User blog:Anonymous Asteroid/For new wiki members

This blog post is to assist anyone who is new to the wiki, especially wikia in general. Feel free to comment suggestions. If you're ready for something more advanced, check out my wikitext lessons! Let me know if there's any other lessons you'd like me to write.

To get started editing, just click the button that says "Edit" to the right of the page title.

When you're done editing, click "Save page" on the far right of the editing popup. Next, write a brief summary of what you changed. This is greatly appreciated; something as simple as "Punctuation fixes" is acceptable. If you don't remember everything you changed, hit "Review changes" on the bottom left and then "Return to save form" on the bottom right when you're done looking. Finally, check "Minor edit" if you did something barely noticable like fixing grammar, and "Follow page" if you would like to receive updates on the page.

Contents

 * Linking
 * Images
 * Infoboxes
 * Templates
 * Creating a Page
 * Categories
 * Note: Mobile
 * More Advanced Coding
 * Font Color
 * Other Buttons
 * Headings
 * Undo
 * Bullet Points and Numbers
 * FAQ
 * How do I add a message at the top of my message wall?
 * Is there a way for me to send a private message?
 * Grammar Tips

Linking
Adding links to pages is a great way to contribute to the wiki! Here's how:


 * 1) Drag mouse to select the word(s) you want the link to encompass.
 * 2) Click the linking button (see photo).
 * 3) Type the name of the page you want to link to.
 * 4) Click on the name of the page below.
 * 5) Click "Done."

Images
Adding images to pages is another great way to contribute to the wiki! Make sure you get the permission of the owner of the image if you can before adding it. There are two methods to adding an image, which I've split into A and B.


 * 1) Click the image button (see photo).
 * 2) (A) Click the Upload button in the center of the screen or (B) type the name of image you've seen on the wiki in the "search for an image" box.
 * 3) (A) Select the file you want to upload and click "Apply changes" or (B) click the image.
 * 4) (A) Name the image in the first box.
 * 5) (A) Select the license. If the owner gave permission, select the last option. If you aren't sure, go ask the owner; if you can't find the owner and have tried your best, select the first option. This is to make sure no one can get in legal trouble.
 * 6) (A) Click "Apply changes."

Infoboxes
Infoboxes are a great thing to add to pages because they help people reading the article get quick information without needing to read the whole thing. Characters, places, pairings, and books are particularly important to give infoboxes because they often have the longest pages. Here's how to add an infobox:


 * 1) Click the Insert button (see photo).
 * 2) Choose "Infobox."
 * 3) Select the kind of infobox that fits the page. (If none is available, ask an admin to make one, like me!)
 * 4) Fill out as many of the empty text boxes as you can. If you don't know the answer, don't worry. Someone else can add it if the information has been released. Putting an image in the infobox is great to do; just click the blue button on the far right of the "image" box.
 * 5) Click "Apply changes."

Templates
Templates are premade image-like things you can add to pages to make them look more professional, among other things. Some of the most helpful templates to add are the "Spoiler" template that lets readers know the article contains spoilers, the Quote template that you can add a book quote to for reference, and the "Page Construction" template that lets editors know that more information is appreciated. Here's how:


 * 1) Click "Insert" (as shown in Infoboxes).
 * 2) Choose "Template."
 * 3) (A) Search the name of the template or (B) find it in the list.
 * 4) Click the template.
 * 5) If the template has fields to edit, like Quote, fill them out and click Apply changes. If not, click the X on the popup.

Creating a Page
If you would like to make a page for the wiki, beforehand, please check carefully to see if the page is already made. Try searching multiple things, checking all article results, and being as specific as possible (ie searching "Sophie Foster" or "Sophie Elizabeth Foster" instead of "Sophie." If that didn't turn anything up, then try Sophie.) This might be a pain, but is very appreciated! Now, on making a page:


 * 1) Click the page creation button (see photo)
 * 2) Type a page name. Please be as specific as possible. ("Book 6: Nightfall" instead of "Nightfall." "Sophie Elizabeth Foster" instead of "Sophie.")
 * 3) Click next.
 * 4) Write as much as you know about the page. If you don't know much, putting the Page Constructioin template at the top is helpful in letting other editors know to add more information if they can.
 * 5) Add categories, links, and an appropriate infobox if one is available.
 * 6) Click "Save Page."

Categories
Categories can be added to pages to sort them in a variety of different ways. A list of categories can be found here. Here's how to add a category to a page:


 * 1) Click the "Other" button.
 * 2) Select "Categories."
 * 3) Type the name of the category you want to add.
 * 4) Click the popup under "Matching Categories."
 * 5) Click "Apply Changes."

Note: Mobile
Things look and work slightly differently on mobile (though I think this blog post will be helpful anyway). For example, here are what the top navigation and the bottom of an article page look like.

Font Color
To change font color, type: Text here This is a good page for finding the right color.

Headings
Typically, you'll only want to use headings on article pages, and not sub-headings. Sometimes they may be

appropriate, though, and you may want them for blog posts, profiles, and forum posts. To add one, just click on the button that says "Paragraph" (see photo). Then select the type you want and the paragraph you're on will become it. See the second photo for what the table of contents looks like with sub-headings and what sub-headings look like.

Undo
The undo button is extremely useful for those of us who make huge mistakes! Just click it and it'll undo the last edit you made. (It's to the left of the heading button in the above photo.)

Bullet Points and Numbers
Generally, use bullet points anywhere there is a list, except on ship pages for moments; then, use numbers. (The two buttons are to the left of "Insert" in the above photo.)

How do I add a message at the top of my message wall?
Go to Message_Wall_Greeting:YourUserName and edit it to say whatever you'd like. Note: I added a feature that lets you edit your greeting directly from your message wall, so an "Edit" button should be at the top right part of your message wall.

Is there a way for me to send a private message?
There are two options you can use to communicate privately with users from here.

The first option is to get on a live chat with the user. Once on, you can click the user's name and select "private message."

The second option is to join the wiki's Discord server. Discord offers private messaging between users, and you don't have to be on at the same time.

Grammar Tips
There are a few grammar things I fix frequently on here. Most of them aren't necessarily wrong, but there's more correct ways to say them.


 * When adding extra information in, don't use a hyphen (-) or commas. Use an em dash (—) or parenthesis. To type an em dash, hold down Alt, click 0151 on the number pad, and release Alt.
 * Ex: Don't forget to brush the dog—she really needs it.
 * Not: Don't forget to brush the dog, she really needs it. Don't forget to brush the dog-she really needs it.
 * Whenever possible, use "because" instead of "as."
 * Ex: She was tired because she hadn't gotten much sleep.
 * Not: She was tired, as she hadn't gotten much sleep.
 * Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks (semicolons can go outside).
 * Ex: She said she had to leave because of a "terrible emergency." She said she had to leave because of a "terrible emergency"; I don't believe her.
 * Not: She said she had to leave because of a "terrible emergency". She said she had to leave because of a "terrible emergency;" I don't believe her.