How to - Write a Wiki
From We Got Served Wiki
If you have a great idea and want to turn it into a Wiki there are a couple of ways to do it:
Write it Yourself
If you want take a crack at doing it yourself and want to learn wiki editing, the best thing to do is to go to Drashna's Wiki and use that as a learning tool. To help you get started Drashna has compiled a beginner's tutorial on wiki editing, How-To Wiki. For more in depth information you can look at the MediaWiki User's Guide. Another good thing to do is to read a bunch of existing wikis to get a feel for the format and how it should look. During the learning process if you get stuck and need help you can PM me, Etoa, and I will try to help you out. After you have finished the wiki to your satisfaction then send me a PM so that I can review it and port it over to the We Got Served wiki. When I say review, I will generally not mess with your content but will be looking at format, clarity, spelling, grammar etc.
If you go this route there are a few points to keep in mind. First, the tutorial wikis are pretty much intended as how-tos. Therefore you need to provide all of the information and steps that the reader will need to install the software, or whatever the wiki is about. Second, the wiki editor is not a WYSIWYG editor. What you see is not what you get. That being the case it is a good idea (at least at first) to make liberal use of the preview button to see how your editing changes will actually look. Third, be aware that a preview is not a save. Be sure to save the page before you leave the edit mode. As an example, if you are reviewing a preview and decide to test a link, that will take you out of the editor and you will lose any unsaved edits. There is no warning asking you if you really want to do this. Voice of experience here.
Write a Rough Draft
If you want to contribute to a wiki but don't want to get involved in the nitty-gritty of wiki editing, send me a rough draft as a Word file or just as an email and I will put it into wiki format for you. If you do this, do not embed images in the document but mark their intended locations with placeholders such as "Image 1" or "Screenshot 2". Then send the images or screenshots as separate JPG files. You can zip them together to make them easier to send. PM me for an email address where you can send your material. Again, I will usually not mess with your content but will correct format, clarity, spelling, grammar etc. as any good editor will.
Credits
This page was originally written by Etoa for We Got Served
