Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Chemistry Wiki Attempt

Chemistry Wiki Attempt

Pages: 1 2 3 4

Texium - 14-6-2014 at 14:18

I'm not sure if anyone has found this wiki before. I discovered it a few months ago while trying to find a site with comprehensive information about chemistry related topics, that would be useful from a chemist's (especially an amateur chemist's) perspective, rather than the massive amount of unnecessary information, and often rather small amount of useful information that Wikipedia provides.
It seems like that was the goal of this wiki, but due to the lack of support it has received, it can best be described as, well, sad. Back in March, I had a burst of inspiration and decided I'd contribute to it to lay down a base of simple articles to build off of. It was really difficult to keep it up though, because I was the only one contributing anything more that the most minor of edits. Jut throwing this out there, in case anyone is interested in editing it. Here's the link: http://chemistry.wikia.com/wiki/Chemistry_Wiki
Also, if this wiki isn't meant to be, then maybe we could create a Sciencemadness wiki: essentially the same thing, but managed by the members of this forum. That might be a great way to maintain a great database of information.

EDIT: The old Chemistry Wiki is no longer our focus. I have created http://sciencemadness.wikia.com as a fresh start for the same purpose. That way it can be managed by us.

[Edited on 6-15-2014 by zts16]

Brain&Force - 14-6-2014 at 18:08

I'll join you in an editing rampage, and we can plot for takeover!

Seriously, the wiki has a lot of potential. I'll write up some articles, mostly about lanthanides and things.

A Sciencemadness wiki would be great for experimenter notes. I would also contribute to that.

[edit]

I have found that I cannot upload photos to the wiki. zts16, you have my permission to upload anything I have uploaded to Sciencemadness.

Include fluorescing potassium terbium sulfate under shortwave UV, iodine vapor, a magnified image of distilled terbium metal, illuminated under soft white light, and the spectral lines of a sodium lamp viewed with a CD.

[Edited on 15.6.2014 by Brain&Force]

Texium - 14-6-2014 at 20:11

Alright cool, thanks. I'll probably get on that once I have some more time on my hands. Yes, we will take it over! I think I'll start with making simple pages for all of the elements and common compounds that give just very basic information, and then other contributors can elaborate. It just needs a sturdy backbone to be able to grow. So despite not being able to upload images, you can still edit lanes, right?

Brain&Force - 14-6-2014 at 20:32

I can still edit: I wrote the whole article on terbium and I plan to finish all of the rare earth metals. Don't forget to include links!

forgottenpassword - 15-6-2014 at 00:39

There is lots of chemistry written in books. Why rewrite it all, or imagine that it would be productive to do so?

bismuthate - 15-6-2014 at 03:27

Well, It's easier to access.

forgottenpassword - 15-6-2014 at 05:34

Books are designed for easy access too.

Texium - 15-6-2014 at 05:53

Well, before the internet, sure. But now it would be much easier to have it all in one place that can be accessed from essentially anywhere. Plus it can grow and change as information becomes available, and it might even be kind of fun to work on it, especially if a lot of us work on it together.

Edit: B&F, I think if you made a Wikia account it would probably allow you to upload pictures. If I remember correctly, I was not able to until I did.

[Edited on 6-15-2014 by zts16]

forgottenpassword - 15-6-2014 at 06:04

Greenwood and Earnshaw's Chemistry of the Elements is 1600 pages. Are you going to include all of that information in your 'wiki'? Will it ever come close to having that much accurate and referenced information?

Texium - 15-6-2014 at 06:19

Well, 1600 page books happen to be pretty damn expensive while you can go to a wiki for free, and yes, eventually, it will include that much information if not more. The owner of the wiki is quite the stickler for having referenced information. Pages that don't meet the standards are tagged with a message saying so, if not outright deleted.
Look, I have nothing against books. Books are awesome. I have several chemistry books too. I just happen to think that this is an interesting experiment and that it would be really great if it worked. So you can go on being pessimistic and unhelpful, or you could just let us who actually want it to happen discuss it and work on it.

macckone - 15-6-2014 at 06:56

That wikia is going to need a lot of work. Possibly transcribing a
bunch of mellor's would be a start.

