VassarWiki:About: Difference between revisions

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Welcome to '''VassarWiki''', a wiki for the Vassar College community!

Welcome to '''VassarWiki''', a wiki built by and for the Vassar College community!

~~A wiki is a website that is collaboratively edited and governed by its users.<ref>https://en.wikipedia~~.~~org/wiki/Wiki</ref> While many wikis~~ are ~~encyclopedias~~, ~~they don't have~~ to be. ~~VassarWiki was created~~ to ~~be an encyclopedia~~ and ~~more: an open space for the~~ Vassar ~~community to collectively share and organize information.~~

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 hands control to corporate algorithms. These tools fail to reflect the fluidity and collaboration of life at Vassar, which is why we are building a wiki!

~~The goal of~~ VassarWiki is to ~~democratize our information infrastructure~~, ~~build~~ institutional memory that ~~persists beyond~~ the student turnover cycle~~, and bridge isolated corners of our community. We each have unique knowledge—we should share it, not keep it trapped in our heads or let it disappear after we leave campus~~. ~~There are many reasons~~ to help, ~~like to advertise events, memorialize your time here, or raise social/historical consciousness~~.

A [[Wikipedia:Wiki|wiki]] is 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 is an encyclopedia and more.</ref> VassarWiki is an open space for the Vassar community to collectively share and organize knowledge. As a persistent resource, VassarWiki is simultaneously building an institutional memory that survives the four-year student turnover cycle.

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

== Getting started ==

~~=== Who can contribute? ===~~

Anyone connected to Vassar can contribute! All you have to do is [[Special:CreateAccount|sign up]] with your Vassar email. If you're connected to Vassar but lack a vassar.edu email, [https://tally.so/r/aQEMRW you have to apply to have your account approved].

~~=== How do I contribute? ===~~

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.

~~Once you register an account, click~~ 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) 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 only contain ''superficial'' differences (e.g. fixing typos~~ or ~~minor formatting errors), click~~ the ~~minor edit button before saving your changes.~~

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).

~~If you want to create a page~~, ~~search the name of the page~~ you ~~want and click the red link~~. ~~[[VassarWiki:Templates|You may want to use a template to get started.]]~~

== 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:

Contributions generally don't require prior approval, so '''be bold'''! If there's an issue with your edit, another contributor can revert it and you can discuss on a talk page if needed. Please read and understand VassarWiki [[VassarWiki:Policies|policies]] before you edit. It's encouraged that you read any relevant [[VassarWiki:Guidelines|guidelines]] before you edit, but there is no need to be an expert.

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

* '''Articles''' can be about things like [[:Category:Student orgs|student orgs]], events, classes, departments, and college lore. Content should be written from a neutral third-person point of view<ref>but by no means soulless!</ref> and [[VassarWiki:Policies|be sourced when possible]].

* '''Articles''' can be about things like [[:Category:Student orgs|student orgs]], events, classes, 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 a [[VassarWiki:User pages|'''user ~~page~~''']] that only they can edit. You can put pretty much anything on your user ~~page~~ (e.g. interests, projects, org memberships, essays or freeform content, contact information).

* Every contributor has [[VassarWiki:User pages|'''user pages''']] that only they can edit. You can put pretty much anything on your user pages (e.g. interests, projects, org memberships, essays or freeform content, contact information).

~~But there~~ are other types of pages as well:

There are a few other types of pages as well:

* Every page has a corresponding '''talk page''', where you can resolve disputes about page content or otherwise talk freely about that page's subject.

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* '''[[VassarWiki:Files|Files]]''' like images, videos, and audio files, can be embedded in pages. Files should almost 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. Please read and understand VassarWiki [[VassarWiki:Policies|policies]] before you edit. It's encouraged that you read any relevant [[VassarWiki:Guidelines|guidelines]] before you edit, but there is no need to be an expert.

== Policies and guidelines ==

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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 ~~change~~.

Like everything on VassarWiki, policies and guidelines are established by community consensus and can evolve.

== Governance ==

VassarWiki adopts a collective governance model, where decisions are made through deliberation and consensus-building. The weight of each contributor's voice should be evaluated by the strength of their argument.

Certain technical actions require their access be limited to a smaller group of contributors called [[VassarWiki:Administrators|administrators]]~~. These actions include suspending users~~, ~~deleting and restoring pages, and approving prospective contributors lacking a vassar.edu email. Administrators~~ remain bound to community consensus and are not given any precedence in disputes. [[VassarWiki talk:Administrators|Anyone can apply to be an administrator]]. While there are no official requirements, candidates should have a track record of constructive editing. Applications to be an administrator are approved following community discussion. Administrators who abuse their authority should be [[VassarWiki:Reports|reported]].

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.

