Pathology Resident Wiki

[zao275]

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The CAP (College of American Pathologists) Residents Forum recently created a Pathology Resident Wiki. It has a list of all the path programs in the country, including a pathology residency directory and pathology fellowship directory. Hopefully it will be a nice resource with detailed info about each program.

http://pathinfo.wikia.com/

 

[TMZ2007]

Too bad my hospital network blocks wikia.com websites!

 

[DrBloodmoney]

Just when you thought CAP's web presence couldn't get any less professional...

 

[GeoLeoX]

those kids use the internets, don't they?

 

[zao275]

Sorry, DrBloodMoney, I should clarify. I actually started the wiki by myself based on many requests from residents in the Residents Forum (for more online study resources and info about fellowships). So although the project was "approved"/promoted by the CAP Residents Forum, CAP didn't actually have anything to do with the design of the site (blame that all on me!). That is why I created it on a 3rd party site like wikia.com (yes, TMZ2007, I initially had issues with it being blocked as well by Websense, but I got that fixed. They were categorizing it as a "gaming" site!), so residents and fellows could post info about their programs without it being officially approved or promoted by CAP. I didn't intend to belittle CAP's web presence; any lameness or unprofessionalism is purely based on my own amateur knowledge of those internets. I mean, the whole thing is a series of tubes, after all. ;-)

But seriously, if any of you have any suggestions for how I can make the site better or less pitiful, I would really be happy to take advice. I am pretty much a novice at the whole wiki thing. Thanks!

 

[GeoLeoX]

Sorry, DrBloodMoney, I should clarify. I actually started the wiki by myself based on many requests from residents in the Residents Forum (for more online study resources and info about fellowships). So although the project was "approved"/promoted by the CAP Residents Forum, CAP didn't actually have anything to do with the design of the site (blame that all on me!). That is why I created it on a 3rd party site like wikia.com (yes, TMZ2007, I initially had issues with it being blocked as well by Websense, but I got that fixed. They were categorizing it as a "gaming" site!), so residents and fellows could post info about their programs without it being officially approved or promoted by CAP. I didn't intend to belittle CAP's web presence; any lameness or unprofessionalism is purely based on my own amateur knowledge of those internets. I mean, the whole thing is a series of tubes, after all. ;-)

But seriously, if any of you have any suggestions for how I can make the site better or less pitiful, I would really be happy to take advice. I am pretty much a novice at the whole wiki thing. Thanks!

I think that if CAP wants to put their name on it they should spring for hosting (and get rid of the ads). The presence of advertising on the wiki is distracting (not to mention the links to the Twilight Wiki or the Glee Wiki). It's fine if it's a resident's work. As a matter of fact more power to you for putting the effort in - thank you. But, if there is going to be CAP's name on it, even if it was resident-inspired and constructed I think they could spare a few Mb of server site and tiny bit of bandwidth to support you. Have you asked them to do so? It's worth a try. If they refuse then what's the point of a CAP resident's forum that doesn't serve its constituency?

 

[zao275]

Thanks for your comments, GeoLeoX. I thought the Glee Wiki was a great bonus for the site!

Seriously, though, I see your points. But CAP didn't really ask for their name on the wiki or anything. I told them I wanted to do this (based on conversations at the Residents Forum) and they said great. I wanted to credit the idea to the Residents Forum since I am one of the residents that helps lead the forum, and they told me that was ok provided I used a disclaimer. So that is the main reason you see their name on it. I actually preferred to use a 3rd party site because it was much quicker to build (I had the wiki up and running in 15 min, and have been adding content for about 2 months now). I am sure they would have worked with me on hosting (they have done this before for the Residents Forum for a different web project), but I felt that it would take much much longer to get a site built and off the ground with no pre-existing wiki infrastructure. Overall, I have found CAP to be incredibly supportive (including financially) of the Residents Forum!

I thought everything was great with wikia.com because I never noticed the ads until a few weeks ago. I use firefox and have adblock plus add-on and I barely see any of the ads. I have heard that google chrome also blocks most of the ads. However, I did access the site from IE one day and was shocked to see such intrusive ads. So perhaps I will work on moving the site eventually to different hosting. Try it out with firefox if you get a chance and see if it is any better. Also, I don't know if you are at OHSU or not, but I realized that I had not made a page for that program. I made one last night: http://pathinfo.wikia.com/wiki/Oregon_Health_and_Science_University_Program. Feel free to update it if any info is missing or if you have any useful comments about that program.

thanks again!

 

[DrBloodmoney]

Sorry I didn't mean to disparage your website. It more of a thinly veiled criticism at CAP's web site which is a godd*mn joke.

 

[zao275]

No worries!

 

[Arctic Char]

funny, i just came across the website today for the first time. looks good, thanks for the service

 

[zao275]

Glad you liked it, Arctic Char. Just out of curiosity, how did you find the wiki?

Also, if you wouldn't mind, it would be great if you could write a brief review of your residency program on the wiki. I am working on getting as many residents and fellows as possible to add "inside information" about their programs. I think it will benefit all applicants that way.

 

[zao275]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all of your comments. I looked into the ad issue and figured out that if you are logged in to wikia.com, there are very few ads on the site. I realize that is not ideal for everyone, but it helps a lot for those who are interested.

Also, I updated the skin for the wiki, so hopefully it looks a little bit less drab now. Please check it out and let me know what you think:

http://pathinfo.wikia.com/

If you have any other comments, questions, or complaints, please let me know. This will help me to make the wiki better for everyone.