FamilySearch Wiki:Editing a page for project team members

Below you will find some helpful specific information involving page edits. General "how to" information can be found on the Help pages. Feel free to read through these if you want to jump ahead and start practicing, but do not let it confuse you. We will give you quick and easy instructions on the task you are given and walk you through it to be sure you are comfortable. We will also be available to answer any questions that arise during the project.

Wiki Talk Pages – User Page

Talk pages are how Wiki users communicate with each other and is an important part of the wiki. Every wiki page, including your User page, has a Talk page. Talk pages are found at the top of each page (Tabs are: Page, Edit, Talk, History). To get an email notifying you if someone has left a message on your User talk page, do the following:

1. Go to wiki.familysearch.org

2. Log in using your FamilySearch or Church Account.

3. On the navigation bar on the right side of the page, go to the bottom option, and click Personal Tools. On the drop down menu, click on, My Preferences.

4. Go down the page and check “Email me when my user talk page is changed.” When someone has left a message on your Talk Page, you will be notified that it has been edited.

5. When you are notified someone has written on your Talk page, you should visit the page to see if that comment pertains to something you have done on that page. If it does, you need to respond, politely, to that comment.

6. If you are unsure as to the proper response, check with your supervisor.

7. Example of a User Talk page: Evancol

Writing on another User’s Talk Page

1. To go to a User’s Talk Page, you need the person’s user name.

2. To find a user name, ask the person or go to a page that person edited, and click the History tab at the top. The list will show the user names of those who edited that page.

3. Click on a user name to go to the person’s User Page.

4. On the User Page, click the Talk tab at the top to go to the User’s Talk Page.

5. Once you know a person’s user name, you can find the person’s User Page by typing User: then the user name in the search box, for example, User:Evancol.

6. A link to the User Page will be directly above the results list in the sentence like, “There is a page named “User:Evancol” on this wiki.” The user name will be in blue. Click the blue user name to go to the User Page.

7. When posting to another user, remember that the written word does not always come across like the spoken word does. Be kind.

8. Remember to sign and date any post you make to a Talk Page by typing four tildes ~~~~ (the key next to the 1 key) at the end of what you write.

Additional Help: When posting or using the Talk Pages, or communicating with another user and when in doubt, refer to the Wiki Etiquette page.

Wiki Talk Pages – Other Wiki Pages

You should also monitor the Talk Page of any page you have recently edited in case a contributor posts a question about your edit. To get an e-mail to notify you if someone has placed a comment on a Talk Page of a page you have recently edited, do the following:

1. Go to wiki.familysearch.org

2. Log in using your FamilySearch or Church Account.

3. On the navigation bar on the right side of the page, go to the bottom option, Personal Tools. Click on, My Preferencs.

4. Go down the page and check ““Email me when a page on my watchlist is changed.” Once you have updated a page on the wiki, you will be notified if that Talk Page has been edited.

5. When you are notified someone has written on a Talk page of a page you have edited, you should visit the page to see if that comment pertains to something you have done on the page. If it does, you need to respond, politely, to that comment.

6. If you are unsure as to the proper response, check with your supervisor.

7. Remember to sign and date any post you make to a Talk Page by typing four tildes.

8. When posting or using the Talk Pages, or communicating with another user and when in doubt, refer to the Wiki Etiquette page,

Deleting Content

The Wiki is a community project. As such, we almost never delete content another user has placed on a page. This can alienate valuable contributors and isn’t considered good Wiki etiquette. The exceptions to this rule are:

1. Inappropriate content (content not pertaining to the wiki, e.g., advertising)

2. Content your Wiki project supervisor has specifically told you to remove. Never remove valid content from the wiki on your own. If someone removes the content you have placed on the page, alert your supervisor.

Editing a Page - Summary Box

When editing a page, just above the Save Page button you will see a Summary box. This box is where you add a short description of what you have done so other users will know. For example, if you have added a paragraph to the History section and something to the Church section you might add: Summary: added history/church. It is important that you complete this summary box every time you make an edit to the page.