Difference between revisions of "Beginners Guide"

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===or, Create a Title Page from the "Search" Box===
 
===or, Create a Title Page from the "Search" Box===
 
# On the MormonWiki home page, enter the title of your new article exactly as you want it to appear (watch capitalization) in the "Search" box; then click "Go."
 
# On the MormonWiki home page, enter the title of your new article exactly as you want it to appear (watch capitalization) in the "Search" box; then click "Go."
# A page will appear telling you that no article under that title exists. The title will appear in red.
+
# A page will appear telling you that no article under that title exists:
# Click on the title, and proceed to write your article in the edit box that appears.
+
 
 +
:There is no page titled "Your New Title". You can create this page.  
 +
 
 +
# Click on "create this page," which shows up in red.
 +
# Proceed to write your article in the edit box that appears.
 
# You will have to enter the title of your article into the table of contents on the MormonWiki Articles page after you finish your article, following the instructions above.
 
# You will have to enter the title of your article into the table of contents on the MormonWiki Articles page after you finish your article, following the instructions above.
  

Revision as of 12:09, 24 June 2008

This is a guide on how to use MormonWiki.com. You can view and print this guide in PDF format: Quick Reference Card

MORMONWIKI 2007 Quick-Reference

MormonWiki.com is a free collaborative online encyclopedia created to share positive content about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (casually known as The Mormon Church). Volunteers who are faithful members of the Church are welcome to contribute.

CREATE AN ACCOUNT

You just need to log in to MormonWiki to review articles, edit or create them. When you set up an account, you can create new pages for content (as well as a user page), and you can upload images you’ve created or that are in public domain.
  1. In the upper right corner, click on create account. Loglink.jpg
  2. In the dialog box, enter a username and password. You may wish to use a nickname for privacy. Usernames are case sensitive.
  3. Click login. Successful login will appear.
Loginbox.jpg

EDITING AN ARTICLE

Don’t hesitate to edit something if you have something meaningful to add or see something incorrect to delete.
  1. On the left side of the Main Page, you’ll see Navigation Links. Click on MormonWiki Articles.
  2. A page titled MormonWiki Articles appears. From this page, you have several options:
    1. If you wish to see a full list of articles, click on All Pages. “Displaying Pages starting at A” will produce a full list of articles on MormonWiki.
    2. If you wish to browse articles by topic from the MormonWIki Articles page, select and click on one of interest. That brings you to a page list of subtopics.
    3. Select one and click. The article on that topic will appear.
  3. Once an article appears, click on the edit tab at the top of the screen.
  4. You’ll see the text enclosed in a box for editing purposes. You can simply type your changes into the text. If you are planning on making significant changes, you may want to visit any editing notes by clicking on the discussion tab. Those comments may help you know if the reader has deliberately omitted text or asked for further input in specific areas.
  5. After you’ve modified text, summarize your changes. Go to the bottom of the page, check the box for minor edit, if that applies, or write a comment in the dialog box about the kinds of edits you made.
  6. Click Preview to see your work.
  7. Then click Save. Your revised page appears on MormonWiki.
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Formatting Notes

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You’ll notice some special characters and brackets as you edit. These are formatting codes. Some basic codes are included here. For more help, please refer to the Help section on the Main Page:

(pic) Click on the link to Help.

Headings

To create your first heading, just type one equal sign on each side of your text. ==Joseph Smith==

Increase to two equal signs to create a sub-heading. ===Childhood===

Increase to the equal signs to further categorize the subject. ====Interests====

Italics

To italicize text, type two apostrophes on each side of the given text. For example, ''The Ensign'' (with two apostrophes surrounding text) will appear as The Ensign after you save your page.

Ordered Lists

To create a list, just start every line on the list with an asterisk or star. Two stars indicate the next level for your list. For example, if you enter: * Fast once a month * Pay tithing The text will appear in Wiki as:

  • Fast once a month
  • Pay tithing

For additional information, see the Wiki Help Guide.

Adding Links

You can add links to other internal, related MormonWiki articles, to related articles in LDSblogs, or to other websites. Use effective links. 1. To link to another Wiki page, type the name of the page to which you wish to link inside double brackets like this: [[Martyrdom of Joseph Smith]]. 2. To link to an external website, type, in brackets, the URL followed by a space and the name of the link like this: [http://www.ldsblogs.org link name]

CREATING A NEW ARTICLE

Articles should be between 500-700 words. We can add to those afterwards.

Create a Title Page

  1. Go to the MormonWiki Articles page.
  2. Click the edit tab.
  3. Find the ==heading== under which your article would best fit.
  4. Add the name of your article, enclosed in two brackets on each side [[Joseph Smith and the Restoration]].
  5. Click Show Preview at the bottom of the page.
  6. Click Save. Your article will appear in red font under the heading you chose.
Topic red.jpg

or, Create a Title Page from the "Search" Box

  1. On the MormonWiki home page, enter the title of your new article exactly as you want it to appear (watch capitalization) in the "Search" box; then click "Go."
  2. A page will appear telling you that no article under that title exists:
There is no page titled "Your New Title". You can create this page.
  1. Click on "create this page," which shows up in red.
  2. Proceed to write your article in the edit box that appears.
  3. You will have to enter the title of your article into the table of contents on the MormonWiki Articles page after you finish your article, following the instructions above.

