Wiki Article Guidelines, Please read before writing an article ... Options

[Andrew Cockburn]

Welcome to the GMC Wiki!

This post is an attempt to give some guidelines for articles - how to approach writing them and what is/is not good practice. It will evolve over time as we learn more about the best ways of using the Wiki. Please feel free to add comments and suggestions, and I will add hem into the guidelines.

The link to the wiki is:

http://guitarmasterclass.net/wiki

Also, Maria has already written some quick start instructions here:

https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/inde...p/Help:Contents

Thanks a lot Maria!

Hardtail adds the following advice for creating articles:


The "Templates..." in each category are generated by the wiki script whenever a link to a non-existing page is inserted. Here is an easy guide to getting your first article on the wiki.

1.) Go to the section where you want to put your article. (I went to "Gear" for this example)

2.) Up at the top you'll see an address like this "http://guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Portal:Gear".

3.) Type your article name after the address using /articlename. So I wanted to write an article and call it Tubes under the Gear section. So i typed it into my address bar and it looked like this: "http://guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Portal:Gear/Tubes". Then hit enter.

4.) If the article isn't already made you should get a message that says: "There is currently no text in this page, you can search for this page title in other pages or edit this page." Click the "search for this page title" link.

5.) You will then be taken to the Search engine within wiki and at the top you should see "Create this page" link . Click that then paste your article (may want to start with a template first).



Now for the actual guidelines:

1. Appropriate Content.At all times, content of the Wiki must be suitable for its audience - that means adhering to the applicable guidelines in the general GMC forum - the link is here.

2. Bias/Even handedness. We are writing an encyclopedia here, and should attempt to be even handed in how we present facts. When writing wiki articles it is okay to include opinion based information but only if it meets 3 important criteria.

1.) It should be relevant and important.

2.) It should have general consensus. Which means it shouldn't just be one person's opinion but a an opinion widely held to be true by a larger group of individuals.

3.) State an opinion as such. Often times people will say things like "Tube amps are regarded as better than solid state amps..." But that is misleading. That sentence makes it seem like there may be some study or proof to back that statement up. A better way to write it is "A large portion of musicians have expressed that tube amps have an overall improved tonal quality over their solid state counterparts though different benefits exist for each." Another option is to just use the word 'opinion' like "It is many musicians opinion that Tube amps are better than solid state amps."

3. Stub articles/Links. An important part of a Wiki is its extensibility. You may want to write an argumen about for instance pickups. You want to assume that everyone know what a pickup is and the pros and cons of humbuckers and single coils. that is great for your article, and you go ahead and write it that way. But we can do a little better than that. The first time you mention the word pickup, and you feel that there is a whole level of detail that could be added, make it a link and it will appear in red in the Wiki. This means that the text doesn't exist but someone can come along later and fill it out. By making the link you are acknowledging the need for an article, and inviting others to fill it in - its a great way of increasing collaboration and providing a program of work for others to pick up. So, as you are writing your article, think a little about the terms you use, and whether or not they are suitable for other articles. Another way of soing this is to actually create the article but leave it mostly blank for someone else to fill in. this is called a Stub Article.

4. Editing. We want the Wiki to have a consistent look and feel. Everyone has a different writing style, many people don't have English as a first language. That isn't important - it is the content we are after. So, take your best shot, and I will edit new articles for language, grammar and consistency.

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