Welcome to Connexions. Now that you have an account, you can enter and publish your own material in the Content Commons. This guide contains tips to help you get the most out of your efforts. If you want more information about a topic or a procedure, just follow the links in this guide to detailed explanations.

Entering your content in modules

In Connexions, instead of writing one big document you write several small, self-contained chunks of information called modules. A module is a short, standalone chunk of information that addresses a single topic or one aspect of a complex topic. The content in your module should be organized so that it can be read as a standalone piece of information. There is no size requirement for a module, but we recommend that it not be very long because it is primarily viewed on-line and you do not want your readers to do a lot of scrolling. To get started, use the quick start guide, "Creating a Module in Minutes" or the module section of the Connexions Tutorial and Reference. To faciliate authoring in familiar environments such as Microsoft Word or Open Office Writer, we provide import tools for those document formats.

Creating a collection/course

Once you have all your content in modules, you can put them together in a collection. A collection is the Connexions Web-based replacement for the traditional course, paper textbook, or collection of papers. It consists of several modules arranged in an order that you specify, with related modules grouped together and labeled under section headings. These modules can be the ones you create or you can use modules created by other Connexions authors. To get started, use the quick start guide, "Creating a Collection with Existing Modules", or the collection course composer section of the Connexions Tutorial and Reference .

Creating a lens

If you would like to create a list of content that interests you, or a list of content relevant to a particular community, you can make a lens out of existing content in the Content Commons. A lens is a selection of content in the Connexions repository to help readers find content that is related to a particular topic or focus. You can add tags and comments that are meaningful to you or your community. To see an example of a lens, choose one from this list . To get started, use the quick start guide, "Creating a Lens".

Work areas

You can work alone on your content, or you can collaborate with other Connexions authors.

• Personal Workspace: Every author has his or her own personal work area called “My Workspace”. Any content you create or edit in this work area is only visible to you, until you publish it.
• Shared Workgroups: To collaborate with other authors, you can create a shared work area called a work group. A work group is similar to My Workspace, except that you can name other authors as members of your work group. All members of a work group have access to its contents. You can create multiple work groups, one for each of your projects. Each work group can have a different set of members. Any content in a work group is only visible to you and the work group members, until it is published.
• Lenses: Any Connexions member can create public and private lenses by selecting content from the Content Commons and adding tags and comments. All public lenses are listed at http://cnx.org/lenses and show up individually while readers are viewing content that is selected by the lens. To get started, use the quick start guide, "Creating a Lens".

XML

Modules are written in a markup language called CNXML, which is our XML language. XML enables your content to be easily accessed from different computer platforms and from different operating systems. It also allows your content to be published either on-line or as hard copy without additional formatting work. You can edit the CNXML using the Connexions editing tools or you can export it and edit it with Altova's Authentic XML editor (prior to version 2007) or your favorite text editor.

Authoring Tips:

Modules should be able to stand alone

Some readers will view your content by going to Connexions, opening your collection/course, and reading each separate module. However, the majority of your readers will find your modules as the result of an Internet search. On-line your modules appear as a single Web page. The reader does not always have the benefit of seeing your module in the context of your collection/course. The following points will help your readers easily access all of your content.

Use links in your references

Write your modules so they can stand alone. Do not refer to material outside of your module with phrases like “as seen in the following section”, “the previous section”, or “later in the course”. Instead, refer to the title or a description of the material and include a link to the material you want the reader to see. This link can be link to another module, a part of a module, or a Web page outside of Connexions.

Add author links in your module

Connexions allows you, the author, to create a list of links to related information. In addition, you can specify the importance of each link with a strength number. The three categories of author links are:

• If the subject of your module is highly theoretical, provide Example links to applications of the concept.
• If your module addresses an advanced topic, provide Prerequisite links to introductory material for the readers.
• If there is other material related to your module topic, but not included in your module, provide Supplemental links to the other material.

Word your titles carefully

The title of your module is the first, and sometimes only, part of your module that your reader sees. In a few words, the title must catch the reader’s interest and inform him or her about the content of your module.

Be descriptive and be concise

Write a title that tells the reader what is in the module. A short title like Introduction, History, or Chapter 1 does not have much meaning to the reader when it appears in a list of Internet search engine results. The title Overview of Fast Fourier Transform Algorithms (FFTs) gives the reader more information than does the brief title Overview.

Avoid numbering

Do not limit your title to a chapter or section number and do not include such numbers in your title. You or another author may reuse the module in a different course where the number would not be appropriate.

Do not rank or order

Do not express an order of appearance in your title, such as Approaches to Playing the Piano: Part 2. Readers who find this module outside of the context of your course will be wondering what are the other methods of playing piano. A better title might be The Lipatti Approach to Playing the Piano.

Connexions Tutorial and Reference

If you would like to see more information and step-by-step instructions for authoring in Connexions, please see the Connexions Tutorial and Reference course.