Frequently Asked Questions about Saintapedia

This page provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Saintapedia.

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Top questions

What should I do if I forgot my username or password?

Main page: Help:Username#Forgotten Username or Password

If you need to reset your password, simply go to the login page by clicking on Login in the upper right corner of the web page. Once you are on the login screen page, simply type in your username and press the "E-mail new password" button. A new temporary password will be mailed to your email account.

What makes a wiki different than a website?

Website	Wiki
One-side way sharing of information with a limited set of editors	Readers are encouraged to work on creating articles/pages as a group - Collaborative effort to add information of long term value Because we trust our editors, any page can be changed by any editor There are accountability features to check this power
Often structured around organizations	Structured around topics
Content found by following navigation menus with tree format with breadcrumbs	Content organized by topic Content found using search, following links from related Saintapedia articles, navboxes (navigation boxes), Infoboxes, and Categories Content Portals (with many in development)
Emphasis is often on graphics and layout	Emphasis is on text content with the ability to add images, videos (including from YouTube), interactive maps, and Twitter content (Twitter feeds and individual Tweets)
Few links	Many links

How do I create a new page?

Main page: Help:Creating a page

Creating a new page is very easy. There are three main methods that are used for creating a new article in Saintapedia, as described below:

If you desire to slowly build the page or gain consensus before creating a page, you can draft pages in your account's sandbox and then publish your draft.

Method 1

Cargo form

Method 2

1. Type the name of the article you wish to create into the Search box. A list of articles matching your article title will appear. If the article already exists, you can selected it and you will be brought to the article. We are using "NEW ARTICLE TITLE" as a placeholder for your new article title in the instructions.
2. If the article does not exist, hit ↵ Enter and you will be brought to the search page.
3. At the top it will read "Create the page "NEW ARTICLE TITLE" on this wiki!"
4. Click on the Red link NEW ARTICLE TITLE (your new article's title).
5. Create the article's content and click the Save page button to save the article.

Method 3

1. Edit an existing article by clicking the Edit tab at the top of the page.
2. Type the title of your new page in a relevant location on the existing page.
3. Make the title of your new page a link.
   1. When using VisualEditor, see Help:Visual editor#Internal links on how to make your article's title an internal link.
   2. When using Enhanded editor, place two square brackets around the title of your new article and save the page. For example, if your article is titled, "My Article", type [[My Article]].
4. This creates a red link to your new article. If the article exists, the link will be blue. If it does not exist, it will be a red link.
5. If the link is red, click the link to create the page. You will be directed to the article creation page described in Method 3.
6. If the link is blue, click the link to check and make sure that the existing article contains all the information you require for your article. If information is missing, you can edit the article by clicking the Edit tab at the top of the page.
7. Click Save page to save the article.

How do I draft pages (new or modifying existing pages)?

See Sandbox#Drafting pages in a sandbox for more information.

Who owns the contents of an article?

No one owns any article in the main section of Saintapedia. Since any editor may be able to improve the contents of a page (fixing grammar and formatting, adding links, updating and correcting content, and adding new information), every editor is encouraged to change articles themselves whenever they see a way it can be improved. This is also important as those who, at one point, may have frequently edited an article may leave their position or have their duties changed. Please remember to try to add information that has long term value.

What are the basic concepts I should know about Saintapedia?

1. Saintapedia is organized by topic. The easiest way to find information on a topic is through searching or by following a link from a related topic article.
2. Saintapedia articles, as much as possible, should link to related Saintapedia articles.
3. No one owns any article in Saintapedia. Since any editor can improve the contents of a page (fixing grammar, adding a link, etc.), every editor is encouraged to change articles when they see a way it can be improved.
4. Every edit is tied to an individual editor.
5. Every version of every article can be seen in the Article history. The Watchlist and Email reminders can also help you keep on top of content updates.
6. Any change can be un-done by any editor.
7. Be Bold in editing! - Since there is a complete version history and it is easy to revert to previous versions, the wiki cannot really be damaged by any editor.
8. Articles are never finished because the Department is continually evolving and changing.

What do I do if I see something wrong on Saintapedia?

If you see something wrong and you know the correct information, please click on "Edit" (for VisualEditor) or "Edit source" (for Enhanced editor) to improve the article yourself. This is the preferred approach on Saintapedia and is the reason the wiki is a collaboration space.

