Introduction to NeoWikis: Come Here To Get Started :)

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to introduce you to the NeoWikis, which are replacing NeoPortals as the future of community gaming knowledgebases.

Some general notes

There are some VERY simple concepts for Wikis:

1. Write content in your own words. We do not allow copyright works from other sites, and we cannot use content from Wikipedia, Wikia, or other sources that have an Open Content style license, since our content is exclusive to Neoseeker and including their content is a breach of their licensing rules.
2. Any member can help edit.
3. Wikis support some very easy to use markup. It is different than our forum markup but very useable.
4. Members who consistently work on wikis will show a Wiki Contributor tag in the forums. To maintain the tag you must be actively working on a Wiki (you must have done so at least within the past 7 days). The amount of activity to activate the tag is not disclosed and WILL CHANGE if it looks too easy or hard to get.
5. Add references as necessary. Even if you write in your own words, if you have a credible source you should credit it! If you know something on your own through your own experience (eg playing a game, or having read and learned stuff over time) you are your own source.
6. Try to read through a Wiki to get a feel for the layout, style, and the level of quality we're looking for before contributing. We want information to be ORGANIZED, with clean layouts, lots of uploaded images, and proper formatting and grammar. Organization is one of the key strengths of Wikis.
7. Check out the GlobalRecentChanges pages to see some of the edits people are making. After a while you will get the hang of the work they are doing and you can reuse some of the markup they are using.

How to get started for newcomers!

Personally I believe the easiest way to get started is to browse the wikis to get a feel for them.

Learn the basic markup by clicking on the edit tags so you know some basic editing. This page here on Naruto has some nice basic markup that you can check out to get an idea.

When you feel you are ready, find some small pages and see if there's anything you can help add to them. Or perhaps find a page that has some grammar or spelling errors that you can correct. You can find small pages using a special page called the "Short Pages". (Check out the Short Pages for Metal Gear and Smackdown). These special pages list all the pages from shortest to longest, and are a great place to start.

If you are more brave you can find "Wanted" pages. These are pages that other contributors or Wiki Staff have linked from other pages but have not been created yet. Try to do more than create a page with one short sentence - write as much as you can think of to create a healthy start to the page. If you can only remember 3 sentences that's already FAR BETTER than a placeholder like "New page." If you are going to do that I would suggest you don't bother since it prevents another person from coming along and creating a proper page. To see wanted pages, check out the Wanted Pages for Zelda.

Another way you can help is to flesh out the 'hub' pages. We need linked lists of characters, missions, etc from those pages. In this way you can help build up the Wikis by generating "Wanted" pages.

Remember, every little bit helps to improve the Wikis! So if you aren't up yet to creating new pages try to help improve existing ones or even roam around finding small things to tweak.

Ask the Wiki Staff and Others for Help

Many Wiki Staff are experienced in editing portals, and are familiar with what we're looking for. Also, many of our members have experience editing Wikis and can help out with editing markup and other questions, so don't be afraid to ask! That's what the Best Practices and Help forum is here for .

wow, this is awesome. I'm still editing the SSBB wiki _{don't touch it} so this is really gonna help me out, now. thank you so much

This is a brilliant creation, and I am really enjoying making the Smackdown! one better. Out of interest is it possible to start a neowiki for a game series that is not included yet?

How do you start a new page?

If I edit the page, how can I add a link to make that new page?

Yeah. Thanks. Now that I already created green and then it links to an empty page, how can I start making that page?

Thanks Orez, I did it.

Nope, this isn't the place. To become wiki staff, you'll need to contribute consistently to a wiki for a while. Eventually, the staff will recognize you, and if they think they need a little help, you'll be one of the ones that will have a good chance of being asked.