Introduction to the citizens' alliances directory

Log on

Address: https://bases.alliance21.org/alliance/n/e/

If you get an error message, your navigator may be wrongly configured. You need to declare the languages it uses. In Netscape (Edit, Preferences, Navigator, Languages) check that French is declared in position no. 1; if not use the Add option and then position French in position no. 1 with the arrows. When you arrive at the directory address for the first time, you will see a message telling you that communicating with the site requires an individual security certificate. Display the certificate and save it in your navigator. Accept the certificate definitively.

To access the database, you need a user name and password which you will receive from the database general administrator. Enter your user name and initial password. If you wish to change the password you can do so using the Paramètres personnels menu.

Log off

For security reasons, you must always quit the application by using the Déconnexion link. If your computer is likely to be used by someone else, close the navigator completely.

Access levels

The application has four access levels:

• a [public level] displayed on the web, with last name, first name, organization, country and profession;
• an ally level which only allows access to people who are allies (see below) and does not allow access to the fields via, parrain, signataire, participation, organisme, remarques animateur or to the details of allies who wish to be unlisted (liste rouge);
• administrators can access all the fields;
• supervisors can also create or delete administrators, and carry out certain maintenance operations.

Cleaning up and managing the database

The database was manually cleaned up between 2004 and 2005. This does not mean that the ally details were updated, but that the field entries are correct according to the latest available data. It is up to all of you to update the fields according to the information you can gather to ensure that the database is reliable.

If each of us uses our incursions and explorations in the database to make a few corrections each time, we will all have a cleaner and more functional database.

Facilitators can enter data into the database freely. This means that, as for all cases where a tool is used collectively, it is important to respect the general rules. People authorized to enter data must be aware of the importance of this so that the 6,000+, and possibly soon 10,000, allies accessing the database have the use of a reliable tool. This tool must therefore be managed with an approach based on responsibility and solidarity.

General remarks on the directory reports

The obligatory fields are: nom, continent, pays and langue1 (must be filled in). There is no input rule for lowercase and uppercase letters: all the fields display the data as you have entered it, except for nom, sigle and localité where the result is always displayed in uppercase.

In the text fields, start a new line when you reach the end of the entry box so that the text is displayed correctly in the box. This has no effect on the formatting of the fields when retrieving search queries.

The scroll-down lists provide a number of options: DocumentationApplicationsAlliance21/ListesDeroulantesChoixMultiples

You can move from field to field by using the Tab key to Alt + Tab in the opposite direction.

Adding a new document to the citizens' alliances database

Before connecting to the database, it is a good idea to prepare the information you are going to be entering in advance and avoid spending longer than necessary online. You will need:

• the document's title;
• a short description of the document;
• a summary of the document;
• the date the document was written;
• the document’s author;
• the number of pages;
• the document in pdf, html or rtf format.

Prepare the descriptions and summaries in, for example, a spreadsheet or word processor table, then you can simply copy and paste them into the database. This is particularly useful if you have several documents to add.

Logging on

1. Go to https://bases.alliance21.org/
2. Enter your use name and password and click on Se connecter.
3. On the opening page, select Documents/fiches from the blue column on the left-hand side of the screen.
4. On the Documents / Fiches management page, go to the Modifications dans la Base section and select Ajouter un nouveau document.

Entering data

You are now in the section where you enter all the data for your document. NB: there are 3 interfaces (French, English and Spanish), and you must enter the documents’ title, description and summary in the 3 languages; however, if you can only use one or two of the languages, enter the data in your language three times in all three boxes and tell [Philippa Smith] or [Germa Pelayo] what languages are missing so they can put in the translations afterwards (e.g. you only have an English title, description and summary: enter them 3 times, in the French, English and Spanish boxes). This is important since all the boxes MUST be filled in. Click on the name of the language to display the corresponding field (TOUT = display all fields, RIEN = display no fields)

Data to be entered:

