Features of the BayesComp site
This Wikidot site is a community-edited resource on all aspects of Bayesian computation, available for all to read. Here 'community' means the members of the ISBA Bayesian Computation section ('BayesComp') - we urge all those visiting the site to consider joining the section, and getting full benefits of association with this community, not to mention editing rights on the site.
Currently, the main contents of the site are
- a Directory of links to resources such as papers, presentations (slides and videos) and software
- a Diary of events of likely interest to researchers and users of Bayesian Computation
- a Blog (forum) for informal discussion of BayesComp activities and this website
- pages of Advice about Bayesian computation techniques: what methods may be suitable for your research problem?
- an alphabetical Glossary of terms commonly used in Bayesian computation
The Search box can be used creatively to scan the whole site, for example to search for words in the titles of any of the papers in the Directory (search on whole words, or use * as a wild card e.g. sampl*).
But, this is a community-edited resource! New features will be added in response to demand.
To avoid pointless duplication, we rely on links to resoures on other sites, notably to the ISBA website, to the Google+ community on Bayesian Computation, and to numerous pages on Wikipedia. This Wikidot site is the glue that holds these resources together.
Credentials needed to contribute to the site
To edit content on this site, you need
- to open a Wikidot account
- to become a member of the BayesComp wiki
- to sign in (to Wikidot, you do not have to sign in to BayesComp specifically)
Only ISBA BayesComp section members can be invited to join the BayesComp wiki, and being invited is the only way to join. If you are an ISBA BayesComp section member and would like an invitation to join the BayesComp wiki, please contact Peter Green at
Your email invitation to join will include information on how to open a (free) Wikidot account. When you open that account, you are strongly encouraged to use your Real Name as your Wikidot ID; we hope that all contributions to the BayesComp wiki have no need for anonymity.
Some aspects of Wikidot that we have used
Most of the pages illustrate the simplified syntax used in creating content, and breadcrumbs formed by assigning 'parent' pages, hierarchically (see Glossary for example). Directory illustrates data forms, including complete tabulation of past entries, and selective tabulations generate Presentations, Papers and preprints and Software. Diary is driven by a similar but different data form. Blog illustrates the (multi-author, interactive) blogging capability. Advice sketches a suggestion of how top-level indexing of advice pages might work. One of the child pages, Model averaging illustrates Tex-like math type-setting.
How to contribute to the site
- To submit a new entry to the Directory (a link to a new paper, presentation, video or software), use the form on the Directory page, starting by entering the title, pressing the button and then following the instructions. If you want subsequently to edit an item entered, click on the 'Title' and the form will be re-opened. Items may be annotated as desired in the 'Notes' field, but this annotation is not displayed in the tabulation.
- To submit a new entry to the Diary (a link to a new event), use the form on the Diary page. If you want subsequently to edit an item entered, click on the 'Name of event' and the form will be re-opened. Again, items may be annotated as desired in the 'Notes' field, but this annotation is not displayed in the tabulation.
- To create new content in the Advice section, follow these steps:
- First consider whether it would make more sense to edit an existing page on Wikipedia, or create a new page there, and link to it from the Wiki site. If not:
- When viewing Advice or some page that is a child of it, click Edit, type in the link using the syntax (e.g.): [[[My new page]]] at a suitable place, and click Save
- On the edited Advice page you can now see, click on the new link - this opens a dialog inviting you to create the page and add some content
- Type content in the box, referring to the Help page of Wiki syntax as necessary (it's sensible to open that page in a different tab or window), and clicking on Preview periodically to examine the effect.
- When satisfied, click 'Save' (this is important!), and admire the result (or re-edit).
- You can create new entries in the Glossary; please respect the current organisation. On any new page, click on +Options and then Parent to establish the 'breadcrumbs' to assist in back-navigation.
- You can add a new post or a comment to an existing post in the Blog. In particular please use this to comment on your experience with the site. The key question is: is this software satisfactory to support a community(=BayesComp section members)-written website? Is enough online help available? Does more need to be automated (as in 1 and 2 as distinct from 3 and 4)?
At all times, you can refer to a quick summary of Wikidot syntax by going to Help | Wiki syntax in the top menu or just via Help (it's a good idea to have this page always open in another tab) - this page leads on to fuller Wikidot documentation.
Disclaimer
The officers and members of ISBA and its sections cannot be held responsible for any negative consequences of following advice found in these pages, or in pages on other sites to which we provide links.
Etiquette
Please respect other users in your use of this resource. The BayesComp section officers reserve the right to exclude any user from editing this site if it is considered that behaviour has been unreasonable. Please use your real name to sign your contributions. The BayesComp section officers have additional editing rights over the web pages, but will use them sparingly. For example, they may sometimes reorganise material for consistency, but they will not normally delete material without very good reason.
Peter Green.