Add Content

  1. Click on the red title of your article. A new page will appear.
  2. Write or cut and paste your article from another document.
  3. Click Preview to see your work.
  4. Click Save. Your new page appears on Wiki.

Add References

Use footnotes and endnotes for source material citations. A book citation would follow this format: Hugh Nibley, The Prophetic Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1989), 27.

ARTICLES NEEDED

To assist us in creating the best articles, moving ours up in the search engines above opposing articles about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we call for articles which include these phrases in both title and content:

Mormon doctrine Boyd K. Packer Mormon history
Brigham Young David A. Bednar Mormon cult
Mormon religion Dallin Oaks Mormon temples
Mormon missionary Christianity vs. Mormonism

STYLEGUIDE 2007 Quick-Reference

Article Length

We recommend that new articles range be from approximately 500-700 words. Longer articles are appropriate, but our initial goal is to post as many articles as we can on specific relevant keywords and topics. Once those article stubs are created, others can add appropriate content. Please balance your own content with that of our reliable primary sources.

Focus and Tone

Please consider the fact that our audience includes friends of all faiths, with varying degrees of knowledge about the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For that reason, it’s necessary to define gospel terms in context: Words and phrases such as "covenants," "stake," "ward," "General Conference," "Relief Society," etc. should be clarified within an article.

We welcome a friendly, inviting, dispassionate, professional voice. Articles can be written in newsroom style but not in academic prose. They should be well-documented, well-developed, and accurately referenced. Articles should not in any way be offensive, defensive, or condescending. As writers simply state beliefs clearly, those compelling declarations will speak for themselves.

Name of the Church

The first time the name of the Church appears on a page, it should appear in full with a qualifier as follows: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (casually known as The Mormon Church).

Subsequently, it can be referenced in shorter terms such as, "the Church" or "The Mormon Church."

Church Language

It is standard for writers on this website to use the words Mormon, Mormon Church, Mormon doctrine, and Mormonism as a matter of course. Our visitors know us by those nicknames and descriptors, and will search for us using those keywords. Please remember to include those in your text as appropriate.

Capitalization Reference

For additional references, please refer to the MormonWiki Style Guide.

  • Aaronic Priesthood
  • apostle
  • biblical
  • Bible
  • bishop
  • Bishop Jones
  • Deacon
  • church (generic term)
  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
  • Doctrine and Covenants (no ampersand)
  • elder
  • Elder Jones
  • gospel
  • priesthood
  • Internet
  • Relief Society
  • Sacrament Meeting
  • Sunday School
  • Melchizedek Priesthood
  • Testimony
  • Word of Wisdom
  • Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Names of deity should be capitalized, as follows:

  • Jesus Christ
  • Elohim
  • Jehovah
  • Lamb of God
  • Spirit of God
  • Son of Man
  • Holy Ghost
  • Son of God
  • King of Kings
  • Lord
  • Lord of Lords

Quoting Source Material

All sources must be carefully documented. Credit should be given to external sources when content is quoted directly or indirectly.

Direct quotes shorter than four lines from primary sources should be enclosed in quotation marks and woven into the body of the text. Longer quotations should be offset in a paragraph below the introduction to the quote. No quotation marks are used for a longer quote. Quotes should be referenced appropriately. Proper Citations

The following are examples of properly-formatted citations for periodicals:

Wilford Woodruff "Discourse," Millennial Star 56 (April 1894): 229.

Gordon B. Hinckley, "Daughters of God," Ensign 21 (November 1991): 100.

Elaine H. Pagels, "What Became of God the Mother? Conflicting Images of God in Early Christianity," Signs (Winter 1976): 293-303.

The following are examples of properly-formatted citations for books:

Hugh Nibley, The Prophetic Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1989), 27.

John G. Davies, The Early Christian Church (New York: Anchor Books, 1965) 86.

Jean Danielou, The Lord of History: Reflections on the Inner Meaning of History, translated by N. Abercrombie (Chicago: Henry Regnery, 1958), 1.

W.L. Reed, "Asherah" The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (Nashville: Abingdon, 1982), 1:251.

D.S. Russell, "Apocalyptic Literature," The Oxford Companion to the Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993), 34.

Brigham Young, "True Testimony, Etc." Journal of Discourse, reported by G.D. Watt 6 April 1861, Vol. 9 (London: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 1862), 5.


Thank you for serving as a MormonWiki contributor for the More Good Foundation. Please visit our websites: MoreGoodFoundation.org MormonWiki.com MormonTestimonies.com MormonBeliefs.org LDSForums.com LDSTalk.com LDSBlogs.com