http://www.cacheopedia.com/w/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Lunaverse&feedformat=atom
Cacheopedia - User contributions [en]
2013-05-18T06:01:29Z
User contributions
MediaWiki 1.20.2
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/User_talk:Sept1c_tank
User talk:Sept1c tank
2005-06-04T01:20:48Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>Hi Sep! Yeah, there was an article on Wikipedia in Time I recently read. Apparently the Wikipedia founder gets that ALL the time. Several emails a day about it. Yikes!<br />
<br />
[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 21:20, 3 Jun 2005 (EDT)</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Cacheopedia:Village_Pump
Cacheopedia:Village Pump
2005-05-27T13:36:44Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>General discussion goes here. Start new topics with a separator line (<nowiki>----</nowiki>) and comments to a topic should be indented by using one colon (:) per indent at the beginning of each line. Sign and timestamp your posts with the spiffy "4 tildas" (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>). Enjoy!<br />
<br />
----<br />
[[User:CoyoteRed|CoyoteRed]] has asked, and I have answered.<br />
<br />
[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 15:10, 25 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:This is a sample reply, but it's to myself.<br />
<br />
:[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 15:10, 25 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
<br />
So you have to go to "edit" to add a post? I don't think I'm doing this correctly. [[User:Tabulator32|Tabulator32]] 07:04, 27 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:Yep, that's it! It's like a talk page, only there's no + sign next to the edit button for more easily adding a post. But this is how they do it on [[Wikipedia]]. I'm just copying them.<br />
<br />
:[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 09:36, 27 May 2005 (EDT)</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Talk:Getting_started
Talk:Getting started
2005-05-26T18:09:21Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>Edited for grammar and punctuation; I hope you don't mind.<br />
<br />
Editing is welcome, thanks! That's what a wiki is all about. :)<br />
<br />
Please feel free to create a username, so that your edits are credited to you.<br />
<br />
[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 14:09, 26 May 2005 (EDT)</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Page_name
Help:Page name
2005-05-25T20:41:01Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Restrictions==<br />
<br />
===Special characters===<br />
<br />
The following characters are not allowed in page titles:<br />
<br />
" # $ * + < > = @ [ ] \ ^ ` { } | ~<br />
<br />
The reasons include:<br />
<br />
:* '''+''' is used in web addresses to represent a space (e.g. when you type more than one word into a search engine). Using it in article names would potentially make parts of the system see their name wrong. Each '''+''' will be substituted by ' ' (space) respectively '_' (underscore) in the related page URL, see below.<br />
:* '''@''' also has a special meaning in URLs, as a way of adding a username and password, and would have even more drastic consequences.<br />
:* '''[''', ''']''', '''{''', '''}''', '''|''', and probably some of the others have special meaning within Wikipedia's syntax, which are processed ''before'' the pagename is determined. (e.g. <nowiki>[[{{CURRENTYEAR}}]]</nowiki> points at [[{{CURRENTYEAR}}]], not a page called ''<nowiki>{{CURRENTYEAR}}</nowiki>''.<br />
:* '''$''', '''\''', '''"''', '''`''' (and some others) have special meaning in other bits of the software, and allowing them would create potential security flaws which would take a lot of effort to insure against.<br />
<br />
There are some pages not satisfying the restrictions, e.g. $. They may give complications.<br />
<br />
Some very special characters can only be represented using [[Wikipedia:Unicode|Unicode]], whereas the English Mediawiki just uses [[Wikipedia:ISO 8859-1|ISO 8859-1]] or similar.<br />
<br />
==Spaces vs. underscores==<br />
<br />
In '''page names''', a blank space is equivalent with an underscore. A blank space is displayed in the large font title at the top of the page, the URLs show an underscore. See also below.<br />
<br />
==Case-sensitivity==<br />
<br />
Article names are case-sensitive (except for the first letter of the article name), so keep this in mind. [[Geocaching on a budget]] is NOT the same as [[Geocaching on a Budget]]. There is a high risk of ambiguity on this site, so you can help by creating any [[Help:Redirects|redirects]] using any cases you believe are likely to be linked to either while you create the article, or when you notice this happening with existing articles.<br />
<br />
===Case-sensitivity of the first character===<br />
<br />
The first character of the page name may or may not be case-sensitive, depending on the project. <nowiki>[[Help:page name]]</nowiki> gives on this project: [[Help:page name]]. If the first character of the page name is case-sensitive this is a link (to a different page), otherwise it is bold (a [[help:self link|self link]] to this page).<br />
<br />
====Case where the first character is case-insensitive====<br />
<br />
The canonical form is with a capital.<br />
A link like <nowiki>[[template]]</nowiki> works like a [[piped link]] <nowiki>[[Template|template]]</nowiki>: [[template]]; unlike a redirect, the conversion shows up already on the referring page when pointing at it: in the pop-up and in the status bar (if applicable for the browser).<br />
<br />
Note that in the case of a prefix that is not a namespace for the software, the case-insensitivity applies to the first character of the whole name, e.g. [[m:MediaWiki User's Guide: Using tables|MediaWiki User's Guide: Using tables]] and [[m:MediaWiki User's Guide: using tables|MediaWiki User's Guide: using tables]] are distinguished.<br />
<br />
===Case-sensitivity of the file name extension of an image===<br />
<br />
Note that even the file name extension of an image is case-sensitive: compare [[:image:Stop_sign_us.jpg]] and [[:image:Stop_sign_us.JPG]]<br />
<br />
===Namespace prefixes===<br />
<br />
A [[Help:namespace|namespace]] is a special [[Mediawiki]] convention, such as "Help:Article name" or "Talk:Article name".<br />
<br />
So the first part of a page name may not coincide with [[m:MediaWiki User's Guide: Namespaces#Automatic_conversions_of_page_names|a project-independent namespace prefix that is automatically converted to another one]], e.g. the name [[Project: A-Kon]] on Cacheopedia is not possible.<br />
<br />
The first part of a page name can coincide with a namespace prefix that is not converted. For example, there might be articles in the English Cacheopedia about books called ''[[Help: It's Just a Game]]'' and ''[[Talk: Secrets are Bad]]'' (but only without the space after the colon). However, in that case the pages are in the wrong namespace. This may be inconvenient in searching or displaying a list of pages. Also, in the second case there is no link to a Talk page about the book.<br />
<br />
===Prefixes referring to other projects or pseudo-namespaces===<br />
<br />
A page name can not start with a prefix that is in use to refer to another project or one of the pseudo-namespaces "Media:" and "Special".<br />
<br />
==Ignored spaces/underscores==<br />
<br />
Spaces/underscores which are ignored:<br />
*those at the start and end of a full page name <br />
*those at the end of a namespace prefix, before the colon<br />
*those after the colon of the namespace prefix<br />
*duplicate consecutive spaces<br />
<br />
Some show up in the link label, e.g. <nowiki>[[___help__ :_ _template_ _]]</nowiki> becomes [[___help__ :_ _template_ _]], linking to [[Help:Template]].<br />
<br />
However, a space before or after a "normal" colon makes a difference, e.g. [[MediaWiki User's Guide: Editing overview]] and [[MediaWiki User's Guide : Editing overview]], and [[MediaWiki User's Guide:Editing overview]] are all distinguished, because "MediaWiki User's Guide:" is a pseudo-namespace, not a real one.<br />
<br />
==Coding of characters==<br />
<br />
A page name can not contain e.g. %41, because that is automatically converted to the character A, for which %41 is the code. <nowiki>[[%41]]</nowiki> is rendered as [[%41]]. Similarly <nowiki>%C3%80</nowiki> is automatically converted to the character À. <nowiki>[[%C3%80]]</nowiki> is rendered as [[%C3%80]]. The URL of the page is http://meta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%80. One can argue what is the real name of the page, %C3%80 or À (a user will say the latter), but anyway there can not be distinct pages with these names.<br />
<br />
==Alphabetical order==<br />
<br />
[[w:Alphabetical order|Alphabetical order]], e.g. in [[Special:Allpages]], is (at least for that range) according to [[w:ASCII|ASCII]]. Note that this means that "a" comes after "Z", see e.g. [http://tokipona.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Allpages&from=AEI_pi_toki_pona].<br />
<br />
==Variables <nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> and <nowiki>{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki>==<br />
<br />
[[Variable]] <nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> gives for this page {{PAGENAME}}, Variable <nowiki>{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki> gives {{PAGENAMEE}}.<br />
<br />
Thus in the first case a space is used, in the second case an underscore, like in URLs. Similarly À becomes the escape code %C3%80 (see above), etc.<br />
<br />
<nowiki>{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> and <nowiki>{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki> give for this page {{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}} and {{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}, respectively. For a page in the main namespace the page name is prefixed with a colon.<br />
<br />
Example:<br />
<br />
<nowiki>http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Whatlinkshere&target={{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki><br />
<br />
gives<br />
<br />
http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Whatlinkshere&target={{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}<br />
<br />
<nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> would not work.<br />
<br />
With a Google search there is the problem that for Google the space and the underscore are different, see [[w:Template talk:Google]].<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
<br />
*[[Help:Link]] gives examples of conversions in the page name from wikitext to HTML, and from HTML to actual target page.<br />
*[[Wikipedia:MediaWiki_1.3_comments_and_bug_reports#Comments_related_to_page_title]]<br />
*[[Help:Naming conventions]]<br />
*[[Template:Wrongtitle]]</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Page_name
Help:Page name
2005-05-25T20:39:48Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* Namespace prefixes */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Restrictions==<br />
<br />
===Special characters===<br />
<br />
The following characters are not allowed in page titles:<br />
<br />
" # $ * + < > = @ [ ] \ ^ ` { } | ~<br />
<br />
The reasons include:<br />
<br />
:* '''+''' is used in web addresses to represent a space (e.g. when you type more than one word into a search engine). Using it in article names would potentially make parts of the system see their name wrong. Each '''+''' will be substituted by ' ' (space) respectively '_' (underscore) in the related page URL, see below.<br />
:* '''@''' also has a special meaning in URLs, as a way of adding a username and password, and would have even more drastic consequences.<br />
:* '''[''', ''']''', '''{''', '''}''', '''|''', and probably some of the others have special meaning within Wikipedia's syntax, which are processed ''before'' the pagename is determined. (e.g. <nowiki>[[{{CURRENTYEAR}}]]</nowiki> points at [[{{CURRENTYEAR}}]], not a page called ''<nowiki>{{CURRENTYEAR}}</nowiki>''.<br />
:* '''$''', '''\''', '''"''', '''`''' (and some others) have special meaning in other bits of the software, and allowing them would create potential security flaws which would take a lot of effort to insure against.<br />
<br />
There are some pages not satisfying the restrictions, e.g. $. They may give complications.<br />
<br />
Some very special characters can only be represented using [[Wikipedia:Unicode|Unicode]], whereas the English Mediawiki just uses [[Wikipedia:ISO 8859-1|ISO 8859-1]] or similar.<br />
