¶ What is?
Urantiapedia is a web for publishing, sharing and collaborating in any content related to The Urantia Book.
¶ Our mission
The key mission we have set for Urantiapedia is:
- Help in dissemination of The Urantia Book revelations throughout the world.
- Allow for a better understanding of the teachings of The Urantia Book.
- Offer the usefulness of linking most of the current knowledge available about the Urantia revelation.
¶ How it works?
It is based in Wiki.js, a powerful and extensible open source Wiki software that is build on top of modern technologies like Node.js and Vue.js. Wiki.js can be used freely by any org to create any type of Wiki.
A Wiki is a webpage maintained and edited collaboratively by a user community. Any registered user, after some validations, can add, modify or delete content, and all changes are saved in a permament historical, so nothing is lost in an accidental removal. Information is stored in a database so it can do the classic actions as massive additions/removals, backups or searches.
To facilitate addition of content, a program called Urantiapedia Tools is under development. This program automates format conversion tasks and helps with content review tasks.
Both Urantiapedia Tools and Wiki.js will receive new functionality as Urantiapedia extends its content types. The developments and the content files are available from the web Urantiapedia at GitHub. This website is public and anyone can make contributions following the GitHub methodology or just sending content through email.
¶ How is it organized?
As in any Wiki the content are pages, each one with a unique URL and a title. These are main contents expected:
- The Urantia Book Newsletter Archive - features articles written by readers in both association and individual publications. Each article is posted on one page. Read more.
- The Urantia Library - features books such as The Urantia Book, the Bible, books on all the major world religions, and other texts related to the Urantia revelations. It will include books by readers who wish to publish their works openly. Each chapter in each book is a page in the Urantiapedia. Read more.
- The Urantia Book Encyclopedia - is an encyclopedia of every topic of interest or proper name mentioned in The Urantia Book. Each topic is stored on one page. It is sometimes referred to on this site as the Topic Index, but it is much more than an index. Read more.
- The Urantia Book Map Library: will contain interactive maps, in 2D or 3D, showing locations or journeys described in the Urantia revelations; also non-interactive maps as downloadable files. Each map will be one page. Maps may be static or contain animations to create animated routes. Read more.
- The Urantia Book Media Library: will be a repository of various audiovisual materials, including things like the following:
- Images, either drawings or photographs of concepts that illustrate The Urantia Book.
- Diagrams or schematics, which will be attempted to be made interactive if they are too large, so that they can be viewed on small devices.
- Slideshows.
- 3D models, each on one page, which may be static or interactive as in the maps.
- Audio versions of The Urantia Book.
- Collections of videos embedded on the site, or if not possible, links to videos, with courses or explanations about The Urantia Book.
For more information on the content check here: Content
¶ Milestones of the project
For each language to be included in the Urantipedia, all tasks will be carried out in specific milestones:
- Milestone I - The Urantia Book and the Bible.
- Milestone II - The Newspaper Library (articles, study aids), the Urantia Library (books), and the Urantia Book Encyclopedia.
- Milestone III - Translator. This is not content but an application in Urantiapedia Tools to allow rapid translations into each language.
- Milestone IV - Extensions and corrections to the content of Milestone I and II, and the addition of the Map Library (maps) and the Media Library (diagrams, presentations, audio, video, 3D models).
To find out about the Milestone of the project, check Project Milestones.
¶ Current status
Currently Urantiapedia stands as follows:
- Milestone I is complete in 25 languages. The Urantia Book, the Bible, and the Paramony (or links between the two) are added in all of these languages.
- Milestones II and III are complete in three languages: English, Spanish, and French. The Newspaper Library, the Urantia Library, and the Encyclopedia have sufficient content to consider these milestones achieved.
- Only small proofs of concept have been completed in Milestone IV. This is the phase we are currently in.
To know more about the current progress of the project check here: Status.