If you do not feel comfortable making the change yourself,

• Leave a comment on the article’s discussion page. Every article on Saintapedia has its own discussion page. Every editor who has the article on their watchlist (including most everyone who has edited the page recently), will receive an email notifying them that you have left a comment on the discussion page.
• Click on the history tab to find an editor who has recently made a substantive change to the page so you can let them know what you see that should be updated. Click on their user name to be brought to their user page to find a way to reach them. If they have not listed any contact information on their user page, you can still find their email address so you can contact that person directly. Or go to their discussion page and leave a request there.

Are there anonymous posts?

Categorically no.

All edits are attributable to authorized user ids. See Getting Started.

Content approval process

Is there an approval process to adding or updating content on Saintapedia?

There is no approval process to adding or updating content on Saintapedia. Saintapedia editors are encouraged to add what they know to topics, independent of traditional website approval process, and should be bold when updating the wiki. There are a number of reasons for this mentality:

• Any editor can edit any article on Saintapedia
• No one owns the contents of any article and No one can control who can edit an article were policies established to prevent this line of thinking
• Saintapedia is intended to pull information out of silos that are often created by organizations

How do I draft pages in a sandbox?

Main page: Help:Sandbox#Drafting pages in a sandbox

Sandboxes are a way for editors to draft new articles without others making changes to them or to draft changes to a page without applying those changes right away. This is often done to allow:

• Others to review them before being shown to the rest of community
• Make changes based on that feedback
• Work on the article over a longer period of time

Draft new page

• Determine where to create it
  • If you do not have a sandbox, follow the steps above to create your own sandbox.
    • If you use Enhanced editor when creating the page
  • If you already have a sandbox and do not need its contents, delete everything on it and save the page. Using Enhanced editor makes it easy to ensure you get everything.
• Start writing the article. Visual editor is recommended for most editing.

Creating a copy of a page

1. Open the page to be copied with Enhanced editor
2. Copy all the contents in the Text input box
3. Open the your sandbox using Enhanced editor (maybe in a new tab)
4. Paste the the contents in the Text input box
5. Save your sandbox (ideally with an Edit summary)

Publishing your draft

When you have finished developing your draft and are ready to publish, there are two paths depending on if you are:

1. Updating existing page
2. Creating a new page

Updating existing page

To use the changes you have developed in your sandbox to update an existing page, you will reverse the steps used to creating a copy of a page

1. Open your sandbox with Enhanced editor
2. Copy all the contents in the Text input box
3. Open the page you want to update using Enhanced editor (maybe in a new tab)
4. Paste the the contents in the Text input box
5. Save the page being updated (ideally with an Edit summary)

Creating a new page

There are two ways to move a page you developed in your sandbox into an article.

Copy

1. Edit your sandbox
2. Copy the entire contents
3. Paste the contents to
   • a new page or
   • an existing page (if doing an overhaul of the page/article)

Rename and break redirect

1. Rename the page with an appropriate title (see Naming conventions)
2. Break the redirect that points your sandbox to the new article, thus allowing you to use your sandbox for other projects

Updating existing page

To use the changes you have developed in your sandbox to update an existing page, you will reverse the steps used to creating a copy of a page

1. Open your sandbox with Enhanced editor
2. Copy all the contents in the Text input box
3. Open the page you want to update using Enhanced editor (maybe in a new tab)
4. Paste the the contents in the Text input box
5. Save the page being updated (ideally with an Edit summary)

Creating a new page

There are two ways to move a page you developed in your sandbox into an article.

Copy

1. Edit your sandbox
2. Copy the entire contents
3. Paste the contents to
   • a new page or
   • an existing page (if doing an overhaul of the page/article)

Rename and break redirect

1. Rename the page with an appropriate title (see Naming conventions)
2. Break the redirect that points your sandbox to the new article, thus allowing you to use your sandbox for other projects

Copy

1. Edit your sandbox
2. Copy the entire contents
3. Paste the contents to
   • a new page or
   • an existing page (if doing an overhaul of the page/article)

Rename and break redirect

1. Rename the page with an appropriate title (see Naming conventions)
2. Break the redirect that points your sandbox to the new article, thus allowing you to use your sandbox for other projects

Searching Saintapedia

How is Saintapedia's Search different than a search engine?

The Search window searches for page titles that begin with the text you entered. If no page exists with the text you enter, it will go to a more traditional search result page. You can get to that search results page directly by clicking on the magnifying glass icon to the right of the search box. See more at Help:Search.

Does Saintapedia have an an advanced search feature?