<br />
===Namespace prefixes===<br />
<br />
A [[Help:namespace|namespace]] is a special [[Mediawiki]] convention, such as "Help:Article name" or "Talk:Article name".<br />
<br />
So the first part of a page name may not coincide with [[m:MediaWiki User's Guide: Namespaces#Automatic_conversions_of_page_names|a project-independent namespace prefix that is automatically converted to another one]], e.g. the name [[Project: A-Kon]] on Cacheopedia is not possible.<br />
<br />
The first part of a page name can coincide with a namespace prefix that is not converted. For example, there might be articles in the English Cacheopedia about books called ''[[Help: It's Just a Game]]'' and ''[[Talk: Secrets are Bad]]'' (but only without the space after the colon). However, in that case the pages are in the wrong namespace. This may be inconvenient in searching or displaying a list of pages. Also, in the second case there is no link to a Talk page about the book.<br />
<br />
===Prefixes referring to other projects or pseudo-namespaces===<br />
<br />
A page name can not start with a prefix that is in use to refer to another project or one of the pseudo-namespaces "Media:" and "Special".<br />
<br />
==Spaces vs. underscores==<br />
<br />
In '''page names''', a blank space is equivalent with an underscore. A blank space is displayed in the large font title at the top of the page, the URLs show an underscore. See also below.<br />
<br />
==Case-sensitivity==<br />
<br />
Article names are case-sensitive (except for the first letter of the article name), so keep this in mind. [[Geocaching on a budget]] is NOT the same as [[Geocaching on a Budget]]. There is a high risk of ambiguity on this site, so you can help by creating any [[Help:Redirects|redirects]] using any cases you believe are likely to be linked to either while you create the article, or when you notice this happening with existing articles.<br />
<br />
===Case-sensitivity of the first character===<br />
<br />
The first character of the page name may or may not be case-sensitive, depending on the project. <nowiki>[[Help:page name]]</nowiki> gives on this project: [[Help:page name]]. If the first character of the page name is case-sensitive this is a link (to a different page), otherwise it is bold (a [[help:self link|self link]] to this page).<br />
<br />
====Case where the first character is case-insensitive====<br />
<br />
The canonical form is with a capital.<br />
A link like <nowiki>[[template]]</nowiki> works like a [[piped link]] <nowiki>[[Template|template]]</nowiki>: [[template]]; unlike a redirect, the conversion shows up already on the referring page when pointing at it: in the pop-up and in the status bar (if applicable for the browser).<br />
<br />
Note that in the case of a prefix that is not a namespace for the software, the case-insensitivity applies to the first character of the whole name, e.g. [[m:MediaWiki User's Guide: Using tables|MediaWiki User's Guide: Using tables]] and [[m:MediaWiki User's Guide: using tables|MediaWiki User's Guide: using tables]] are distinguished.<br />
<br />
===Case-sensitivity of the file name extension of an image===<br />
<br />
Note that even the file name extension of an image is case-sensitive: compare [[:image:Stop_sign_us.jpg]] and [[:image:Stop_sign_us.JPG]]<br />
<br />
==Ignored spaces/underscores==<br />
<br />
Spaces/underscores which are ignored:<br />
*those at the start and end of a full page name <br />
*those at the end of a namespace prefix, before the colon<br />
*those after the colon of the namespace prefix<br />
*duplicate consecutive spaces<br />
<br />
Some show up in the link label, e.g. <nowiki>[[___help__ :_ _template_ _]]</nowiki> becomes [[___help__ :_ _template_ _]], linking to [[Help:Template]].<br />
<br />
However, a space before or after a "normal" colon makes a difference, e.g. [[MediaWiki User's Guide: Editing overview]] and [[MediaWiki User's Guide : Editing overview]], and [[MediaWiki User's Guide:Editing overview]] are all distinguished, because "MediaWiki User's Guide:" is a pseudo-namespace, not a real one.<br />
<br />
==Coding of characters==<br />
<br />
A page name can not contain e.g. %41, because that is automatically converted to the character A, for which %41 is the code. <nowiki>[[%41]]</nowiki> is rendered as [[%41]]. Similarly <nowiki>%C3%80</nowiki> is automatically converted to the character À. <nowiki>[[%C3%80]]</nowiki> is rendered as [[%C3%80]]. The URL of the page is http://meta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%80. One can argue what is the real name of the page, %C3%80 or À (a user will say the latter), but anyway there can not be distinct pages with these names.<br />
<br />
==Alphabetical order==<br />
<br />
[[w:Alphabetical order|Alphabetical order]], e.g. in [[Special:Allpages]], is (at least for that range) according to [[w:ASCII|ASCII]]. Note that this means that "a" comes after "Z", see e.g. [http://tokipona.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Allpages&from=AEI_pi_toki_pona].<br />
<br />
==Variables <nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> and <nowiki>{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki>==<br />
<br />
[[Variable]] <nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> gives for this page {{PAGENAME}}, Variable <nowiki>{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki> gives {{PAGENAMEE}}.<br />
<br />
Thus in the first case a space is used, in the second case an underscore, like in URLs. Similarly À becomes the escape code %C3%80 (see above), etc.<br />
<br />
<nowiki>{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> and <nowiki>{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki> give for this page {{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}} and {{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}, respectively. For a page in the main namespace the page name is prefixed with a colon.<br />
<br />
Example:<br />
<br />
<nowiki>http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Whatlinkshere&target={{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki><br />
<br />
gives<br />
<br />
http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Whatlinkshere&target={{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}<br />
<br />
<nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> would not work.<br />
<br />
With a Google search there is the problem that for Google the space and the underscore are different, see [[w:Template talk:Google]].<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
<br />
*[[Help:Link]] gives examples of conversions in the page name from wikitext to HTML, and from HTML to actual target page.<br />
*[[Wikipedia:MediaWiki_1.3_comments_and_bug_reports#Comments_related_to_page_title]]<br />
*[[Help:Naming conventions]]<br />
*[[Template:Wrongtitle]]</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Page_name
Help:Page name
2005-05-25T20:38:24Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* See also */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Restrictions==<br />
<br />
===Special characters===<br />
<br />
The following characters are not allowed in page titles:<br />
<br />
" # $ * + < > = @ [ ] \ ^ ` { } | ~<br />
<br />
The reasons include:<br />
<br />
:* '''+''' is used in web addresses to represent a space (e.g. when you type more than one word into a search engine). Using it in article names would potentially make parts of the system see their name wrong. Each '''+''' will be substituted by ' ' (space) respectively '_' (underscore) in the related page URL, see below.<br />
:* '''@''' also has a special meaning in URLs, as a way of adding a username and password, and would have even more drastic consequences.<br />
:* '''[''', ''']''', '''{''', '''}''', '''|''', and probably some of the others have special meaning within Wikipedia's syntax, which are processed ''before'' the pagename is determined. (e.g. <nowiki>[[{{CURRENTYEAR}}]]</nowiki> points at [[{{CURRENTYEAR}}]], not a page called ''<nowiki>{{CURRENTYEAR}}</nowiki>''.<br />
:* '''$''', '''\''', '''"''', '''`''' (and some others) have special meaning in other bits of the software, and allowing them would create potential security flaws which would take a lot of effort to insure against.<br />
<br />
There are some pages not satisfying the restrictions, e.g. $. They may give complications.<br />
<br />
Some very special characters can only be represented using [[Wikipedia:Unicode|Unicode]], whereas the English Mediawiki just uses [[Wikipedia:ISO 8859-1|ISO 8859-1]] or similar.<br />
<br />
===Namespace prefixes===<br />
<br />
A [[Help:namespace|namespace]] is a special [[Mediawiki]] convention, such as "Help:Article name" or "Talk:Article name".<br />
<br />
So the first part of a page name may not coincide with [[m:MediaWiki User's Guide: Namespaces#Automatic_conversions_of_page_names|a project-independent namespace prefix that is automatically converted to another one]], e.g. the name [[Project: A-Kon]] on Cacheopedia is not possible.<br />
<br />
The first part of a page name can coincide with a namespace prefix that is not converted. For example, there might be articles in the English Cacheopedia about books called ''[[Cacheopedia: The Big Adventure]]'' and ''[[Talk: Secrets are Bad]]'' (but only without the space after the colon). However, in that case the pages are in the wrong namespace. This may be inconvenient in searching or displaying a list of pages. Also, in the second case there is no link to a Talk page about the book. <br />
<br />
===Prefixes referring to other projects or pseudo-namespaces===<br />
<br />
A page name can not start with a prefix that is in use to refer to another project or one of the pseudo-namespaces "Media:" and "Special".<br />
<br />
==Spaces vs. underscores==<br />
<br />
In '''page names''', a blank space is equivalent with an underscore. A blank space is displayed in the large font title at the top of the page, the URLs show an underscore. See also below.<br />
<br />
==Case-sensitivity==<br />
<br />
Article names are case-sensitive (except for the first letter of the article name), so keep this in mind. [[Geocaching on a budget]] is NOT the same as [[Geocaching on a Budget]]. There is a high risk of ambiguity on this site, so you can help by creating any [[Help:Redirects|redirects]] using any cases you believe are likely to be linked to either while you create the article, or when you notice this happening with existing articles.<br />
<br />
===Case-sensitivity of the first character===<br />
<br />
The first character of the page name may or may not be case-sensitive, depending on the project. <nowiki>[[Help:page name]]</nowiki> gives on this project: [[Help:page name]]. If the first character of the page name is case-sensitive this is a link (to a different page), otherwise it is bold (a [[help:self link|self link]] to this page).<br />
<br />
====Case where the first character is case-insensitive====<br />
<br />
The canonical form is with a capital.<br />
A link like <nowiki>[[template]]</nowiki> works like a [[piped link]] <nowiki>[[Template|template]]</nowiki>: [[template]]; unlike a redirect, the conversion shows up already on the referring page when pointing at it: in the pop-up and in the status bar (if applicable for the browser).<br />
<br />
Note that in the case of a prefix that is not a namespace for the software, the case-insensitivity applies to the first character of the whole name, e.g. [[m:MediaWiki User's Guide: Using tables|MediaWiki User's Guide: Using tables]] and [[m:MediaWiki User's Guide: using tables|MediaWiki User's Guide: using tables]] are distinguished.<br />
<br />
===Case-sensitivity of the file name extension of an image===<br />
<br />
Note that even the file name extension of an image is case-sensitive: compare [[:image:Stop_sign_us.jpg]] and [[:image:Stop_sign_us.JPG]]<br />
<br />
==Ignored spaces/underscores==<br />
<br />
Spaces/underscores which are ignored:<br />
*those at the start and end of a full page name <br />
*those at the end of a namespace prefix, before the colon<br />
*those after the colon of the namespace prefix<br />
*duplicate consecutive spaces<br />
<br />
Some show up in the link label, e.g. <nowiki>[[___help__ :_ _template_ _]]</nowiki> becomes [[___help__ :_ _template_ _]], linking to [[Help:Template]].<br />
<br />
However, a space before or after a "normal" colon makes a difference, e.g. [[MediaWiki User's Guide: Editing overview]] and [[MediaWiki User's Guide : Editing overview]], and [[MediaWiki User's Guide:Editing overview]] are all distinguished, because "MediaWiki User's Guide:" is a pseudo-namespace, not a real one.<br />
