VassarWiki:About: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 21:58, 1 August 2026

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This project page is a proposal open for community discussion.

VassarWiki is a common space for the Vassar community to share and organize knowledge about Vassar life. Any community member can contribute, so keeping up to date is a shared effort instead of an individual burden. And as a persistent resource, VassarWiki is building an institutional memory that survives the four-year student turnover cycle.

Our existing communication tools weren't built for college life. Emails are overwhelming and easy to miss, official sites only push information from the top down, and social media is manipulated by corporate algorithms. These tools fail because they don't reflect the fluidity and collaboration of our community. This is why we are building Vassar a wiki: a website that is collaboratively edited and governed by its users.^{[note 1]}

If you want to help us, you should contribute! All you need is five minutes and something worth sharing.

Getting started

Anyone connected to Vassar^{[note 2]} can contribute! All you have to do is sign up with your Vassar email. If you lack a vassar.edu email, you need to apply to have your account approved.

You can edit a page by clicking the "Edit" button by a section or at the top of the page. You can either use the visual editor (recommended if you're new to editing, but more resource-intensive and slightly less capable) or switch to the source editor on the upper-right. Make whatever changes to the page you want, write a short edit summary, and save your changes. If your changes are non-controversial and superficial (e.g. fixing typos or minor formatting), click the minor edit button before saving your changes.

You can create a page by going to Special:EditPage and entering your desired title, or clicking a red link with the desired title (on desktop, you can find one by searching it).

What can I contribute?

VassarWiki is deliberately open-ended to adapt to community needs. There are two main types of pages:

Articles are about things like student groups, events, classes, departments, and college lore. Content should be written from a neutral third-person point of view^{[note 3]} and be sourced when possible.
Every contributor has user pages that only they can edit. You can put pretty much anything you want on user pages.

There are a few other types of pages as well:

Each page has a talk page where you can resolve disputes about page content, or otherwise talk freely about that page's subject.
Categories are assigned to pages to assist in navigation and organization. They are listed at the bottom of a page.
Templates are pages designed for inclusion in other pages.
Files (e.g. images, video, audio) can be embedded in pages. Files should generally be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, where they will be released to the public domain.
Project pages (those with the prefix "VassarWiki") deal with the governance and maintenance of VassarWiki.

Contributions generally don't require prior approval,^{[note 4]} so if you think you can improve this project, be bold and make the edit! If there's an issue with your contribution, another user can revert it and you can discuss on a talk page if needed.

Governance

VassarWiki adopts a collective governance model, where decisions are made through deliberation and consensus-building. The weight of each contributor's voice is determined by the strength of their argument. Certain technical actions require their access be limited to a smaller group of contributors called administrators, who remain bound to community consensus and are not given any precedence in disputes.

Policies are the site's foundational principles that all contributors must follow. You should read and understand policies before editing. Guidelines are records of best practices in content and behavior. While there is no need to be an expert on guidelines when starting out, contributors should generally defer to and attempt to follow them. Like everything on VassarWiki, policies and guidelines are established by community consensus and can evolve.

References

↑ While many wikis are encyclopedias, they don't have to be. VassarWiki was created to be an encyclopedia and more.
↑ Being a (current or former) student, faculty member, staff member, administrator, trustee, or local community member
↑ But by no means soulless!
↑ The exception to this rule is the group of project pages meant to reflect consensus. On such pages, a new consensus should be established on their talk pages before edits are made.

[1] While many wikis are encyclopedias, they don't have to be. VassarWiki was created to be an encyclopedia and more.

[2] Being a (current or former) student, faculty member, staff member, administrator, trustee, or local community member

[3] But by no means soulless!

[4] The exception to this rule is the group of project pages meant to reflect consensus. On such pages, a new consensus should be established on their talk pages before edits are made.

