Welcome to the Internet Safety Wiki Community portal! This is a place where you can find out what articles we need written, what plans we have for the future, and learn a little more about the Internet Safety Project in general.
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Why Volunteer Contributors Rock
Volunteer contributors are the lifeblood of any wiki project. We need people like you to help us create new articles and revise existing ones. With your help, we can expand and improve the wiki and help it evolve into an information powerhouse.
By spending just a few minutes to research a topic and write a good article about it, you are making a difference and supporting a great cause. The small contributions of millions across the globe from various Internet safety projects have already come together to help protect families and individuals use the Internet safely. No matter how little or how much you do, every bit helps create a masterpiece that is far more than the sum of its parts. By helping us build the wiki, you are joining the fight. Basically, writing for the Internet Safety Wiki rocks, and when you write for it, you absorb some of the awesomeness yourself. ;)
So, how can you contribute? Here's a step-by-step guide that should cover most of your questions. Please direct any other questions or concerns to the ISP Wiki editor at csarahbeth@gmail.com.
Thanks!
How to Contribute
1. Create an account
You need to create a username and login before you can write or edit Internet Safety Wiki articles. Click on the log in/create account link under personal tools on the right side of the page. This will take you to a login page where you'll see the Create an Account link. Click on that and then fill in the fields as prompted. You'll be asked to choose a username and password and are given the option to provide your email address and real name.
Once you've filled everything in, hit the Create Account button and you'll be set to go.
There are a lot of ways you can help improve the wiki:
2a. Check out our to-do list & pick an article to write
Start with our to-do list; our wiki editor has put together a list of the top-priority articles she'd like to see on the wiki.
There are two sections of the to-do list: the short article list and the long article list long article list. Basically, we want the wiki to include a short and sweet article about every Internet safety topic imaginable. Short articles should be in this format:
- What is X?
(concisely define the topic)
- Concerns for Parents
(list all possible dangers and concerns)
- How Can I Keep My Child Safe?
(list specific guidelines parents can follow)
- Where Can I Learn More?
(Start by creating a "More About X" link, which will be bolded and at the top of this list, then add external links to helpful sites and articles about the topic)
Here's an example of a good short article.
If you want to write a longer article, pick something from the More About list. These articles should be more like Wikipedia articles in format, but we don't have a specific formula we need you to follow. Just include what feels important for each topic. You can include images, history or current news stories if you'd like. Don't be afraid to go into detail and be a little more technical than you would in a short article. Do what you want: the bottom line is that these articles need to be well-researched and helpful to parents.
Here's an example of a good long article.
2b. Create new articles
We want the wiki to have both depth and breadth: we want this site to cover as many net safety topics as possible. If you find something we've missed, create a page about it. You can create a new page by entering the name of the article you want to write into the search bar. Assuming no one else has written that page, you'll be told that the page doesn't exist yet. Hit the Create This Page link and you'll be good to go.
2c. Edit existing articles
As you read through the Internet Safety Wiki, take the time to clean up any mistakes you may find. Comma splice? Get it out of there. Outdated info? Bring us up to speed. We try to keep our articles as high caliber as possible, but we aren't perfect. Help us out by editing things that need to be fixed.
3. Enjoy the feeling of knowing that you've made a difference
We really appreciate all contributors do to help build and edit the wiki. Thank you so much for your help!
What's Coming?
New Web Layout
Sometime in the coming weeks, the Internet Safety Project is getting a major face-lift. We're working on a new design that will change the entire look and feel of both the podcast and the wiki. The new look includes the blue shield logo you can see on our Facebook page. We like what we've seen so far; the new layout gives the entire page a classier, crisper, more professional look. Watch for it soon!
More Wiki Content
Our editor, Sarah, is working hard to fill in the basic skeleton we at the project devised for the wiki. Filling in main subjects with general articles that lead to specific, in-depth articles about each topic has been her main goal in recent weeks. We hope to present a well-written and -structured wiki stuffed to the brim with useful information by late summer or early fall. At this point, we hope that the wiki will fulfill the measure of it's creation and start behaving like a wiki: in short, we hope to see most of the wiki's content being generated by users like you!
More Podcasts
The Internet Safety Project has some great podcasts available (if you haven't been to the podcast page yet, check it out!). These include interviews with notable authors, community leaders, and leading Internet safety researchers.
In addition to the wonderful podcasts we already have, more will be coming in the near future. We are lining up experts from various areas of the Internet safety scatterplot in order to address even more facets of the dilemmas technology presents kids and families. Stay tuned for an exciting new wave of podcasts in the coming weeks.
About Us
This wiki is only one part of the much larger Internet Safety Project. To read more about both the wiki and the Project, click here.
