Editing Help:Editing

== A note about content ==

[[todo::create site disclaimer and policies]]


== A note about Edit Form ==

[[todo::click only one city so your entry will appear in the geographical map available at the bottom of the main page  ]]

== Editing the wiki ==

Wikis are typically designed to allow participation in development of the site to all users, through easy creation of new pages, links and categories. We're using the same software Wikipedia uses, along with the Semantic Mediawiki extensions. You must have an account to create and edit pages. [[todo::add info on contacting admins]] if you need an account or some assistance.

Once you're signed in, you'll see an edit tab on the top of most pages. Use that link, or section edit links if present, to edit content. To avoid the problems of rich text editors and keep entered text focused on content and meaning, pages use wiki markup. The most important markup is as follows:

* <nowiki>[[a link]]</nowiki> - create a link to another page
* <nowiki>== heading ==</nowiki> create a section heading, in this case, heading level two
* <nowiki>'''boldtext'''</nowiki> and <nowiki>''italic text''</nowiki>
* * to start a bullet point, ** for second level, etc.

Otherwise, just enter your text, leaving a blank line between paragraphs. Remember you can view the wiki markup of any page to see how it was created.

An effective workflow is to create pages with links, then go back later and click on the undefined (red) links to fill them in. Often sections get turned into their own pages over time as part of "wiki gardening."

You can practice editing pages by creating your own link off the [[Sandbox]]. It's a good practice to preview your pages before saving, and to add summary contents to help others understand your changes.

All pages maintain a complete edit history, so we can always tell who edited a page and revert pages when required. It's a good idea to check the page's history to see who's been editing it.

=== Further help ===

* [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Images Help with images]
* [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Editing wikimedia.org More help on Wikimedia.org]

== Feel free to carve out your own project wiki pages ==

When naming pages, keep in mind the wiki is used for multiple projects so use distinct names. Also keep in mind anyone can edit most pages, so your page may be changed by others including 'bureaucrats' trying to keep things organized. Monitor important pages to keep them relevant, using the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view Neutral point of view] principles. Comments and suggestions should be entered in the Discussion of a page, which can often contain the most interesting content, so keep an eye out for active Discussion links.

Use categories to group pages. Simply add <nowiki>[[Category:My category]]</nowiki> to the end of page content, and it can be viewed on the category index page, for example [[:Category:Wiki documentation]] or via queries (see below).

[http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Templates Templates] can also be used for consistent content presentation. 

Keep an eye out for extra help on pages such as your User page.

[[Structured wiki help]]

[[Category: Wiki documentation]]