Welcome to the Wiki, business owner (or employee, representative, affiliate, ...)! This is a place for people in the Trojan community to come together and create a resource for themselves and their neighbors. As a part of that community, we'd love to have you contribute your point of view. Here's an introduction to the Wiki that should help get you started on the right track. You might also want to read the General Wiki Welcome.
As always on the wiki, keep in mind that these aren't rigid laws or rules. They are guidelines and helpful tips to get you started in a positive way. You can't use these to justify bad behavior. Alternatively, there's a lot of forgiveness for new editors trying to figure things out, and any mistake you make can be fixed. Everybody is welcome to edit the wiki, and there are plenty of people who will help out if you get confused or make a faux pas when getting started.
If you're confused by anything here, check out the Wiki Glossary.
Three Points to Remember
The Wiki is a fun and fluid place that always has a lot going on and many different opinions on pretty much any topic that comes up. It can take a little getting used to. Here are three key points you should bear in mind while joining the Wiki community and interacting with your neighbors here:
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Business pages belong to the Troy community, not to the business. Like every other page on the wiki, they're written collaboratively by many members of the community. Rather than trying to maintain a neutral, objective point of view, the Wiki tries to represent many different points of view. You have more knowledge about your business than anyone else out there so your perspective is extremely valuable, but remember that yours is just one among the many voices contributing to the page. Each editor (including you!) has equal say over the page's form and content.
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Business pages should be informational, rather than promotional, in tone. They should be written from the community's point of view (third person: "They" rather than "we" or "I"). This means that business pages, like every other page around here, will retain history documenting the business, the location, events, and all sorts of connections within the community. Deleting information, unless it's outright wrong, is frowned upon. Likewise for photos - they're a part of that history!
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Try to respond positively to negative comments. People will inevitably leave negative Reviews sooner or later. Look around at any business page on the wiki; they've all got them. Don't delete them—it can look like you're trying to cover something up. Just take a deep breath and remember that customers sometimes forget that business owners have feelings and write things they'd never be willing to say in person. Try to address the problems they raise in a friendly, constructive way. This is your chance to demonstrate your great customer service to every single person who reads the wiki page.
I need help / Something's incorrect!
First read and understand the three points at the top of this page.
If something's incorrect, you can fix it! If you think people might have questions or not understand, use the edit comment bar at the bottom of the editing window to explain (there's a short character limit, so keep you'll have to keep it brief).
Conflicts
If you run into disagreements with other editors, look to the advice on the Handling Problems page.
Handy Links
There are a number of issues that come up here on the Wiki because of its unique culture as a part of the Trojan community, rather than a listing website like Yelp. There are also a lot of great ways you can contribute! Here are some links that might come in handy:
- The Importance of using your real name and Identity. These issues come up a lot, both with business representatives and anonymous critics. Give 'em a look.
- Nonprofit Restrictions- the Wiki is part of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, and is actually prohibited from promoting (or being used to promote) for-profit businesses. Hence the informational tone mentioned in Point 2 above.
- Wiki Community- this page is kind of a hub for discussion about various Wiki issues and goings-on.
- Consider sharing your expertise and passion! This is a place where the community can interact with the local professionals in the field. If your business gives you expertese on a certain subject, consider starting a similar service here on the wiki.
- The wiki is a great place to explain policies that customers may be unfamiliar with. See the restaraunt guide and tipping pages for great information on common issues from the industry perspective.
