Wiki.GIS.com talk:Discussion Room

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I'd like to contribute to wiki.gis.com, but I've never written content for a wiki before so I'd like some advice on how best to start. GISguy

Welcome to wiki.gis.com! Thanks so much for your interest in contributing. The easiest way to get started is to edit an existing page before creating any new ones; in this way you can familiarize yourself with the wiki markup language, how article format is rendered, and what links look like for images, references, external Web sites, etc. Start with topics that you're familiar with, and then see how you can add value to the content - even if it's just adding a reference or two, some graphics, or correcting grammatical errors; all contributions are greatly appreciated. Be sure to use the Preview mode before committing your changes though, and if you get stuck, just consult the Help pages here on the site. You may also post any further questions here, and one of our moderators will be happy to answer them. Thanks again! Rhalden

My 2 cents: Since I have been working on wiki.GIS.com, I have found the Help pages to be an excellent resource to guide me through formatting and help me get started. Also, I noticed that there is now an editing toolbar that helps a lot with the craziness behind wiki markup language. EdiTHOR

Thanks EdiTHOR! I too have found the Help pages here on the site extremely useful. Whenever I've had questions on how to cite references, format images or link to other content, I've usually found the answer there. Rhalden

It's sort of a ground-up effort. There is a lot of content in here but quite a few areas need some building out. It's a good project and working in here is addicting. Over time it will be a a great resource for us. You should definitely look at the Help file in here because Wikis are strange to work with. I recommend writing lengthy pieces in a Word processor to have a backup in case the Wiki acts up and doesn't save properly. Saving frequently never hurts either.Thomas P

Good point Thomas! Sometimes your login may time out and you could lose some work, so it's a good idea to save the page once you've completed a discrete chunk of information. Rhalden

In order to help people find this wiki, I've added a brief blurb at the wiki index: http://wikiindex.org/Geographic_information_system_wiki . --DavidCary 13:30, 21 July 2010 (PDT) Thanks for providing a link to wiki.GIS.com on the Wiki Index site! Admin

You are welcome. --DavidCary 15:15, 3 August 2010 (PDT)

I've found that when writing articles, it's easiest for me to write the content in a text file or Word doc, then copy/paste into the wiki once I've written some  complete, grammatically correct and referenced paragraphs. In this way, what I publish (usually) makes sense, and I can build upon the content in meaningful  chunks. I also maintain a text file of commonly used references, so I can just paste those links in as I need them and not have to re-format them. Or even worse, have to look them up again!

I am testing the name signing conventions in the discussion room. Did you know that you can sign your discussions by using 4 tildes? EdiTHOR 16:01, 23 September 2010 (EDT)

You can also add your signature line to discussions by clicking the 'Signature & timestamp' button located on the editing toolbar.--Admin 16:30, 23 September 2010 (EDT)

Appraisal
Hi, I have written a few articles on wiki.gis.com in my best possible way and it gives me pleasure in reading other articles and writing my own. Thanks wiki.gis.com. Quick queries, how can I check my 'role' in wiki.gis.com? and what are the parameters/criteria to enhance my role in wiki.gis.com? --ParinShah 23:08, 25 April 2011 (EDT)

Glad to hear that you like the wiki and are finding it usefull! You can check out the User group rights under Special Pages for more information on the different roles and rights for groups in the wiki. There is a lot going on right now for Wiki.GIS. Stay tuned for a big main page redesign coming soon! - J. Mayfield