In This Exercise, You Will Create a Wiki Account

Wiki

A web page with editing rights is called a wiki page. Wiki pages are often linked to create Wiki websites. Wikis do not require any extra add-ons. They are coded in a simple markup language thus easily viewed in Web browser windows. Wikis have become popular because they are easy to create, employ simple search strategies, and make real-time changes. Its simplicity has enabled even people with nontechnical skills to post and update content.

Wikis usually build long term relationships with visitors. It is a medium used to actively discuss and collaborate with others. Visitors read the content on a Wiki website and update it by adding their own knowledge and expertise. Websites set on private view require their visitors to log in to Wiki websites to read or edit the content of a website. Wiki websites track the changes made to the content. These changes can be edited by the author if needed.

This case study requires that you make your Wiki website public (i.e. anyone in the world can view your site on the web without signing into his or her Google account). In addition, you grant your visitors (instructors) editing rights toyour site.

Objective

In this exercise, you will create a Wiki account.

Open Internet Explorer and type in the URL address bar
Press the enter key

Opens the Google Site’s login account page.

Click in the Email field and type your Gmail email ID, for example milller.jeff
Click in the Password field and type your Gmail password, for example acct#$%

Make sure that the checkbox is not selected for Stay signed in option.
Click on the Sign in button.

By entering correct Google account information, you will able to get into Google Site’s home page.

Click Noif AutoComplete window pops up.

The AutoComplete window offers to remember your account password so you do not have to type it again the next time you visit the Google Sites log in page.

Click on the Create button.

This takes you to the first step in creating your Google site account. /

Click on the Blank templateas a template for your Google sites
Click in the Name of your Site field and type a site name of your choice i.e., Jeff Miller.

The site name is used in created a URL for your Google Site. The site name is appended to the URL such as Site URLs only accept English letters, regardless of case, and numbers from 0 to 9. /

Scroll down and click in the Please type the code shown field, and type the characters from the given picture.

This is one way Google prevents automated accounts created by programs. This ensures that a human is reading fuzzy letters and typing them in for the account.

Click on Create button.

This is the last step in creating your Google Site account. / C Users generic AppData Local Temp SNAGHTML2d0eae9 PNG

Note: Upon clicking the Create site button, if the message The location you have chosen is not available appears, it means that your site name (or URL) has been taken by some other user. Type in another name, type the fuzzy code, and then click on the Create site button. Continue these steps till your name is accepted. /

Create new page

The Create new page feature allows you to create wiki pages for your Google Site. You get to select a name for the page, the kind of page, and a location for the page. Google Site allows you to select the type of site; for example, if the purpose of your website is for posting content then you will select the web page option (a default option). Dashboards, announcements, file cabinets, and lists are a few other options available for your specific needs.

Objective

In this activity, you will create your web page.

You are at the first step in creating new page for your web site.

Click on the“New page (c)” button on the top right corner of the wiki page.

C Users generic AppData Local Temp SNAGHTML2d4d0d4 PNG

Click in the name field and type the title of your research topic.

Page name becomes the title of the web page. By default, the page will be created under your home folder: /site/SiteAccount/, for example, /site/milllerjeff. You can click on Change link if you want to create another folder under the default folder.

Make sure the default option Web Page is selected for the type of web site you want to create.

The Web Page option will create a blank web page for you to edit, and add text and other content.

Make sure the Put page at the top level option is selected.

This option ensures that your web page is saved in a top level folder which is the default folder.

Click on the Create button.

This is the last step in creating your web page.

Editing a web page

The edit page feature allows you to edit Google sites web pages. The heading is in the first part of the layout. You will add content in the second part of the layout. You are allowedto edit both in HTML design view as well as in WYSIWYG interface like that of Google blogs. This view also allows you to attach documents or add comments.

Insert – gives different options of adding an image, link, or horizontal line in your web page. You can also add calendar, document, Picasa Web slideshow, presentation, spreadsheet, spreadsheet form, video, or gadgets from this option.

