FISD Wiki:Community Portal

Rule # 1 is that we encourage posting.

Rule #2 -- You can't make mistakes. Post small sections of content first, and, if you lose something, it won't be hard to put it back. If you're editing existing content, remember: you can't hurt it. If you lose some work accidentally, the worst that can happen to the overall content of the wiki is that it will "roll back" to where it was before you started. If you really want to be careful, compose a couple of paragraphs in your word processor, and then cut and paste it into the wiki edit window. (If something looks funny after cutting and pasting from your word processor, try saving the file in the word processor as a text file (with a ".txt" extension) before cutting and pasting. Email the WikiSysop if you still have problems.

Until the FISD wiki user community develops further policy and practice, we'll follow these guidelines:

• The Main Page of the wiki is protected. If you want to add content or pages to the front page, contact the WikiSysop. It's not a problem. But we would like to talk to you first.

• FISD Staff will act as final editors for any disputed content.

• Anyone who registers can edit and post.

• While content is certainly not limited to the work on the dictionaries and related information repository, that is the initial focus. If you would like to start a new topic area, please be aware that dedicated content support staff is not currently in the FISD budget.

Wiki Concepts

If you're completely new to wikis, or just curious as to what others do with this type of platform, there's a lot to become familiar with -- but it's relatively straightforward. Consider it like learning a new version of Powerpoint or Word. But with many fewer options for fancy formatting, and your colleagues discuss with you as you write.

It's a bit like you can get a group of folks into a room to discuss a topic, and write it all down on the white board. Then other folks can drop in and join the conversation while you get a cup of coffee.

Background information - Common wiki practice

Wikipedia has pretty much defined acceptable practice for open wikis, and generally asks that contributors respect some basic principles, including neutral point of view, only using verifiable information, and keeping the wiki free from abuses such as personal attacks or copyright infringement.

If you see problems in these general guidelines, or in content submitted by others, please contact the WikiSysop.

From Wikipedia
Help:Wiki Usage - General overview of governance and process.
Wikipedia Getting Started - Getting organized, understanding what helps.

Metawiki - where the wiki software we use (MediaWiki) comes from. metawiki Community page