Contributing
Contributing is simplified with an open wiki, which means anyone can contribute text and pictures without even logging in. You can easily correct simple typos and misspellings that you find. You can add to and clarify existing stories. Your can offer alternative view points of a story or offer your family photographs that would enhance a story. You can add your own stories. Adding pictures is a bit harder with the basic process outlined below. You should not post copyrighted material without the written permission of the copyright holder. (Much of the current content violates this principle.)
Tracking Contributions
Contributions are tracked either by login name or by IP address for those who do not log in. This tracking allow the repair of vandalism, removal of offending materials or the blocking of violating individuals. The goal, at least initially, is to encourage contributing, but this openness will be monitored and modified if the website is abused.
In the beginning, users will be able to create their own login names. For the sake of the community, use your own name so your contributions are recognized by the community. Names that mask identity are frowned upon and excessive use (at the determination of the benevolent dictator) may result in the closing of ability to create your own logins.
Each user will have a page added to the the wiki which may be accessed by searching for "user:login_name". You can add what you want to your user page. You can communicate with a specific user by adding text to the "talk" tab on their user page. Remember everything on these pages is accessible by the public.
Uploading Images
Uploading pictures is a little more difficult than simple text, because it is a multi-step operation and there are things to consider as you do it. To begin select the "Upload file" menu item on the left column of the site page. This presents an upload form. From this form select the image that you want to upload. The image must be a .png, .jpg, .svg or .gif format and be less than 2 megabytes in length. The name used on the wiki will be the same as the uploaded file unless you supply a destination file name. (I usually use a name that 1) separates words with hyphens and not spaces, 2) begins with the year of the image subject, 3) concisely describes the image for later searches of the image, 4) collection information (see Photograph Collections. In the "Summary" box, describe the photograph as well as you can and include its origin or copyright holder when known (e.g. "(Photo by Dan Plaster)", or "(photo held by Reardan Memorial Library)". If you know that the photo should belong to a particular category add a line (or lines) to the bottom of the Summary to tell the wiki how to associate the image (e.g., "[[category: Reardan History]]"). Lastly when everything looks good, click on the "Upload" button. If something doesn't seem right with the description or category, you can change that later using the "edit" or "edit source" tabs at the top of the page, modify the offending text and finally saving the changes.
If you have a collection of photos that you want to load, contact the administrator to discuss options to make the process easier and to make sure the website has enough capacity to accommodate the collection.
Using Images
To use an image on the Wiki in an article, you can reference the image in various ways. A reference to a single image looks like:
[[file:reardan-welcome.png|thumb||200px|Welcome to Reardan Sign (from the Internet)]]
On the Wiki things enclosed by double square brackets "[[...]]" are internal references. Some references have multiple fields as this one does. Fields are separated by the solidus, vertical bar or pipe symbol: '|'. "file:" or "File:" indicate that an image is being referenced and not a page name. A simple field containing only "thumb" means that you want the picture to be outlined by a box with an image caption. Optionally there could be a field containing only "left" to direct the image be placed on the left side of the page instead of the default right hand side. A size field, "200px" in this example, specifies how wide you want the mage to be, 200 pixels in this case. The last field is used as the text to be used to caption the photo.
If a photo is part of a series of photo shown together, A "gallery" may be used. For example:
<gallery heights=100px mode=packed> file:reardan-welcome.png | Captions 1 file:reardan-welcome.png file:reardan-welcome.png | Captions 3 </gallery>
produces:
Captions 1
Captions 3
Sanctity of a Post
With this power to post anything by anyone goes the power than anyone else who may modify what you post. Simple corrections should be expected, but some modifications may not please the original poster. In general be prepared for your "perfect text" to be modified or enhanced in ways that you did not envision.
Proper wiki etiquette is to discuss major changes to a page on the "Discussion" tab of that page BEFORE making the change to the page. The authors or keepers of the page should agree what is "proper" or "acceptable." Likewise, members of the community that disagree with or are offended by a post can use the "discussion" tab to air their concern(s). Sometimes the solution will be to create an alternative page.
The View History button can be used to see the changes made to a page over time including who made the change and when.
Individual users can be contacted by accessing their "talk" page on the wiki by searching for "user talk:login_name"
Consult the User's Guide for information on using the wiki software.
Respect Your Neighbors
The general rule is respect your neighbors. This is not a place for current political discussions or to entertain gossip or for current advertising. Some stories may necessarily involve the discussion of past politics, but again, be as factual as possible and try not to promote an ideology. Make sure all images uploaded are G-rated so that kids and grandkids can use this site.
Conflict Resolution
This website is run as a "benevolent dictatorship"; administrators have the final word about disagreements and may elect to block disruptive individuals from future contributing. This is not a democracy or a government run project, so does it guarantee to protect anyone's right to free speech. It is hoped and expected that we can all play together nicely and build this site together. Locking down the site is the last resort to preserving the website.