask for help from someone who has used the wiki before, but be patient if they take you through the steps again rather than unravel what you did.
If you are editing a specific page at the same time as someone else is, you will get this message like this when you try to save that gives you two choices about what to do. Perhaps you will want to email the other user and coordinate turns at editing.
For some browsers (e.g., Internet Explorer less than version 5.5) the visual editor does not work. You can only edit using the text editor and you will not see indented items on the menus on the left. See wikitext if you want to know the markup commands to edit using the text editor. Use the sandbox to experiment in editing a wikipage. Some browsers have big problems with wikipsaces (e.g., Safari 1.3.1 bring up a blank page instead of the text to edit and cannot at this stage be used.) The wikispaces people say: "Firefox works great [for wikispaces] on all platforms, IE works fine on Windows, and Safari and IE don't work well on the Mac."
Use IndexofPages to view a list of all the Summary or Substantive Statement pages. Add any new page of this type that you create to this list, placing it in the appropriate subsection in alphabetical order. Keep the name of any page under 26 characters (counting the spaces). If the page is for a course, start the name with the course number and make a link to it on the page where the instructor tells you to.
To let wiki viewers know more about you edit your profile. Feel free mention your interests in the CCT wikispace, and give links to your website or blog. To edit your profile, click on your user name in the bar above, then click again when you get to your profile page.
A Creative Commons License governs this space. Contributors should note that:
- You are letting others copy, distribute, display, and perform your copyrighted work but only if they give you credit.
- You are allowing others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work.
- You are letting others copy, distribute, display, and perform your work, but for noncommercial purposes only.
The terms under which wikispaces operate includes an idemnity clause that makes the contributor liable if someone sues them for content you contribute to a wikispace. If this worries you, please feel free not to contribute.