User:Badger/sandbox3/EF1
Essential Formatting I: The Talk Page
The talk page is perhaps one of the most commonly used pages on a wiki. For questions about the talk page, see Basic Questions. If you have any other questions about talk pages, post a comment on this page's talk page! (See how common they are?)
Basic Questions
Q: What is a Talk Page?
- A: No one cares how Wikipedia defines a talk page, so I won't bother telling you what they say. A talk page is exactly what is sounds like. A place where users (and IPs) can go to discuss the content of a certain page, and ask questions if something is confusing.
Q: Does every page have a talk page?
- A:Yes! Every page, including your very own User Page has a talk page!
Q: How do I find the Talk Page for a certain article?
- A: The talk page for any article can be found on it's respective page. If you look at the tabs on the top of the page, one says "Disucssion". That's the talk page. Clicking on that link will take you to the talk page for the page you are currently viewing. To get back to the actual content from the talk page, click on the tab labeled "Page". It's that simple!
Q: I have a question. How do I ask it?
- A:Go to the Talk Page! First, you may want to check the content already on the page and see if someone already asked your question. If you still have a question that needs asking, check below for how to edit!
Q: After I fix the problem someone left on my Talk Page, can I delete the comment?
- A: Simply put, No. We don't delete comments from talk pages. Everything should remain on the talk page. If you, and others, feel that it's much better, you may decide to strike through the comment to show that it no longer applies, but it should never be removed.
Types of talk pages
There are two major types of talk pages: User Talk Pages, and Content talk Pages. User talk pages refer to pages where you can leave a note to a particular user. For example, this is my talk page. If you had a question for me, you could post it there. The other major type of talk page is a content talk page. These talk pages refer to talk pages associated with classes, feats, and other material posted on the wiki. If you have a question about content on that page in particular, post it on that talk page. If you have a general DnD question, you want to post that on a <Discussion page> (I'll link that soon).
How to Edit
Ok, so you have a question that you need an answer for. You've made your way to the talk page, but you have no idea what to do. Don't worry, it's easy! Follow these simple steps:
- Click on the "Edit this page" tab.
- Alternativly you can click the plus tab (+) at the top of the page. If you choose this method, add your title and then skip to step 6.
- An edit window will appear. this contains all the content already on the page. Scroll down to the very bottom of the page.
- Press enter, clearing a line between the line you're typing on and the last line of text.
- Begin by titling your question. It may be as simple as "Question" or as complex as "How does the fifth level ability "Climb waterfalls" work with characters who can fly?" Simple is better.
- Once you have a title in mind, type this ==My title==.
- Alternatively, you can click on the big "A" in the edit toolbar (between the globe and the picture) and a new headline should appear.
- Press enter again, so that you are editing the line below the headline.
- Type your question. Finish signing your comment by typing --~~~~. Signing your posts is VERY important, so don't forget!
- Alternatively you can sign your posts by pressiing the signature button on the edit toolbar (the scribble button, right before the line)
- Finish by pressing "Save Changes"
- If you are asking a question, it is helpful if you write a little note in the "Summary" box, like "Question for the Author"
That's it! Well, almost. That's how to ask a question. What if the person answering isn't clear? How do you respond? This little guide can also be helpful for adding your two cents to an ongoing discussion:
- Press "Edit this page" just as before
- Sometimes it may be easier to just press the edit link for that section. You can find this link to the right of the section's headline. When you click it, only that section will appear, so it's easier to work with on long pages.
- Find the last line of text concerning the question you want to talk about. If you look, you'll notice people have been using colons (:) to indent their posts. What you need to do is count the number of colons on the last post, and then before your comment put that many, plus one!
- Again, finish by signing your post with --~~~~ and pressing "Save Changes"
You may notice next to "Save Page" are two other buttons; "Show Preview" and "Show Changes". Show Preview lets you see a preview of what you are about to save. It is recommended that you check a preview of your page before you save it, to check for any mistakes you may have made. "Show Changes" is a less used feature that shows changes made to a page. This can be daunting for a first time users, but you get used to it, and soon you'll be able to read it just fine.
How to Act
Talk pages don't get deleted. Things you write on a talk page stay forever. So be nice. In fact, if you are rude or offensive on a talk page, you may get a warning. Too many warnings and you might get a temporary ban. So other than being nice, what should you keep in mind? Well, remember that everyone else reading this page is human, but not everyone else is a native English speaker, or has a vocabulary as good as yours is. Try to write simply and clearly. Avoid using too many abbreviations, and if anyone uses one you don't know, ask them what it means. Many of us have been playing DnD for so long we forget not everyone knows that BoVD means the Book of Vile Darkness. Some people will post links in their comments. To learn how to post your own links in comments, check out <this link, when I get around to it>.
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