Help:Talk pages
From Terminator Wiki
Every article has a Talk page that you can use to post questions or comments about that page. This is a great way to get more information. Other users check the Recent changes often, and they'll see that you've posted a comment. Each user also has a Talk page -- just click on a user name to post a message to that person.
How to post on Talk pages
1. Click on the Discussion tab.
- To start, just click on the "Discussion" tab at the top of the article.
2. Then click the Edit tab.
- If you're the first person posting on that page, then it'll open an edit window, and you can just start typing. If there's already comments on that page, then just click on the "Edit" tab. Posting on a Talk page is just like editing any other page.
3. Post new headings at the top.
- If there are comments on that page already, and you're starting a new conversation, then post your heading at the top. That way people will see it as soon as they come to the page. To create a new heading, put two equals signs around the text, like this: ==Sample new heading==
4. Write your message.
- Type your message under the heading, just like a regular page. If you're replying to a message, put a : before your reply -- that indents your message, which helps separate posts and replies.
5. Sign your message.
- Typing four tildes in a row ~~~~ automatically adds your signature and a date stamp to your message.
- Check out the FAQ for instructions on how to give yourself a fancy deluxe signature.
6. Add the page to your watchlist.
- You can also click on the "watch" link at the top of the page you've just posted in. This will help you keep track of changes and replies to your post. You have your own watchlist, where you can keep tabs on the pages that you're watching. Also, when you look at the Recent changes, the pages you're watching will show up in bold.
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There is a talk page or discussion page attached to every type of wiki page.
The most commonly used are article and user talk pages. They exist for communicating with other Wikians about articles and improving the wiki. Just click the "discussion" or "talk page" link at the top of any page to find it. This link may be red while the page is empty, and another colour when there is some conversation happening on the page.
Talk page types
User talk pages
Registered contributors have a personal talk page where other users can leave messages. Just click the "discussion/talk page" link at the top of a user page. If someone leaves a new message on your talk page, you will see a bright banner across the top of all other Wikia pages you visit. Click the link in the message (or the userbar link "My talk") to go to your talk page.
There are talk pages for non-logged-in contributors too, but these may not always be useful. As they are linked to IPs, and IPs can change between visits, the messages may not get to the right person. While they are used to try to explain blocking of an IP address and may identify where a user is, they may not be very useful for real communication. This is another good reason to create an account.
Article talk pages
Each page in every namespace has its own talk page which can be used to discuss the contents of the article/policy/help page/etc. Leaving a message here does not create a "new messages" banner in the same way user talk pages do, but anyone with an interest in the page - especially those who see the page on their watchlist or on recent changes - may reply.
Using talk pages
Comments on talk pages can be picked up by Google and other search engines, and are available under a Creative Commons license, so keep that in mind when you write.
It's possible to add a new section to a talk page without opening the whole edit page. Just click the "Leave message" or "+" link at the top of the article, or the "Leave a new message" link at the end of the page.
You will be given spaces to enter a title for your new section, and to enter your comment. You can then save, and the comment will be added as a new section at the bottom of the page. This makes it useful for really large discussion pages.
Some other general guidelines for talk pages:
- Sign your comments by typing "~~~~" (four tildes). This will add your name and a timestamp.
- Add comments to the end of the page.
- When replying to a comment, indent your reply by placing a colon (":") at the beginning of a line.
- Keep your comments polite and friendly. It's always best to be civil, even if things get heated.
Archiving talk pages
If any talk page gets too long, you can create an archive by typing [[/Archive]] (or any other name you like to use) onto the talk page. You can click the new link (preferably in a new window), copy over the older comments, then remove them from the main talk page.
For more detailed advice on this, visit Help:Archiving talk pages.
