Davis Wiki Guide

Introduction

A wiki is a linked set of pages which anyone can edit and expand. This freedom allows for unique expression and helps foster interesting and new ideas in an organic and very dynamic way.

If you see something you think is inaccurate or incorrect, you have the power to change it, as do all of the other editors. If you see that something is incomplete, you can add more information. You can also create completely new content and tie it into the rest of the site. Likewise, others have the power to veto your changes. It is a delicate balance but one which ultimately leaves the users with the content they most want.

Never be afraid to change something or try something new! However don't be surprised if information you remove is restored by other editors.

IMPORTANT: In order to edit pages, you must first create an account. This is a very painless process and the only hurdle to contributing content. It is a really good idea to use your real name when signing up because it helps start the process of establishing identity here with other editors

Making an account is as easy as clicking a button and choosing an appropriate name (like BobSmith). If you would like to be able to retrieve a forgotten password, you should also enter a valid email address. That's it. After making an account you should check out the People page and make a homepage for yourself.

Editing

Check out the editing page for an in quick overview on editing. The Editing Toolbar Guide is another useful link for new editors.

Good editors also check their work before saving changes. :)

Historical note: On the old version of DavisWiki, editing often included special codes or "markup" to help format text or include content like photos and links. DavisWiki was upgraded at the end of 2014 however, and much of the older markup codes were eliminated in the wake of more a streamlined editing mode. You may occasionally see references to the older DavisWiki markup, but these are typically in reference to the older DavisWiki editor which has been replaced.

Linking

The most important concept, though, is linking. The idea is to have all pages linked together in a logical and intuitive way. To make a link to a page, simply highlight the words you want to link and then press the link icon in the editing toolbar:

A prompt will show up, and you can now type the name of the page you want to link to. Suggested page names will auto-complete as you type, and you can select one of the page names that appears. You can also link to a page that doesn't exist yet.

Also, try to be descriptive in your linking. Don't use the "click here!" phrase: "For more info check here" is bad! "Check out Wiki Sand Box for more info" is good! (W3.org has some tips on good link style).

Check out the linking page for more info on linking and anchoring.

New pages

To create a page, first think about where you want this page to be linked from. Say you want to create a page about your favorite local band. Ideally, there should be a link to this band in Music Scene or perhaps other pages as well. You would go edit Music Scene to add a link to your page — even though your page hasn't been made yet. Once you save your changes and click on the new link, you'll be given the opportunity to create the page!

TIP: If you can't think of a page to create, look over the Wanted Pages. It is a list of pages which have been linked but have not been created. Perfect candidates for a write-up!

If this is unclear, just view the source (by clicking on "Info" and clicking on "raw" for the top item — or if you're lazy, just by clicking "Edit") of some pages! It will become perfectly clear after a few minutes.

To create a page without making a link to it first, simply type the name of the desired page into the search box. Then you will be prompted with the option of creating the page. But remember: because you made the page without first making a link to it, it might get lost in the sea of pages. Linking is very important for this reason — If you don't link your new page from existing pages, then no one will be able to find it. Spend some time thinking about good places where you should make a link to your new page. Using the search box is very useful for finding phrases and material where you might want to provide a link.

You should head over to Wiki Sand Box and edit it and play around!

Info Tab / Revision History

The wiki tracks all the changes made to all the pages, and this information is available in the Info tab at the top of the screen. Every edit of a page accounts for a new version, and clicking "Diff" once in the Info tab allows you to see differences between selected versions. "view" shows you what that version of the page looked like, "raw" shows you the raw wiki markup, "print" gives you a printer-friendlier version, and "revert" reverts the current version of the page back to that particular version.

In the Info tab you may also bookmark a page, which allows you to track the changes to the page via the Bookmarks page. Setting wiki bookmarks allows you to easily see when pages important to you change, and allows you to keep a list of pages you like, as well. You should probably set a wiki bookmark for your user page so you can see when others leave you comments.

Now what?

After you've made an account, viewed the source of some pages, and played around with editing over in Wiki Sand Box, you should go ahead and make a home page for yourself! To make a homepage, simply make a page in the wiki with the same name as your login name, but with "Users/" in front of it. This means if your name is PhilipNeustrom (it's not), you simply make the page with the title Users/PhilipNeustrom and fill it with whatever you want. There's an easy way to do this: click on your user name in the upper right hand corner! After making your homepage, head over to People and add your page to the list.

Then, you should check out Help with Editing

Mapping

Every page in the wiki can have some map information associated with it. Obviously, this is only a good idea in some cases (when the page can be given a geographic location). Check out Help with Maps for more on this!

Tips

Use Bookmarks! You can mark pages as bookmarks by going into their "Info" tab. When a page is bookmarked you'll be able to remember it later on, and also see if it's changed (without having to check Recent Changes).
Link link link! After you've made a page you should search the wiki looking for places to add links to your new page. After all, if you make a page, shouldn't you make sure everyone else can see it? Occurrences of the page name are immediately candidates for links. Beyond this, you can get creative and link relevant text accordingly.
Preview! Always click "Preview" before you click "Save Changes" in order to make sure everything looks right, etc! Even the best of us forget this all too often.

more tips can be found in Quick Wiki Tips

Frequently Asked Questions

See FAQ

Do you have a question?

Did you read through here, look over at Help with Editing, and play with the Wiki Sand Box? Do you have a question? Then ask it! Go to the FAQ and press Edit. Just scroll to the bottom, ignore anything that's written (but leave it there), and ask your question (don't worry about anything — just type!) Then hold tight and you'll get your question answered and help us improve! If that seems like too much work, the dwiki irc channel usually has people in it.