JSPWiki: Wiki Etiquette

JSPWiki: Wiki Etiquette

When editing pages just keep the following rules in mind:
General

* Be nice - don't be rude or offensive.
* Write in a way that is easy to understand and avoid local slang or phrases. Many of those who will read your text may not have English as their first language.
* Don't delete other people's contributions (unless you know what you are doing)
* Don't use too many acronyms (or at least, have a page explaining them)
* Avoid the "click here" phrase!! Don't say: "More info about etiquette can be found here" but use "More info about etiquette can be found at WikiEtiquette". I'd suggest avoiding it for external links as well.
* Contribute only original stuff. Links are fine, but don't cut-and-paste from copyrighted things.
* Correcting typos is quite okay - in fact, it's a very good habit, since it makes the web page more readable.

About comments

* You are free to contribute anonymously, but it is preferred that you sign your comments with your name (or handle). It is common to prepend the signature with '--' like this: -- Janne Jalkanen (While you're at it, you are free to create your own wikipage and tell us about yourself.)
* Another good way to identify yourself is to put your name first, like this: Janne Jalkanen : I'd like to say that... or use the third person if you don't think it sounds a bit grand AndrewCates agrees.
* Think before you comment. WikiWiki is not a high-speed conversation board. It's not a news server either. What you say will stay here forever (yeah, we do make backups) for everyone to see and comment.

Creating WikiNames

* A good WikiName is short and descriptive. If the name is logical and easy many more people will link to it.
* Although you can take a whole sentence and crunch it up to make a WikiName, it is better style to restrain it to at most 5 words.
* Instead, try to use WikiNames like you would use as chapter titles in a book.
* This Wiki allows you to create pages with a single word as a name, but try to use at least two words - we don't want to exhaust the name space :-).
* Double-check WikiNames for typos - otherwise someone will create a misnamed page! Misnamed pages are bad, since linking to them requires more effort than to a logical, correct WikiName.
* AndrewCates asks that you please try to check whether a possible duplicate exists for your WikiWord before creating a new page. Duplicates increase the word number and navigation problems enormously

Refactoring pages

Refactoring is the process where you sum up a page, shortening it, making it more accessible. Anyone who feels up to it may go ahead, but we suggest that you leave it up to frequent (experienced) visitors.

* Be objective - both pros and cons should be represented correctly.
* Be careful with signed contributions - don't change their meaning.
* Give credit where credit is due.
* Use 3rd person or plural instead of 1st person singular in your summary.