---
title: Intro to Dribdat
tags: dribdat
---

# What is this website?

EvalHack.org is a website powered by [Dribdat](https://dribdat.cc), where we collect and showcase all projects from the hackathon in one place, explain the essential conditions, track time and other progress indicators. This platform helps hackathon teams to sustain and to document their efforts, streamlining things for the organising team. For more background, see the [About page](https://evalhack.org/about/).

# Why does EvalHack use Dribdat?

The IPDET Evaluation Hackathon provides a playground for creative individuals from around the world, and unlike hackathons focused on technical development, our event focuses on possible solutions which might help to empower the field of evaluation. Dribdat is used in hackathon series that involve a diverse user base, in particular those of the Swiss NGO [Opendata.ch](https://opendata.ch/events/) - and, in fact, the platform emerged from this community. We looked at several options and decided that this was the easiest way for us to run a virtual hackathon. IPDET is supported directly by one of the authors, [@loleg](https://github.com/loleg), and we are happy to be able to contribute to the future development of this project.

# How do I use this?

Once you've signed up for a challenge, joined your group's private channel on Slack, and started brainstorming daring and innovative solutions, you can use Dribdat to post updates about your team's progress, and embed your collaboration efforts in a direct and transparent way. Having a readable, regularly updated overview of what your team is working on is your secret weapon in this hackathon. Remember to emphasize the importance and increase the power of evaluation! Here is a quick tutorial:

### 1. Sign in with your Slack account

Click [Login](https://evalhack.org/login) at the top of the page and look for a button that looks like this:


If you don't have a Slack account already, look for an e-mail from IPDET with an invitation link, which was sent to the address you provided at registration. Click the "Contact us" link at the bottom of this page if you can't find that e-mail, and let us know your situation once you've joined Slack as a Guest.

### 2. Join your team's project

Every team is provided with a private channel on Slack, and a public project page at EvalHack.org. These are categorized according to the challenge they address, which are the numbers in the blue boxes at the top of the event page, which is a kind of map of the hackathon. The button at the far right (☰) switches to a list mode, which can also help you to find your team.


Once you have found your group, open the project page, and tap on the blue **Join** button at the top, which looks like this:


You should then see your name along with any other team members listed underneath.

### 3. Post an update

Once you join a project in step (2), buttons appear at the top of the page allowing you to *Post* and *Edit* updates about your hackathon experience. You can also Leave (★) the project if you joined one by accident.


By clicking the **Post** button, you can give a quick status report of your progress. A dialog box asks you to self-evaluate your team's **Progress**, as well as enter a few words or sentences to describe at which stage you are at in the process.

### 4. Share your results

If you need to make changes to your posts, click the **Edit** button. You will also see other fields there allowing you to set up how your project is presented. The most important field is the **Project link**. Here - or in text form, in the **Description** - we will expect you to post your final results, such as a video or slide presentation, summarizing your outputs.

You can already use the Project link to embed collaboration tools for your team members. The FAQ you are reading now is embedded in this way on the [How to](https://evalhack.org/project/4) project page. For example, if you are using Draw.io, which is part of the recommended Google suite in our [Toolbox](https://ipdet.org/online-program-2020/ipdet-evaluation-hackathon/teams-and-tools/toolbox/), you can **Share** your mind-map link publicly, and add it to the page using the Project link to have it update automatically as you work on it - like in this screenshot:


Shared text documents, a folder full of sketches, datasets, and any other online materials can be showcased in this manner. Put whatever is currently the most actively developed prototype at the top, and list links to any other relevant materials in your description or project updates.

### 5. Evaluate

At the bottom of the project page you will find a tool called **Disqus**, with which visitors to your project can leave a quick public commentary or just an Emoji in response to what they see. Browse other projects in your Category or anything else in development at EvalHack.org using navigation at the top, and leave your own suggestions and constructive commentary to motivate your fellow participants!


# But..I'm a _complete_ beginner!

You have never participated in such a team work, you are not quite sure what you can contribute and you do not know anyone yet? Then you are in the right place! We will give you a hand to get started and answer any questions on Slack, and a few people have already posted issues in the `#0_technical_support` channel. Remember: _there's no such thing as a stupid question._


# What about Intellectual Property?

The teams are free to decide for themselves which license conditions apply to their work. However, open access allows for the best evaluation, so we are stipulating a **Creative Commons license by default** which will apply to any project documentation which is not explicitly adherent to a different license or conditions. See the bottom of your project page for details.

# I want to use this elsewhere

Please contact the Dribdat project through the [homepage](https://dribdat.cc/), where you can also download a free copy of the software, or ask the IPDET organising team for leads. We will be happy to get you any help you need to get started.