Help:Q&A

What are the types of user accounts?

Non-registered users (non-logged-in users or the general public) may read anything on the AquaPedia site. This includes viewing user pages. Anyone in the world with an internet connection may read AquaPedia.

All registered users (users) may additionally create new cases, edit cases/pages created by his/her own username, discuss pages using discussion tabs, and edit their own user page, and leave messages on user talk pages.

Confirmed Users (confirmed-users) may additionally edit existing cases and add analysis and discussion sections to existing cases. The distinction is simply to make sure that new users are able to interact with the community before collaboratively altering existing works.

Editors may additionally approve page revisions and develop new help pages.

Adminstrators may additionally approve all new edits, change forms and formats, administer accounts. Administrator revisions are automatically approved. Administrators are grouped into two varieties: "Volunteer Administrators" and "Administrator/Sysops." These two groups have the exact same rights on AquaPedia, but this distinction expresses the level of access to the "bones" of the website. Administrator/Sysops are the only users who also possess (unrelated) accounts to the back end of the site and can address issues regarding software configurations or server problems.

There are some additional categories available to some users:

Reviewers have the ability to approve revisions, like an editor. We are not currently using this classification

Bureaucrats are users with the ability to administrate accounts, but do not have the reviewing and document administration permissions that editors have. We are not currently using this classification.

Sudo is the special right of a limited number of administrators to log into another users account for account maintenance, troubleshooting, or editing "low-tech" contributions made by email through the interface. All of these sessions are logged.

Bot This classification is reserved for automated programs that require accounts. These programs can do things like spell check cases, create lists of cases for administrators to further review, and fix broken links.

Why can't newly registered users edit existing cases? .. and how do I get "Editor" status?

To help prevent spam, page vandalism, and keep contribution quality high, we require new users to contribute original content to the community before providing edits or additions to existing content.

A new user should fill out his or her profile, and contribute either part of a new case or article, or add to the discussion of an existing case before requesting additional user rights.

We'll formalize the path from "new user" through administration level in the future.

Who are the AquaPedia editors and administrators?

(..more info coming soon)

How was AquaPedia Started?

AquaPedia was originally developed at Tufts University. The initial AquaPedia website content consisted of case studies drawn from the Tufts Fall 2008 University Seminar on Water and Diplomacy: Integration of Science, Engineering, and Negotiations. At that time, faculty and students of Tufts University envisioned opening AquaPedia to the entire water management community to provide an environment for sharing water knowledge and wisdom across boundaries. Today, we have the capability to develop this knowledge base and community through our Water Diplomacy initiative.

Some of these initial student case studies are archived at aquapedia.tufts.edu. Since the original conception of AquaPedia, we’ve been trying to refine the methodolgy and organization for organizing case studies and enhancing collaborative work flow.

Who provides financial support and who are the people behind AquaPedia?

AquaPedia is supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation and Tufts University through its University Seminar Program.

AquaPedia is affiliated with Water Diplomacy, a group of organized initiatives centered around a theory and practice of adaptive water management being developed at Tufts, MIT, and Harvard.

The people organizing and launching AquaPedia include Dr. Shafiqul Islam, Amanda C. Repella, Elisabeth A. Daley, and the Water Diplomacy IGERT graduate students at Tufts University.

We have received content development assistance from the Institute for Water and Watersheds at Oregon State University.

How can I contact AquaPedia?

Our general email is info*at*aquapedia*dot*waterdiplomacy*dot*org (replace *at* and *dot* with the appropriate symbols). We can direct your question to the correct person and reply directly to you!