Format – provides basic word processing formatting options, such as different types of headings (h2 – bold and big to normal paragraph text with no emphasis), strikethrough, superscript, subscript, and align – left, center, or right.

Table – allows you to insert or delete a table, and insert or delete rows and columns in the web page.

Layout – lets you create your web page in one-column format or two-column format. One-column format is preferred when you want to put all content in one place. However, two-column format is desired when you need to present images or videos,beside the text of the page.

Objective

In this activity, you will add the content on your web page.

Click in the editing textbox under the heading of your web page, and type in your research on the IT topic.

This adds the text prepared on an IT related topic on the web page.

Select a heading of your document and click on Format on the toolbar and select Sub-heading (H3).

This will change all headings to H3 in your text.

Click on the Save button.

This saves the changes made on the web page. /

More actions

The More actions drop-down menu lists administrative actions. From this list, you can subscribe or unsubscribe from web page and web site changes, print a web page, move a web page to a different folder, delete a page, preview it as a viewer, and view the hierarchical or list view of the organization of your web site. From page setting under more actions, you can set it up so it does not show page titles and links to sub-pages. You can also disable the uploading of attachments and the adding of comments.

Objective

In this activity, you will preview your web page as a viewer.

Click on More button and select Preview page as viewer.

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Opens the page in a new window or in a new tab.

Close the preview window.

Site settings

The Site settings drop down menu includes settings for sharing your web page, customizing the layout of your page, adding colors and fonts, and changing the template theme.

Objective

In this activity, you will share your web site with your lab instructor and any other friends or relatives whom you want to invite to your site. You can also change the appearance of your web site.

Click on the More actions drop-down menu and select Sharing and Permissions.

Alternatively,select Edit sidebar linkfrom the left navigation bar and then click on Sharing and Permissions. /
This opens the Sharing and Permissions page.

On the Sharing and Permissions page, you can invite people and control the level of access on people you invite. There are three levels of access control: Can View, Can Edit, Is Owner:
- Anyone you set to Can view(can look) at the site.
- Anyone you set to Can edit(can change) the look and content of the site, such as creating, editing, deleting/moving pages.
- Anyone you set to Is owner(can administer) the look and feel of the site, as well as delete the site or add new owners to the site.
Therefore, you should only give Is Owner invitation to people who you trust because you cannot retrieve the content if deletedby them on the site.
You can also make your Google site public so that anyone in the world can view your site on the web without signing into his or her Google account.

Click in the Add people textbox and enter the email address your instructor has instructed you to use.
Click on the Can edit drop-down button, and then select Can edit.

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By default, Google makes your site public. Note that in the“Who has access” box, it says Public on the web – Anyone on the Internet can find and view.
You can change your site from public to private or shared with the link:

Click on the Change link in the “Who has access”box.

Read the Visibility options.
Select the Cancel buttonto return to the previous page.

For the Google Wiki case study, you’re required to create a public wiki site. /

Click on the “Add message” link next to the “Notify people via email” checkbox.

This opens a message textbox.
NOTE: the “Notify people via email” checkbox is selected by default. Select the checkbox if it is not selected.

Type in a message such as, Please join my Google Site.
Select the Send a copy to myself checkbox.
Click on the Share& savebutton.

This sends the message and the URL of your site to the email address you specified in the Add people textbox. /
Notice that after you clicked the Share button, the name of the personyou just invited (i.e. your instructor’s name) shows up below your name, along with the access control set to “Can edit”. You can remove the person by clicking on the X icon.

On the left navigation bar, click on the Colors and Fonts link.
Select the Page background color.
Select the Custom option.
Select any color of your choice except black (default) from the listed colors.

You get to see the changes immediately on the bottom of the screen in the preview window.
NOTE:To access Site appearance on Google Wiki page, click on the Edit sidebar link on the left navigation bar or select Manage siteunder the More actions drop-down menu.

Click on the Save changes button.
Click on the Sign out link to log out of your Google account.