Texium - 15-6-2014 at 12:20

It definitely needs a lot of work. You know, I've been thinking that it might actually be easier to start our own rather than trying to resurrect this one. The main problem I have with working on this one is that the creator, Wikia user Fargo84, isn't a chemist, and is more dedicated to his World War 2 wiki. That is not to say he doesn't seem like an intelligent and helpful person, he's just not that into chemistry.
I feel like if I were to start a new wiki, then we'd have a lot more control over its management instead of relying on someone who isn't as dedicated as us. Does that seem like a good idea?

Brain&Force - 15-6-2014 at 12:26

Try making sciencemadness.wikia.com

We can have pages for chemical elements and compounds, including new information that has been discovered by Sciencemadness members, as well as procedures, experiment notes, sources of reagents, and other relevant information. I'd be 100% willing to contribute this summer.

[Edited on 15.6.2014 by Brain&Force]

Texium - 15-6-2014 at 13:30

Awesome, I'll do that. It is very likely that I won't contribute all that much until July though, because I'm in a dual-credit history class this month, and I'm kind of busy with that. (Getting it out of the way so I'll have more room for chemistry in my college schedule)
I will copy the pages from the old chemistry wiki that I directly worked on though.

Edit: Alright, it has been made! Feel free to begin adding pages. I might work on it a bit now and then, but in July when my schedule opens up a bit, I plan on spending a lot of time on it.

[Edited on 6-15-2014 by zts16]

forgottenpassword - 16-6-2014 at 07:40

What sources are you going to use to compile this information? Do you have free access to journals?

prof_genius - 16-6-2014 at 08:22

I posted some stuff from the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics.

macckone - 16-6-2014 at 08:25

A good start might be to copy over the basic elements and common chemicals from wikipedia since everything there is creative commons license copying it should not be an issue.

prof_genius - 16-6-2014 at 08:35

We could also add screen shots from books in pdf format, I have an old book on purification of common chemicals somewhere.

Texium - 16-6-2014 at 10:18

Quote: Originally posted by macckone

A good start might be to copy over the basic elements and common chemicals from wikipedia since everything there is creative commons license copying it should not be an issue.

We don't need a complete copy of Wikipedia's information though. We could do that, but I think we should leave out the elements of the Wikipedia pages that don't have significance related to chemistry, (history, cultural impacts, etc), and include more information that is chemistry related, also more detailed information about how to obtain the chemicals so that it is a useful tool for amateur chemists.

Brain&Force - 16-6-2014 at 10:24

Let us know what articles you would like to see on the site! Better yet, if you feel you can provide suitable information, create or edit them yourself! Some of the sources will include what you have been working on and discovering, so feel free to include any repeatable results.

And we REALLY need pictures - we currently don't have any on the wiki.

[edit] Aluminum or aluminium? I just want to know so that we stay consistent.

[Edited on 16.6.2014 by Brain&Force]

Texium - 16-6-2014 at 11:21

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force

Aluminum or aluminium? I just want to know so that we stay consistent.

[Edited on 16.6.2014 by Brain&Force]

Good point. I'd say aluminum, but I'm sure others would prefer aluminium. (Damn, my computer autocorrect kept changing it to aluminum)
Should we have a poll?

Brain&Force - 16-6-2014 at 11:28

I would pick aluminium, sulfur, and caesium because that's the Wikipedia usage. (I prefer cesium to caesium, I really don't care too much about aluminium/aluminum.)

Can you edit the homepage so that we have a list of stubs and wanted articles, as with the other chemistry wiki?

[Edited on 16.6.2014 by Brain&Force]

Praxichys - 16-6-2014 at 11:31

IUPAC says "sulfur, aluminium, caesium"

http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/aluminium.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Naming_conventions_(chemistry)#Caesium_v_Cesium

ACS begs to differ, but hey... my country is one of three still using the silly English unit system. Call me a pushover but I tend to go with majority vote.

[Edited on 16-6-2014 by Praxichys]

Texium - 16-6-2014 at 11:59

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force

Can you edit the homepage so that we have a list of stubs and wanted articles, as with the other chemistry wiki?

Yep, I'll try to do that
Edit: I'm trying to figure out how to do all that now. It's done differently than simply editing the page.

[Edited on 6-16-2014 by zts16]

Texium - 16-6-2014 at 12:18

Aha, I found the admin control panel! It should be very easy to add those features now. The link to the CP was tiny and at the bottom of the page, so I hadn't noticed it until now.

