Difference between revisions of "Help:Contents"

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This page provides a general description of OutHistory and serves as a contents page for more specific help topics.
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'''A Note about Help'''
  
== How does OutHistory Work? ==
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The principle of transparency of operation, under which OutHistory.org functions, means that as much "how to" info as possible should be detailed here in the Help section.  If a user forgets how to do something, or wants to learn how to do something for the first time, clear information should be provided here. Knowledge of the site's operation should be independent of any particular person.
  
OutHistory is a wiki, which means that it runs on a software which allows users to create, edit, and link pages easily. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites. Any user can discuss articles posted on OutHistory, even without creating an account. Only users who have signed up (created an account) can create and edit articles and upload photographs and other media. The goal of OutHistory's staff is to collaborate with such contributors in order to bring articles to a high degree of consistency and accuracy.
 
  
In addition, OutHistory staff have solicited contributions from eminent scholars in the field. Each user's contribution is identified in the history of the article. However, since OutHistory staff usually posts articles contributed by scholars, the name of the contributor is given in the article itself. Scholarly contributions are protected from edits and usually, but not exclusively, only the staff can edit those articles.
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==Help Contents in Alphabetical Order==
  
== Discussing, Editing Articles and Uploading Files ==
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===[[Help:Administer OutHistory.org|Adminster OutHistory.org]]===
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:see also: [[Help:Arbitration Committee|Arbitration Committee]]
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:see also: [[Help:Bureaucrats|Bureaucrats]]
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:see also: [[Help:Stewards|Stewards]]
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:see also: [[Help:User Management|User Management]]
  
To discuss an article, click on the "discuss" link above the article. You may or may not be signed in to discuss articles.
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===[[Help:Arbitration Committee|Arbitration Committee]]===
  
To Edit an article, click on the "edit" link above the article. You must be signed in to edit an article. If an article is protected, you will only be able to see the source of the article but not edit it.
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===[[Help:Audio uploads|Audio Uploads]]===
  
You must be signed in to to upload images and other media. To upload files, click on the "upload file" link near the bottom of the sidebar.
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===[[Help:Block Formatting|Block Formatting]]===
  
== Create a New Entry ==
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===[[Help:Bureaucrats|Bureaucrats]]===
[Jonathan's version of "Creating New Articles" adapted from Wikipedia]
 
  
To create a new article or timeline entry: in the "Search" box in the red column on the left, type the title of your article.
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===[[Help:Categories|Categories/Categorizing]]===
  
Then click Search.
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===[[Help:Citations|Citations]]===
  
If the Search page reports "No page with that title exists" then click the red "Create the page" link to start editing your article.
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===[[Help:Comments|Comments]]===
  
The very first thing you should write in your article is a list of the source(s) for your information. For now, just enter them like this (and they will automatically turn into links):
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===[[Help:Contact OutHistory.org|Contact OutHistory.org]]===
  
(1) http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/books/12vonnegut.html
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===Contents===
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:see [[Help:Table of Contents|Table of Contents (TOC)]]
  
(2) http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/space/space_shuttle.html
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===Color Formatting===
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:see [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wiki_color_formatting_help MediaWiki Color Formatting Help]
  
Later, you'll learn how to format them to appear as footnotes.
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===[[Help:Controversial Entry|Controversial  Entry]]===
  
If you know that it will take you a few edits to properly list references, put the template {{underconstruction}} on top of the page to signify to other editors that you are working on it, so they don't tag it for deletion yet.
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===[[Help:Create an Open Entry|Create an Open Entry]]===
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:see also: Format
  
Even better is to create your article in a subpage of your user page, take as long as you need to make it a good article, then move it to the main article space.
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===[[Help:Create a Protected Entry by a Named Author| Create a Protected Entry by a Named Author]]===
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:see also: Format
  
After you have entered your article, click Show preview to check for errors, then click Save page.
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===[[Help:Delete Comments|Delete Comments]]===
  
== Creating New Articles ==
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===[[Help:Default Sorting|Default Sorting]]===
  
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===[[Help:Diacritical Marks|Diacritical Marks]]===
  
There are two ways of creating new articles.
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===[[Help:Discuss|Discuss]]===
  
First is by clicking on wiki links on an existing page. Links between articles on OutHistory are blue except for links which lead to a non-existing articles. Links to articles which don't exist yet are red. It's a good idea to make links to articles which don't exists yet because red link is an indication to other users that such article is expected and should be written.
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===[[Help:Greybox|Greybox]]===
  
You can also create articles directly by typing a URL in your browser's address bar. If the article title has multiple words, you can use either spaces or underscores to separate words. You will notice that spaces in article titles are turned into underscores automatically. E.g. Type "outhistory.com/John Smith". However, refrain from using any other special characters in article titles. Typig a direct URL will take you to a non-existing template page which will allow you to edit it into an article. If article by the same title already exists, that article will be shown.
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===[[Help:Edit|Edit]]===
  
It's recommended that you create new articles from existing links instead of directly. The advantage of doing so is two-fold. Firstly, it's a good indicator from other users that those particular articles are sought for. Secondly, such practice ensures that new articles are linked into the web and that readers of OutHistory actually can actually find them. If a new article is created from a direct link but exists in isolation, e.g. is not linked to from any other article, users may not be aware that it even exists. Interlinking of wiki links is what makes the entire website work.
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===[[Help:Footnotes|Footnotes]]===
  
== How to Edit? ==
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===[[Help:Format Article Publication Entry|Format Article Publication Entry]]===
  