Yes, click the magnifying glass the right side of the search box in the upper right corner of each Saintapedia page, or go to Special:Search. The advanced search also allows you to select which areas of the wiki are searched, such as the help, file, and main article sections.

Other advanced search options are described at Help:Search#Advanced search options.

Note that Saintapedia's search cannot find text inside files on Saintapedia, which is why having descriptive file names and good file summaries for files uploaded to Saintapedia is important.

Editing Saintapedia

How do I rename a page?

Main page: Help:Renaming

• Make sure you are signed into Saintapedia
• Go to the article you wish to rename
• Hover your cursor over the down arrow next to the search box
• Select Move
  
• Give the article its new name in the new title field
  
• Add the reason why you are renaming the article
• Click Move page
• Please see the final cleanup section below.

A redirect will be created pointing anyone who goes to the previous URL to the new URL for the page.

Is there a standard page design?

By convention, we strive to keep a fairly consistent look to articles and it is not appropriate to try and force Saintapedia to look like a complex website/page. There are Boilerplate templates that can be loaded, when creating a new page, to give you an outline or you could follow the basic page structure below:

• An opening summary about the topic called a Lead section. This is typically one or two paragraphs and doesn’t have a section head preceding it. As the page grows, this information will remain above the table of contents.
  • Infoboxes or images typically go on the right side of the page at this location.
• One or more sections about the major themes of the topic
• A series of sections at the bottom
  • Related (Saintapedia articles)
  • External links
  • References
  • Navigation templates at the bottom as connective tissue to many related topics.

This is only a guideline. You should feel free to explore other options but please be open to dialog if someone questions that structure. When building out a page or series of pages the biggest pieces of an effective strategy are:

1. Work topically. Put information on topical pages and connect those pages together. Again, see the Classified and Controlled Information page and the “navigation template” at the bottom. Click through to some of those pages. See Three Core Principles
2. Keep your pages as simple as possible to help ensure it is easy for people to help keep the information current. See: Saintapedia:Keep it simple.
3. “Wikify, wikify, wikify”: Look for key nouns in your narrative and make them links so people can learn more about that topic.
4. The Best example pages has a list of pages that illustrate best practices in using the tools available to you.

Why create a Saintapedia article on a topic?

Some of the advantages of creating an article on Saintapedia include:

• Helps people find information quicker and easier, even if it may exist on another site
• Create a way to bring together various sources of information in one central location
• Allow the subject of the article to be linked throughout the wiki using an internal link
• Add information that would be useful to their future self, such as a reminder of how to do a certain task on anwhich often is helpful to other attempting to do the same task
• Keep record of information after the original source is no longer available, such as biography of past senior officials (ideally shortly before that happens as to not require content to be updated in multiple locations)

How can I keep my content together?

There are various ways in Saintapedia to do this:

• Navigation boxes should be used for the 20-35 most important pages. When you want to add another page or link to a navbox, just click the little e in the top left corner of the navbox. The v stands for view the template. the d stands for discuss the template and the e stands for edit the template.
• Categories are good for huge bundles of pages.
• Info boxes should be used for a limited set of pages
• Help:Portals serve as landing pages for specific broad subjects.

Can I control who can edit a page?

No. All pages in Saintapedia can be edited by anyone with an confirmed account. The accountability features, such as the ability to undo any change, generally led to other editors to only make changes that improve the page. The primary objective of a wiki is to create a living repository of information that anyone can update through attributable edits (see Social enterprise for more context). There are numerous processes available to users to follow, watch and manage edits to pages including:

1. Recent Changes shows a reverse chronological list of every edit on Saintapedia
2. "Watching" pages allows users the ability to easily see which pages have recently changed (this is called your Watchlist) and, if the user so desires, get an email notification of the change. See below for more information about watching pages.
3. Reverting is an easy process of using the history page of an article to return an article to a previous state.
4. Data spill - In the rare case where something is added that must be excised from the database and not just moved to the history, a "Data Spill" process exists to facilitate the removal of that information completely from the database.

Caveat: Some pages within the wiki are "protected" and can only be edited by a small group of superusers. There is no way to lock individual pages and provide edit control to a dynamic list of editors just for that page.

How do I lock a page so other people can't edit it?