Brain&Force - 16-6-2014 at 12:38

We also need a logo...I don't know if Polverone will allow us to use the Sciencemadness logo though. I'll U2U him.

Texium - 16-6-2014 at 12:55

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force

We also need a logo...I don't know if Polverone will allow us to use the Sciencemadness logo though. I'll U2U him.

Yeah, I was hoping to be able to use it, but I didn't because I wasn't sure.

The Volatile Chemist - 16-6-2014 at 13:00

Great! So happy people agreed to do this! I'll be a major contributor, just have to get registered on their site.
Too bad we can't use wikipedia's articles on chemistry as a base of operations to build on. Oh well. I'll register for the site! Hopefully I'll be able to make myself useful. Woelen has many pictures he uses on Wikipedia, if he grows to like this idea, his contributions in that matter may be useful.

Texium - 16-6-2014 at 13:06

Using Wikipedia articles is fine for a starting point, just as long as they aren't copied identically. If you use them, revise them so that they contain more information that is useful and less that isn't. The old chemistry wiki was completely adverse to the idea of using Wikipedia as a starting point, and that made it extremely difficult to make any progress.

The Volatile Chemist - 16-6-2014 at 13:11

I hope you don't mind if I put your notice in your sig about the SM wiki in my signature, do you?

Texium - 16-6-2014 at 13:18

Nope, go ahead! I'm really excited that this project seems to be taking it off, and I think it would be good to promote it on the forum.
Also, I added a tab on the wiki called Get Started. It takes you to a page with links to wanted pages and short pages, the ones that really need editing. That's an easy way to find something to add. Also make sure that when you create or edit a page you include links in the text to other things that need pages. Even if it shows up as a redlink, it will help by adding a wanted page. The more redlinks to the same page, the higher priority the wanted page.

The Volatile Chemist - 16-6-2014 at 13:33

Thanks for telling me! I've been working there a little while now.

Etaoin Shrdlu - 16-6-2014 at 14:01

If you copy articles in whole or part, please don't forget to credit Wikipedia. Otherwise, there shouldn't be a problem.

It would be nice to see more citations. This is amateur-science-focused so it will eventually by design contain information that isn't yet published in journals (hopefully!) and for that reason alone I don't think the rigorous Wikipedia standards are necessary, but something as simple as citing your own experiment on X date or a Sciencemadness page would be nice, if there's nothing published to back you up. If people take to writing experiments up on the wiki, those pages could be cited as well as provide a place for multiple people to corroborate each others' results.

Does the platform you're using allow for payment to switch off the ads, or allow for migration eventually?

EDIT: How do you guys feel about adding OTC and other sources to chemical pages?

[Edited on 6-16-2014 by Etaoin Shrdlu]

Texium - 16-6-2014 at 14:11

I couldn't agree more about the citations. I'll add a page that sets out guidelines and tips about citing sources and images.

I haven't looked into paying to switch off adds. As far as I know, they don't offer that option. I've never really thought about it, because ads never really bother me (unless they're ridiculously disruptive)

As for adding OTC sources for chemicals, yes. That's one thing that would definitely be very helpful, and it should be a goal to have a sources section on every chemical page. Here's an example of one that already does: http://sciencemadness.wikia.com/wiki/Zinc

Brain&Force - 16-6-2014 at 16:33

Quote: Originally posted by zts16

I couldn't agree more about the citations. I'll add a page that sets out guidelines and tips about citing sources and images.

I haven't looked into paying to switch off adds. As far as I know, they don't offer that option. I've never really thought about it, because ads never really bother me (unless they're ridiculously disruptive)

As for adding OTC sources for chemicals, yes. That's one thing that would definitely be very helpful, and it should be a goal to have a sources section on every chemical page. Here's an example of one that already does: http://sciencemadness.wikia.com/wiki/Zinc

I just use Adblock. Everyone should use it. As for other chemical sources, I would vote to include them in general, also manufacturing processes that can be done at home.

[Edited on 17.6.2014 by Brain&Force]

Texium - 16-6-2014 at 17:53

B&F, why don't you get a Wikia account? That way you could upload media, and the edits that you make will be contributed to you, rather than being anonymous.

