Guidlines for Writing Articles
From VanagonWiki
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[edit] Guidelines for writers of articles (first draft, just a place to start)
These guidelines are just guidelines. They are not meant to be restrictive or the last word in anything. in fact, this page will probably be in rough draft format forever.
[edit] Before writing a new article
Before writing an article, browse the wiki and use the search box to make sure that the subject hasn't already been written about. If you don't find anything, then go ahead and write that article! To write a new article with a specific title, simply enter that title into the search box at left, and when the search turns up nothing, click the hyperlinked "create this page" text in the results line.
[edit] Note to Mac users:
Safari 3.0.3 (latest version as of August 10, 2007) does not display the editing bar nor does it display correctly the text to be edited. Firefox 2.0.0.6 does work.
[edit] Minor editing an existing article
If you find that the subject has already been written by someone else and you consider yourself to be something of an expert then read it. You can add information to that page (except for restricted pages, articles are not "owned" by anyone) or correct errors or add clarification or alternate ways to do things.
[edit] Major editing an existing article
If you strongly disagree with the article, don't erase it and start over. Discribe your proposed changes on the article discussion/talk page. If the article is so wrong that life or limb are at risk (like, use a match to check for leaks in the propane line) then write in big bold letters "WRONG. DON'T DO THIS!!!" and send an email to Rocket J Squirrel about it.
[edit] Content
The Vanagon Wiki is primarily compendium of information on maintaining, repairing, modifying and enjoying Vanagons, Adventurewagons, and Synchros. If an article is not about something that is connected to or used on a Vanagon, it doesn't belong in the Technical Articles section of the wiki. The organization of the non-Technical section is less formal and is a good place to put links to vendor pages, your personal Vanagon-related pages, VW events, and other subjects that don't involve a wrench.
[edit] Some things to avoid
[edit] Editorializing
We all have things that we feel strongly about, but this isn't the place for sermonizing. If you feel strongly that one tool is better than another for a job, then say so and explain why, but don't slam vendors or make personal attacks.
[edit] Not too personal
If the article would benefit from something you experienced, like that time a spark plug blew out of a head and what you did to patch things up so you could get home, then by all means write about it. But don't write a paragraph about how you felt about it. That's for your Dear Diary -- the Vanagon Wiki is not a web log.
[edit] Style
Technical manual-ese is good, informal is also good. But not chatty. The occasional knock-knock joke is probably okay (take this up with the Usage Committee).
[edit] Technical procedures
Provide a list of required tools and materials.
Complex jobs should be broken down into step-by-step procedures. Be certain to end all complex disassembly jobs by stating that "reassembly is the reverse of the above," or similar (kidding).
[edit] Editing
We're not professional writers, just Vanagon enthusiasts. Do what you can to make your writing clear, and use your own voice. Expect that your writing might be edited for clarity, to have errors corrected, or to have additional material added.
[edit] Length
However long it takes.
[edit] Use Headings to give structure
Like in this article. When you write or edit an article, you'll have a toolbar (unless you're on a Mac and using Safari, see "Note to Mac Users", above) which has a Format box from which you can select different levels of headings for your section titles. When the article is done, if there are more than three headers, a table of contents will appear at the top of the article. This makes it easy for the reader to find information in the article.
[edit] Images
If you have pictures for your article, use the "Upload file" link on the left side to first get the image file on the wiki site. Images should be in JPEG (.jpg) or PNG (.png) format. Remember the name of the file(s) that you uploaded. Once the file has been uploaded, you can insert it into your article using the Insert/Edit button on the toolbar.
[edit] Signing your name to the article
That's up to you. The easy way to sign your VanagonWiki user name is to simply add three "twiddles" (~) on a line alone at the end. Four twiddles turns into your user name, plus the current time, to let people know when the article was written. Five twiddles leaves just the time. Isn't the wiki fun?
