How to Start an Article
Contents
How To .....
Short Description
- Problem:
- Idea:
- Difficulty:
- Price Range:
- Material Needeed:
- Geographic Area:
- Competencies:
- How Many people?
- How Long does it take?
Description
Write here the description of the technology and the steps to achieve the goal. It should be recipe like. If there are several possibilities to do the same thing, think about dividing the article: Maybe there are even so many different possibilities that this technology needs a special section. Try to be as clear as possible, use relatively simple terms or give the definition of complicated words: Not everybody who reads (or writes) english is a native speaker!
Difficulties
Don't forget pointing out difficulties, even potential dangers if they exist.
- Are there some parts that can't be replaced? Are there some difficult manovers? Does the technology ask for a cultural change?
- Some difficulties might appear with the new good or the new commun good, try to adress such themes as managment of the new good, repairs, acceptance and reaction of the community.
- If you think an information needs a special attention and should be diffused only under certain circumstances, consider:
- Not diffusing it at all,
- Warn us about the potential danger of one article at warn@howtopedia.org,
- Ask to have an article protected at protect@howtopedia.org.
Success Story
Are important because they illustrate how a technology or a know-how have been adopted by some people and how they changed their lifes. The story should be real and also show the difficulties that had to be overwhelmed. You are not selling a product, you are trying to give someone tools so he can decide if a technology is an appropriate solution to his problem or not.
Plans and Illustrations
Try to have the clearest illustrations possible, imagine them being photocopied 5 times and what's left of them. The best would be black and white line drawings. Have letters on the illustrations to make legends in several langages possible. Try to have precise plans, but keep in mind one should be able to adapt the design to it's possibilities. We will try to raise a community of illustrators to help by the illustrations.