<br />
==Coding of characters==<br />
<br />
A page name can not contain e.g. %41, because that is automatically converted to the character A, for which %41 is the code. <nowiki>[[%41]]</nowiki> is rendered as [[%41]]. Similarly <nowiki>%C3%80</nowiki> is automatically converted to the character À. <nowiki>[[%C3%80]]</nowiki> is rendered as [[%C3%80]]. The URL of the page is http://meta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%80. One can argue what is the real name of the page, %C3%80 or À (a user will say the latter), but anyway there can not be distinct pages with these names.<br />
<br />
==Alphabetical order==<br />
<br />
[[w:Alphabetical order|Alphabetical order]], e.g. in [[Special:Allpages]], is (at least for that range) according to [[w:ASCII|ASCII]]. Note that this means that "a" comes after "Z", see e.g. [http://tokipona.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Allpages&from=AEI_pi_toki_pona].<br />
<br />
==Variables <nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> and <nowiki>{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki>==<br />
<br />
[[Variable]] <nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> gives for this page {{PAGENAME}}, Variable <nowiki>{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki> gives {{PAGENAMEE}}.<br />
<br />
Thus in the first case a space is used, in the second case an underscore, like in URLs. Similarly À becomes the escape code %C3%80 (see above), etc.<br />
<br />
<nowiki>{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> and <nowiki>{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki> give for this page {{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}} and {{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}, respectively. For a page in the main namespace the page name is prefixed with a colon.<br />
<br />
Example:<br />
<br />
<nowiki>http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Whatlinkshere&target={{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki><br />
<br />
gives<br />
<br />
http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Whatlinkshere&target={{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}<br />
<br />
<nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> would not work.<br />
<br />
With a Google search there is the problem that for Google the space and the underscore are different, see [[w:Template talk:Google]].<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
<br />
*[[Help:Link]] gives examples of conversions in the page name from wikitext to HTML, and from HTML to actual target page.<br />
*[[Wikipedia:MediaWiki_1.3_comments_and_bug_reports#Comments_related_to_page_title]]<br />
*[[Help:Naming conventions]]<br />
*[[Template:Wrongtitle]]</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Page_name
Help:Page name
2005-05-25T20:38:04Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* See also */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Restrictions==<br />
<br />
===Special characters===<br />
<br />
The following characters are not allowed in page titles:<br />
<br />
" # $ * + < > = @ [ ] \ ^ ` { } | ~<br />
<br />
The reasons include:<br />
<br />
:* '''+''' is used in web addresses to represent a space (e.g. when you type more than one word into a search engine). Using it in article names would potentially make parts of the system see their name wrong. Each '''+''' will be substituted by ' ' (space) respectively '_' (underscore) in the related page URL, see below.<br />
:* '''@''' also has a special meaning in URLs, as a way of adding a username and password, and would have even more drastic consequences.<br />
:* '''[''', ''']''', '''{''', '''}''', '''|''', and probably some of the others have special meaning within Wikipedia's syntax, which are processed ''before'' the pagename is determined. (e.g. <nowiki>[[{{CURRENTYEAR}}]]</nowiki> points at [[{{CURRENTYEAR}}]], not a page called ''<nowiki>{{CURRENTYEAR}}</nowiki>''.<br />
:* '''$''', '''\''', '''"''', '''`''' (and some others) have special meaning in other bits of the software, and allowing them would create potential security flaws which would take a lot of effort to insure against.<br />
<br />
There are some pages not satisfying the restrictions, e.g. $. They may give complications.<br />
<br />
Some very special characters can only be represented using [[Wikipedia:Unicode|Unicode]], whereas the English Mediawiki just uses [[Wikipedia:ISO 8859-1|ISO 8859-1]] or similar.<br />
<br />
===Namespace prefixes===<br />
<br />
A [[Help:namespace|namespace]] is a special [[Mediawiki]] convention, such as "Help:Article name" or "Talk:Article name".<br />
<br />
So the first part of a page name may not coincide with [[m:MediaWiki User's Guide: Namespaces#Automatic_conversions_of_page_names|a project-independent namespace prefix that is automatically converted to another one]], e.g. the name [[Project: A-Kon]] on Cacheopedia is not possible.<br />
<br />
The first part of a page name can coincide with a namespace prefix that is not converted. For example, there might be articles in the English Cacheopedia about books called ''[[Cacheopedia: The Big Adventure]]'' and ''[[Talk: Secrets are Bad]]'' (but only without the space after the colon). However, in that case the pages are in the wrong namespace. This may be inconvenient in searching or displaying a list of pages. Also, in the second case there is no link to a Talk page about the book. <br />
<br />
===Prefixes referring to other projects or pseudo-namespaces===<br />
<br />
A page name can not start with a prefix that is in use to refer to another project or one of the pseudo-namespaces "Media:" and "Special".<br />
<br />
==Spaces vs. underscores==<br />
<br />
In '''page names''', a blank space is equivalent with an underscore. A blank space is displayed in the large font title at the top of the page, the URLs show an underscore. See also below.<br />
<br />
==Case-sensitivity==<br />
<br />
Article names are case-sensitive (except for the first letter of the article name), so keep this in mind. [[Geocaching on a budget]] is NOT the same as [[Geocaching on a Budget]]. There is a high risk of ambiguity on this site, so you can help by creating any [[Help:Redirects|redirects]] using any cases you believe are likely to be linked to either while you create the article, or when you notice this happening with existing articles.<br />
<br />
===Case-sensitivity of the first character===<br />
<br />
The first character of the page name may or may not be case-sensitive, depending on the project. <nowiki>[[Help:page name]]</nowiki> gives on this project: [[Help:page name]]. If the first character of the page name is case-sensitive this is a link (to a different page), otherwise it is bold (a [[help:self link|self link]] to this page).<br />
<br />
====Case where the first character is case-insensitive====<br />
<br />
The canonical form is with a capital.<br />
A link like <nowiki>[[template]]</nowiki> works like a [[piped link]] <nowiki>[[Template|template]]</nowiki>: [[template]]; unlike a redirect, the conversion shows up already on the referring page when pointing at it: in the pop-up and in the status bar (if applicable for the browser).<br />
<br />
Note that in the case of a prefix that is not a namespace for the software, the case-insensitivity applies to the first character of the whole name, e.g. [[m:MediaWiki User's Guide: Using tables|MediaWiki User's Guide: Using tables]] and [[m:MediaWiki User's Guide: using tables|MediaWiki User's Guide: using tables]] are distinguished.<br />
<br />
===Case-sensitivity of the file name extension of an image===<br />
<br />
Note that even the file name extension of an image is case-sensitive: compare [[:image:Stop_sign_us.jpg]] and [[:image:Stop_sign_us.JPG]]<br />
<br />
==Ignored spaces/underscores==<br />
<br />
Spaces/underscores which are ignored:<br />
*those at the start and end of a full page name <br />
*those at the end of a namespace prefix, before the colon<br />
*those after the colon of the namespace prefix<br />
*duplicate consecutive spaces<br />
<br />
Some show up in the link label, e.g. <nowiki>[[___help__ :_ _template_ _]]</nowiki> becomes [[___help__ :_ _template_ _]], linking to [[Help:Template]].<br />
<br />
However, a space before or after a "normal" colon makes a difference, e.g. [[MediaWiki User's Guide: Editing overview]] and [[MediaWiki User's Guide : Editing overview]], and [[MediaWiki User's Guide:Editing overview]] are all distinguished, because "MediaWiki User's Guide:" is a pseudo-namespace, not a real one.<br />
<br />
==Coding of characters==<br />
<br />
A page name can not contain e.g. %41, because that is automatically converted to the character A, for which %41 is the code. <nowiki>[[%41]]</nowiki> is rendered as [[%41]]. Similarly <nowiki>%C3%80</nowiki> is automatically converted to the character À. <nowiki>[[%C3%80]]</nowiki> is rendered as [[%C3%80]]. The URL of the page is http://meta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%80. One can argue what is the real name of the page, %C3%80 or À (a user will say the latter), but anyway there can not be distinct pages with these names.<br />
<br />
==Alphabetical order==<br />
<br />
[[w:Alphabetical order|Alphabetical order]], e.g. in [[Special:Allpages]], is (at least for that range) according to [[w:ASCII|ASCII]]. Note that this means that "a" comes after "Z", see e.g. [http://tokipona.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Allpages&from=AEI_pi_toki_pona].<br />
<br />
==Variables <nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> and <nowiki>{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki>==<br />
<br />
[[Variable]] <nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> gives for this page {{PAGENAME}}, Variable <nowiki>{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki> gives {{PAGENAMEE}}.<br />
<br />
Thus in the first case a space is used, in the second case an underscore, like in URLs. Similarly À becomes the escape code %C3%80 (see above), etc.<br />
<br />
<nowiki>{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> and <nowiki>{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki> give for this page {{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}} and {{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}, respectively. For a page in the main namespace the page name is prefixed with a colon.<br />
<br />
Example:<br />
<br />
<nowiki>http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Whatlinkshere&target={{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki><br />
<br />
gives<br />
<br />
http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Whatlinkshere&target={{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}<br />
<br />
<nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> would not work.<br />
<br />
With a Google search there is the problem that for Google the space and the underscore are different, see [[w:Template talk:Google]].<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
<br />
*[[Help:Link]] gives examples of conversions in the page name from wikitext to HTML, and from HTML to actual target page.<br />
*[[Mediawiki:MediaWiki_1.3_comments_and_bug_reports#Comments_related_to_page_title]]<br />
*[[Help:Naming conventions]]<br />
*[[Template:Wrongtitle]]</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Page_name
Help:Page name
2005-05-25T20:37:36Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Restrictions==<br />
<br />
===Special characters===<br />
<br />
The following characters are not allowed in page titles:<br />
<br />
" # $ * + < > = @ [ ] \ ^ ` { } | ~<br />
<br />
The reasons include:<br />
<br />
:* '''+''' is used in web addresses to represent a space (e.g. when you type more than one word into a search engine). Using it in article names would potentially make parts of the system see their name wrong. Each '''+''' will be substituted by ' ' (space) respectively '_' (underscore) in the related page URL, see below.<br />
:* '''@''' also has a special meaning in URLs, as a way of adding a username and password, and would have even more drastic consequences.<br />
:* '''[''', ''']''', '''{''', '''}''', '''|''', and probably some of the others have special meaning within Wikipedia's syntax, which are processed ''before'' the pagename is determined. (e.g. <nowiki>[[{{CURRENTYEAR}}]]</nowiki> points at [[{{CURRENTYEAR}}]], not a page called ''<nowiki>{{CURRENTYEAR}}</nowiki>''.<br />
