Help:Posting Guidelines

From AeonRO

Alright, so you've familiarized yourself with what a wiki is, what this wiki is all about, and have decided that it's something you'd like to contribute to. That's great! But, as with all things, there are some guidelines that one should understand and follow in order to keep things well-organized and informative for all.

Adding New Pages

Adding new pages is very simple. You can enter the name of the page you want to write in the Search bar to the left and click the "Go" button, or directly enter the URL to the page in your browser's address bar. Either way you choose, if the page doesn't exist, the software will tell you as much and offer you the chance to create and/or add text to the page. If you decide you want to add a new page, please be sure to search for the overall topic of your page on the whole website, to make sure your topic wouldn't be better suited for inclusion in an existing page.

Before editing your first page, please do be sure to review the help topics about editing pages. A listing of them can be found here: Help:Contents.

The following list is a quick reference of things you should do when deciding to create a new page:

1. Search for your topic to make sure a page doesn't already exist for it and to make sure it wouldn't be better to include it on an existing page
2. If after searching you still think you should create a page, use either of the methods mentioned above to navigate to the page you wish to create (more information about that can be found in Help:Starting a new page). Keep in mind that the main heading, or title, of your page will match what you entered to get there to create it, so choose appropriately.
3. The software will present you with the option to create the page. When you begin editing a new page, take note that the software will automatically title your page, so there's no need to add a top level heading to your page.
4. When you are editing your page, remember that spell check is your friend. Firefox has a built in spelling checker, but if you use a different browser, just try to keep your spelling as accurate as you can. Also, attempt to utilize proper grammar.
5. When you've finished editing your page, be sure to add a [[Category:Your Category]] tag to the end of it. Replace "Your Category" with whatever category you think your topic will fit into. You can tag your page with more than one category. If you forget to add a category, your article may be tagged with a boilerplate that informs you and other users that there are no categories on the page and that one or more should be added.
6. If you are unable to finish your page before having to submit the text, there is a template available that you can include either at the top of your article or at the top of whichever section is incomplete that will inform readers that it is a work in progress. To include this template, you only need to include the following in the proper position: {{WIP}}

After you've submitted the text for your page, other users will be able to visit your page. Keep in mind that other users will also be able to edit your pages, and vice versa. If there is content on your page that may be found offensive or is otherwise unallowed, there is the chance that the content -- or maybe even the whole page -- will be deleted, so keep that in mind.

Editing Existing Pages

Editing existing articles is even easier than adding a new page, as you just have to find the already existing page, navigate to it, and click the "Edit" tab at the top. If you only need to edit a single section (sections are denoted by second level headings, like the one above this text or the one above the New Page information above) you can click the "edit" link that's displayed at the end of a section heading.

When editing an article that has already been written, you should be sure that the information you are adding is relevant to the article's topic, and that you are adding it to the correct section of the article. If it fits in the article but not in any current section, add a new section by adding a second level heading at the end of the article (but before the category tags and bibliography, if present) and write your information under that heading.

If you are just doing an edit to existing information, be sure that the edit you are doing would improve the topic. It could be to correct some information that is already written, to clean up spelling and grammar, or to simply add categories, but regardless of what you are editing, be sure that it will improve the article. If you are editing an article in response to a boilerplate tag that has been placed due to something in the article and believe you have remedied the issue, also remember to remove the boilerplate. Boilerplates are templates that are included in articles the same way the Work in Progress template is included. Just delete the tag.

In closing, a wiki is meant to be contributed to, edited and used by everyone. When everyone (or at least a large percentage thereof) plays their part, a wiki will grow and improve without limit. So what are you waiting for?