¶ How to collaborate
Urantiapedia is not a website with registration open to anyone. We don’t operate the way Wikipedia operates. The reason is that there was already a version of Urantiapedia in the past that allowed open registration and that caused serious spam problems. Without a good security system and a good team of collaborators that prevent these intrusions, the problems of an open registry system are difficult to avoid. For this reason, if someone wants to collaborate at the administration or editing level, they must request to be registered. However, it is not necessary to register on Urantiapedia to collaborate if the type of collaboration desired is only the making of reviews.
Therefore, if you want to collaborate on this project, the best means of contact are:
- By email. By sending an email to urantiapedia@gmail.com. If you wish to be registered on Urantiapedia as an Administrator, Editor-in-Chief, Author or Developer, please send an email with your request. If you wish to contribute as an Assistant Editor or Reviewer, simply send your suggestions or corrections to the same email. We recommend that suggestions or corrections be sent as part of the body of the email message and not in a Word, PDF or similar file.
- Via GitHub. As detailed in this documentation, the entire project is open and public on GitHub. Anyone can register on GitHub, create a fork of the project, add the changes they want, and then create a pull request, a typical GitHub change request. The changes submitted will then be evaluated by the Administrators of Urantiapedia, and may be accepted or rejected as deemed necessary. See the rest of the help to learn more about this collaboration mode.
- Through the website Blue Fields, when this website is finished and operational. This website is a project unrelated to Urantiapedia that has been created to unite and organize readers of The Urantia Book who wish to participate in intelligent, purposeful and altruistic projects around the world. Once registered on that website, the project team will contact you.
The different roles of the Urantiapedia collaborators are:
- Administrators: In charge of maintaining the web server, pages, bulk data uploads, and are the only ones allowed to edit The Urantia Book, The Bible, and other specific content. You must send an email to urantiapedia@gmail.com to be admitted as an Administrator after passing the appropriate checks. These users will eventually have one account on GitHub and another on Urantiapedia. Read more here: Manual for Administrators.
- Chief Editors: In charge of contributions through this website and the GitHub project by adding changes and translations. You must send an email to urantiapedia@gmail.com to be admitted as Chief Editor after passing the appropriate checks. These users will eventually have one account on GitHub and another on Urantiapedia. Please refer to: Manual for Editors-in-Chief
- Authors: These are Editors-in-Chief who, apart from being able to edit what any Editor-in-Chief can, are also the only editors with permission to edit certain content of which they are the authors. It is necessary to send an email to urantiapedia@gmail.com to be admitted as an Author after passing the appropriate verifications. These users will eventually have an account on GitHub and another on Urantiapedia.
- Assistant Editors: They can only use GitHub to send requests for changes. They do not have an account on this website so they do not need to request anything or pass any verification. These users will eventually have an account on GitHub. Please refer to: Manual for Assistant Editors
- Reviewers: Their task is to ensure that the content on the website is correct, detecting typographical, translation, or composition errors that may have appeared when uploading content.
- Developers: They have an account on this website and on GitHub, and are in charge of developing the functionality of the Urantiapedia Tools and Wiki.js. It is necessary to send an email to urantiapedia@gmail.com to be admitted as a Developer after passing the appropriate verifications. These users will eventually have an account on GitHub and another on Urantiapedia. See: Developer’s Manual.
- Ambassadors: They do not need to have an account on this website or on GitHub. Their purpose is to spread the word about the Urantiapedia project and make it known to associations and the general public.
- Video creators: They are in charge of creating material for the Urantiapedia YouTube channel. It is necessary to send an email to urantiapedia@gmail.com to be admitted as a Video Creator after passing the appropriate verifications. Access to the Urantiapedia YouTube account will be provided. This channel uploads explanatory videos about the Urantiapedia project, how to collaborate, and what are the best ways to get the most out of the website.
To find out more about the profiles we are looking to collaborate with, check Collaborator profiles.
¶ External links
- Urantiapedia Tools - GitHub project
- Urantiapedia-backup - GitHub project
- Urantia Foundation
- Blue Fields
- Wiki.js