:* '''$''', '''\''', '''"''', '''`''' (and some others) have special meaning in other bits of the software, and allowing them would create potential security flaws which would take a lot of effort to insure against.<br />
<br />
There are some pages not satisfying the restrictions, e.g. $. They may give complications.<br />
<br />
Some very special characters can only be represented using [[Wikipedia:Unicode|Unicode]], whereas the English Mediawiki just uses [[Wikipedia:ISO 8859-1|ISO 8859-1]] or similar.<br />
<br />
===Namespace prefixes===<br />
<br />
A [[Help:namespace|namespace]] is a special [[Mediawiki]] convention, such as "Help:Article name" or "Talk:Article name".<br />
<br />
So the first part of a page name may not coincide with [[m:MediaWiki User's Guide: Namespaces#Automatic_conversions_of_page_names|a project-independent namespace prefix that is automatically converted to another one]], e.g. the name [[Project: A-Kon]] on Cacheopedia is not possible.<br />
<br />
The first part of a page name can coincide with a namespace prefix that is not converted. For example, there might be articles in the English Cacheopedia about books called ''[[Cacheopedia: The Big Adventure]]'' and ''[[Talk: Secrets are Bad]]'' (but only without the space after the colon). However, in that case the pages are in the wrong namespace. This may be inconvenient in searching or displaying a list of pages. Also, in the second case there is no link to a Talk page about the book. <br />
<br />
===Prefixes referring to other projects or pseudo-namespaces===<br />
<br />
A page name can not start with a prefix that is in use to refer to another project or one of the pseudo-namespaces "Media:" and "Special".<br />
<br />
==Spaces vs. underscores==<br />
<br />
In '''page names''', a blank space is equivalent with an underscore. A blank space is displayed in the large font title at the top of the page, the URLs show an underscore. See also below.<br />
<br />
==Case-sensitivity==<br />
<br />
Article names are case-sensitive (except for the first letter of the article name), so keep this in mind. [[Geocaching on a budget]] is NOT the same as [[Geocaching on a Budget]]. There is a high risk of ambiguity on this site, so you can help by creating any [[Help:Redirects|redirects]] using any cases you believe are likely to be linked to either while you create the article, or when you notice this happening with existing articles.<br />
<br />
===Case-sensitivity of the first character===<br />
<br />
The first character of the page name may or may not be case-sensitive, depending on the project. <nowiki>[[Help:page name]]</nowiki> gives on this project: [[Help:page name]]. If the first character of the page name is case-sensitive this is a link (to a different page), otherwise it is bold (a [[help:self link|self link]] to this page).<br />
<br />
====Case where the first character is case-insensitive====<br />
<br />
The canonical form is with a capital.<br />
A link like <nowiki>[[template]]</nowiki> works like a [[piped link]] <nowiki>[[Template|template]]</nowiki>: [[template]]; unlike a redirect, the conversion shows up already on the referring page when pointing at it: in the pop-up and in the status bar (if applicable for the browser).<br />
<br />
Note that in the case of a prefix that is not a namespace for the software, the case-insensitivity applies to the first character of the whole name, e.g. [[m:MediaWiki User's Guide: Using tables|MediaWiki User's Guide: Using tables]] and [[m:MediaWiki User's Guide: using tables|MediaWiki User's Guide: using tables]] are distinguished.<br />
<br />
===Case-sensitivity of the file name extension of an image===<br />
<br />
Note that even the file name extension of an image is case-sensitive: compare [[:image:Stop_sign_us.jpg]] and [[:image:Stop_sign_us.JPG]]<br />
<br />
==Ignored spaces/underscores==<br />
<br />
Spaces/underscores which are ignored:<br />
*those at the start and end of a full page name <br />
*those at the end of a namespace prefix, before the colon<br />
*those after the colon of the namespace prefix<br />
*duplicate consecutive spaces<br />
<br />
Some show up in the link label, e.g. <nowiki>[[___help__ :_ _template_ _]]</nowiki> becomes [[___help__ :_ _template_ _]], linking to [[Help:Template]].<br />
<br />
However, a space before or after a "normal" colon makes a difference, e.g. [[MediaWiki User's Guide: Editing overview]] and [[MediaWiki User's Guide : Editing overview]], and [[MediaWiki User's Guide:Editing overview]] are all distinguished, because "MediaWiki User's Guide:" is a pseudo-namespace, not a real one.<br />
<br />
==Coding of characters==<br />
<br />
A page name can not contain e.g. %41, because that is automatically converted to the character A, for which %41 is the code. <nowiki>[[%41]]</nowiki> is rendered as [[%41]]. Similarly <nowiki>%C3%80</nowiki> is automatically converted to the character À. <nowiki>[[%C3%80]]</nowiki> is rendered as [[%C3%80]]. The URL of the page is http://meta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%80. One can argue what is the real name of the page, %C3%80 or À (a user will say the latter), but anyway there can not be distinct pages with these names.<br />
<br />
==Alphabetical order==<br />
<br />
[[w:Alphabetical order|Alphabetical order]], e.g. in [[Special:Allpages]], is (at least for that range) according to [[w:ASCII|ASCII]]. Note that this means that "a" comes after "Z", see e.g. [http://tokipona.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Allpages&from=AEI_pi_toki_pona].<br />
<br />
==Variables <nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> and <nowiki>{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki>==<br />
<br />
[[Variable]] <nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> gives for this page {{PAGENAME}}, Variable <nowiki>{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki> gives {{PAGENAMEE}}.<br />
<br />
Thus in the first case a space is used, in the second case an underscore, like in URLs. Similarly À becomes the escape code %C3%80 (see above), etc.<br />
<br />
<nowiki>{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> and <nowiki>{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki> give for this page {{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}} and {{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}, respectively. For a page in the main namespace the page name is prefixed with a colon.<br />
<br />
Example:<br />
<br />
<nowiki>http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Whatlinkshere&target={{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}</nowiki><br />
<br />
gives<br />
<br />
http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Whatlinkshere&target={{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAMEE}}<br />
<br />
<nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> would not work.<br />
<br />
With a Google search there is the problem that for Google the space and the underscore are different, see [[w:Template talk:Google]].<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
<br />
*[[Help:Link]] gives examples of conversions in the page name from wikitext to HTML, and from HTML to actual target page.<br />
*[[MediaWiki_1.3_comments_and_bug_reports#Comments_related_to_page_title]]<br />
*[[Help:Naming conventions]]<br />
*[[Template:Wrongtitle]]</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Contents
Help:Contents
2005-05-25T20:19:09Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>*[[How to make a new article]] - How to start an article<br />
*[[Basics of Wiki Formatting]] - How to make links, '''bolds''', lists, etc.<br />
*[[Wiki Formatting Reference]] - For more advanced formatting<br />
*Keep a [[Neutral point of view]]<br />
*[[Help:Guide to Layout]] - Good layouts for articles<br />
*[[Help:Contributing to Cacheopedia|Contributing to Cacheopedia]] - What you can do<br />
*[[Help:Editing FAQ|Editing FAQ]] - Frequently asked questions about editing<br />
*[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]] - [[Wikipedia]]'s writing style guide, applicable here<br />
*[[Help:Policies and guidelines]]<br />
*[[Help:Naming conventions|Naming conventions]] and [[Help:Page name|Page name]] - How to name articles<br />
* [[Help:How to edit a page]]<br />
* [[Help:How to use talk pages]], which are used to discuss how to improve articles.<br />
* [[Help:How to rename (move) a page]].<br />
* [[Help:How to use redirect pages]].<br />
* [[Help:How to revert a page to an earlier version]].<br />
* [[Help:Disambiguation|How to create page(s) for topics with several different definitions]].<br />
* [[Help:deletion policy|How to delete pages]]<br />
* [[Help:How to import articles|How to import articles]]<br />
* [[Help:How to break up a page|How to break up a page]]<br />
* [[Help:How to use tables|How to use tables]]<br />
* [[Help:How to create a template]]<br />
<br />
==Getting in Touch==<br />
<br />
Drop a message in the [[Cacheopedia:Village Pump]]!</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Naming_conventions
Help:Naming conventions
2005-05-25T20:17:36Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''Naming conventions''' is a list of guidelines on how to appropriately create and name pages. <br />
<br />
It is important to note that these are ''conventions'', not rules written in stone. As Cacheopedia grows and changes, some conventions that once made sense may become outdated, and there may be cases where a particular convention is "obviously" inappropriate. But when in doubt, follow convention.<br />
<br />
Generally, [[Help:Page name|article naming]] should give priority to what the majority of English speakers would most easily recognize, with a reasonable minimum of ambiguity, while at the same time making linking to those articles easy and second nature. <br />
<br />
In addition to following the naming conventions it is also important to follow the [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style (links)|linking conventions]]. Following consistent conventions in both naming and linking makes it more likely that links will lead to the right place.<br />
<br />
== General conventions ==<br />
<br />
=== Lowercase second and subsequent words ===<br />
''Convention:'' Do not capitalize second and subsequent words unless the title is a [[Wikipedia:proper noun|proper noun]] (such as a name) or is otherwise almost always capitalized (for example: [[Wikipedia:John Wayne|John Wayne]], but [[Wikipedia:Computer game|Computer game]]).<br />
<br />
Due to [[Help:Naming conventions (technical restrictions)|technical limitations]] inherent to the [[Wikipedia:MediaWiki|MediaWiki]] software, the first letter in an article title always needs to be a capital letter. Ordinarily this isn't a problem, but it poses an issue when a proper noun's first letter is lowercase (for example, [[Wikipedia:eBay|eBay]]). The first letter of an internal wikilink need not be capitalized and will direct the reader to the same page (for example, [[Wikipedia:computer game|computer game]] or [[Wikipedia:Computer game|Computer game]] can be used interchangeably as needed).<br />
<br />
''Rationale and specifics'': See [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (capitalization)]] and [[Wikipedia:Canonicalization]].<br />
<br />
=== Prefer singular nouns ===<br />
''Convention:'' In general only create page titles that are in the singular, unless that noun is ''always'' in a plural form in English (such as [[scissors]] or [[trousers]]).<br/><br />
''Rationale and specifics'': See [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (pluralization)]]<br />
<br />
Note that for the purpose of Cacheopedia, this is currently an ambiguous rule, and we haven't yet decided to use it. It's best to lean towards using the singular, and then creating a [[Help:Redirects|redirect]] for the plural form.<br />
<br />
===Use gerund of verbs===<br />
''Convention:'' Use the [[gerund]] of verbs (the ''-ing'' form in [[English language|English]]) unless there is a more common form for a certain verb. Or create a [[Help:Redirects|redirect]] from one form of the article title to the other.<br/><br />
<br />
=== Use common names of persons and things ===<br />
''Convention:'' Use the most common name of a person or thing that does not conflict with the names of other people or things. <br/><br />
<br />
[[Help:Redirects|Redirect]] alternate article names as you think of them.<br />
<br />
''Rationale and specifics'': [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (common names)]] <br />
<br />
=== Be precise when necessary ===<br />
''Convention:'' Please, do not write or put an article on a page with an ambiguously-named title as though that title had no other meanings.<br/><br />
