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Wiki How-To
From 2014.igem.org
Wiki Freeze - October 17th (11:59 PM - EDT)
Your team's project must be documented on the iGEM 2014 wiki, the parts used in your project must be documented on the Registry of Standard Biological Parts. You have the freedom to be creative, but a few specific rules apply:
Wiki Templates
This year we have created a set of template pages that you may for your wiki!
Feel free to edit them as much as you want
Perspectives from an iGEM veteran.
Hello iGEMers!I was also part of an iGEM team!
In 2011 and 2012 my role was to design and create our team’s wiki. So wiki freeze was my major deadline. I am by no means an expert but let me share with you some of the things I learned with two wiki freezes under my belt.
1.- Test your webpage layout: is information easy to find?
I made the terrible mistake of not asking for a third party’s opinion about the layout of information on our site. It was obvious for me how things were laid out and organized. It wasn’t for the people evaluating us.
Also, stick to the 3 click rule: content must reachable within 3 clicks so the user does not feel lost or confused. If someone wants to read your abstract, their path should be something like this (Menu –> Project –> Project Description -> Abstract)
2.- Look at other teams’ code, see how they documented and what resources they used.
It is always good to get inspiration from other iGEM teams. See what you liked that they did and strive to improve!
3.- Start working on your documentation early on.
This was a good thing that we did; we created a common file that more than one person can edit at a time. Divide the documentation into smaller files and assign a team member to fully document that topic. In the end you will have a printable version of your project that you can share as a pdf file with other people!
4.- Name your images according to the project and keep them all in a folder on your computer.
Sometimes naming your gel image “gelthingy_whyiamworkingat3am” sounds perfect at 3AM but later it may not be easy to know what or when that photograph was taken or that image created.
Also, the iGEM database doesn’t know that you created that file so if someone names their file with the same name it can end up being replaced! Avoid using generic names like “banner.png” or “logo.jpg”.
Try using your team’s name and the webpage where the image will appear, this helps you remember where to place it and reduce the risk of another team overwriting. “JoyUniversity_TeamBios_Richard.jpg”
5.- Do not leave everything to the last minute!
Plan ahead. The last thing you want to be doing at 11:30PM the night of wiki freeze is uploading images. It is very stressful to be looking at the clock and hoping some kind of coding miracle helps you fix bugs faster. Plan to have everything online at least one week ahead so you can go enjoy a nice dinner with your team that night!
I hope this helps and if you have any questions, feel free to email me or send me a tweet!
ana at igem dot organita_sifuentes
