DigiClass/Wiki editing

Editing the Digitalclassicist wiki

The Digitalclassicist wiki runs on MediaWiki, which uses a Wikipedia-style markup system apply links, add tables, insert images, and so forth. MediaWiki has a good guide to the standard conventions for formatting pages. An excellent way to learn how to edit is to find a page that looks interesting, click edit, and study the formatting.

Frequently asked questions

There are inconsistencies from one type of page to another. Which one do I follow?

Because the wiki has been put together by many people across the world, over a stretch of years, inconsistency is inevitable. Much commonsense advice is provided by Wikipedia. Feel free to bring some regularity to inconsistent pages, keeping in mind that the best format is the one that best serves scholars and students of classical antiquity.

A typical project page in this wiki may have a format along the lines of:

==Available==
* URL
==Author/Editor==
* NAME
==Description==
prose text
if taken from the project website, then indented and with explcit attribution and accessed date, i.e.:
Taken from the project website (Accessed 2016-01-14):
:copied or exerpted text
[[category:projects]]
ONE OR MORE OTHER CATEGORIES

How do I add a new page to the list of projects or tools?

At the bottom of the page please add this text: [[category:tools]]

How do I add links?

MediaWiki has a full explanation of link nomenclature. This wiki tends to use mostly the following types of links (note the subtle but important differences in punctuation):

• external pages, of the form [http://www.example.com link title] (editing tool shortcut: click the picture of the globe)
• other wiki pages, of the form [[Link title]] (or, if necessary, but at the cost of some clarity [[Link title|alternate text]] ) (editing tool shortcut: click the Ab)
• wiki categories, of the form [[:category:example|alternate text]] (no shortcut for this one; and make sure the first colon is included; without it the page is simply assigned to that category and no link will be supplied)

How do I find out which pages need my help?

Come along to one of the wiki editing sprints, which are held in the DigiClass IRC Channel once a month, and get ideas from other volunteers. See below for details on the sprints.

Tips

• It is better to have information in an inconsistent style and format than no information at all.
• If you see a way to bring some consistency to entries you visit, do so.
• Avoid words and phrases that depend upon the time when you are writing, e.g., currently, at this time, now, so far. Rather, if a time needs to be signaled, use precise dates, e.g., as of 2012, since May 2008.
• Don't forget to add categories to the web pages, as far as possible adopting the terms already in use.
• Try to add a main link for information or content of the project at the top of the article, with the heading Available. It is convenient to include the link as visible text (i.e. with no square brackets) at the top of the document so the (often meaningful) domain etc. is visible.
• Be selective about the links you add, focusing on those that will not be subject to link rot.
• Make contributing to the Digitalclassicist wiki part of your routine. Why stop at sending an email or tweet about a new project or tool? The best way to perpetually announce that new discovery is by making it part of this wiki.

Wiki editing sprints

What, when, where?

On the first Tuesday of every month (but on the second Tuesday of January), at 16h UK time, interested members of the Digital Classicist community (at large) get together for an hour or two to work on improving the content of the Digital Classicist wiki.

How do I join?

If you'd like to join us, please:

• join the #Digiclass chat room (https://wiki.digitalclassicist.org/DigiClass_IRC_Channel) at any time between 16h–18h UK time (GMT/BST) today (it's fine to pop in and out for less than the full two hours)

• if you don't already have one, get in touch with Gabriel Bodard (Gabriel.bodard@SAS.AC.UK) in advance to request an editing account on the wiki (https://wiki.digitalclassicist.org/)

Please do extend this invitation to any colleagues, students or other collaborators who may be interested.

I'm in a sprint. What do I do?

In addition to general editing and enhancement of project and tool pages, this is what we do during a typical sprint:

• see if random pages we find need work (click on the Random page on the menu on the left of any wiki page);

• look at the categories and see if we can rationalize/add to any of the categories in there (click on the Categories link on the left menu);

• we look at a GoogleDoc spreadsheet where we keep running notes of wiki pages that need work and topics that need to be added to the wiki. The spreadsheet's link will be shared in the IRC channel during the sprint;

• we check external lists of projects we might have lying around (such as the EAGLE 2016 Conference digital poster exhibition) and see if the projects listed there are in the wiki and are already up to date;

• help on how to edit wiki pages are at the top of this very page and in the MediaWiki Help:Formatting cheatsheet

• we plan to run themed sprints in the future (e.g. on geographical technologies, archaeology, computational linguistics etc.).

Future sprints

• May 3, 2016
• June 7, 2016
• July 5, 2016
• August 2, 2016
• Sept 6, 2016