15,704
edits
FamilySearch Wiki:Talk Page Guidelines: Difference between revisions
FamilySearch Wiki:Talk Page Guidelines (view source)
Revision as of 15:48, 28 November 2014
, 28 November 2014Added footnote, corrected spelling and completed a sentence.
m (→Disputes) |
(Added footnote, corrected spelling and completed a sentence.) |
||
| Line 27: | Line 27: | ||
*<span id="markup" />'''Avoid excessive markup''': Well-reasoned arguments are undermined with the appearance of force through ''Italic text'', '''Bolded text''', and especially CAPITAL LETTERS, which are considered '''''SHOUTING''''', and '''''RANTING!!!!!''''' Italics, however, can be usefully employed for a ''key'' word, to distinguish quoted text from new text and, of course, book titles etc. | *<span id="markup" />'''Avoid excessive markup''': Well-reasoned arguments are undermined with the appearance of force through ''Italic text'', '''Bolded text''', and especially CAPITAL LETTERS, which are considered '''''SHOUTING''''', and '''''RANTING!!!!!''''' Italics, however, can be usefully employed for a ''key'' word, to distinguish quoted text from new text and, of course, book titles etc. | ||
*<span id="concise" />'''Be concise''': If your post is longer than 100 words, consider shortening it. Long, rambling messages are difficult to understand, and are frequently either ignored or misunderstood. If you need to make a detailed, point by point discussion, see [[FamilySearch Wiki:Talk page guidelines#Layout|below]] for how to lay this out. | *<span id="concise" />'''Be concise''': If your post is longer than 100 words, consider shortening it. Long, rambling messages are difficult to understand, and are frequently either ignored or misunderstood. If you need to make a detailed, point by point discussion, see [[FamilySearch Wiki:Talk page guidelines#Layout|below]] for how to lay this out. | ||
*<span id="layout" />'''Keep the layout clear''': Keep the talk page attractively and clearly laid out. Avoid repetition, muddled writing, and unnecessary digressions. Talk pages with a good | *<span id="layout" />'''Keep the layout clear''': Keep the talk page attractively and clearly laid out. Avoid repetition, muddled writing, and unnecessary digressions. Talk pages with a good signal-to-noise ratio<ref>Signal-to-noise ratio is a measure used in science and engineering to quantify how much a signal has been corrupted by noise</ref> are more likely to attract continued participation. See {{wpd|WP:Talk_page_layout}} | ||
*<span />'''Keep discussions focused''': Discussions naturally should finalize by consensus versus | *<span />'''Keep discussions focused''': Discussions naturally should finalize by consensus versus fatigue. | ||
*<span id="archives" />'''{{wpd|WP:RTFA|Read the archives}}''': Many article talk pages contain links to archives, which contain earlier discussions. If you are a new editor to an article, be sure to read them, as they often deal with common content disputes and resolutions to them. You may well find your questions and/or objections have already been answered. | *<span id="archives" />'''{{wpd|WP:RTFA|Read the archives}}''': Many article talk pages contain links to archives, which contain earlier discussions. If you are a new editor to an article, be sure to read them, as they often deal with common content disputes and resolutions to them. You may well find your questions and/or objections have already been answered. | ||
*<span id="english" />'''Use English''': No matter to whom you address a comment, it is preferred that you use English on Talk pages in the English version of the wiki. This is so that comments may be comprehensible to the community at large. If the use of another language is unavoidable, try to also provide a translation of the comments. If you are requested to do so and cannot, you should either find a third party to translate. | *<span id="english" />'''Use English''': No matter to whom you address a comment, it is preferred that you use English on Talk pages in the English version of the wiki. This is so that comments may be comprehensible to the community at large. If the use of another language is unavoidable, try to also provide a translation of the comments. If you are requested to do so and cannot, you should either find a third party to translate or use an internet translator. | ||
*<span id="multi" />'''Centralized discussion:''' Avoid posting the same thread in multiple forums. This fragments discussion of the idea. Instead, start the discussion in one location, and, if needed, advertise that in other locations using a link. If you find a fragmented discussion, it may be desirable to move all posts to one location, and linking to it. Make sure you state clearly in edit summaries and on Talk pages what you have done and why. | *<span id="multi" />'''Centralized discussion:''' Avoid posting the same thread in multiple forums. This fragments discussion of the idea. Instead, start the discussion in one location, and, if needed, advertise that in other locations using a link. If you find a fragmented discussion, it may be desirable to move all posts to one location, and linking to it. Make sure you state clearly in edit summaries and on Talk pages what you have done and why. | ||
*<span id="welcoming" />'''Be welcoming to newcomers:''' People new to wiki may be unfamiliar with policy and conventions. [[FamilySearch Wiki:Be kind to newcomers|Be kind to newcomers]]. If someone does something against custom, [[FamilySearch Wiki:Assume good faith|assume it was an unwitting mistake]]. [[FamilySearch Wiki:Civility and Polite Discourse|Politely]] and gently point out their mistake, reference the relevant policy/guideline/help pages, and suggest a better approach. | *<span id="welcoming" />'''Be welcoming to newcomers:''' People new to wiki may be unfamiliar with policy and conventions. [[FamilySearch Wiki:Be kind to newcomers|Be kind to newcomers]]. If someone does something against custom, [[FamilySearch Wiki:Assume good faith|assume it was an unwitting mistake]]. [[FamilySearch Wiki:Civility and Polite Discourse|Politely]] and gently point out their mistake, reference the relevant policy/guideline/help pages, and suggest a better approach. | ||