Dear all,
We have spent a few weeks looking at some problems with the Opus, but we think we are about ready to get more people editing and adding to it in ernest.
If you're still not sure 'what' the opus is, you might want to take a look here.
Firstly, it is important to realise that EVERY logged in member can edit pages in the Opus! We'd love to see everyone getting involved and so please consider this as a request for all members to pick a bird (or a few!) and add something to it. Some of you might want to upload extra photos for birds - for example the female or male of the species, juveniles, etc. Others may just want to add some factual text - for example the distribution, identification, differences in gender, call, diet, habitat, etc.
DON'T WORRY about making mistakes - it's impossible to 'break' the opus, as changes can always be undone or tidied up by another member. If you can't get something to work, or are unsure about an entry, click the 'discussion' tab and ask for help!
PLEASE NOTE that the Opus is not a place to post questions or 'insignificant' sightings - "I saw this in my Garden" for example would not be suited for the Opus, although "This bird can often be seen at (reserve name)" may be appropriate. Information posted should be FACTUAL and have a NEUTRAL POINT OF VIEW.
Also, when we took all the information across from the old database, some comments came across that aren't really needed any more (like "I saw this in my Garden!") - these can be deleted as you go along!
Adding Text & Links
When adding or editing text, make sure that all places, birds, countries, etc are surrounded by [[ and ]]. For example, "This bird is closely related to the [[other bird]], which is more common in [[country]]." This will turn the text into a link to the entry about that place, bird, country etc. As a general rule, any word that is used that could one day become an entry in it's own right should be linked (usually only the first time it occurs).
Links which are BLUE will take you to pages which do exist; links which are ORANGE means that the page has not yet been created, and clicking it will take you directly to the editing screen.
For information on using other formatting, such as headings, bold text, italics, etc, see the page on formatting by clicking here.
If you want to test editing a page, use the 'sandbox' which can be found here.
Adding Photographs
See this section in the Opus Help for more information on adding photographs
Every Little Bit Helps
If you're not sure where to start, you can use the links below to find what we call 'stubs' - pages which don't yet have any text or information on them and 'Missing Images' - entries which don't yet have a photo.
There are also a few pages which have a problem with text 'overflowing' the right side of the page - this is caused by some stray spaces which came across when we moved from the old database. If you happen to come across one of these, you can find out how to remove it by clicking here.
Adding a new Bird
You can use the page below to create a 'bird' page, which will automatically include the standard 'bird' template. We are working on a template for locations and equipment.
http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Help:CreatePage
Opus Editors
We are still looking for a small team to 'co-ordinate' the Opus, ensuring that it stays well organised and that, for example, pages are in the same sort of format. We've already heard from a few people (who we'll be in touch with soon), but there are still a few places for those that want to get involved - please PM or e-mail me if you are interested.
We could of course make this the longest thread ever, with people adding the name of the bird, location or equipment that they have edited to this thread! We could then all see what has been done on the forum as well as on the 'recent changes' page.
Please ask any questions in this thread and we'll do our best to answer them.
Steve
We have spent a few weeks looking at some problems with the Opus, but we think we are about ready to get more people editing and adding to it in ernest.
If you're still not sure 'what' the opus is, you might want to take a look here.
Firstly, it is important to realise that EVERY logged in member can edit pages in the Opus! We'd love to see everyone getting involved and so please consider this as a request for all members to pick a bird (or a few!) and add something to it. Some of you might want to upload extra photos for birds - for example the female or male of the species, juveniles, etc. Others may just want to add some factual text - for example the distribution, identification, differences in gender, call, diet, habitat, etc.
DON'T WORRY about making mistakes - it's impossible to 'break' the opus, as changes can always be undone or tidied up by another member. If you can't get something to work, or are unsure about an entry, click the 'discussion' tab and ask for help!
PLEASE NOTE that the Opus is not a place to post questions or 'insignificant' sightings - "I saw this in my Garden" for example would not be suited for the Opus, although "This bird can often be seen at (reserve name)" may be appropriate. Information posted should be FACTUAL and have a NEUTRAL POINT OF VIEW.
Also, when we took all the information across from the old database, some comments came across that aren't really needed any more (like "I saw this in my Garden!") - these can be deleted as you go along!
Adding Text & Links
When adding or editing text, make sure that all places, birds, countries, etc are surrounded by [[ and ]]. For example, "This bird is closely related to the [[other bird]], which is more common in [[country]]." This will turn the text into a link to the entry about that place, bird, country etc. As a general rule, any word that is used that could one day become an entry in it's own right should be linked (usually only the first time it occurs).
Links which are BLUE will take you to pages which do exist; links which are ORANGE means that the page has not yet been created, and clicking it will take you directly to the editing screen.
For information on using other formatting, such as headings, bold text, italics, etc, see the page on formatting by clicking here.
If you want to test editing a page, use the 'sandbox' which can be found here.
Adding Photographs
See this section in the Opus Help for more information on adding photographs
Every Little Bit Helps
If you're not sure where to start, you can use the links below to find what we call 'stubs' - pages which don't yet have any text or information on them and 'Missing Images' - entries which don't yet have a photo.
There are also a few pages which have a problem with text 'overflowing' the right side of the page - this is caused by some stray spaces which came across when we moved from the old database. If you happen to come across one of these, you can find out how to remove it by clicking here.
Adding a new Bird
You can use the page below to create a 'bird' page, which will automatically include the standard 'bird' template. We are working on a template for locations and equipment.
http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Help:CreatePage
Opus Editors
We are still looking for a small team to 'co-ordinate' the Opus, ensuring that it stays well organised and that, for example, pages are in the same sort of format. We've already heard from a few people (who we'll be in touch with soon), but there are still a few places for those that want to get involved - please PM or e-mail me if you are interested.
We could of course make this the longest thread ever, with people adding the name of the bird, location or equipment that they have edited to this thread! We could then all see what has been done on the forum as well as on the 'recent changes' page.
Please ask any questions in this thread and we'll do our best to answer them.
Steve
