OpenWetWare:Getting started 3

1. Introduction

2. Set up your user page/lab wiki

3. Contribute to the community

Contribute to Community Pages

Sharing the same wiki between multiple labs enables community pages, such as those listed in the Shared Technical Resources section of the Main Page. Check out the equipment and protocols.

• In particular, the plate reader is a good example. It includes useful information about plate variation, lamp energy, and absorbance levels.
• Each lab has their own way of doing particular protocols. Typically a lab will have a list of lab-specific protocols. However, we are also collecting protocols from multiple labs in the shared protocols area. A good example is DNA Ligation which provides links to the Endy, Knight, and Silver lab protocols.
• Remember that you don't need permission from anyone to post a page. If you have a protocol or other information that you would like to share, please do so even if you are unsure if it will be of interest to the community. If it helps at least one person (even if that person is you!), it is a fantastic addition to this community resource. However, please be respectful of more "personal" pages (like user pages and lab pages). Check out the etiquette page for more information.

Become a Power User

The working definition of a power user is any OpenWetWare user who edits OpenWetWare frequently. (The exact definition of frequently is pretty subjective so use your own judgement on that one.) Generally these users believe in the utility of OpenWetWare (or sites like it) and are committed to making them better.

There are some things that you can do to help further your addiction to OpenWetWare.

1. Check the Recent changes list often.
   • Often seeing the changes that people are making in real time can lead to an urge to correct errors, contribute to discussions and overall improve the quality of pages. Many people actually bookmark the Recent changes rather than the Main Page because it is more reflective of what is going on in OpenWetWare at any given time.
2. Join the OpenWetWare steering committee.
   • OpenWetWare is very much in its infancy. Everyone is still trying to figure out how to make the site as useful as possible to themselves and everyone else. So ideas and participation on the committee are incredibly useful.
3. Go to the OpenWetWare:Community Portal.
   • If you are looking to kill time and want to edit OpenWetWare, there are various pages in progress and things to do to help improve OpenWetWare. Most of these are listed and linked off the OpenWetWare:Community Portal.
4. Proselytize about OpenWetWare to your friends and colleagues.
   • OpenWetWare, being based on community contributions, can only benefit from having people talking about the usefulness of the site. Many of our new members hear about it through word of mouth.
   • Write a testimonial to explain how you use or benefit from OpenWetWare.

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