Docent Halls: Wiki Basics

1—What is Wiki?

Wiki (pronounced either wee-kee or wick-ee) is derived from a Hawaiian word meaning ‘quick’. Built as a simple interface language, WikiWikiWeb was designed to allow people to quickly and easily add content to an existing page without the need for a complicated registration process. It has its own formatting language, though it also accepts basic HTML tags and CSS. The DJBWiki project is a fully interactive encyclopedia for the entire Dark Jedi Brotherhood. It encompasses all the facts, fiction and lore of the club in an easily searched and cross referenced database. The goal of the Wiki is to provide the most comprehensive database of information relating to the club in one location. This goal can be achieved by allowing members the opportunity to make changes themselves, rather than submitting information through a chain of command. The leaders trust that their members will accurately contribute what they can, where they can, when they can. With this level of trust comes a responsibility to adhere to a set of standards, set in place by the Wiki Tribune and staff, in accordance with the requests of the Dark Council. The DJBWiki adheres to the rules for communication established by the Dark Council known as the Code of Conduct, as well as a set of specialized rules created for the format. In this course you will become familiar of these new rules that help the project run smoothly.

2—Basic Terms and Phrases of Wiki

We assume you understand what most of these terms mean, but for clarification they are explained in detail.

• Article An Article is the web page where the information is held. The term Article and Page are rather interchangeable, and mean essentially the exact same thing. Even the Wiki interface will use both terms. For the purpose of this course, it’s better if you get into the habit of addressing the main pieces as articles.
• Link A Link is a reference or bridge to another article. On a Wiki a link can be text or graphics. It is most commonly represented as blue or red text. Blue text is a complete link, meaning the article it points to has been created. Red text indicates an incomplete link. The referring article may not have been created yet or the link was misspelled. Links that point to an external site (not contained within the DJBWiki) will be signified with a small blue arrow at the end. Links are created by enclosing words in square brackets ([ ]). Double square brackets around a word ([[ ]]) indicate a link to another wiki article. Single square brackets around a word are used for external links. Later in the course, you will see an example of how this works.
• Protected Page As the name implies, this is an article that cannot be altered unless the user has special privileges. This is also called ‘Locking’ a page. Reasons for protecting articles are usually associated with vandalism. Policies and guidelines are usually protected to ensure that they remain intact. Admins are the only users allowed to protect a page, or edit a protected page.
• Register DJBWiki requires registration for one reason: Tracking. When you log in with the information you used to register, your actions are being tracked. You are given credit for any changes, whether good or bad. This allows people to either praise or question your changes.
• Sign More than a courtesy, signing is a way to identify yourself as the writer of comments. With Wiki the act of signing is very simple: type four tildes ‘~’ in a row and the system will automatically enter your username, the date and the time of your comment. You may notice that some people substitute images or initials for their signature. We’ll get into that later. For now, use the standard auto-signature.
• Talk or Discussion Page A Talk or Discussion Page is a separate article where people can comment on an associated article. They can be used to point out problems or praise articles. Talk pages stay connected to the relevant article, and are usually patrolled by the creator of the original article.
• Template This is an article formatted to present information in a specific manner. These are usually tables of some sort that display data in a uniform way.

3—What DJBWiki is and is Not

For all topics relating to the DJB, the Wiki is:

• An interlinked web — a comprehensive informational database. This format is better than a static web page because the information can be kept up to date by anyone, without waiting on Dark Council or other administrative agents to update it.

Each article has the ability to connect to any and all relevant pages associated with its subject through very easy formatting. Have you ever read a story and come across something you were unfamiliar with?

• With the Wiki project, authors are able to cross reference pieces of their story with any other article or page with extended info on the subject linked.

The DJBWiki is not:

• A replacement for dossiers. The character article is not supposed to be a complete replacement for your DJB dossier and ACC Character Sheet. It should not display your warbanner, medals, or SA course info — unless there is a pertinent reason. If you were instrumental in the creation of a DJB item, you are allowed to have information relating to it on your character article. Since lightsabers are a very personal item, with each being specially made by (or for) the wielder, they are allowed.


• A replacement for other similar informational sites. Wookieepedia, the official Lucasfilm Star Wars Databank, and other such established sites not only have better information on the common subjects (such as core worlds or common species) but are patrolled and updated by more people more often. Reserve the space the DJBWiki has for articles relating directly to the DJB.


• A forum for opinion. The Wiki project should present facts about any given subject relating to the DJB.

4—Getting Started

Back in the infancy of the Wiki’s creation, an article was created to help new people learn the basics. The Getting Started Guide, accessed from the Wiki’s Main Page, will provide up-to-date information on how to perform some basic editing. Until you are comfortable with editing in the Wiki, we suggest you create your own character’s article.

1. Register. If you haven’t already, create a name and password. In accordance with DJBWiki rules, use your DJB Name as your login name. Password can be whatever you desire.
2. Log in to the DJBWiki.
3. With the Getting Started Guide you will utilize a Template, learn to put text in Bold or Italics, and how to use Links and Headings.

4.A—Starting Your Character Page

The first thing people do when starting out is to create a page for their character. While you are working on your page, please place {literal}{{construction}}{/literal} at the top of the article, which will place a notion that the article is under construction. Also, please make use of the ‘show preview’ bu