The Volatile Chemist - 16-6-2014 at 17:57

Yes, B&F, it would give some credit to the edit

Sounds like this is a good start. Is there away to migrate, if necessary? At least download an xml file of it? Just in case we need to eventually. It'd make it look nicer in the future...
But for now, I'll get to work. We need more contributors.
Ask the guy who owned the old wiki if he wants to help!

[Edited on 6-17-2014 by The Volatile Chemist]

Texium - 16-6-2014 at 18:22

I'll be able to make it look a lot nicer than it does now on the current platform. I figured that some of the cosmetic stuff could wait for later once we have some more content and I have some more time.
I guess I can let the people on the old wiki know about ours, but I'm not sure whether anyone even cares about it anymore. The last time that anybody changed it other than some anonymous edits in the past couple weeks was back in January, when I was working on it. (I said earlier in the thread that it was in March, but it was actually January. Time flies!) It was around the time when I first joined this forum. Not even the owner has done anything on it since then.

The Volatile Chemist - 16-6-2014 at 18:38

He may (Or may not) feel like moving some of his own stuff over. I wonder if he's heard of SM before...

Texium - 16-6-2014 at 19:35

He's not that interested in chemistry. As I said before, it seems that his main interest is his WWII wiki. He didn't make that many edits himself, he just did the work on the cosmetics and coding, and other people actually wrote stuff. Some of them may possibly be interested, although they haven't been active on there for at least 5 months if not more.

thesmug - 16-6-2014 at 21:45

I don't recall seeing the old wiki ever active but who knows. I will definitely help out though!

Etaoin Shrdlu - 17-6-2014 at 09:37

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force

I just use Adblock. Everyone should use it.

I block ads too, but it still leaves the layout clunky. It's not the content of the ads that really bothers me.

Brain&Force - 17-6-2014 at 11:04

How can we add navbox templates to the site?

Brain&Force - 18-6-2014 at 13:55

There's a bit of an issue with bolding text - every time I try doing this, it puts the words in italics and add single quotes to them, 'like this.' Have you had the same issue?

Texium - 18-6-2014 at 14:04

No, I've never seen that happen before. That's rather odd. The way the code works on there, italic is made by using two quotes on either side ''like this'' and bold is made with three quotes '''like this''' so it is as if it simply disabled bold text somehow.
Edit: Just checked the magnesium page, and it appears that the bold text is working again.

[Edited on 6-18-2014 by zts16]

Brain&Force - 18-6-2014 at 14:17

It works if I edit the page again for some reason.

arkoma - 19-6-2014 at 07:51

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force

I just use Adblock. Everyone should use it.

I'm so used to having adblock (it's a MUST for piratebay users LOL) I don't even think about them anymore.

The wiki looks nice so far gents.

edit--hell, i signed up and actually contributed. a first on my part!!

[Edited on 6-19-2014 by arkoma]

thesmug - 19-6-2014 at 15:07

I like the wiki but the layout is a bit eye-straining. Is there any way you could try to make the background of the pages the same color as the pages on here? I think it would look good! The grayish blue background is A0B0BC and the tan background is FFFBE8.

Texium - 19-6-2014 at 15:40

How about I use the tan background behind the text, but keep the green backdrop?

Edit: Ok, for now I made it look like the same theme as this forum. Maybe it'll stay like that, maybe not. I do like the sense of relation that it brings about, although I honestly don't really like the blue-gray background color all that much!

[Edited on 6-19-2014 by zts16]

Texium - 19-6-2014 at 16:34

I just used the mobile version for the first time and it looks AWFUL. Mostly because of very intrusive ads, but in general it's pretty messy.

Etaoin Shrdlu - 19-6-2014 at 16:43

That's why I asked about ad removal. I surf almost exclusively on my iPad. There's a blocker installed but it doesn't do anything for the layout.

It's kind of irritating sharing namespace with all the other wikis, too, though I don't know if anything can be done about that.

EDIT: Oooh, I like the colors. Would it be possible to either change the background to white and use the yellow for infoboxes etcetera, or change the green parts to the same gray that appears at the top of a forum thread (where the title is)?

[Edited on 6-20-2014 by Etaoin Shrdlu]

Texium - 19-6-2014 at 16:55

Ok, yeah, I understand your issue with the ads now! I'll probably be playing with the color scheme some more the next few days, but I think I'll stick with the green accents. I like the bit of color it adds. It would probably be rather drab with just gray, white, and beige. Although, another option would be to make the buttons gray like you suggested and make the links green instead of blue. That might be kind of strange though.

