This page will be used for some general stylistic items regarding the typical CU Wiki page. It is not necessary to follow the guide to the exact point, but this page serves to inform what is typically done to have the pages fit within website.
Content |
Page Title
Please capitalize all the first letters of a page name.
Descriptive Introduction
Note the first few sentences of your writing, as it's likely description that will show up on the search results (i.e. create a summary of your page if appropriate). The search engine will search for the first occurrence of the searched term, so it may not necessary be the entire first sentence.
Templates
Although it is not a requirement to use templates, it is preferred if a page can be fit into a template appropriately. It speeds up the process that the page becomes integrated to the structure of the site (i.e. templates includes "see also" links). Also, it helps the pages adhere to this stylistic guide to cut down on the amount of editing across the board.
Make Use of the Headings (Appropriately)
For sections within the page, use "Heading 2." Subsections of those use "Heading 3." If you need further subdivisions or distinguishing features to your title/subtitle/notes, feel free to make use of underlining, italicizing, numbering, bullet points, or a combination of the above. If you need more complex markup, use the html or contact someone on the Help Page.
Make Anchors (when Useful)
If there's a lot of headings in the page, or certain links refer to specific parts of another page, use anchors to guide the reader. For help with using anchors, see the section on anchors on the help page.
Picture Size
Pictures are nice add-ons to pages; however, they should not overtake the page. Size pictures appropriately. Dimensions should be within X by Y and A by B (Note: Haven't tested good dimensions, so make your best judgment for now).
Links
When to link to something outside of CU Wiki
Internal links provide a major support structure for CU Wiki. Everything in the Champaign-Urbana region that has a World Wide Web address (or a URL) can have its own page in CU Wiki. The only link to a local thing's external Web address should be found on the CU Wiki page for that local thing.
Let's say for example you were editing information about Urbana High School and wanted to add a link to the school district. Linking to the CU Wiki page for Urbana School District 116, instead of to http://www.usd116.org is the best choice. The district's wiki page then send's someone to the district's personal website external to CU Wiki.
In the Text
Whenever you refer to other resources that belong within the wiki, make a link! This applies even if a page doesn't exist. Go on the assumption that someone will make the page in the future. In most cases these will be proper nouns, but don't feel restricted to that (for e.g. someone might want to make a page on running around the CU area).
At the End of the Page
The end of the page should contain at least one subsection labeled "See Also." This is the section to put relevant links internally.
For external links, make a section labeled "External Links."
Make use of the "Heading 2" style for these subsections. Take care it is properly separated from the rest of the information from the page so it's easier to browse.
Note: originally the "See Also" subsection label was "Relevant Links," but this has since changed to avoid confusion between internal and external links.
Giving Credit Where It's Due
If you take information from a different community (like the C-U Wikispot) remember to link back to the original source via the "External Links."
Tag-a-thon
After a page created or edited, tags will not be automatically generated. Make sure the page is given a few tags to increase searchability and browseability.
