VassarWiki:About: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 02:03, 29 March 2026

What is VassarWiki?

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 simply a wiki for the Vassar College community. The aim of the project is to collectively organize and publicize community knowledge about Vassar—its academic programs, campus life, and ongoing history.

Who can contribute?

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.

What kind of content is allowed?

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 village pump!

Encyclopedia pages

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 the policy on sourcing).

Events occurring within the next two weeks should be linked to on Upcoming events.

Profiles

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.

Project pages

Project pages deal with the governance of VassarWiki. These pages have the prefix "VassarWiki". Some notable project pages include:

Village pump: Suggestions and discussions about improving this project
Policies: Basic principles of the site
Guidelines: Records of consensus regarding groups of pages (e.g. reliable sources, style)
Reports: Policy violations should be reported and discussed here

Chat pages

Every page has a corresponding Chat page. Here, you can resolve disputes about page content, or otherwise talk freely.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 == What is VassarWiki? ==
-A wiki is a collaboratively edited internet publication. VassarWiki is simply a wiki for Vassar College. The aim of the project is to collectively organize and publicize community knowledge about Vassar—its academic programs, student life, and ongoing history.
-Anyone with a Vassar email address can register. People with connections to Vassar but who lack a Vassar email (e.g. alumni, former faculty) may apply to have their email approved.
+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 simply a wiki for the Vassar College community. The aim of the project is to collectively organize and publicize community knowledge about Vassar—its academic programs, campus life, and ongoing history.
+== Who can contribute? ==
+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.
 == What kind of content is allowed? ==
-VassarWiki is deliberately open-ended to adapt to community needs. There are a few main types of pages.
+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]]!
 === Encyclopedia pages ===
-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.
+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]]).
-All content here must be sourced. Sources fall into three categories, listed in decreasing order of authority:
-# 1. Reliable publications like external newspapers/journals, The Miscellany News, and official Vassar websites
+* Events occurring within the next two weeks should be linked to on [[Upcoming events]].
-# 2. Public statements by VSA-recognized student organizations
-# 3. Current or past Vassar individuals (including you!)
-Events occurring within the next two weeks should be listed on [[Upcoming Events]].
 === Profiles ===
-Unlike other pages, profiles can only be edited by the relevant individual. You can put anything in your profile (within reason), like interests, projects, club memberships, essays / freeform content, and contact information. No sourcing is required—the individual is the authority on their own page.
+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.
-Essays addressing VassarWiki issues may be elevated to wider standing after consensus is reached on the Village Pump.
 === Categories ===
 Pages can be assigned to multiple categories. The aim of categories is to assist in navigation and organization.
 === Project pages ===
-Project pages deal with the governance of VassarWiki. These pages have the prefix "VassarWiki:"
+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: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
+* [[VassarWiki:Reports|Reports]]: Policy violations should be reported and discussed here
 === Chat pages ===
 Every page has a corresponding Chat page. Here, you can resolve disputes about page content, or otherwise talk freely.