Difference between revisions of "LifeWiki:Editor pages"

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'''Welcome to [[LifeWiki:About|LifeWiki]]!''' This is a site devoted to cataloguing everything about [[Conway's Game of Life]].  LifeWiki (as its name suggests) is a wiki, much like [http://www.wikipedia.org Wikipedia]. This means that the entire site is a collaborative effort, to which anybody may contribute; just click "[[Help:Editing pages|edit]]" at the top of any page contribute to that page. Changes and additions are always welcome, whether you are adding new [[pattern|patterns]] to the site or just correcting a typo.
'''Welcome to [[LifeWiki:About|LifeWiki]]!''' This is a site devoted to cataloguing everything about [[Conway's Game of Life]] and related [[cellular automata]].  LifeWiki (as its name suggests) is a wiki, much like [http://www.wikipedia.org Wikipedia] (though [[LifeWiki:LifeWiki is not Wikipedia|not ''exactly'' like Wikipedia]]). This means that the entire site is a collaborative effort, to which anybody may contribute; just create an account and then click "[[Help:Editing|edit]]" at the top of any page contribute to that page. Changes and additions are always welcome, whether you are adding new [[pattern]]s to the site or just correcting a typo.


==Getting started==
'''NOTE: As of 18 July, 2016, your account must be set to ''Trusted'' to edit, due to various spam attacks happening on the wiki. Post in [http://www.conwaylife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2300 this] forum thread to have your account trusted.'''
If you are not sure where, what, or how to start editing, these are some pages that might help you out:
* '''[[LifeWiki:Helping out|Helping out]]''': Ideas on what can be done to help improve LifeWiki.
* '''[[Help:Editing|Editing pages]]''': Help on how to edit a wiki page.
* '''[[Help:Contents|Help]]''': A listing of all the available help pages.
* '''[[Help:Quick editing guide|Quick editing guide]]''': A quick editing guide for those who want to dive in quickly but need a couple pointers.
* '''[[LifeWiki:Sandbox|Sandbox]]''': Experiment with how editing works in our sandbox.
* '''[[LifeWiki:Style guide|Style guide]]''': Guidelines for how to write articles that conform to LifeWiki standards.
* '''[[LifeWiki:Policies and guidelines|Policies and guidelines]]''': Information on all of the policies and guidelines that have been adopted by the LifeWiki.
* '''[http://www.conwaylife.com/forums/ Forums]''': The official forums for this website.


Some of the key ideas from these pages are summarized in the following sections.
==Help pages==
If you have never edited a wiki before, you will find our [[Help:Contents|help]] pages to be very useful as you get the hang of things. The help pages introduce you to the [[Help:Editing|editing]] procedure, proper [[Help:Formatting|wiki markup]], and other similar topics.
* '''[[Help:Categories|Categories]]''' - how to create and use categories effectively
* '''[[Help:Editing|Editing]]''' - a step-by-step guide to making a simple edit to a page
* '''[[Help:Formatting|Formatting]]''' - a description of how to produce proper spacing, emphasis, and so on within articles
* '''[[Help:Images|Images]]''' - how to create and upload images that match the formats used within the wiki
* '''[[Help:Links|Links]]''' - how to connect wiki pages with each other and the outside web
* '''[[Help:Quick editing guide|Quick editing guide]]''' - a brief introduction to editing that goes over the most-used features and commands
* '''[[Help:Tables|Tables]]''' - for organizing data in rows and columns
* '''[[Help:Templates|Templates]]''' - useful for creating several articles (or sections of articles) that follow a similar format


==Creating an account==
==Policies and guidelines==
{{main|LifeWiki:Policies and guidelines|Policies and guidelines}}
Because there is no official structure that polices the quality of our site, we have had to adopt various rules, procedures, and values that allow everyone to make effective contributions to the wiki. New editors on the site are not required to read through all of these policies and guidelines; they are not a list of rules that must be understood before participating in the site. Most of them are based upon common sense. Editors who act in good faith and treat other members of the community with good faith are unlikely to encounter any problems; editors will be notified if a situation arises where a policy or guideline may be relevant.


