Rules for our wiki pages
- Do not sign your name. But do log in and log out each time you use it.
- Write information. Don't ask questions - that's what the comment function and forum are for.
- If you use the Web as a resource always check more than one source.
- Do not copy and paste. Read your source, take notes and summarize.
- Cite your sources.
- If you quote something from another page (copy and paste) cite your source.
- If you want to work on your written English, write in English.
- Remember that your contributions are critical to the success of our wiki.
- If you want to steal a lock, first try and contact the person who is editing (you should see their name) via Skype. This means that when you edit a page you should make sure you are in Skype so that someone can contact you. Find the person in Skype (all Skype names are in the Skype page), and you can chat asking the person how long they think they will be. If you can't get in touch with a person DO NOT steal the lock - it's not fair to have somebody lose a significant amount of work. Wait until later or write your changes in a sandbox or a Word file.
- If you want to use the first person pronoun (I or we) don't use the pronouns, use your name (e.g. Sarah thinks that...) and link your name to the Who's Who page so readers can see who you are.
Question: What is a wiki?
Answer:
A wiki (from wiki wiki, meaning "quick" in Hawaiian) is a collaborative Web site which contains the collective work of a group of authors. A particular piece of server software, which is named Wiki too, allows anyone to expand, modify or delete the content of the Web site using an Internet browser interface, sometimes without having to register. A wiki is different from a blog, in that it is possible for users to edit the work of previous authors, while in a blog the content is mainly written by a singular author and visitors can only add comments. Every wikipage can contain a number of links to other pages, given the fact that all pages are "collaborative" and tend to collect as much information as possible.
Wiki is easy to use, as it has a simple syntax to create new pages and crosslinks between different pages, as well as not requiring users to know HTML language. Its “open editing” is very important, since it is a way of developing and encouraging democracy in the Web. However, when one finds something on a wiki, one should be very careful, because the content might be sometimes either incorrect or inaccurate - given the fact that wiki is created by anyone who decides to put some piece of information within it. Most wikis do not require any registration and let everybody work on the pages; however, this can lead to some problems, such as "abuse of the system". In these wikis many edits can be made in real time and appear almost immediately on the page you are working in. However, other wikis get you to log-in before editing the pages and, as a result, you and all the other "wiki workers" are to see your "wiki signature" making this process safer. Private wiki servers require user authentication to do whatever work on the wiki.
Resources
Question: What is wikiquette?
Answer:
Wikiquette is a series of principles and guidelines you have to follow to work on Wikipedia in orders to respect – and effectively collaborate with - all Wikipedia’s contributors and their different points of view. Wikiquette is about one's behaviour and attitude when one writes or edits an article. It asks to collaborate with other people in order to write good articles; to be polite and not rude; to apologize when one should; to avoid "flames", i. e. derogatory or bad messages sent by a user to the online community; to be proud of one's own work. However, one should register, sign and date what has been written on talk pages, recognize when one does or writes something wrong or inaccurate, praise good articles. And, last but not least, follow what is called The Golden Rule: “treat others as you want them to treat you”.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that people working on the wiki may be coming from different countries and cultures. For this reason, Wikiquette suggests that you use a neutral point of view on your comments and on your works. It is important to choose words carefully, in order not to offend anybody. Furthermore, it is really important to insert only facts: personal elements are to be avoided. None of us is the same as those other people who write wikipages: each person has his/her own personality, so no one can expect that everyone in the wiki has the same idea. Different points of view are to be accepted without thinking that we are either hated or reputed stupid by the others. Forgive the others is a concept one has to bear in mind while writing wiki pages.
Resources
Question: What is collaborative editing?
Answer:
Collaborative editing is the way you edit an article or a page on a Wiki, and it is one of the most basical and important purposes for the existence of a wiki, too. Basically, you have collaborative editing when something is edited by more than one contributor, but none of them put their name at the bottom of the page. Anybody registered in the Wiki feels free to add something important that nobody wrote or to delete or change something wrong. What is important here is that the final result is as accurate as possible. Collaborative editing may be useful also to create a project or an essay with the help of many other participants. The fact that it is so easy to edit wiki pages, let many people to give their contributions to your work so that you may have better results thanks to them and the wiki process.
Question: What is the basic structure of a wiki page?
Answer:
a short introduction, definition, description
Table of contents
Sections (section headings) divided by lines
See Also (internal links)
External Links
Notes / References / Bibliography
integrated images
Writing Resources
punctuation resources
PROS AND CONS ABOUT WIKI
| PROS |
CONS |
| you can find different information about an issue in just a single page; |
it isn't a reliable source of information because everyone can login and edit it, adding partial or wrong information |
|
you can share information
|
only a single person can edit a wiki page while the others are logged out |
| everybody can add, modify and delete information |
you need a coordinator to edit a wiki page (for example, to use a common layout) |
| you can work in group with other people but you don't need to be together in the same place |
as it is an asyncronous exchange it may sometimes be difficult to exchange controversial opinions or to clarify doubts. |
Suggestions:
- to look for the comments before editing a page
- to read the whole content of the page in order to avoid repeating the same things
- to pay attention to plagiarism: remember to put the references
- try to simplify the content of the page: avoid long sentences and use instead tables, if possible
- signal meaningful information using different colours in order to catch readers' attention
- keep in mind that a good introduction and a clear table of contents must be written
Pros and cons of wiki pages:
PROS:
- Easy to use
- Free for everyone to contribute
- Result of a team-work
- Can be changed anytime at anyplace
- Potential good working atmosphere if you follow the rules
CONS:
- Can get frustrating when people are not following the rules
- Layout is chaotic (posted version is often different from the original layout)
- Information can be unreliable
- Can get chaotic when too much information is provided
Tips for new-users of wiki
- Always write in Word and save your post before posting it online
- Respect other people’s contributions
- Respect the rules, which should be discussed before starting the work
- Use all the helping technology provided (comments, history, etc.) to be updated and keep in touch with the others
- Do not copy and paste. Try to develop your own ideas and text
- Check more sources and keep on being updated
- Update your wiki with news
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