== See also ==

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== References ==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Consensus|status=consensus}}
-Welcome to '''VassarWiki''', a wiki for the Vassar College community!
+Welcome to '''VassarWiki''', a wiki built by and for the Vassar College community!
-A wiki is a website that is collaboratively edited and governed by its users.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki</ref> While many wikis are encyclopedias, they don't have to be. VassarWiki was created to be an encyclopedia and more: an open space for the Vassar community to collectively share and organize information.
+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 hands control to corporate algorithms. These tools fail to reflect the fluidity and collaboration of life at Vassar, which is why we are building a wiki!
-The goal of VassarWiki is to democratize our information infrastructure, build institutional memory that persists beyond the student turnover cycle, and bridge isolated corners of our community. We each have unique knowledge—we should share it, not keep it trapped in our heads or let it disappear after we leave campus. There are many reasons to help, like to advertise events, memorialize your time here, or raise social/historical consciousness.
+A [[Wikipedia:Wiki|wiki]] is 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 is an encyclopedia and more.</ref> VassarWiki is an open space for the Vassar community to collectively share and organize knowledge. As a persistent resource, VassarWiki is simultaneously building an institutional memory that survives the four-year student turnover cycle.
+If you want to help us, you should contribute! All you need is five minutes and something worth sharing.
 == Getting started ==
+{{See also|VassarWiki:Help}}
-=== Who can contribute? ===
 Anyone connected to Vassar can contribute! All you have to do is [[Special:CreateAccount|sign up]] with your Vassar email. If you're connected to Vassar but lack a vassar.edu email, [https://tally.so/r/aQEMRW you have to apply to have your account approved].
-=== How do I contribute? ===
+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.
-Once you register an account, click 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) 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 only contain ''superficial'' differences (e.g. fixing typos or minor formatting errors), click the minor edit button before saving your changes.
+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).
-If you want to create a page, search the name of the page you want and click the red link. [[VassarWiki:Templates|You may want to use a template to get started.]]
 == What can I contribute? ==
-{{See also|VassarWiki:What should 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:
-Contributions generally don't require prior approval, so '''be bold'''! If there's an issue with your edit, another contributor can revert it and you can discuss on a talk page if needed. Please read and understand VassarWiki [[VassarWiki:Policies|policies]] before you edit. It's encouraged that you read any relevant [[VassarWiki:Guidelines|guidelines]] before you edit, but there is no need to be an expert.
-VassarWiki is deliberately open-ended to adapt to community needs. There are two main types of pages:
-* '''Articles''' can be about things like [[:Category:Student orgs|student orgs]], events, classes, departments, and college lore. Content should be written from a neutral third-person point of view<ref>but by no means soulless!</ref> and [[VassarWiki:Policies|be sourced when possible]].
+* '''Articles''' can be about things like [[:Category:Student orgs|student orgs]], events, classes, 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 a [[VassarWiki:User pages|'''user page''']] that only they can edit. You can put pretty much anything on your user page (e.g. interests, projects, org memberships, essays or freeform content, contact information).
+* Every contributor has [[VassarWiki:User pages|'''user pages''']] that only they can edit. You can put pretty much anything on your user pages (e.g. interests, projects, org memberships, essays or freeform content, contact information).
-But there are other types of pages as well:
+There are a few other types of pages as well:
 * Every page has a corresponding '''talk page''', where you can resolve disputes about page content or otherwise talk freely about that page's subject.
@@ Line 37: / Line 30: @@
 * '''[[VassarWiki:Files|Files]]''' like images, videos, and audio files, can be embedded in pages. Files should almost 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. Please read and understand VassarWiki [[VassarWiki:Policies|policies]] before you edit. It's encouraged that you read any relevant [[VassarWiki:Guidelines|guidelines]] before you edit, but there is no need to be an expert.
 == Policies and guidelines ==
@@ Line 50: / Line 44: @@
 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 change.
+Like everything on VassarWiki, policies and guidelines are established by community consensus and can evolve.
 == Governance ==
 VassarWiki adopts a collective governance model, where decisions are made through deliberation and consensus-building. The weight of each contributor's voice should be evaluated by the strength of their argument.
-Certain technical actions require their access be limited to a smaller group of contributors called [[VassarWiki:Administrators|administrators]]. These actions include suspending users, deleting and restoring pages, and approving prospective contributors lacking a vassar.edu email. Administrators remain bound to community consensus and are not given any precedence in disputes. [[VassarWiki talk:Administrators|Anyone can apply to be an administrator]]. While there are no official requirements, candidates should have a track record of constructive editing. Applications to be an administrator are approved following community discussion. Administrators who abuse their authority should be [[VassarWiki:Reports|reported]].
+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.
 == See also ==
@@ Line 62: / Line 56: @@
 == References ==
-<references />
+<references group="note" />