''Rationale and specifics:'' See: [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (precision)]] and [[Help:Disambiguation]]<br />
<br />
=== Prefer spelled-out phrases to acronyms ===<br />
''Convention:'' Avoid the use of acronyms in page naming unless the term you are naming is almost exclusively known only by its acronym ''and'' is widely known and used in that form ([[Wikipedia:laser|laser]], [[Wikipedia:radar|radar]], and [[scuba]] are good examples).<br/> <br />
<br />
Again, use [[Help:Redirects|redirects]] on acronyms.<br />
<br />
''Rationale and specifics:'' See: [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (acronyms)]]<br />
<br />
===Avoid the definite article ("the") and the indefinite article ("a"/"an") at the beginning of the page name===<br />
''Convention:'' Except in titles of works (''[[Wikipedia:The Old Man and the Sea|The Old Man and the Sea]]'', ''[[Wikipedia:A Clockwork Orange|A Clockwork Orange]]'') or in official names ([[Wikipedia:The Hague|The Hague]]), avoid the definite ("the") and indefinite ("a"/"an") articles at the beginning of a page name. This applies even if the subject of the page is usually preceded by the definite article "the" in speech or writing: Thus, for example, [[Wikipedia:White House|White House]] is preferred over [[Wikipedia:The White House|The White House]].<br/><br />
<br />
''Rationale and specifics:'' See: [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (definite and indefinite articles at beginning of name)]]<br />
<br />
===Do not use an article name that suggests a hierarchy of articles===<br />
Since [[Wikipedia:Transportation in Azerbaijan|Transportation in Azerbaijan]] could just as well be considered a subdivision of [[Wikipedia:Transport|Transport]] as of [[Wikipedia:Azerbaijan|Azerbaijan]], do not use a name like [[Wikipedia:Azerbaijan/Transportation|Azerbaijan/Transportation]].<br />
<br />
===Be careful with special characters===<br />
Some special characters either cannot be used or can but cause problems. For example you should not use a piping character (|), an asterisk (*), an ampersand (&), a plus sign (+), curly braces ({}), or square braces ([]) in a name.<br />
<br />
Also, for naming pages the restriction to [[ISO-8859-1]] is strict, no characters that are not ISO-8859-1 may be used. See [[Wikipedia:Special characters]] for a list of non-ASCII characters that are allowed.<br />
<br />
==Other specific conventions==<br />
<br />
===Animals, plants, and other organisms===<br />
The capitalization on the common names of species has been hotly debated in the past and has remained unresolved. As a matter of truce both capitalized and non-capitalized (except for proper names) are acceptable, but a redirect should be created from the alternative form. Scientific names are always written in ''italics''. The first name (genus) is capitalized, the second (species) is not. Examples: ''Homo sapiens'', ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', ''Velociraptor''. <br><br />
''See:'' [[Wikipedia:Capitalization|Capitalization]]''<br />
<br />
===City names=== <br />
''Convention:'' In general, there are no special naming conventions for cities, unless multiple cities with the same name exist.<br />
''Discussion, rationale, and specifics:'' See: [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (city names)|Naming conventions]]<br />
<br />
===Historical names and titles===<br />
''Convention:'' In general, use the most common form of the name ''used'' in English (not necessarily the name ''translated'' into English) and [[Help:disambiguation|disambiguate]] the names of monarchs of modern countries in the format <nowiki> [[{Monarch's first name and ordinal} of {Country}]]</nowiki> (example: [[Edward I of England]]).<br/><br />
''Rationale and specifics:'' See: [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (names and titles)]] and [[Wikipedia:History standards]]<br />
<br />
===Lists===<br />
''Convention:'' Put a list of Xs as [[list of Xs]], rather than [[Xs]], [[famous Xs]], [[listing of important Xs]], [[list of noted Xs]], [[list of all Xs]], etc. See [[wikipedia:list]]. Consider making a [[Help:Category|category]] instead of a list: categories are easier to maintain.<br />
<br />
===Numbers===<br />
Articles about numbers and related meanings are at [[N (number)]], for example [[142 (number)]], not [[One hundred forty-two]] nor [[One hundred and forty-two]] nor [[Number 142]]. [[142]] is for the year (see above). See [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style (dates and numbers)]].<br />
<br />
===External links=== <br />
Should external links of non-html type files (such as doc, pdf, and xls) be in the following format? <br />
* [http://www.aapa-ports.org/pdf/WORLD_PORT_RANKINGS_2002.xls World Port Rankings 2002, by metric tons and by TEUs], American Association of Port Authorities ('''xls''' format, 26.5kb) <br />
<br />
===Initials===<br />
Initials in people's names, or companies named after them, should be written with [[full stop]]s (periods) after them, with a space between the initials and the name, and between initials. Thus, [[W. E. B. Du Bois]], [[I. F. Stone]], [[T. E. Lawrence]], and [[F. W. de Klerk]]. (See ''Oxford Style Manual'' 3.2, ''Chicago Manual of Style'' 8.6). (This convention is under discussion; see [[Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions]].) An exception is a reference to someone using ''only'' initials, such as is occasionally done in informal discourse in reference certain U.S. presidents: ''FDR'', ''LBJ'', or ''JFK''. <br />
<br />
Acronyms and initialisms such as ''IBM'', ''NATO'', and ''WYSIWYG'' are likewise written without periods (see: [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (acronyms)|Naming conventions (acronyms)]]).</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Guide_to_Layout
Help:Guide to Layout
2005-05-25T20:02:21Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>The '''Cacheopedia Guide to Layout''' is an annotated, working example of some of the basics of laying out an article.<br />
<br />
This little article is not about markup; see [[Help:How to edit a page]] for that.<br />
This little article is not about style; see [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]] for that.<br />
This little article is just a summary of what some fairly clean, simple Cacheopedia articles look like. <br />
For more complicated articles, you may want to copy the markup of some existing article you like the looks of.<br />
<br />
==Introductory material==<br />
The subject of the article should be mentioned in '''bold text''' (<nowiki>'''subject'''</nowiki>) at a natural place in the first sentence, or at least the first paragraph. The name of the subject may appear slightly different from the title of the page, or may include variations, but normally it is identical to the page title.<br />
<br />
If the article is long enough to contain several paragraphs, the first paragraph should be short and to the point, with a clear explanation of what the subject of the page is.<br />
If further introductory material is needed before the first header, then this can be given in additional paragraphs. It is common for introductions to biographical articles to dual as summaries, mentioning the most prominent achievements of the subject.<br />
<br />
Introductory paragraphs should precede sections; in particular, they should not be in an <nowiki>==Introduction==</nowiki> section of their own. The table of contents will automatically follow the introduction, preceding the first named section.<br />
<br />
==Structure of the article==<br />
Paragraphs should be relatively short, as the eye gets tired of following solid text for too many lines. Similarly, articles themselves should be kept relatively short.<br />
<br />
Headers also help make an article clearer and determine the table of contents; see [[Help:Section]].<br />
Since headers are hierarchical, and some people set their user preferences to number them, you should start with <nowiki>==Header==</nowiki> and follow it with <nowiki>===Subheader===</nowiki>, <nowiki>====Subsubheader====</nowiki>, and so forth.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, overuse of sub-headings should be avoided, as it can make the article look cluttered. Short paragraphs and single sentences generally do not warrant their own sub-heading, and in these circumstances it may be preferable to use bullet points or bolded text instead.<br />
<br />
The degree to which subtopics should be kept on a single page or given their own pages is a matter of judgment.<br />
<br />
==Images==<br />
If the article can be illustrated with pictures, find an appropriate place to position these images. For more information, see [[Wikipedia:Picture tutorial]].<br />
<br />
== Standardized appendices ==<br />
Certain optional standardized sections go at the bottom of the article, as you see below.<br />
<br />
===Related topics===<br />
Put here, in a bulleted list, other articles in Cacheopedia that are related to this one.<br />
*[[Help:Contents|Contents]]<br />
*[[Help:Neutral point of view|Neutral point of view]]<br />
<br />
Related topics ought to be grouped by subject area for ease of navigation. Please also provide a brief explanatory sentence, when the relevance of the added links is not immediately apparent - like so:<br />
*[[Related person]] made a similar achievement in [[2005]].<br />
<br />
Or for a less formal feel you can simply use this:<br />
<br />
'''See also''': [[Main page]], [[Special:Recentchanges|Recent changes]]<br />
<br />
===References===<br />
Put under this header, again in a bulleted list, any books, forum entires, articles, web pages, etcetera that you used in constructing the article and/or recommend as sources of further information to readers.<br />
<br />
* Pooh, W. T. & Robin, C. (1926). "How to catch a heffalump" in A. A. Milne (Ed.), ''The Karma of Kanga'', pp. 23&ndash;47. Hundred Acre Wood: Wol Press. <nowiki>ISBN 999999999</nowiki> <!--w00t--><br />
<br />
The most important thing is to include the complete citation information, just as you would for any other bibliography; the precise formatting is still debatable and can be fixed later. See also: [[Wikipedia:Cite your sources]] and [[Wikipedia:ISBN]].<br />
<br />
===External links===<br />
Put here, in list form, any web sites that you have used or recommend for readers of the article. Describe it if possible.<br />
<br />
* [http://www.webstyleguide.com/ Yale Web Style Guide for web pages]<br />
<br />
(Some editors prefer to list external links under "References"; there is currently no consensus on the desirability of a separate section for online citations.)</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Contents
Help:Contents
2005-05-25T19:55:32Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>*[[How to make a new article]] - How to start an article<br />
*[[Basics of Wiki Formatting]] - How to make links, '''bolds''', lists, etc.<br />
*[[Wiki Formatting Reference]] - For more advanced formatting<br />
*Keep a [[Neutral point of view]]<br />
*[[Help:Guide to Layout]] - Good layouts for articles<br />
*[[Help:Contributing to Cacheopedia|Contributing to Cacheopedia]] - What you can do<br />
*[[Help:Editing FAQ|Editing FAQ]] - Frequently asked questions about editing<br />
*[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]] - [[Wikipedia]]'s writing style guide, applicable here<br />
*[[Help:Policies and guidelines]]<br />
*[[Help:Naming conventions]] - How to name articles<br />
* [[Help:How to edit a page]]<br />
* [[Help:How to use talk pages]], which are used to discuss how to improve articles.<br />
* [[Help:How to rename (move) a page]].<br />
* [[Help:How to use redirect pages]].<br />
* [[Help:How to revert a page to an earlier version]].<br />
* [[Help:Disambiguation|How to create page(s) for topics with several different definitions]].<br />
* [[Help:deletion policy|How to delete pages]]<br />
* [[Help:How to import articles|How to import articles]]<br />
* [[Help:How to break up a page|How to break up a page]]<br />
* [[Help:How to use tables|How to use tables]]<br />
* [[Help:How to create a template]]<br />
<br />
==Getting in Touch==<br />
<br />
Drop a message in the [[Cacheopedia:Village Pump]]!</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Contents
Help:Contents
2005-05-25T19:53:09Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>*[[How to make a new article]] - How to start an article<br />
*[[Basics of Wiki Formatting]] - How to make links, '''bolds''', lists, etc.<br />
*[[Wiki Formatting Reference]] - For more advanced formatting<br />
