Getting Started
Notice: FortWiki is currently in a Lock-Down mode that blocks new account creation. If you want an account that will allow you to create or edit pages please contact John Stanton by email. This lockdown was made necessary by automated spammers trashing random pages.
The very first step in contributing to FortWiki is to create a login and User Account, this a free account (there is no charge for anything in FortWiki). Once you create an account the Edit and Upload options will appear and you will be able to create and edit articles, and upload pictures.
An "article" is a snippet of information about a given topic. Adding to this wiki is generally done by creating a new article and then adding the article to the appropriate categories. For example, an article about John Martin's Station would be categorized in stations.
First, search the site to see if there is already an article on the subject. If you have spelled the name the same way as an existing article, it will bring up that article. If it is similar, you may find the article you are looking for under "title matches" or "page matches". If there is no similar article, then go ahead and create one!
To create a new article on any subject:
- When you search for a term that doesn't exist, you land on "Search results" with "no page title matches". At the top of this page, select the link titled: "create an article with this title".
- That link takes you to a new "edit page" on which you should enter the information (description) that makes up the article. In addition to plain text, you may also:
- Add internal links to other articles that either exist or should exist. Do this by putting a double square bracket around the term. For example, [[John Martin]].
- Add external links to external locations. For example, [http://www.MyWebSite.org My Website]. This will create an external link called "My Website".
- Add category tags. If the article belongs in one or more categories, then add a category tag for each category it belongs to. For example [[Category:People]]. Although these tags can go anywhere in the text, we find that putting them on top makes them easier for everyone to find.
- Add pictures. To add a picture, you must first upload the picture in any standard file format to the site, using the "upload file" link in the "toolbox" area. Once you have done so, you can add the picture to any article by using the command [[File:Example.jpg]]. You can also select the button in the edit area that corresponds to a picture (it's the sixth button from the left).
Note: Capitalization matters throughout the site!
- Poke around, improve the site in any way you see fit and have fun!