Etaoin Shrdlu - 19-6-2014 at 18:49

That would be strange. My thought was to try to limit the color scheme to yellows and gray-blues, since I find the green a bit jarring, but it's not a big deal and it does help the nav bar stand out.

Sorry I'm mostly categorizing things thus far. I should have more time this weekend.

Texium - 19-6-2014 at 18:56

Same here, I've made one actual page, for copper(II) sulfate, not including the main part of the iron which I made on the old wiki and copied in. Other than that, I've just been uploading pictures of things that I happen to have that we have pages for and categorizing things.

The Volatile Chemist - 20-6-2014 at 06:52

It's going well so far! Hopefully we can get some more helpers...
On non chemical/closely related to chemicals pages:
We should have some on glassware and techniques. I made a page for glassware, but we need specific types pages.

Texium - 20-6-2014 at 08:00

That's a really good idea. Proper equipment in many cases can be as important as chemicals, so that's definitely something that the wiki should address.

Texium - 20-6-2014 at 13:06

Alright guys, I just got my daily email summing up the wiki activity for the day, and it appears that there are fewer and fewer edits and views each day! Let's keep working on it and not let it become sad and neglected like that old wiki!

Brain&Force - 20-6-2014 at 19:19

I noticed the change to a beige color for most pages (just got back from university orientation), and I think white looks better. (Light gray might also be good.) Don't worry, zts16, I'll be making edits over this summer.

Is there any way to view a list of all pages on the wiki?

[edit] did the editor also change too? I don't like the way it handles hyperlinks, and it's too difficult to add superscripts and subscripts.

[Edited on 21.6.2014 by Brain&Force]

alexleyenda - 20-6-2014 at 20:50

I guess it just have to take its flight, not everyone is really aware of it yet ? And of course those who passed a lot of time on it at first are taking a break now... I see no reason why it would fade away, after some time it could answer like almost every single question in a clear way and with a search engine that does not suck :p Let's advertise it !

alexleyenda - 20-6-2014 at 20:52

Just testing my signature..
Edit: Yay, the advertising works!

[Edited on 21-6-2014 by alexleyenda]

Texium - 21-6-2014 at 06:13

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force

I noticed the change to a beige color for most pages (just got back from university orientation), and I think white looks better. (Light gray might also be good.)

The color scheme will definitely have to be discussed more. Some people like the white, some the beige… it's all up in the air.

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force

Is there any way to view a list of all pages on the wiki?

There's a link to a list of all pages on the Get Started page. That's a good place to find stuff like that.

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force

[edit] did the editor also change too? I don't like the way it handles hyperlinks, and it's too difficult to add superscripts and subscripts.

I think you have the option to use a couple different editors. If you go to the drop-down menu next to edit, you have the option to use the visual editor. If you just click on edit, then it goes to the default editor, and from there you can also edit the source if that's what floats your boat. As for whether any of them have changed, I'm not sure. I didn't notice any changes when I was working on it last night. Maybe you were using the visual editor?

Quote: Originally posted by alexleyenda

I guess it just have to take its flight, not everyone is really aware of it yet ? And of course those who passed a lot of time on it at first are taking a break now... I see no reason why it would fade away, after some time it could answer like almost every single question in a clear way and with a search engine that does not suck :p Let's advertise it !

Yeah, I guess I was unreasonable in my attempt at motivation. Hypocritical, in fact, since I hadn't done much since the 16th either! These were the stats from this week:

Screen Shot 2014-06-21 at 9.06.46 AM.png - 25kB

Screen Shot 2014-06-21 at 9.06.46 AM.png - 25kB

I just kind of panicked when I saw how the amount of edits was rapidly dropping 127, 86, 71… 16. At that rate it would simply cease the next day! But it came back though.

Etaoin Shrdlu - 21-6-2014 at 10:25

Haha, don't be too discouraged, zts. The 19th is a Thursday. Thursday is the Worst Day. Nobody wants to edit on a Thursday.

[Edited on 6-21-2014 by Etaoin Shrdlu]

arkoma - 21-6-2014 at 10:41

Yes young fella--don't get discouraged. Have you noticed that THIS forum is generally at the top of chem related google searches? This is a brand new project.........