You are free to edit the site without creating an account, but if you're interested in doing more than just a few random edits, getting an account can be very useful.  It only [[Special:Userlogin|takes a minute]], it allows other editors on the site to get to know you better (for example, seeing where your interests lie), and gives you access to additional features.
* '''[[LifeWiki:Deletion policy|Deletion policy]]''' - how and why to request deletion of a page
* '''[[LifeWiki:LifeWiki is not Wikipedia|LifeWiki is not Wikipedia]]''' - even though LifeWiki is similar in style to [http://www.wikipedia.org Wikipedia], there are important differences
* '''[[LifeWiki:Notability|Notability]]''' - what patterns and topics warrant their own page in LifeWiki
* '''[[LifeWiki:Pattern pages|Pattern pages]]''' - because the majority of the wiki is made up of pages about particular [[pattern]]s, there are plenty of guidelines in place to ensure that they are high-quality and of consistent format
* '''[[LifeWiki:Protection policy|Protection policy]]''' - what pages are protected from anonymous or non-administrative edits, and why
* '''[[LifeWiki:Style guide|Style guide]]''' - language use, proper capitalization, when and how to use emphasis, and so on


See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Why_create_an_account? Why create an account?] on Wikipedia for more information about account creation.
==Contributing==
These are many simple ways in which users can help improve LifeWiki, many of which do not require much knowledge of [[cellular automata]].


==How to contribute==
* '''[[LifeWiki:Helping out|Helping out]]''' - general ideas for improving the quality of the site
:''Main Article: [[LifeWiki:Helping out|Helping out]]''
* '''[[LifeWiki:Task list|Task list]]''' - specific tasks that editors have requested be taken care of
These are some basic ways that you can improve the LifeWiki:


* '''Fix errors''' such as grammar or [[LifeWiki:Spelling|spelling]] mistakes. Large quantities of small fixes can greatly improve the quality of the site.
There are several pages available to editors to help them find useful tools and categories quickly.
* '''Improve the content''' by adding missing information to pages, or by re-wording sentences and paragraphs so that they are easier to understand.
* '''Format pages.''' If you're good with [[Help:Formatting|Wiki markup]], you can look for pages that need to be improved visually.


==Editing pages==
* '''[[LifeWiki:Editor categories|Editor categories]]''' - a list of categories and special pages that keep track of articles that need work
:''Main article: [[Help:Editing pages|Editing pages]]''
* '''[[LifeWiki:Sandbox|Sandbox]]''' - an area where users can experiment with wiki markup to their heart's content
If you have something to contribute, you should add it. As you get more comfortable with the wiki, you'll probably want to familiarize yourself with the [[LifeWiki:Style guide|style guide]] and maybe even a few other [[LifeWiki:Policies and guidelines|policies and guidelines]], but you're likely to learn as much from the experience of actually editing as from reading about it.
* '''[[LifeWiki:Template list|Template list]]''' - a description of templates that are heavily-used throughout the site


To edit a page, all you have to do is click the "edit" button on the top of the screen, make your changes, preview them, then click on the "Save page" button. Your contribution will automatically appear on the article.  You can play around with the editing feature at our [[LifeWiki:Sandbox|sandbox]] – the place where you can edit freely without worrying about messing things up.


===Wiki markup===
{{ContributeNavbox}}
:''Main article: [[Help:Formatting|Formatting]]''
You can edit casually with little to no knowledge of the wiki markup. However, if you want to become more serious about editing and be able to format your edits so that they look better, you will need to learn some basic wiki markup. We have a [[Help:Quick editing guide|quick editing guide]] which explains the more simple commands, a more general help page on [[Help:Formatting|formatting]], and you could also see Wikimedia's [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Editing editing walkthrough] for more details.
 
===Discussion pages===
:''Main article: [[Help:Editing pages#Editing a discussion page|Editing a discussion page]]''
Talk pages are where editors discuss how they can improve the main article.  Anyone can ask a question, answer an existing question, or contribute to an existing discussion.  There are two kinds of talk pages: regular talk pages, which are used to discuss articles, and user talk pages, which are used to talk with editors. The rules used on discussion pages are slightly different from those on article pages.  In particular, contributions to discussion pages should always be signed (contributions to articles should never be signed).
 
==Keep In Mind==
:''Main article: [[UESPWiki:Policies and Guidelines|Policies and Guidelines]]''
Before you dive in and start editing, we do have a few things that you should keep in mind.
 
===Content Criteria===
:''Main article: [[UESPWiki:Style Guide|Style Guide]]''
Even though everyone can edit, this does not mean that the site is a free-for-all. Content submitted should always be informative, verifiable, professional, and legible, and content that does not uphold to these criteria will likely be removed. You should also integrate what you want to add into what we have instead of creating something separate from the current content or even a duplicate page. As for your tone while writing, make sure that it addresses the reader when necessary and not yourself.
 