• titre (title) of document in French, English and Spanish (separate boxes for each language);
• document description (fairly brief) in the 3 languages;
• résumé (summary) of the document in the 3 languages;
• date the document was written (format = dd/mm/yy; hover over the ? to check format);
• public: select oui;
• type of document, selected from the following options:
  • cahier de proposition: option not to be selected for now. It refers to specific documents containing a list of proposals on a theme, professional group or region, most of which were drawn up during the 2001 World Citizens Assembly;
  • document du chantier = document linked to workgroup activities: a workgroup launch document, a summary document, a document reporting a workgroup meeting;
  • contribution participant = a document sent in by a workgroup participant that illustrates the workgroup’s theme;
  • publication = an article published in a journal or on the internet;
  • autre document = a document you cannot classify anywhere else;
• Groupe de travail propriétaire: select your workgroup from the scroll-down list;
• Mots clefs thématiques: you can select up to 5 key words relating to the document in the scroll-down list (remember that they will be useful to people searching the database for documents that cover topics they are interested in); to select more than one key word, hold down the Ctrl key and right-click at the same time. Your selection will be displayed in the new list on the right. You can always correct the list: select the words to be changed in the right-hand list and delete them by clicking on the bottom arrow; [Using scroll-down lists]
• Mots clés géographiques, collèges and groupes géoculturels: if your workgroup is a socio-professional network (= collège) or a geocultural group, select it from the relevant scroll-down list;
• Pôles thématiques: select the community that corresponds to your workgroup in the scroll-down list;
• Chantiers thématiques: select the workgroup the document belongs to in the scroll-down list along with any related workgroups;
• click on Enregistrer/Mettre? à jour: this registers the data you have entered so far and takes you to the next section.

Adding your document to a list

In the Modification des propriétés d’un document section, go to Modifier l'appartenance aux listes (lists): you MUST add your document to a list SO THAT IT WILL APPEAR ON THE WEBSITE; click on Tout ouvrir to display the various lists and their sub-lists; go to your workgroup list (e.g. Régulations et institutions internationales) and check the boxes that correspond to your document: you must ALWAYS check racine, as well as the sub-list you feel your document should be classified under (e.g. Documents généraux). You then go to the bottom of the screen and click on Mettre à jour. If there are no sub-lists that correspond to your document, you may create a new one – this is a separate process, see [Creating a new document sub-list in the citizens' alliances database]. You may add the document to more than one list if necessary, e.g. your workgroup’s list plus the Section documents: FSM 2005 list for a document that relates both to your workgroup and the last World Social Forum. (If you have a document that you want to add to the database but not display on the website, simply check the racine sub-list and no other sub-list.)

Adding files

Go to Ajouter un fichier (uploading files): there is a box with five rows where you can select and upload your document files from your hard disk:

• click on Parcourir (browse) and a box showing file locations will be displayed; select your file from the appropriate location and click on Ouvrir;
• click on the next box along to display the list of languages; select your document’s language by clicking;
• in the next box along enter the number of pages in your document;
• if you have more than one file, repeat the procedure above then click on Soumettre les fichiers to upload the files (there is a short delay at this point as the files are uploaded - the wait depends on various factors, such as file size, connection speed and time of day; if you have a problem uploading the files, please let your administrator know) NB: files MUST be in rtf, pdf or html format only (html for small documents, no more than 2/3 pages);
• check that your file is correctly displayed in the box that appears below the file uploading box;
• if you have more than 5 files, just fill in the five rows, upload, then start all over again with the fresh box that will appear;
• if you make a mistake with your uploading, you can simply delete the incorrect files in the box that is displayed after the uploading process; click on the box in the Sélectionner column for the file you want to delete and then click Supprimer les fichiers sélectionnés.

Modifying the owner

Go to the Changer de propriétaire section (modify document owner): this box will automatically show the workgroup you selected on the previous screen as the document’s owner; to change, click on the Chantier box under the Futur propriétaire heading to display the list of owners then click on Chantier. Next click on the box displaying all the different workgroups to select your workgroup, and then on Soumettre les modifications;

NB: if you select a workgroup that you do not administrate as the new owner, you will not be able to make any changes to the document. The operation is irreversible.

Modifying authors

Go to the Modifier les auteurs de ce document section (author details): enter details of the author in the appropriate boxes (last name, first name, organization where applicable) including at least an email address in the Contact box; the Source box should be used to enter the publication source for published documents. Click Soumettre les modifications.

Notes:

• when you have two or more authors, a fresh field will show up after clicking Soumettre les modifications; simply fill in the new fields to include the second author (or third, fourth, etc.);
• in the case of more than one author and one source that applies to all of them, only enter the source details once so that it will not cause duplication on the website;
• the Source field does not show up on the website; if you need the source to be displayed, you must include it in the Description field.

DONE! You can now go to the workgroup’s website and you will see the document you just added displayed in the Documents section in the category you have put it in. Magic!!! (If the website was already open, you need to reload the page to see your new document.)