Etaoin Shrdlu - 21-6-2014 at 11:01

Just in case anyone's unaware of how to add references, this is how you do it (the easy way, anyway).

Put this where you want your ref tag:

Code:

<ref>List your reference here;
it can be as long as you like and even include notes or weblinks;
it will show up as a number in the main text.</ref>

And put this section at the end of the article:

Code:

==References==
<references/>

It will populate the end section with your refs automatically. See the Chlorine page where I put one in. [redacted]I'm going to try to fill out some of the other pages.[/redacted]

It'll look like this:

Quote:

This is how you add references.^[1]

References
1: List your reference here; it can be as long as you like and even include notes or weblinks; it will show up as a number in the main text.

EDIT: Hmm, the Code box is broken here, at least on mobile. Nothing wraps.

[Edited on 6-21-2014 by Etaoin Shrdlu]

EDIT AGAIN: Actually, I'm going to start illustrating some of these pages. The empty space where I expect chemical diagrams is almost painful. Do we have a preferred width for these?

[Edited on 6-21-2014 by Etaoin Shrdlu]

Brain&Force - 23-6-2014 at 18:52

woelen has given us permission to use his photos, as well as material from his website, just as long as we attribute them to him (i.e. link to the page where the photo appears).

Polverone wants us to restrict access to those who are registered, and eventually migrate the wiki to the Sciencemadness servers.

I noticed I'm the only one who's edited the wiki today, apart from zts16. But it's a Monday - we'll see what happens.

arkoma - 23-6-2014 at 18:58

@ Etaoin--glad to know 'bout references *blush*. Never contributed shit to a wiki before. I can USE the guidance, because behind the haze of alcohol, I believe I actually have something to contribute.

"Long Live SciMad!!!"

alexleyenda - 23-6-2014 at 20:25

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force

I noticed I'm the only one who's edited the wiki today, apart from zts16. But it's a Monday - we'll see what happens.

I make a page from time to time, I just don't have the 30 min-3 hours to give to make a good page every day. I already got some stuff in mind, like salicylic acid, methyl salicylate and KClO3

Texium - 24-6-2014 at 12:20

Quote: Originally posted by alexleyenda

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force

I noticed I'm the only one who's edited the wiki today, apart from zts16. But it's a Monday - we'll see what happens.

I make a page from time to time, I just don't have the 30 min-3 hours to give to make a good page every day. I already got some stuff in mind, like salicylic acid, methyl salicylate and KClO3

Yeah, that's the problem that I've found lately too. This month has been really busy for me, and I've only rarely had a decent chunk of uninterrupted time to write a page, so instead I just try to occasionally add a couple little things, or edit the behind-the-scenes workings of the wiki.

Texium - 27-6-2014 at 20:35

Wiki edits are dwindling to practically none. Not being critical, just pointing it out. Also, B&F, did you happen to ask Polverone if he will allow us to use the Sciencemadness logo for the wiki? It would be pretty cool if we could. Also, the migration to the forum's servers could happen whenever as far as I'm concerned. I don't know anything about that though. And I can't restrict access on the current platform, so if that's a requirement then we'll have to migrate it. I didn't share it though, so it doesn't appear on Wikia or on any of their other wikis, only if someone were to follow a link to it on here or find it on a search engine.

Brain&Force - 27-6-2014 at 21:47

Oh, yeah, I forgot to post that. As long as access is restricted to registered members, we can use the logo. But apparently you can't do that.

Yeah, I've noticed that edits have dropped - it's just you, me and alexleyenda.

alexleyenda - 28-6-2014 at 10:25

Anyways i'll keep dropping the ressources I use and synthesis summaries so I will be able to find them easily later so no matter what happen I'll keep it up... maybe one day it'll really take off !

Amos - 28-6-2014 at 18:47

For those that are going to be contributing to this site a good deal, I can tell you now it will be very useful on compound or apparatus pages to list some of the places that these things can be found or bought. Then, anytime someone asks a question regarding where to find a particular reagent or piece of equipment, they can be quickly referred to the wiki page. It saves time, quickly answers the question, and hopefully adds more traffic and awareness to the wiki!

Texium - 28-6-2014 at 19:29

Quote: Originally posted by No Tears Only Dreams Now

For those that are going to be contributing to this site a good deal, I can tell you now it will be very useful on compound or apparatus pages to list some of the places that these things can be found or bought. Then, anytime someone asks a question regarding where to find a particular reagent or piece of equipment, they can be quickly referred to the wiki page. It saves time, quickly answers the question, and hopefully adds more traffic and awareness to the wiki!

