Groundrules
From Greenlevel.org
Hello there,
ANNOUNCING THE LAUNCH OF GREENLEVEL.ORG/WIKI -- AN ELECTRONIC ARCHIVE DEVOTED TO CAPE TOWN, 1981-1990, A PERSONAL HISTORY OF TEN YEARS OF STUDENT PROTEST.
As many of you know, Kim's death started us thinking about the 1980s at UCT, and what they meant to us, then and now. So, finally we have got it together to launch the Greenlevel.org project -- an archive-creating, memory-sharing, oral history for the electronic age -- a gift to ourselves and our children. So far, we have thought about this project as a very personal history of student politics at UCT in the 1980s, rather than a definitive political analysis of the student movement of the time(!). That said, this is a joint project, so feel free to go where your instincts, interests and memories take you...
One important guideline: to get this project off the ground and keep it manageable, let's keep it to UCT and keep it within those 10 years (1980/81-1990).
Thanks to Martin, we have a format (a wiki, like the wikipedia online encyclopaedia), which allows multiple users to access and change content, upload files and photos and discuss issues. Some of you have already started adding content, which is great. The page is currently set up so that anyone (i.e., the public at large) can access the page and view content, but only recognised users can log in and change content and formatting (i.e., any of you once you have registered). Martin is working on some more detailed, user-friendly instructions, but in the meantime, you can try this:
GETTING STARTED
- Go to www.greenlevel.org/wiki
- Create an account by clicking on the LOG IN/CREATE ACCOUNT option on the top right hand side of the page and following instructions. Any problems: contact Martin Duys in Cape Town (email martind@zsd.co.za; telephone 083 7923000) -- he controls editing access.
- Log in (by clicking on the LOG IN option and filling in username and password).
- Add or change content by clicking the EDIT button on the page or section you want to edit; you are then in edit mode (you will see the edit screen including wiki codes) and can add or change content, create links and change format.
- Always remember to SAVE your changes by clicking on the SAVE PAGE button underneath the editing screen.
SOME VERY EASY TECHNIQUES
- You need to be logged in and in editing mode to add or change content.
- To add text, simply start typing and remember to save. Using double inverted commas (i.e., ''words in italic'') before and after the text will put it into italics.
- To create a link, the code is square bracket square bracket word square bracket square bracket
- To create a main heading, the code is: ==heading==
- To create a sub-heading, the code is: ===subheading===
- To create a sub-heading that is also a link, the code is: ===[[subheadinglink]]===
- To upload a photo: (1) first create a link that looks like this square bracket square bracket Image:name of image.jpg square bracket square bracket [[Image:name of image.jpg]], (2) save the link, (3) click on the link and follow the instructions (which will guide you to choose a file from your own computer, with the option of describing it), (4) click UPLOAD (5) image should appear. Hint: try to keep file sizes down.
- When in doubt about formatting/codes, log in, click on EDIT and copy the codes you see in the edit box.
- You can add content to a stub (empty link to a potential subject), add content to existing text, edit existing text and upload photos. Blue links already have content; red ones are empty.
SOME (STYLE) GUIDELINES
Try to be specific -- if you know names and dates, put them in (20 years on, memories are starting to fade!)
When adding content, if you know there is more to be said/ a different angle/ something you can't remember/ a discussion you want to start, simply create a stub (empty link) to encourage others to add content. How? Make the word into a [[link]] (see above).
Create as many cross-references as you can (this will make the wiki live).
To create cross-references to existing links, you must use exactly the same terms as those existing links. For example, if there is already an entry for 1982 and you want to include a link to 1982 in your anecdote, be sure to write [[1982]] in your text and not [['82]], as the programme will not recognise it as the same.
In general -- our advice is to keep it simple, keep it to Cape Town, stick to the 10-year period as much as possible, avoid sex and banned substances, and try to deal with factionalism with a little grace and maturity...
If there are any graphic designers among you, feel free to pretty it up!
SPREAD THE WORD
Encourage old comrades to get involved -- tell them about it/ send this email on/ throw a wiki party!
Good luck and have fun,
Lise and Renee and Martin
