A New History Wiki for Annapolis
On November 14, Four Rivers sponsored a workshop by Mark Hildebrand of Make Your Mark Media about the new Annapolis history “wiki,” called Annapolis Past Port. Over the summer, Mark worked with several STEM students from AACPS to develop the basic form and function of this cutting-edge technology resource. Utilizing the same open-source application used by Wikipedia, the wiki is planned to serve as a repository for local stories, photographs, documents, and much more. The goal of the project is to make local historical content free and available to anyone interested in sharing and exploring the past, here in Annapolis and in the communities that make up the “greater Annapolis region.”
The wiki has a platform, and guidelines, and the beginning of a structure, but it needs content! YOU are invited to join in the work to share the history of your school, church, neighborhood, and/or favorite place.
All it takes to contribute to the site is to become a registered user. Just go to http://mym-media.org/annapoliswiki to create a new account, and start sharing!
Below are some guidelines and tips as you get started with Annapolis Past Port:
- Before creating or editing a page, you will need to make an account.
- Look at other pages and articles to see how those pages are laid out and organized.
- Before making a page, consider practicing through editing pages, to familiarize yourself with how to make pages.
- Get some feedback on your work, to refine it before making or changing pages.
- Gather references for your work, so that you may add citations to what you write.
- Make sure you are editing the correct page before finalizing your changes!
- Be careful when referencing other published works. Avoid plagiarizing content, and provide citations when needed.
- Be careful when making pages on living people or active organizations, and be sure to cite such pages.
- Be careful when making pages about controversial topics. Try to avoid advocacy for any particular viewpoint on politics, religion, or anything else. Always try to maintain a neutral viewpoint when writing articles.
- Don’t be afraid to edit articles! Fixing mistakes in articles can be helpful, and if your edit ends up making other mistakes, don’t worry! Other users can then fix those mistakes. After you edit, please record what you edited in the Summary box at the bottom of the editing page. A summary doesn’t need to be long, something as simple as “Fixed a typo” or “Added more information about the parade” will suffice. The summary will be stored alongside your edit and will help to keep track of changes made.
- Citations are an important part of any article, and they ensure accuracy and credibility in articles.
We look forward to sharing the past with you!