QED:Guidelines
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Naming Guidelines
Pages on this website either have unstructured names, such as Dublin Core, or structured names, such as Image:NetMap.JPG or MG/Maps. Here, the prefix Image: signifies that the page resides in a namespace named 'Image', and the prefix MG/ signifies that the page is in a folder named 'MG/'.
In short:
- the ':' character is used to indicate a namespace;
- the '/' character is used to organize pages into folders and subfolders.
Both can be used together, e.g. Course:PHY101/Spring 2006/Syllabus
Since the two characters ':' and '/' have special meanings, it is recommended that, in general, their use for other purposes should be avoided. For example, it would be confusing to name a page Xyzzy:Summary if there is no namespace with the name Xyzzy. For a listing of predefined namespace names, visit the Index page.
The organization of pages within a namespace should be as "flat" as possible. This does not imply that the overall organization needs to be flat. For example, each page can have multiple layers of organization within it. See [1] for details and examples.
See Project:About and Course:About for guidelines regarding these two namespaces in particular.
Style
For the "Main" namespace, the Wikipedia Manual of Style should be used as a guide, except as may be noted here.
Hyperlinks
- As a rule, do not hyperlink the same word or phrase more than once per section or even per page, excluding any "See also" section.
- Avoid constructions in which words or phrases like "press here" are hyperlinked.
Style Guidelines
It is recommended that individual projects explicitly define their own stylistic guidelines on an appropriate Guidelines page, and that such guidelines follow an existing standard such as the Wikipedia Manual of Style.
Before moving or deleting a page
- Would a #REDIRECT suffice instead?
- See Help:Redirect
- To avoid "dead links" check What links here.
- Consider what else can be done to avoid dead links on external pages, e.g.
- notify contributors to the page
Collaboration
Collaboration does not mean stepping on each other's toes. QED helps avoid this by providing a discussion page for every page (except discussion pages).
Divide and Conquer
Divide and conquer often works. At the very least, in any collaborative endeavor, it is generally a good idea to ensure that areas of responsibility are clearly delineated. One approach is to establish "editing rights" in a strictly territorial manner, but that may lead to stylistic choppiness, unnecessary overlap, inconsistencies, and delay. Consider appointing a "Chief Editor" and establishing a protocol so that the editor knows when his or her efforts are most likely to be appreciated. The discussion page can serve as the point of contact between the "owner" of a page and the "Chief Editor".
Three Deep Breaths
If someone does nevertheless change what you write for the worse, please consider whether in the larger scheme of things, the damage is really as bad as it might at first blush seem. The change might even have its merits — perhaps it enhances overall consistency on QED, for example. If you have the time, consider recording your sentiments on the User: page of the person in question before reverting the change. If that is not an option, consider other ways to avoid an "edit war". Flattery perhaps?
Vandalism and All That
QED has no "anonymous editors" and every modification is tracked, and so overt vandalism is unlikely, but vandalism will probably occur in one of its many forms, especially if someone somehow obtains someone else's userid and password combination.
So, tedious though it may be, a few points about vandalism and its kin should be made:
- If your password is compromised, please change it.
- Reversion of vandalism is very easy on QED so contributors need not worry about their work being lost due to vandalism (unless it is their own).
- Vandalism in any form will not be tolerated. Logins and IP addresses will be blocked if necessary.
- QED administrators reserve the right to remove or modify any content on QED, including content in the User: namespace.
