General Questions:
- What are solutions?
- Who can create a solution?
- Who can edit a solution?
- Will the original author ever be locked out from editing his/her solution?
- I don't see an edit link - is something wrong?
Reviewing Solutions:
- What are review groups?
- What is the process for reviewing a solution?
- Who gets to review a solution?
- How do I assign reviewers to a solution?
- After I submit a solution, how will I know when my solution has been reviewed?
- Can I change my solution after a review?
- How are ratings different from reviews?
Glossary of terms used in Solutions:
General questions
What are solutions?
Solutions are good practices that address issues that are facing the world today. Members of the WiserEarth community are encouraged to share their ideas, particularly practices that have been codified in toolkits or manuals and have proven to be successful. WE (the WiserEarth community) want to create a useful directory of solutions so that anyone facing a similar set of issues can find resources to help them get started. Here are some guidelines as to what a good solution would include:
- Solution should have been implemented successfully in at least three different projects
- Solution should be endorsed by at least one other relevant organization or group
- The resources necessary are in keeping with the capabilities of the types of organizations, groups or people that are intended to implement the solution.
- Solution is complete: Info, Problem, Action, Results, Limitations, Network, and Files sections should be filled out as best as is possible
- The Solution should be a 'Good' practice - no alternative technique or method can be easily found that is both more efficient (less effort) and effective (better results) in accomplishing the task in the same setting
(Note: these are just guidelines and are still open to discussion - please contact angusparker if you wish to add to these guidelines further).
Who can create a solution?
Solutions are created by members like you and me. We encourage any member of the community to put down their experiences and share the wisdom they have gained from addressing the issues they face. Any member of WiserEarth is free to create a new solution.
Who can edit a solution?
That’s up to the solution author – they can set it so that anyone can freely edit the solution (like the Wikipedia model), or they can set it so that only they themselves or a specific group have editing access to the solution.
Will the original author ever be “locked” out from editing his/her solution?
No – the original author will always have editing privileges to the solution. Let’s say a member creates a solution, but elects not to check the “Only I can edit” box. This allows other members in the community to edit the solution. Even if another member checks that “Only I can edit” box in the solution’s settings, the original author will always be allowed to edit and make changes as needed.
I want to make edits to a solution, but I don’t see an edit link. Is something wrong?
If a solution author has chosen to limit the editing rights of the solution to just themselves, then you’ll have to contact the author to see if they will accept changes you would like to make. Please look at the right-hand sidebar and you should see a “Contact Solution Owner” link that you can use to get in touch with the solution author.
Reviewing Solutions
What are review groups?
Review groups are specially set up groups to review solutions. Solution Owners or anyone with edit rights can submit a solution for review to a review group. The Solution is then assigned reviewers, and if approved, a distinctive check mark appears on the solution to indicate the solution has passed through a screening process. To have your group become a review group, please send a message to support@wiserearth.org requesting this change for your group.
What is the process for reviewing a solution?
A solution must first be submitted by someone to a review group. Then, a group administrator will decide which reviewer(s) in his group is assigned to review the solution. Depending on their assessment, the reviewer(s) can mark a solution as “Approved”, “Denied” or “Conditionally Approved”. Conditionally approved means the solution is sent back to the submitter along with some notes on what needs to be done to become fully approved.
Who gets to review solutions?
Members of the community who have joined or been invited into a review group can become reviewers. It’s left up to the administrators of each group to decide which members of his/her group will be assigned to review a solution.
How do I assign reviewers to a solution?
Only the group administrator of a review group can do so.
After I submit a solution, how will I know when my solution has been reviewed?
After a solution has been reviewed, you will receive a message alerting you of the review status (whether it has been approved, denied or conditionally approved).
Can I change my Solution after a review?
Yes – while a Review relates to a specific version of a Solution (look at the Review History link and you will see which version of the Solution was approved) those with edit rights over a Solution are free to continue improving it over time and even submitting the Solution for a second review in the future.
How are ratings different from reviews?
Ratings are a much more informal method for providing feedback about a solution that any member of the community can leave behind. Reviews, however, are reserved for members who belong to a review group, and represent a more rigorous and formal process for screening out which solutions meet or exceed a certain level of quality.
New vocabulary used in Solutions
What is a party record?
Aparty record is a placeholder record – it’s a temporary profile attributed to the right person or organization until that actual person or organization becomes part of WiserEarth. If you have searched and can’t find the person or organization you want attributed as an author, publisher or contact, just create a party record for the time being.
What are direct costs?
Direct costs are an estimate of the amount of financial resources needed to undertake the solution. Some solutions might be very low cost and very easy to do – such as providing villagers with low-cost, highly efficient foot pumps to pull water from a well. Others might involve substantial resources, such as installing solar panels to generate enough kilowatts to power the infrastructure. The estimate is represented by $ signs, with one "$" representing "$1-$100" in costs, and five $$$$$ representing $100,000+ in costs.
What does direct labor represent?
Direct labor is an estimate of the amount of labor resources it would take to incorporate the solution into a person's or an organization’s efforts. It’s measured in units of time – such as if this solution is something can be done in a one week’s time, versus a solution that might take over a year before it would see completion. The estimate is represented by the number of "hammers", with 1 hammer representing less than 1 week's time, and 5 hammers representing more than 1 year's worth of labor resources needed.
What are access privileges?
Solutions can be restricted so that only certain groups have access to view and edit the content. This may be helpful at times for groups who want to keep a solution under wraps as they edit and refine the content. When creating a solution or editing a solution’s settings, one can choose to open up the solution to the general public, or restrict it to just the groups they wish to share the solution with. If they choose to share it only with private groups, then that solution won’t be viewable unless you are a member of those groups.
What does the only “Only I can edit” box mean?
The original author of a solution can choose to limit editing privileges to just himself/herself. If this box is checked, then other members of the community will only be able to view the content of the solution, but not edit the solution.
What is the difference between the Full and Limited content types?
There are two types of profile views for a solution – the Full and the Limited view. The only difference is that for the Full view, there are extra text fields for a member to input content into. The extra fields are: “When to Use”, “What to Do”, “Tips”, “Equipment and Supplies”, “Assessment”, and “Related Resources”. If you have edit privileges, you can always switch freely between the two views at any time. Any content that has been saved in the text fields will always remain even if you switch the solution view.
If you have further questions, please consult the Solutions Tutorial, go to Help Desk, or leave a comment below.
Comments (1 - 2 of 2)
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Hi! Congratulations on an excellent application! I'm wondering if you're going to make your solutions available somehow, like through an open API, so that organizations can feature solutions of interest to their audiences on their own websites, with their own 'skins.' Would be fabulous!
Cheers, Theresa |
Hi Theresa,
Thanks for asking! Fortunately, WiserEarth have these:
There's still plenty of room for improvements. So if and when you do try them out and found some problems or would like to suggest improvements, please visit the WiserEarth Suggestions group.
Thanks for linking to WiserEarth from Catalytic Communities. Awesome!
Your solutions database is awesome too btw!
Cheers,
Bowo