===Conduct===
:''Main article: [[UESPWiki:Etiquette|Etiquette]]''
We promote an atmosphere of kindness and friendliness, which is usually apparent when examining the community of the site. However, at times there are sometimes disagreements and even heated disputes among editors, but everyone here is expected to behave in a civil manner at all times.
 
The most important thing to do is to [[UESPWiki:Assume Good Faith|assume good faith]] with your fellow editors. Don't assume that others are acting in spite or malice. If another editor does something that is upsetting to you, leave a message on their talk page or where appropriate and politely express your concerns. You may have avoided a potentially embarrassing misunderstanding or a frivolous dispute.
 
===Common Mistakes===
:''Main article: [[UESPWiki:Common Mistakes|Common Mistakes]]''
There are some mistakes that are frequently made by new contributors to the site. Looking over this article may help you to avoid some of these problems.
 
==In Conclusion==
You now know the most important things that you need to know to contribute to the project. Do you feel like something is missing or not adequately explained? Leave a message on the [[UESPWiki talk:Getting Started|discussion page]] so that we can improve it. You should also introduce yourself to some of our active members in the project. Create a user page and/or user talk page, leave an introduction on the [[UESPWiki:Community Portal|community portal]], or join our [[:IRC]] channel and [http://forums.uesp.net/ forums] and talk to everyone there.

Revision as of 06:22, 22 August 2016

Welcome to LifeWiki! This is a site devoted to cataloguing everything about Conway's Game of Life and related cellular automata. LifeWiki (as its name suggests) is a wiki, much like Wikipedia (though not exactly like Wikipedia). This means that the entire site is a collaborative effort, to which anybody may contribute; just create an account and then click "edit" at the top of any page contribute to that page. Changes and additions are always welcome, whether you are adding new patterns to the site or just correcting a typo.

NOTE: As of 18 July, 2016, your account must be set to Trusted to edit, due to various spam attacks happening on the wiki. Post in this forum thread to have your account trusted.

Help pages

If you have never edited a wiki before, you will find our help pages to be very useful as you get the hang of things. The help pages introduce you to the editing procedure, proper wiki markup, and other similar topics.

  • Categories - how to create and use categories effectively
  • Editing - a step-by-step guide to making a simple edit to a page
  • Formatting - a description of how to produce proper spacing, emphasis, and so on within articles
  • Images - how to create and upload images that match the formats used within the wiki
  • Links - how to connect wiki pages with each other and the outside web
  • Quick editing guide - a brief introduction to editing that goes over the most-used features and commands
  • Tables - for organizing data in rows and columns
  • Templates - useful for creating several articles (or sections of articles) that follow a similar format

Policies and guidelines

Main article: Policies and guidelines

Because there is no official structure that polices the quality of our site, we have had to adopt various rules, procedures, and values that allow everyone to make effective contributions to the wiki. New editors on the site are not required to read through all of these policies and guidelines; they are not a list of rules that must be understood before participating in the site. Most of them are based upon common sense. Editors who act in good faith and treat other members of the community with good faith are unlikely to encounter any problems; editors will be notified if a situation arises where a policy or guideline may be relevant.

  • Deletion policy - how and why to request deletion of a page
  • LifeWiki is not Wikipedia - even though LifeWiki is similar in style to Wikipedia, there are important differences
  • Notability - what patterns and topics warrant their own page in LifeWiki
  • Pattern pages - because the majority of the wiki is made up of pages about particular patterns, there are plenty of guidelines in place to ensure that they are high-quality and of consistent format
  • Protection policy - what pages are protected from anonymous or non-administrative edits, and why
  • Style guide - language use, proper capitalization, when and how to use emphasis, and so on

Contributing

These are many simple ways in which users can help improve LifeWiki, many of which do not require much knowledge of cellular automata.

  • Helping out - general ideas for improving the quality of the site
  • Task list - specific tasks that editors have requested be taken care of

There are several pages available to editors to help them find useful tools and categories quickly.

  • Editor categories - a list of categories and special pages that keep track of articles that need work
  • Sandbox - an area where users can experiment with wiki markup to their heart's content
  • Template list - a description of templates that are heavily-used throughout the site


Editor pages
Help pages
General guidelines
Official policies
Useful pages
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