Yep, that's been in the plans from the start. I know I will do that for sure once I have time to really sit down and write some pages.

Tdep - 29-6-2014 at 02:18

So I just found this and would love to contribute some stuff, gives me an excuse to take some nice photos of things...

One thing I would like to add is can people try to source the synthesis they post? Especially from places like this forum, I find that the discussion on the method, where people pick flaws or add advice is sometimes just as valuable as the method.

I'm talking about pages like this: http://sciencemadness.wikia.com/wiki/Nitrocellulose

It's also a good check to see if a synth is actually any good... I've had that a few times where i've followed a copy and pasted synth for something like NCl3 and found that the original writer says something like 'ive never tried this but it should work!' or 'we received 1% yeilds on this'.

If you've made it up, just give yourself credit... 'As determined and tested by Sciencemadness Member Tdep'

alexleyenda - 29-6-2014 at 08:15

Alright, I did it then, I added my name on nitrocellulose and salicylic acid's pages :p

Amos - 29-6-2014 at 15:57

I told the people of the r/homechemistry subreddit about this wiki and gave them a reminder that our site exists. That should bring in some (limited) attention.

Brain&Force - 29-6-2014 at 15:59

http://www.reddit.com/r/homechemistry/comments/29fi4u/potent...

This is it, right? Hopefully we'll get some more edits; try r/chemistry as well. (I don't have a Reddit account) And thanks for adding pictures and pages!

[Edited on 30.6.2014 by Brain&Force]

Amos - 29-6-2014 at 18:03

Indeed, that is my post. Probably should have thought of this before, but I suppose it's okay that a few of you know my name from this. And no problem on the edits, I plan to keep up with this wiki long-term, as it's nice that an amateur among amateurs such as myself can contribute to the field.

The Volatile Chemist - 29-6-2014 at 19:15

I reccommennd making more stubs. We can always add to them later. A chemistry wiki looks less reputable with less pages than there are elements

Amos - 30-6-2014 at 13:37

Okay, so here's an idea: Each time any of us are wandering a forum and find a question someone has asked that we would like to answer, we create an article on the topic and then link the article to the forum? It'd be a great way to show people the site and get them to use it more.

alexleyenda - 30-6-2014 at 14:41

Quote: Originally posted by No Tears Only Dreams Now

Okay, so here's an idea: Each time any of us are wandering a forum and find a question someone has asked that we would like to answer, we create an article on the topic and then link the article to the forum? It'd be a great way to show people the site and get them to use it more.

Exactly my thought!

Texium - 30-6-2014 at 15:26

Yeah that's a great idea!
Oh, and since it kept trying to welcome people with a robotic sounding post in my name on the message wall, I disabled the message wall. It's not really necessary since we can just use the forum. There didn't seem to be any way for me to just disable the welcome messages.
Also, my summer class is over on Wednesday. Then it's major Wiki-editing time for me!

[Edited on 6-30-2014 by zts16]

The Volatile Chemist - 1-7-2014 at 06:39

Sounds great! I'll be busy for a few days this week--but after that? Wikitime

(Even better than adventure time

)

Amos - 1-7-2014 at 09:32

I did indeed decide to put a notice about our wiki in r/chemistry. Considering a lot more people use that subreddit than homechemistry, we could potentially get some more traffic to the wiki that may or may not conflict with our standards. Keep your eyes peeled.

Amos - 1-7-2014 at 10:15

Also, if someone could tell me how to delete a category, that'd be fantastic. I accidentally typed "carbonatees" instead of carbonates.

Brain&Force - 1-7-2014 at 10:21

Someone already fixed it. The attached picture shows you how to do it.

Here's the reddit thread for anyone who is interested: http://redd.it/29ktyy

[edit] I just noticed we've linked the wiki in every single one of our sigs. And no, it was not fixed - I was looking at potassium carbonate.

[Edited on 1.7.2014 by Brain&Force]

alexleyenda - 1-7-2014 at 10:51

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force

[edit] I just noticed we've linked the wiki in every single one of our sigs.

Yup :p By the way I won't edit for a while, I'm going on vacation in 2 days!