*Keep a [[Neutral point of view]]<br />
*[[Help:Contributing to Cacheopedia|Contributing to Cacheopedia]] - What you can do<br />
*[[Help:Editing FAQ|Editing FAQ]] - Frequently asked questions about editing<br />
*[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]] - [[Wikipedia]]'s writing style guide, applicable here<br />
*[[Help:Policies and guidelines]]<br />
*[[Help:Naming conventions]] - How to name articles<br />
* [[Help:How to edit a page]]<br />
* [[Help:How to use talk pages]], which are used to discuss how to improve articles.<br />
* [[Help:How to rename (move) a page]].<br />
* [[Help:How to use redirect pages]].<br />
* [[Help:How to revert a page to an earlier version]].<br />
* [[Help:Disambiguation|How to create page(s) for topics with several different definitions]].<br />
* [[Help:deletion policy|How to delete pages]]<br />
* [[Help:How to import articles|How to import articles]]<br />
* [[Help:How to break up a page|How to break up a page]]<br />
* [[Help:How to use tables|How to use tables]]<br />
* [[Help:How to create a template]]<br />
<br />
==Getting in Touch==<br />
<br />
Drop a message in the [[Cacheopedia:Village Pump]]!</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Contents
Help:Contents
2005-05-25T19:45:36Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>*[[How to make a new article]] - How to start an article<br />
*[[Basics of Wiki Formatting]] - How to make links, '''bolds''', lists, etc.<br />
*[[Wiki Formatting Reference]] - For more advanced formatting<br />
*Keep a [[Neutral point of view]]<br />
*[[Help:Contributing to Cacheopedia|Contributing to Cacheopedia]] - What you can do<br />
*[[Help:Editing FAQ|Editing FAQ]] - Frequently asked questions about editing<br />
*[[Help:Guide to Layout]] - Good layouts for articles<br />
*[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]] - [[Wikipedia]]'s writing style guide, applicable here<br />
*[[Help:Policies and guidelines]]<br />
*[[Help:Naming conventions]] - How to name articles<br />
* [[Help:How to edit a page]]<br />
* [[Help:How to use talk pages]], which are used to discuss how to improve articles.<br />
* [[Help:How to rename (move) a page]].<br />
* [[Help:How to use redirect pages]].<br />
* [[Help:How to revert a page to an earlier version]].<br />
* [[Help:Disambiguation|How to create page(s) for topics with several different definitions]].<br />
* [[Help:deletion policy|How to delete pages]]<br />
* [[Help:How to import articles|How to import articles]]<br />
* [[Help:How to break up a page|How to break up a page]]<br />
* [[Help:How to use tables|How to use tables]]<br />
* [[Help:How to create a template]]<br />
<br />
==Getting in Touch==<br />
<br />
Drop a message in the [[Cacheopedia:Village Pump]]!</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Wiki_Formatting_Reference
Wiki Formatting Reference
2005-05-25T19:42:18Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* More information on editing wiki pages */</p>
<hr />
<div>Welcome! If you want to test out editing pages, please use the "[[Sandbox]]" for your tests. <br />
<br />
:''See also [[Help:Contents]], [[How to make a new article]], & [[Basics of Wiki Formatting]]''<br />
<br />
== Tips on editing Cacheopedia articles ==<br />
<br />
Always use a [[neutral point of view]], as Cacheopedia is not a place to promote points of view. It can be used to describe or summarize points of view that exist, which is different.<br />
<br />
When practical, cite your sources so others can check and extend your work. <br />
<br />
Do not copy the works of others! You can use them as a resource for ideas and information, but no work should be copied wholesale. Try to re-state what they have said, and use multiple sources. This helps create a better article, as you are drawing on the wisdom and experience of many cachers.<br />
<br />
== Minor edits ==<br />
<br />
When editing a page, a logged-in user can mark that edit as being "minor". Minor edits generally mean spelling corrections, formatting, and minor rearrangement of text. <br />
<br />
== Wiki markup ==<br />
<br />
The '''wiki markup''' is the syntax system you can use to format a page.<br />
<br />
In the left column of the table below, you can see what effects are possible. In the right column, you can see how those effects were achieved. In other words, to make text look like it looks in the left column, type it in the format you see in the right column.<br />
<br />
You may want to keep this page open in a separate browser window for reference. '''If you want to try out things without danger of doing any harm, you can do so in the [[Sandbox]]'''. Try opening the Sandbox in a separate window or tab and keeping this page open for reference.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
=== Sections, paragraphs, lists, and lines ===<br />
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"<br />
|-<br />
! What it looks like<br />
! What you type<br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
Start your sections as follows:<br />
<br />
<!-- The following code messes up the table of contents<br />
and makes the section edit links much less useful,<br />
so please do not use it.<br />
==New section==<br />
===Subsection===<br />
====Sub-subsection====<br />
--><br />
<!-- The following should look almost the same, using<br />
HTML headings markup instead of wiki headings.<br />
However, it messes up the section edit links,<br />
so please do not use it.<br />
<h2>New section</h2><br />
<h3>Subsection</h3><br />
<h4>Sub-subsection</h4><br />
--><br />
<!-- The following just uses bolding and font changes,<br />
so it should be safe. However, it might not<br />
look exactly right, especially when people<br />
use non-standard CSS stylesheets.<br />
--><br />
'''<font style="font-size:120%">New section</font>'''<br />
<br />
'''<font style="font-size:110%">Subsection</font>'''<br />
<br />
'''<font style="font-size:100%">Sub-subsection</font>'''<br />
<br />
* Start with a second-level heading (<tt><nowiki>==</nowiki></tt>); do not use first-level headings (=).<br />
* Do not skip levels (for example, second-level followed by fourth-level).<br />
* A Table of Contents will automatically be added to an article that has four or more sections. <br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
==New section==<br />
<br />
===Subsection===<br />
<br />
====Sub-subsection====<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
A single newline<br />
generally has no effect on the layout.<br />
These can be used to separate<br />
sentences within a paragraph.<br />
Some editors find that this aids editing<br />
and improves the function ''diff'' <br />
(used internally to compare<br />
different versions of a page).<br />
<br />
But an empty line<br />
starts a new paragraph.<br />
<br />
* When used in a list, a newline ''does'' affect the layout ([[#lists|see below]]).<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
A single newline<br />
generally has no effect on the layout. <br />
These can be used to separate<br />
sentences within a paragraph.<br />
Some editors find that this aids editing<br />
and improves the function ''diff'' <br />
(used internally to compare<br />
different versions of a page).<br />
<br />
But an empty line<br />
starts a new paragraph.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
You can break lines<br/><br />
without starting a new paragraph.<br />
<br />
* Please use this sparingly.<br />
* Close markup between lines, do not start a link or ''italics'' or '''bold''' on one line and close it on the next.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
You can break lines<br/><br />
without starting a new paragraph.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- id="lists" valign="top"<br />
|<br />
* Lists are easy to do:<br />
** Start every line with a star (= asterisk).<br />
*** More stars means deeper levels.<br />
**** A newline in a list<br />
marks the end of a list item.<br />
<br />
* An empty line starts a new list.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
* Lists are easy to do:<br />
** Start every line with a star.<br />
*** More stars means deeper levels.<br />
**** A newline in a list<br />
marks the end of a list item.<br />
<br />
* An empty line starts a new list.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
# Numbered lists are also good<br />
## very organized<br />
## easy to follow<br />
### easier still<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
# Numbered lists are also good<br />
## very organized<br />
## easy to follow<br />
### easier still<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
* You can even do mixed lists<br />
*# and nest them<br />
*#* like this<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
* You can even do mixed lists<br />
*# and nest them<br />
*#* like this<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top" id="definition"<br />
|<br />
; Definition list : list of definitions<br />
; item : the item's definition<br />
; another item<br />
: the other item's definition<br />
<br />
* One item per line; a newline can appear before the colon, but using a space before the colon improves parsing.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
; Definition list : list of definitions<br />
; item : the item's definition<br />
; another item<br />
: the other item's definition<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
: A colon indents a line or paragraph.<br />
A manual newline starts a new paragraph.<br />
<br />
* This is primarily for displayed material, but is also used for discussion on Talk pages.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
: A colon indents a line or paragraph.<br />
A manual newline starts a new paragraph.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign=top<br />
|<br />
IF a line starts with a space THEN<br />
it will be formatted exactly<br />
as typed;<br />
in a fixed-width font;<br />
lines will not wrap;<br />
ENDIF<br />
<br />
*This is useful for:<br />
** pasting preformatted text;<br />
** algorithm descriptions;<br />
** program source code;<br />
** ASCII art;<br />
** chemical structures;<br />
* '''WARNING''': If you make it wide, you force the whole page to be wide and hence less readable, especially for people who use lower resolutions. Never start ordinary lines with spaces.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
IF a line starts with a space THEN<br />
it will be formatted exactly<br />
as typed;<br />
in a fixed-width font;<br />
lines will not wrap;<br />
ENDIF<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
<center>Centered text.</center><br />
<br />
* Please note the American spelling of "center."<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
<center>Centered text.</center><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
A horizontal dividing line:<br />
this is above it<br />
----<br />
and this is below it.<br />
<br />
* Mainly useful for separating threads on Talk pages.<br />
* Also used to [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation|disambiguate]] within an article without creating a separate page.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
A [[horizontal dividing line]]:<br />
this is above it<br />
----<br />
and this is below it.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|}<br />
<br />
=== Links and URLs ===<br />
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"<br />
|-<br />
! What it looks like<br />
! What you type<br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
There are many [[types of caches]].<br />
<br />
* A link to another Cacheopedia article.<br />
* Internally, the first letter of the target page is automatically capitalized and spaces are represented as underscores (typing an underscore in the link has the same effect as typing a space, but is not recommended).<br />
* Thus the link above is to the URL <br /><br />
www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Types_of_caches, which is the Cacheopedia article with the name "Types of caches". <br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
There are many [[types of caches]].<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
San Francisco also has all the [[types of caches|kinds of caches]].<br />
<br />
* Same target, different name.<br />
* This is a piped link, using a "pipebar" (|) character to change the visable text of the link.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
San Francisco also has<br />
[[types of caches|kinds of caches]].<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
San Francisco also has<br />
