[BiO BB] MetaBase 1.0

[Deeþàn Chakravarthÿ]

Announcing the release of MetaBase version 1.0.

http://biodatabase.org


This release documents over 850 databases and nearly 700 data-resources 
with a growing number of 'user-contributed' articles!

MetaBase is a user-contributed 'database database', designed to list and 
categorize all the biological databases and data-resources available on 
the internet!

This first release owes much to the Nucleic Acids Research 'Database 
Summaries' database (2006) and the sister 'Web Server Summaries' 
database (2006). Permission to use the textual content of these two 
databases was kindly provided by Oxford University Press.

MetaBase is a 'user-contributed resource', allowing anyone to freely 
contribute, edit and update entries. Using the same 'MediaWiki' 
technology that runs the popular 'WikiPedia' website, MetaBase has the 
capacity to grow in content and scope and is entirely driven by its 
users. Additionally, many aspects of the database organization can be 
redesigned by users who understand the power of the MediaWiki templating 
system. For more information see;

http://biodatabase.org/index.php/What_is_MetaBase%3F


There are many ways that *you* can contribute to MetaBase! For some 
examples see;

http://biodatabase.org/index.php/Contribute_to_MetaBase


Because MetaBase is a community project, the first 30 'significant' 
contributors will be added to the list of authors in the first MetaBase 
publication. See;

http://biodatabase.org/index.php/MetaBase_publications and 
http://biodatabase.org/index.php/List_of_contributors


The idea behind this is to emphasise the community aspect of the project 
while encouraging people to contribute their expertise to the growing 
system. So if you or someone you know maintains a database, or if you 
are just interested in helping out, please take a look at the project.


The MetaBase people.