Brain&Force - 1-7-2014 at 13:54

There's a bit of a bug on the mobile site: I can't see any new edits since zts16 placed his copper photo on the wiki. Anyone else have this problem?

Where are you going alexleyenda?

SirViking - 1-7-2014 at 13:55

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force

There's a bit of a bug on the mobile site: I can't see any new edits since zts16 placed his copper photo on the wiki. Anyone else have this problem?

Where are you going alexleyenda?

I'm having the same issue on my laptop, in addition to this, the site isn't letting me add a page to the wiki.

alexleyenda - 1-7-2014 at 15:04

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force

Where are you going alexleyenda?

Nowhere too fancy, just going in Gaspésie to see my family. It is at the east of Québec, where the water's temperature at the beaches is 10 °C ^^

Texium - 1-7-2014 at 15:50

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force

There's a bit of a bug on the mobile site: I can't see any new edits since zts16 placed his copper photo on the wiki. Anyone else have this problem?

I've noticed that too. Also, when I first go to the wiki on the desktop version it briefly shows that as the most recent edit before it loads all the way. I have no idea why though.

Oh, and I had a good idea yesterday that I forgot to post. Do you guys think that it would be helpful to have a page template made for chemical compounds, since that seems to be what the bulk of the pages on the wiki are, and it would help make them more uniform too?

[Edited on 7-1-2014 by zts16]

Brain&Force - 1-7-2014 at 16:18

Absolutely! We also need infoboxes and those navigation templates that are at the bottom of the page.

Amos - 1-7-2014 at 16:43

To edit the categories on a page, just click the list button(3 horizontal lines) next to the cancel button, and go down to categories.

As for a template, what words should we use? (synthesis/preparation, uses/reactions/projects, etc.)
If we decide on that it will all look a lot more uniform.

Texium - 1-7-2014 at 16:47

Ok, I'll make a chemical compound page template, complete with a built-in infobox. It will also have the headings for each section built in, so that all chemical compound pages will have the same format.

How about like this:
Uses
Properties
-----Physical
-----Chemical
Availability/Preparation (choose one or both)
Projects
Safety
References

I'll go back and change the existing pages to that format too, unless anybody has any objections, or suggestions to add to the template.

Brain&Force - 1-7-2014 at 16:56

I think Uses and Availability should go together because people looking under Uses are probably looking for an OTC source.
Also, I don't know if Relevant Sciencemadness threads could go under References or should go under its own section.

Texium - 1-7-2014 at 17:16

Might as well just keep them under references. And ok, I'll remove the uses section and just start it with properties, after the introduction under the main title, as usual.

Texium - 1-7-2014 at 17:31

Alright, now the template can be used by clicking the link which now appears at the top of the editing page. I'm going to get the infobox customized now. I don't think it needs to be quite as exhaustive as the ones on Wikipedia. Those can be kind of busy.

Edit: Couldn't fully figure out the infobox. I've got to go now anyway, so I'll work on it more tomorrow.

[Edited on 7-2-2014 by zts16]

Texium - 2-7-2014 at 20:37

Infoboxes might still be something that will come along soon but not yet. Also, I'd like to suggest that categories are only added if really necessary and if they would contain a decent number of pages. For example, I've been deleting all of the element categories, since they only contain all of the element's compounds plus the element, making them relatively obsolete since we have categories for each element's compounds already. The element might as well be put in that too, for simplicity's sake.

Really good news though, is that the past few days have had a huge spike in editing and we've practically doubled the number of pages! Keep up the great work everyone! My main goal right now is retrofitting all of the old element and compound pages with the new standard layout that I made. I'll definitely be glad to get all of the aesthetic and organizational kinks worked out.

The wiki is unfortunately running very slow for me tonight, so I think I'll stop working on it tonight, although I planned on doing a lot more. I'll do a good amount tomorrow though. Maybe I'll even get those dang infoboxes working!

The Volatile Chemist - 3-7-2014 at 08:49

Infoboxes aren't immediately necessary, that's ok. I did a bit of posting today, I guess I'll get back to work.

Texium - 3-7-2014 at 09:37

@The Volatile Chemist: Could you please use the new format for chemical compounds and elements? We're really trying to go for some cohesion on these pages. You can implement it by clicking the link at the top of the page when you create a new page.

Pages: 1 2 3 4