[note 1]

[note 2]

[note 3]

[note 4]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-== What is VassarWiki? ==
+{{Proposal}}
-A wiki is a collaboratively edited internet publication. While many wikis are encyclopedias, they don't have to be; the term describes a model of internet governance.
+'''VassarWiki''' is a common space for the Vassar community to share and organize knowledge about Vassar life. Any community member can contribute, so keeping up to date is a shared effort instead of an individual burden. And as a persistent resource, VassarWiki is building an institutional memory that survives the four-year student turnover cycle.
-VassarWiki is simply a wiki for the Vassar College community. The aim of the project is to collectively organize and publicize community knowledge about Vassar. Think of VassarWiki like a digital commons.
+Our existing communication tools weren't built for college life. Emails are overwhelming and easy to miss, official sites only push information from the top down, and social media is manipulated by corporate algorithms. These tools fail because they don't reflect the fluidity and collaboration of our community. This is why we are building Vassar a [[Wikipedia:Wiki|wiki]]: a website that is collaboratively edited and governed by its users.<ref group="note">While many wikis are encyclopedias, they don't have to be. VassarWiki was created to be [[VassarWiki:An encyclopedia and more|an encyclopedia and more]].</ref>
-== Contributing ==
+If you want to help us, you should contribute! All you need is five minutes and something worth sharing.
-=== Who can contribute? ===
+== Getting started ==
+{{See also|VassarWiki:Help}}
+Anyone connected to Vassar<ref group="note">Being a (current or former) student, faculty member, staff member, administrator, trustee, or local community member</ref> can contribute! All you have to do is [[Special:CreateAccount|sign up]] with your Vassar email. If you lack a vassar.edu email, [https://tally.so/r/aQEMRW you need to apply to have your account approved].
-Anyone connected to Vassar can contribute! All you have to do is sign up with your Vassar email. If you're connected to Vassar but lack a Vassar email (e.g. alumni, former faculty), you must apply to have your account approved.
+You can edit a page by clicking the "Edit" button by a section or at the top of the page. You can either use the visual editor (recommended if you're new to editing, but more resource-intensive and slightly less capable) or switch to the source editor on the upper-right. Make whatever changes to the page you want, write a short edit summary, and save your changes. If your changes are non-controversial and superficial (e.g. fixing typos or minor formatting), click the minor edit button before saving your changes.
-=== How can I contribute? ===
+You can [[VassarWiki:Creating a page|create a page]] by going to [[Special:EditPage]] and entering your desired title, or clicking a red link with the desired title (on desktop, you can find one by searching it).
-Once you register an account, click the "Edit" or "Edit source" button at the top of the page to use the visual editor or the "Edit source" button to use the source editor. Make whatever changes to the page you want, write a short edit summary, and save your changes.
+== What can I contribute? ==
+{{See also|VassarWiki:What should I contribute?}}VassarWiki is deliberately open-ended to adapt to community needs. There are two main types of pages:
-It's recommended that you read [[VassarWiki:Policies|policies]] and any relevant [[VassarWiki:Guidelines|guidelines]] before you edit.
+* '''Articles''' are about things like [[:Category:Student groups|student groups]], events, classes, [[:Category:Departments|departments]], and college lore. Content should be written from a neutral third-person point of view<ref group="note">But by no means soulless!</ref> and [[VassarWiki:Policies|be sourced when possible]].
+* Every contributor has [[VassarWiki:User pages|'''user pages''']] that only they can edit. You can put pretty much anything you want on user pages.
-== What kind of content is allowed? ==
+There are a few other types of pages as well:
-VassarWiki is deliberately open-ended to adapt to community needs. There are a few main types of pages. If you feel limited by these types, please bring your concern to the [[VassarWiki:Village pump|village pump]]!
+* Each page has a '''talk page''' where you can resolve disputes about page content, or otherwise talk freely about that page's subject.
+* '''[[VassarWiki:Categories|Categories]]''' are assigned to pages to assist in navigation and organization. They are listed at the bottom of a page.
+* '''[[VassarWiki:Templates|Templates]]''' are pages designed for inclusion in other pages.
+* '''[[VassarWiki:Files|Files]]''' (e.g. images, video, audio) can be embedded in pages. Files should generally be uploaded to [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:UploadWizard Wikimedia Commons], where they will be released to the public domain.
+* [[VassarWiki:Project pages|'''Project pages''']] (those with the prefix "VassarWiki") deal with the governance and maintenance of VassarWiki.
+Contributions generally don't require prior approval,<ref group="note">The exception to this rule is the group of project pages meant to reflect consensus. On such pages, a new consensus should be established on their talk pages ''before'' edits are made. </ref> so if you think you can improve this project, '''be bold''' and make the edit! If there's an issue with your contribution, another user can revert it and you can discuss on a talk page if needed.
