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Last weekend we held a chat training session for our new committee members and gardeners to introduce them to Fanlore and answer question. It was announced on the mailing list on very short notice, and we are sorry about that. In the future we hope to have regular chat sessions, announced publicly and in advance, for anyone who is interested in editing Fanlore and/or has questions.
Here is a compilation of questions that came up at last weekend's chat sessions. Thanks to everyone who dropped by and contributed!
When do I use WebCite?
You can use WebCite when you want to create a snapshot of a page for later reference. You may not want to use it in place of the link to the actual site, but as a backup copy. If you're quoting all the pertinent info, then a snapshot may not be necessary. However, particularly for discussion threads or situations where you are referring to a lengthy and complicate set of facts (ex: "See xxx for more discussion of YYY issue.") a WebCite snapshot may be helpful if the website goes offline.
As a reminder, references for quotes etc. can go in the references section (Help:Formatting Guidelines for Citations, Help:Footnotes)
In quotes, never change the content even if there are typos and misspellings.
Chat transcripts:
The wiki committee (and the OTW Board members) can read the transcript of the chat room, but it is not a good way to contact us. Please use one of the methods described here: Fanlore:Contact.
Dates:
Use the date category for everything with a clear date: fanworks, events, etc. Use the most precise date category possible; the decade categories are for example for zines with a number of issues in that range.
"Minor" edits:
When in doubt, then it's not minor. ;)
Summaries:
Adding a summary to your edit in the box provided for it can be useful for other editors perusing Recent Changes. It can also be used to add a reason for your change or even to ask for help or further input. It's not mandatory, however.
Searching:
Recent Changes is "like the friendslist on LJ, the dash on Tumblr and all the other feeds that tell you what's going on" (Doro). It also offers options; for example you can search for new pages only, hide minor edits, and filter for user and then use the invert selection (this shows you all the pages *except* user pages so you don't have to deal with the spam accounts and the Sea of Red.)
Categories help you find pages on Fanlore. They are a bit like tags and have their own structure. Fandoms have their own categories, so that you can search for all the pages (and images) about a fandom, and many fandom categories have subcategories for fanfiction, websites, communities, vids, challenges, etc. With the chronology category you can search the wiki by year.
The main categories are listed on the left.
NB:
"Wikis are all about changing something, adding something. Actually, that's what I love about wiki editing. There is no single author so it's not just my responsibility or the responsibility of the person who started the page. If I mess something up, someone else will fix it." - Doro
"Basically, anyone who edits the wiki should know that their additions will be edited" - aethel
"I think that folks' fear of making mistakes and of making a perfect object is what stops the vast majority of folks from even starting. The thing about the wiki is that you can't break it." – Mrs. Potato Head
"Fanlore is not worried about you making mistakes. Come on down and make them here!" - MeeDee
Here is a compilation of questions that came up at last weekend's chat sessions. Thanks to everyone who dropped by and contributed!
When do I use WebCite?
You can use WebCite when you want to create a snapshot of a page for later reference. You may not want to use it in place of the link to the actual site, but as a backup copy. If you're quoting all the pertinent info, then a snapshot may not be necessary. However, particularly for discussion threads or situations where you are referring to a lengthy and complicate set of facts (ex: "See xxx for more discussion of YYY issue.") a WebCite snapshot may be helpful if the website goes offline.
As a reminder, references for quotes etc. can go in the references section (Help:Formatting Guidelines for Citations, Help:Footnotes)
In quotes, never change the content even if there are typos and misspellings.
Chat transcripts:
The wiki committee (and the OTW Board members) can read the transcript of the chat room, but it is not a good way to contact us. Please use one of the methods described here: Fanlore:Contact.
Dates:
Use the date category for everything with a clear date: fanworks, events, etc. Use the most precise date category possible; the decade categories are for example for zines with a number of issues in that range.
"Minor" edits:
When in doubt, then it's not minor. ;)
Summaries:
Adding a summary to your edit in the box provided for it can be useful for other editors perusing Recent Changes. It can also be used to add a reason for your change or even to ask for help or further input. It's not mandatory, however.
Searching:
Recent Changes is "like the friendslist on LJ, the dash on Tumblr and all the other feeds that tell you what's going on" (Doro). It also offers options; for example you can search for new pages only, hide minor edits, and filter for user and then use the invert selection (this shows you all the pages *except* user pages so you don't have to deal with the spam accounts and the Sea of Red.)
Categories help you find pages on Fanlore. They are a bit like tags and have their own structure. Fandoms have their own categories, so that you can search for all the pages (and images) about a fandom, and many fandom categories have subcategories for fanfiction, websites, communities, vids, challenges, etc. With the chronology category you can search the wiki by year.
The main categories are listed on the left.
NB:
"Wikis are all about changing something, adding something. Actually, that's what I love about wiki editing. There is no single author so it's not just my responsibility or the responsibility of the person who started the page. If I mess something up, someone else will fix it." - Doro
"Basically, anyone who edits the wiki should know that their additions will be edited" - aethel
"I think that folks' fear of making mistakes and of making a perfect object is what stops the vast majority of folks from even starting. The thing about the wiki is that you can't break it." – Mrs. Potato Head
"Fanlore is not worried about you making mistakes. Come on down and make them here!" - MeeDee
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