1. PREPARE.
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Before you begin, take the time to do the following preparatory tasks:
- Think about how you will use your wiki, what group of users will edit and view it, and the best ways to encourage participation.
- Consult the MediaWiki documentation on the TDL Wiki and the MediaWiki site.
- Consider attending a TDL training session on using MediaWiki or contact your institutional librarian to see if MediaWiki training is offered on your campus.
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2. CLAIM A WIKI.
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Email info@tdl.org with the following information:
- Name of the wiki
- URL slug (a short string of text that will identify your wiki in the web address)
- Name and e-mail address of the wiki’s manager
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3. ADD MAIN PAGE CONTENT.
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- To add or edit content you must first log in to your wiki. (Anyone can view content in the wiki.)
- To begin, you might use the wiki’s main page to:
Describe the wiki’s purpose and scope.
Instruct users in conventions you decide on for editing the wiki (page naming conventions, etc.)
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4. BUILD A CONTENT “SKELETON.”
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- Wikis work through bottom-up content creation. However, creating a basic structure encourages others to fill in the blanks. Blank pages are intimidating and discourage people from contributing.
- Whatever structure you start with will evolve over time, so keep it loose.
- Consult the TDL Wiki documentation for help on adding and editing content and new pages.
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5. ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION.
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- On a regular basis, remind your project group or other audience to visit the wiki and edit its content.
- Recruit user-editors by posting links to the wiki in forums and blog comment sections or by sending emails.
- Especially early on, create “mini-projects” for your users by seeding content on a page or two and asking for specific contributions.
- Review the content regularly to edit out incorrect or inappropriate contributions.
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