-=== Encyclopedia pages ===
+== Governance ==
+VassarWiki adopts a collective governance model, where decisions are made through deliberation and consensus-building. The weight of each contributor's voice is determined by the strength of their argument. Certain technical actions require their access be limited to a smaller group of contributors called [[VassarWiki:Administrators|administrators]], who remain bound to community consensus and are not given any precedence in disputes.
-'''Encyclopedia pages''' are about things like student orgs, events, classes, departments, and college lore. Content should be written from a neutral point of view and reflect group consensus. All content here must be sourced (see [[VassarWiki:Policies|the policy on sourcing]]).
+'''[[VassarWiki:Policies|Policies]]''' are the site's foundational principles that all contributors must follow. You should read and understand policies before editing. '''[[VassarWiki:Guidelines|Guidelines]]''' are records of best practices in content and behavior. While there is no need to be an expert on guidelines when starting out, contributors should generally defer to and attempt to follow them. Like everything on VassarWiki, policies and guidelines are established by community consensus and can evolve.
-=== Profiles ===
+== See also ==
+* [[VassarWiki:Disclaimer]]
+* [[VassarWiki:Privacy policy]]
-Unlike other pages, profiles can only be edited by the relevant individual. You can put anything in your profile, within reason (e.g. interests, projects, org memberships, essays / freeform content, contact information). No sourcing is required—the individual is the authority on their own page.
+== References ==
+<references group="note" />
-=== Chat pages ===
-Every page has a corresponding chat page, where you can resolve disputes about page content or otherwise talk freely.
-=== Categories ===
-Pages can be assigned to multiple categories, to assist in navigation and organization. Categories are listed at the bottom of a page.
-=== Project pages ===
-Project pages deal with the governance of VassarWiki. These pages have the prefix "VassarWiki". Some notable project pages include:
-* [[VassarWiki:Village pump|Village pump]]: Suggestions and discussions about improving this project
-* [[VassarWiki:Policies|Policies]]: Basic principles of the site
-* [[VassarWiki:Guidelines|Guidelines]]: Records of consensus regarding groups of pages (e.g. reliable sources, style)
-* [[VassarWiki:Reports|Reports]]: Policy violations should be reported and discussed here
-== Policies ==
-'''Policies''' are the foundational principles of the site, established by community consensus. They should not be confused with [[VassarWiki:Guidelines|guidelines]], which are records of consensus regarding more specific issues.
-=== Build consensus ===
-Disputes over content should be discussed on the respective chat page and resolved through consensus. While voting can be utilized, it should not act as a replacement for discussion. If a dispute doesn't go your way, please respect the community's decision and move on.
-Where there is a dispute and a consensus hasn't yet formed or cannot form, the page should remain at the ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Status%20quo%20ante%20bellum status quo ante bellum]''. If this is for some reason especially untenable, please [[VassarWiki:Reports|report]] the page and it will be dealt with by an administrator. Edit warring (reverting back and forth) is not tolerated (even if you're right).
-=== Keep a trail ===
-All content on encyclopedia pages must be sourced. Though content on other spaces is not required to be sourced, it is encouraged. By sourcing your edits, you help the project be tethered to reality and help readers find resources. Sources fall into three categories, listed in decreasing authority:
-# Reliable publications like external newspapers/journals, ''The Miscellany News'', and official Vassar websites
-# Public statements by Vassar administration, departments, and VSA-recognized student organizations
-# Current or past Vassar individuals (including you!)
-Please sign all messages on chat pages. When in the source editor, you can add your signature with four tildes (~); the visual editor should do this for you automatically.
-To help page histories be navigable, please write a super short edit summary for each of your contributions.
-=== Don't steal ===
-All content on VassarWiki must be original or in the public domain. If you want to include a resource that is copyrighted, please link to it in an "External links" section. By contributing to VassarWiki, you release your contribution under the [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License].
-=== VassarWiki is not censored ===
-VassarWiki is not censored. As a result of this principle, negativity towards any subject is allowed. On encyclopedia pages, negative information must be verified by sources of types 1 or 2, and like all other pages, written from a neutral point of view. Content concerning living people is held to a higher standard than content about other subjects.
-=== Don't be a jerk ===
-Please be respectful and civil. Harassment, defamation, and privacy violations are not tolerated. Deliberately nonconstructive edits will be removed, and editors responsible may be permanently or temporarily suspended from editing VassarWiki.