[[public transport]]ation.<br />
<br />
Examples include [[bus]]es, [[taxi]]s,<br />
and [[streetcar]]s.<br />
<br />
* Endings are blended into the link.<br />
* Preferred style is to use this instead of a piped link, if possible.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
San Francisco also has<br />
[[public transport]]ation.<br />
<br />
Examples include [[bus]]es, [[taxi]]s,<br />
and [[streetcar]]s.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
See the [[Help:Contents]].<br />
<br />
* Don't worry too much about this. This called namespacing, and we don't use it too much here. Yet. :)<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
See the [[Help:Contents]].<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- id="link-to-section" valign="top"<br />
|<br />
[[Types of caches#Virtual Caches]] is a link<br />
to a section within another page.<br />
<br />
[[#Links and URLs]] is a link<br />
to a section on the current page.<br />
<br />
[[#example]] is a link to an<br />
anchor that was created using<br />
<div id="example">an id attribute</div><br />
<br />
* The part after the number sign (#) must match a section heading on the page. Matches must be exact in terms of spelling, case, and punctuation. Links to non-existent sections are not broken; they are treated as links to the top of the page.<br />
* Identifiers may be created by attaching an <code>id="..."></code> attribute to almost any HTML element.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[Types of caches#Virtual Caches]] is a link<br />
to a section within another page.<br />
<br />
[[#Links and URLs]] is a link<br />
to a section on the current page.<br />
<br />
[[#example]] is a link to an<br />
anchor that was created using<br />
<div id="example">an id attribute</div><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
Automatically hide stuff in parentheses:<br />
[[kingdom (biology)|kingdom]].<br />
<br />
Automatically hide namespace:<br />
[[Help:Contents|Contents]]. <br />
<br />
Or both:<br />
[[Help:Contents (headings)|Contents]]<br />
<br />
But not:<br />
[[Help:Contents#Links|]]<br />
<br />
* The server fills in the part after the pipe character (|) when you save the page. The next time you open the edit box you will see the expanded piped link. When [[Wikipedia:Show preview|preview]]ing your edits, you will not see the expanded form until you press '''Save''' and '''Edit''' again. The same applies to links to sections within the same page ([[#link-to-section|see previous entry]]).<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
Automatically hide stuff in parentheses:<br />
[[kingdom (biology)|]].<br />
<br />
Automatically hide namespace: <br />
[[Help:Contents|]].<br />
<br />
Or both:<br />
[[Help:Contents (headings)|]]<br />
<br />
But not:<br />
[[Help:Contents#Links|]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
[[Geocaching on Mars]] is a page<br />
that does not exist yet.<br />
<br />
* You can create it by clicking on the link (but please do not do so with this particular link).<br />
* To create a new page: <br />
*# Create a link to it on some other (related) page.<br />
*# Save that page.<br />
*# Click on the link you just made. The new page will open for editing.<br />
* For more information, see [[How to start a new article]] and check out Cacheopedia's [[Help:naming conventions]].<br />
* Please do not create a new article without linking to it from at least one other article.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[Geocaching on Mars]] is a page <br />
that does not exist yet.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
[[Wiki Formatting Reference]] is this page.<br />
<br />
* Self links appear as bold text when the article is viewed.<br />
* Do not use this technique to make the article name bold in the first paragraph.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[Wiki Formatting Reference]] is this page.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
When adding a comment to a Talk page,<br />
you should sign it by adding<br />
three tildes (~) to add your user name:<br />
:[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]]<br />
:or four to add user name plus date/time:<br />
:[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 10:36, 20 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
:Five tildes gives the date/time alone:<br />
:10:36, 20 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
<br />
* The first two both provide a link to your [[Help:user page]].<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
When adding a comment to a Talk page,<br />
you should sign it by adding<br />
three tildes to add your user name:<br />
: ~~~<br />
or four for user name plus date/time:<br />
: ~~~~<br />
Five tildes gives the date/time alone:<br />
: ~~~~~<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
* [[Help:Redirect]] one article title to another by placing a directive like the one shown to the right on the ''first'' line of the article (such as at a page titled "[[USA]]").<br />
* Note that, while it is possible to link to a section, it is not possible to redirect to a section. For example, "<nowiki>#REDIRECT [[United States#History]]</nowiki>" will redirect to the [[United States]] page, but not to any particular section on it. This feature '''will not''' be implemented in the future, so such redirects should not be used.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
#REDIRECT [[United States]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
<!-- Multi-language support not available.<br />
* Link to a page on the same subject in another language by using a link of the form: <nowiki>[[language code:Title]]</nowiki>.<br />
* It does not matter where you put these links while editing as they will always show up in the same place when you save the page, but placement at the end of the edit box is recommended.<br />
* Please see [[Wikipedia:Interlanguage links]] and the [[Wikipedia:Complete list of language wikis available|list of languages and codes]].<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[fr:Wikipédia:Aide]]<br />
</nowiki></pre> --><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''What links here''' and '''Related changes'''<br />
pages can be linked as:<br />
[[Special:Whatlinkshere/Help:Wiki Formatting Reference]]<br />
and<br />
[[Special:Recentchangeslinked/Help:Wiki Formatting Reference]]<br />
<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
'''What links here''' and '''Related changes'''<br />
pages can be linked as:<br />
[[Special:Whatlinkshere/Help:Wiki Formatting Reference]]<br />
and<br />
[[Special:Recentchangeslinked/Help:Wiki Formatting Reference]]<br />
</nowiki></pre> <br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
A user's '''Contributions''' page can be linked as:<br />
[[Special:Contributions/UserName]]<br />
or<br />
[[Special:Contributions/192.0.2.0]]<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
A user's '''Contributions''' page can be linked as:<br />
[[Special:Contributions/UserName]]<br />
or<br />
[[Special:Contributions/192.0.2.0]]<br />
</nowiki></pre> <br />
<br />
<!--We don't do categories (yet?)<br />
<br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
* To put an article in a [[Wikipedia:Category]], place a link like the one to the right anywhere in the article. As with interlanguage links, it does not matter where you put these links while editing as they will always show up in the same place when you save the page, but placement at the end of the edit box is recommended.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[Category:Character sets]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
* To ''link'' to a [[Wikipedia:Category]] page without putting the article into the category, use an initial colon (:) in the link.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[:Category:Character sets]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
<br />
--><br />
<br />
|- id="link-external" valign="top"<br />
|<br />
Three ways to link to external (non-wiki) sources:<br />
# Bare URL: http://www.geocaching.com/ (bad style)<br />
# Unnamed link: [http://www.geocaching.com/] ('''very bad style''')<br />
# Named link: [http://www.geocaching.com Geocaching Website]<br />
<br />
:See [[MetaWikiPedia:Interwiki_map]] for the list of shortcuts.<br />
<br />
* Square brackets indicate an external link. Note the use of a ''space'' (not a pipe) to separate the URL from the link text in the "named" version.<br />
* In the [[Wikipedia:URL|URL]], all symbols must be among:<br/>'''A-Z a-z 0-9 . _ \ / ~ % - + &amp; # ? ! = ( ) @ \x80-\xFF'''<br />
* If a URL contains a character not in this list, it should be encoded by using a percent sign (%) followed by the [[Wikipedia:hexadecimal|hex]] code of the character, which can be found in the table of [[Wikipedia:ASCII#ASCII printable characters|ASCII printable characters]]. For example, the caret character (^) would be encoded in a URL as '''%5E'''.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
Three ways to link to external (non-wiki) sources:<br />
# Bare URL: http://www.geocaching.com/ (bad style)<br />
# Unnamed link: [http://www.geocaching.com/] ('''very bad style''')<br />
# Named link: [http://www.geocaching.com Geocaching Website]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
Linking to other wikis:<br />
# [[Help:Interwiki]] link: [[Wiktionary:Hello]]<br />
# Named interwiki link: [[Wiktionary:Hello|Hello]]<br />
# Interwiki link without prefix: [[Wiktionary:Hello|Hello]]<br />
<br />
* All of these forms lead to the URL http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Hello<br />
* Note that interwiki links use the ''internal'' link style.<br />
* See [[MetaWikiPedia:Interwiki_map]] for the list of shortcuts; if the site you want to link to is not on the list, use an external link ([[#link-external|see above]]).<br />
* See also [[Wikipedia:How to link to Wikimedia projects]].<br />
<br />
Linking to another language's wiktionary:<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour]]<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour|bonjour]]<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour|fr:bonjour]]<br />
<br />
* All of these forms lead to the URL http://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/bonjour<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
Linking to other wikis:<br />
# [[Interwiki]] link: [[Wiktionary:Hello]]<br />
# Named interwiki link: [[Wiktionary:Hello|Hello]]<br />
# Interwiki link without prefix: [[Wiktionary:Hello|]]<br />
<br />
Linking to another language's wiktionary:<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour]]<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour|bonjour]]<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour|]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
ISBN 012345678X<br />
<br />
ISBN 0-123-45678-X<br />
<br />
* Link to books using their [[Wikipedia:ISBN|ISBN]] numbers. This is preferred to linking to a specific online bookstore, because it gives the reader a choice of vendors.<br />
* ISBN links do not need any extra markup, provided you use one of the indicated formats.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
ISBN 012345678X<br />
<br />
ISBN 0-123-45678-X<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign=top<br />
|<br />
Date formats:<br />
# [[July 20]], [[1969]]<br />
# [[20 July]] [[1969]]<br />
# [[1969]]-[[07-20]]<br />
# [[1969-07-20]]<br />
<br />
* Link dates in one of the above formats, so that everyone can set their own display order. If [[Special:Userlogin|logged in]], you can use [[Special:Preferences]] to change your own date display setting.<br />
* All of the above dates will appear as "[[20 July|20 July]] [[1969|1969]]" if you set your date display preference to "15 January 2001", but as "[[20 July|July 20]], [[1969|1969]]" if you set it to "January 15, 2001", or as "[[1969|1969]]-[[July 20|07-20]]" if you set it to "2001-01-15".<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
Date formats:<br />
# [[July 20]], [[1969]]<br />
# [[20 July]] [[1969]]<br />
# [[1969]]-[[07-20]]<br />
# [[1969-07-20]]<br />
<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
[[media:Sg_mrob.ogg|Sound]]<br />
<br />
*To include links to non-image uploads such as sounds, use a "media" link. For images, [[#Images|see next section]].<br />
<br />
Some uploaded sounds are listed at [[Wikipedia:Sound]].<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[media:Sg_mrob.ogg|Sound]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
<!--Saved changes here. Resting for a while. -Luna --><br />
<br />