Main article: Watchlist

Saintapedia does not allow locking of pages except in very rare circumstances. All editors are encouraged to add what they know to the subjects for which they have information. It is precisely that collaboration that makes Saintapedia such a powerful tool. To assist you, Saintapedia allows you to monitor the changes to the page adding those pages to your watchlist. Any time a page in your watchlist changes, if you have your email preferences enabled (See this page for help in setting these preferences), Saintapedia will email you of the change. Since every edit that is made to Saintapedia is tied to a specific person, you know exactly who made the change and should contact them directly to discuss the change or open the discussion to the entire Saintapedia community by using the article's talk page. If all else fails, every edit to Saintapedia can be undone in the article history.

Why should I link to another Saintapedia article rather than an external website?

While Saintapedia articles should strive not to duplicate content that is available somewhere else. Saintapedia offers editors the opportunity to add and link to much more information than could be placed on a website. This can include historical information no longer publicly available, information for internal audiences only, etc. It is also an unique place information can be gathered from various organizations.

When should I add a link to another Saintapedia article?

If you're trying to decide whether to add an internal link or not, think:

"If someone unfamiliar with the subject was reading the article, would a link to more information on a noun help them better understand the article?"

Showing wikitext

How do you show the wikitext, such as the brackets in [[Example]], from parsing in the Wiki so they will be visible on the displayed page?

To do that, wrap the text in nowiki tags. Add <nowiki> before the wikitext you wish to display and </nowiki> after it. For example, <nowiki>[[example]]</nowiki>.

Why should there be an article about my church?

TBD

Using Saintapedia

What does it mean to "Watch" a page?

Main page: Help:Watchlist

"Watching" a page allows a user of Saintapedia to easily see which of the pages they are most interested in have recently changed (this is called your Watchlist). You will get an email notification any time a change is made to the page. See below for more information about watching pages.

How to "Watch" a page

Watching a page is really simple.

1. Login to Saintapedia
2. Go to the page you want to watch
3. Click the star next to search box in the upper right corner. When the star is blue, the page is on your watch list. (Note: Users who registered with Saintapedia before 18 December, 2010 may have an older interface. If your search bar is not in the upper right hand corner, please see below.)
4. You can view a reverse chronological list of changes to all of the pages you are watching by clicking the my watchlist link above the search box.
5. You will get an email notification any time a change is made to the page.

Saintapedia

Is the History and usage of Saintapedia Captured somewhere?

The Saintapedia, Saintapedia history, State of Saintapedia, and Saintapedia:Statistics are all good sources of information on the history and usage of Saintapedia.

What is meant by long term value?

Content being added to the wiki should, as much as possible, be of long-term value. This means that, if it is not changed in 5 years after your edit, the information will still be useful (stand the test of time).

See Content management#Evergreen content for more information.

My search bar isn't in the upper right corner

Saintapedia uses a technique called "skins" to offer different options for the look and feel of the software.

Can I post copyrighted material on Saintapedia?

For questions about posting copyrighted material on Saintapedia, see the Copyrighted material on Saintapedia

Saintapedia tips

I forgot my username or password

No problem. Instructions on resetting your password can be found here.

What are the curly braces {{ }} in the edit window?

The curly braces represent Templates. Templates allow information to be written once and displayed many times and they also help hide complexity. The curly braces tell Saintapedia to look for a page at Template:<term within the braces> and display it here.

Can Saintapedia email you when a page changes?

Yes. See Help:Watchlist for instructions. The basics are:

1. Add the page to your watchlist by clicking the star next to the search box in upper right corner. When it is blue, the page is on your watchlist.
2. Make sure the preference "E-mail me when a page on my watchlist is changed" is selected in your preferences

Creating a user page

Creating a user page helps you to connect with other Saintapedia users and puts you one click away from your favorite Saintapedia articles and tools. To get started, go to your user page, select the "Basic user page" template from the drop down list at the top of your user page, and click "Load." After adding your information, click on the "Save page" button at the bottom of the page.

One Liners

• The search box will provide you suggestions of Saintapedia topic pages as you type. Clicking on the magnifying glass will bring you to a search page with more options.
• Add a page to your Watchlist and changing a User Preferences will allow you to receive an email every time that page is changed.
• The Cheat sheet is a good resource for those just getting started editing.
• Do you have a question? Have you checked the Help page?
• Do you know the Basic Wiki Skills?
• Do you know every page on Saintapedia has a place solely dedicated to discussing the content of the page called a Talk page?
• You do not need a Saintapedia account to view the information on Saintapedia.
• After creating your account, you can experiment with editing by creating your user page. Whenever you are creating a new page, including your user page, you can select a page template (such as "New user page" template) to make creating the page easier.

Related

• TBD