To find out about the mechanics of editing articles, i.e. how to link to other pages, how to make text bold or italic, how to write headlines, put images into a page, align text and image, and etc., see [[Help:Editing|editing help]].
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===[[Help:Format Audio Recording Entry|Format Audio Recording Entry]]===
  
== Other Topics ==
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===[[Help:Format Book Publication|Format Book Publication Entry]]===
  
* [[Help:Editing|Editing]]
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===[[Help:Format Film/Video Entry|Format Film/Video Entry]]===
* [[Help:Table of Contents|Table of Contents (TOC)]]
 
* [[Help:Redirect|Redirects]]
 
* [[Help:Templates|Templates]]
 
* [[Help:Namespace|Namespaces]]
 
* [[Help:User Management|User Management]]
 
* [[Help:Categories|Categories]]
 
* [[Help:Footnotes|Footnotes]]
 
* [[Help:Citations|Citations]]
 
  
[[Category:Help Pages]]
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===[[Help:Format Open, Collaborative Entry|Format Open, Collaborative Entry]]===
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===[[Help:Format Protected Entry by Named Creator|Format Protected Entry by Named Creator]]===
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===[[Help:How Does OutHistory.org Work?|How Does OutHistory.org Work?]]===
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===[[Help:Images|Images]]===
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===[[Help:Indent|Indent]]===
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===[[Help:Infobox|Infobox]]===
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===[[Help:Links|Links]]===
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===[[Help:Namespace|Namespaces]]===
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===[[Help:Networking|Networking]]===
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===[[Help:nowiki code|Nowiki code]]===
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===[[Help:Page|Page]]===
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===[[Help:Paragraph Spacing|Paragraph Spacing]]===
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===[[Help:Participate|Participate]]===
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===[[Help:Photograph Uploads]]===
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===[[Help:Redirect|Redirect]]===
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===[[Help:Resizing Photos|Resizing Photos]]===
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===[[Help:Rotator|Rotator]]===
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===[[Help:Scanning|Scanning]]===
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===[[Help:Searching|Searching]]===
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===[[Help:Site Notice on Top of Page]]===
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===[[Help:Sorting|Sorting]]===
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===[[Help:Spacing|Spacing]]===
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===[[Help:Spam|Spam]]===
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===[[Help:Stubbs|Stubs]]===
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===[[Help:Stewards|Stewards]]===
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===[[Help:Synopses|Synopses]]===
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===[[Help:System Operation (Sysop)|System Operation (Sysop)]]===
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===[[Help:Table|Table]]===
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===[[Help:Table of Contents|Table of Contents (TOC)]]===
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===[[Help:Templates|Templates]]===
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===[[Help:Text Uploads|Text uploads]]===
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===[[Help:Time Era Search|Time Era Search]]===
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===[[Help:Timeline Search|Timeline Search]]===
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===[[Help:Titles|Titles]]===
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===[[Help:Uploading Files|Uploading Files]]===
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===[[Help:User Management|User Management]]===
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:see also: [[Help:Administer OutHistory.org|Adminster OutHistory.org]]
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===[[Help:Video Uploads|Video Uploads]]===
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===[[What Links Here]]===
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===[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents Wikipedia:Help Contents]===
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===[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Help_desk#adding_spaces_between_letters.3F Wikipedia:Help Desk]===
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===[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents/Editing_Wikipedia Wikipedia:Help Editing]===
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{{Protected}}
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[[Category:Help Pages]]  
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__NOTOC__
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<comments />

Latest revision as of 20:07, 26 June 2011

A Note about Help

The principle of transparency of operation, under which OutHistory.org functions, means that as much "how to" info as possible should be detailed here in the Help section. If a user forgets how to do something, or wants to learn how to do something for the first time, clear information should be provided here. Knowledge of the site's operation should be independent of any particular person.


Help Contents in Alphabetical Order

Adminster OutHistory.org

see also: Arbitration Committee
see also: Bureaucrats
see also: Stewards
see also: User Management

Arbitration Committee

Audio Uploads

Block Formatting

Bureaucrats

Categories/Categorizing

Citations

Comments

Contact OutHistory.org

Contents

see Table of Contents (TOC)

Color Formatting

see MediaWiki Color Formatting Help

Controversial Entry

Create an Open Entry

see also: Format

Create a Protected Entry by a Named Author

see also: Format

Delete Comments

Default Sorting

Diacritical Marks

Discuss

Greybox

Edit

Footnotes

Format Article Publication Entry

Format Audio Recording Entry

Format Book Publication Entry

Format Film/Video Entry

Format Open, Collaborative Entry

Format Protected Entry by Named Creator

How Does OutHistory.org Work?

Images

Indent

Infobox

Links

Namespaces

Networking

Nowiki code

Page

Paragraph Spacing

Participate

Help:Photograph Uploads

Redirect

Resizing Photos

Rotator

Scanning

Searching

Help:Site Notice on Top of Page

Sorting

Spacing

Spam

Stubs

Stewards

Synopses

System Operation (Sysop)

Table

Table of Contents (TOC)

Templates

Text uploads

Time Era Search

Timeline Search

Titles

Uploading Files

User Management

see also: Adminster OutHistory.org

Video Uploads

What Links Here

Wikipedia:Help Contents

Wikipedia:Help Desk

Wikipedia:Help Editing

PROTECTED ENTRY: This entry by a named creator or site administrator can be changed only by that creator and site administrators, so they are responsible for its accuracy, coverage, evidence, and clarity. Please do use this entry's Comment section at the bottom of the page to suggest improvements. Thanks.


<comments />