Bureaucrats, darkmatter, Administrators
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Wiki quick start: Difference between revisions
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Wikis are very free form, their structure is developed organically in typical [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertext hypertext] (1965) fashion. Thus rather than relying on a determined structure, you can link to pages, create menus, branch off into new sets of topics, etc as required. It is very important to name your pages well. Make sure they are short, but distinctly identify your topic. A typical workflow is to mention something in a page in passing, then as it evolves it becomes its own section, finally it becomes its own page via a link, but if you know a topic is important you should create a new page for it immediately. | Wikis are very free form, their structure is developed organically in typical [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertext hypertext] (1965) fashion. Thus rather than relying on a determined structure, you can link to pages, create menus, branch off into new sets of topics, etc as required. It is very important to name your pages well. Make sure they are short, but distinctly identify your topic. A typical workflow is to mention something in a page in passing, then as it evolves it becomes its own section, finally it becomes its own page via a link, but if you know a topic is important you should create a new page for it immediately. | ||
Before editing pages, it is recommend you create an account using the Log In / Create Account link in the upper right of every page. You should also | Before editing pages, it is recommend you create an account using the Log In / Create Account link in the upper right of every page. You should also authenticate your email (by following the instructions sent to you after creating your account). Your email address and other information is kept private by the software. You can still edit pages without creating an account, but you have to confirm each edit with a simple question (to prevent spam), and you won't be able to keep track of pages you've edited or subscribe to page changes. | ||
== Editing pages == | == Editing pages == | ||
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You can also "sign" text by adding four tildes - <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>, which will add your name and the edit date. This is typically used on discussion or news pages. | You can also "sign" text by adding four tildes - <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>, which will add your name and the edit date. This is typically used on discussion or news pages. | ||
== Keeping track of changes == | |||
The simplest way to view changes is to use the [[Special:RecentChanges | Recent Changes]] link on the left. That page and individual pages also include links for Atom and RSS feeds if you use a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggregator syndication aggregator] (highly recommended for keeping tack of changes across many sites). Recent browsers support easy access to syndication. A third way is to use the 'E-mail me when a page on my watchlist is changed' option on your [[Special:Preference Preferences page]], then click the Watch link on individual pages. | |||
== More information == | == More information == | ||
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The Discussion link should be used to organize information about a page, comment on changes, and so on. The Discussion link can be as important as the main topic page itself. | The Discussion link should be used to organize information about a page, comment on changes, and so on. The Discussion link can be as important as the main topic page itself. | ||
You can also create [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Categories categories] of pages, which can then be viewed in specific tables of contents. | You can also create [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Categories categories] of pages, which can then be viewed in specific tables of contents. Semantic content is also supported, for queries, maps, calendars, etc. | ||
Note you should '''not''' enter private information (while this wiki isn't "published," it is publicly available and will be found by search engines), nor violate copyright. It is also far better to store data in Wiki markup rather than attachments (Word, PDF, etc). | Note you should '''not''' enter private information (while this wiki isn't "published," it is publicly available and will be found by search engines), nor violate copyright. It is also far better to store data in Wiki markup rather than attachments (Word, PDF, etc). | ||