=== Images ===<br />
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"<br />
|-<br />
! What it looks like<br />
! What you type<br />
|- valign="top"<br />
| A picture: [[Image:Wiki.png]]<br />
<br />
or, with alternative text:<br />
[[Image:Wiki.png|jigsaw globe]]<br />
<br />
or, floating to the right side of the page and with a caption:<br />
[[Image:Wiki.png|frame|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]<br clear=all><br />
<br />
or, floating to the right side of the page ''without'' a caption:<br />
[[Image:Wiki.png|right|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]<br clear=all><br />
<br />
* Only images that have been uploaded to Wikipedia can be used. To upload images, use the [[Special:Upload|upload page]]. You can find the uploaded image on the [[Special:Imagelist|image list]].<br />
* See the [[Wikipedia:Image use policy|image use policy]] and [[Wikipedia:Image markup|extended image markup/syntax]] pages for more hints.<br />
* Alternative text, used when the image is not loaded, in a text-only browser, or when spoken aloud, is '''strongly''' encouraged. See [[Wikipedia:Alternate text for images|Alternate text for images]] for help on choosing it.<br />
* The frame tag automatically floats the image right.<br />
| <pre><nowiki><br />
A picture: [[Image:Wiki.png]]</nowiki><br />
<br />
or, with alternative text:<br />
<nowiki>[[Image:Wiki.png|jigsaw globe]]</nowiki><br />
<br />
or, floating to the right side of the page and with a caption:<br />
<nowiki>[[Image:Wiki.png|frame|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]</nowiki><br />
<br />
or, floating to the right side of the page ''without'' a caption:<br />
<nowiki>[[Image:Wiki.png|right|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]</nowiki></pre><br />
|-<br />
|<br />
Clicking on an uploaded image displays a description page, which you can also link directly to: [[:Image:Wiki.png]]<br />
| <pre><nowiki><br />
<br />
[[:Image:Wiki.png]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|-<br />
|<br />
To include links to images shown as links instead of drawn on the page, use a "media" link.<br />
<br />
<br/>[[media:Tornado.jpg|Image of a Tornado]]<br />
|<br />
<pre><br />
<nowiki><br />
<br />
[[media:Tornado.jpg|Image of a Tornado]]<br />
<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|}<br />
<br />
=== Character formatting ===<br />
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"<br />
|- valign="top"<br />
! What it looks like<br />
! What you type<br />
|- id="emph" valign="top"<br />
|<br />
''Emphasize'', '''strongly''', '''''very strongly'''''.<br />
* These are double, triple, and quintuple apostrophes (single-quote marks), not double-quote marks.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
''Emphasize'', '''strongly''', '''''very strongly'''''.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
<math>\sin x + \ln y</math><br><br />
sin''x'' + ln''y''<br />
<!-- no space between roman "sin" and italic "x" --><br />
<br />
<math>\mathbf{x} = 0</math><br><br />
'''x''' = 0<br />
<br />
Ordinary text should use [[#emph|wiki markup for emphasis]], and should not use <code>&lt;i&gt;</code> or <code>&lt;b&gt;</code>. However, mathematical formulas often use italics, and sometimes use bold, for reasons unrelated to emphasis. Complex formulas should use [[Help:Formula|<code>&lt;math&gt;</code> markup]], and simple formulas may use <code>&lt;math&gt;</code>; or <code>&lt;i&gt;</code> and <code>&lt;b&gt;</code>; or <code><nowiki>''</nowiki></code> and <code><nowiki>'''</nowiki></code>. According to [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Mathematics#Italicization and bolding|WikiProject Mathematics]], wiki markup is preferred over HTML markup like <code>&lt;i&gt;</code> and <code>&lt;b&gt;</code>.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
<math>\sin x + \ln y</math><br />
sin''x'' + ln''y''<br />
<br />
<math>\mathbf{x} = 0</math><br />
'''x''' = 0<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
A typewriter font for <tt>monospace text</tt><br />
or for computer code: <code>int main()</code><br />
<br />
* For semantic reasons, using <code>&lt;code&gt;</code> where applicable is preferable to using <code>&lt;tt&gt;</code>.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
A typewriter font for <tt>monospace text</tt><br />
or for computer code: <code>int main()</code><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
You can use <small>small text</small> for captions.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
You can use <small>small text</small> for captions.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
You can <s>strike out deleted material</s><br />
and <u>underline new material</u>.<br />
<br />
You can also mark <del>deleted material</del> and<br />
<ins>inserted material</ins> using logical markup<br />
rather than visual markup.<br />
<br />
* When editing regular Wikipedia articles, just make your changes and do not mark them up in any special way.<br />
* When editing your own previous remarks in talk pages, it is sometimes appropriate to mark up deleted or inserted material.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
You can <s>strike out deleted material</s><br />
and <u>underline new material</u>.<br />
<br />
You can also mark <del>deleted material</del> and<br />
<ins>inserted material</ins> using logical markup<br />
rather than visual markup.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Diacritical marks:'''<br />
<br/><br />
À Á Â Ã Ä Å <br/><br />
Æ Ç È É Ê Ë <br/><br />
Ì Í<br />
Î Ï Ñ Ò <br/><br />
Ó Ô Õ<br />
Ö Ø Ù <br/><br />
Ú Û Ü ß<br />
à á <br/><br />
â ã ä å æ<br />
ç <br/><br />
è é ê ë ì í<br/><br />
î ï ñ ò ó ô <br/><br />
&oelig; õ<br />
ö ø ù ú <br/><br />
û ü ÿ<br />
<br />
* See [[meta:Help:Special characters|special characters]].<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&amp;Agrave; &amp;Aacute; &amp;Acirc; &amp;Atilde; &amp;Auml; &amp;Aring; <br />
&amp;AElig; &amp;Ccedil; &amp;Egrave; &amp;Eacute; &amp;Ecirc; &amp;Euml; <br />
&amp;Igrave; &amp;Iacute; &amp;Icirc; &amp;Iuml; &amp;Ntilde; &amp;Ograve; <br />
&amp;Oacute; &amp;Ocirc; &amp;Otilde; &amp;Ouml; &amp;Oslash; &amp;Ugrave; <br />
&amp;Uacute; &amp;Ucirc; &amp;Uuml; &amp;szlig; &amp;agrave; &amp;aacute; <br />
&amp;acirc; &amp;atilde; &amp;auml; &amp;aring; &amp;aelig; &amp;ccedil; <br />
&amp;egrave; &amp;eacute; &amp;ecirc; &amp;euml; &amp;igrave; &amp;iacute;<br />
&amp;icirc; &amp;iuml; &amp;ntilde; &amp;ograve; &amp;oacute; &amp;ocirc; <br />
&amp;oelig; &amp;otilde; &amp;ouml; &amp;oslash; &amp;ugrave; &amp;uacute; <br />
&amp;ucirc; &amp;uuml; &amp;yuml;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Punctuation:'''<br />
<br/><br />
¿ ¡ § ¶<br/><br />
&dagger; &Dagger; &bull; &ndash; &mdash;<br/><br />
&lsaquo; &rsaquo; « »<br/><br />
&lsquo; &rsquo; &ldquo; &rdquo;<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&amp;iquest; &amp;iexcl; &amp;sect; &amp;para;<br />
&amp;dagger; &amp;Dagger; &amp;bull; &amp;ndash; &amp;mdash;<br />
&amp;lsaquo; &amp;rsaquo; &amp;laquo; &amp;raquo;<br />
&amp;lsquo; &amp;rsquo; &amp;ldquo; &amp;rdquo;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Commercial symbols:'''<br />
<br/><br />
&trade; © ® ¢ &euro; ¥<br/><br />
£ ¤<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&amp;trade; &amp;copy; &amp;reg; &amp;cent; &amp;euro; &amp;yen; <br />
&amp;pound; &amp;curren;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Subscripts:'''<br />
<br/><br />
x<sub>1</sub> x<sub>2</sub> x<sub>3</sub> or<br />
<br/><br />
x&#8320; x&#8321; x&#8322; x&#8323; x&#8324;<br />
<br/><br />
x&#8325; x&#8326; x&#8327; x&#8328; x&#8329;<br />
<br />
'''Superscripts:'''<br />
<br/><br />
x<sup>1</sup> x<sup>2</sup> x<sup>3</sup> or<br />
<br/><br />
x&#8304; x&sup1; x&sup2; x&sup3; x&#8308;<br />
<br/><br />
x&#8309; x&#8310; x&#8311; x&#8312; x&#8313;<br />
<br />
*The latter methods of sub/superscripting cannot be used in the most general context, as they rely on Unicode support which may not be present on all users' machines. For the 1-2-3 superscripts, it is nevertheless preferred when possible (as with units of measurement) because most browsers have an easier time formatting lines with it.<br />
<br />
&epsilon;<sub>0</sub> =<br />
8.85 &times; 10<sup>&minus;12</sup><br />
C&sup2; / J m.<br />
<br />
1 [[hectare]] = [[1 E4 m&sup2;]]<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
x<sub>1</sub> x<sub>2</sub> x<sub>3</sub> or<br />
<br/><br />
x&amp;#8320; x&amp;#8321; x&amp;#8322; x&amp;#8323; x&amp;#8324;<br />
<br/><br />
x&amp;#8325; x&amp;#8326; x&amp;#8327; x&amp;#8328; x&amp;#8329;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
x<sup>1</sup> x<sup>2</sup> x<sup>3</sup> or<br />
<br/><br />
x&amp;#8304; x&amp;sup1; x&amp;sup2; x&amp;sup3; x&amp;#8308;<br />
<br/><br />
x&amp;#8309; x&amp;#8310; x&amp;#8311; x&amp;#8312; x&amp;#8313;<br />
<br />
&amp;epsilon;<sub>0</sub> =<br />
8.85 &amp;times; 10<sup>&amp;minus;12</sup><br />
C&amp;sup2; / J m.<br />
<br />
1 [[hectare]] = [[1 E4 m&amp;sup2;]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Greek characters:'''<br />
<br/><br />
&alpha; &beta; &gamma; &delta; &epsilon; &zeta;<br/><br />
&eta; &theta; &iota; &kappa; &lambda; &mu; &nu;<br/><br />
&xi; &omicron; &pi; &rho; &sigma; &sigmaf;<br/><br />
&tau; &upsilon; &phi; &chi; &psi; &omega;<br/><br />
&Gamma; &Delta; &Theta; &Lambda; &Xi; &Pi;<br/><br />
&Sigma; &Phi; &Psi; &Omega;<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&amp;alpha; &amp;beta; &amp;gamma; &amp;delta; &amp;epsilon; &amp;zeta; <br />
&amp;eta; &amp;theta; &amp;iota; &amp;kappa; &amp;lambda; &amp;mu; &amp;nu; <br />
&amp;xi; &amp;omicron; &amp;pi; &amp;rho; &amp;sigma; &amp;sigmaf;<br />
&amp;tau; &amp;upsilon; &amp;phi; &amp;chi; &amp;psi; &amp;omega;<br />
&amp;Gamma; &amp;Delta; &amp;Theta; &amp;Lambda; &amp;Xi; &amp;Pi; <br />
&amp;Sigma; &amp;Phi; &amp;Psi; &amp;Omega;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Mathematical characters:'''<br />
<br/><br />
&int; &sum; &prod; &radic; &minus; &plusmn; &infin;<br/><br />
&asymp; &prop; &equiv; &ne; &le; &ge;<br/><br />
&times; &middot; &divide; &part; &prime; &Prime;<br/><br />
&nabla; &permil; &deg; &there4; &alefsym; &oslash;<br/><br />
&isin; &notin; &cap; &cup; &sub; &sup; &sube; &supe;<br/><br />
&not; &and; &or; &exist; &forall; &rArr; &hArr;<br/><br />
&rarr; &harr;<br/><br />
* See also [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Mathematics|WikiProject Mathematics]].<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&amp;int; &amp;sum; &amp;prod; &amp;radic; &amp;minus; &amp;plusmn; &amp;infin;<br />
&amp;asymp; &amp;prop; &amp;equiv; &amp;ne; &amp;le; &amp;ge;<br />
&amp;times; &amp;middot; &amp;divide; &amp;part; &amp;prime; &amp;Prime;<br />
&amp;nabla; &amp;permil; &amp;deg; &amp;there4; &amp;alefsym; &amp;oslash;<br />
&amp;isin; &amp;notin; &amp;cap; &amp;cup; &amp;sub; &amp;sup; &amp;sube; &amp;supe;<br />
&amp;not; &amp;and; &amp;or; &amp;exist; &amp;forall; &amp;rArr; &amp;hArr;<br />
&amp;rarr; &amp;harr;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Spacing in simple math formulas:'''<br />
<br/><br />
Obviously, ''x''&sup2;&nbsp;&ge;&nbsp;0 is true.<br />
*To space things out without allowing line breaks to interrupt the formula, use non-breaking spaces: <tt>&amp;nbsp;</tt>.<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
Obviously, ''x''&amp;sup2;&amp;nbsp;&amp;ge;&amp;nbsp;0 is true.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Complicated formulas:'''<br />
<br/><br />
: <math>\sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{x^n}{n!}</math><br />
* See [[Help:Formula]] for how to use <tt>&lt;math></tt>.<br />
* A formula displayed on a line by itself should probably be indented by using the colon (:) character.<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
: <math>\sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{x^n}{n!}</math><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Suppressing interpretation of markup:'''<br />
<br/><br />
<nowiki>Link &rarr; (''to'') the [[Wikipedia FAQ]]</nowiki><br />
* Used to show literal data that would otherwise have special meaning.<br />
* Escape all wiki markup, including that which looks like HTML tags.<br />
* Does not escape HTML character references.<br />
* To escape HTML character references such as <tt>&amp;rarr;</tt> use <tt>&amp;amp;rarr;</tt><br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&lt;nowiki>Link &amp;rarr; (''to'') <br />
the [[Wikipedia FAQ]]&lt;/nowiki><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Commenting page source:'''<br />
<br/><br />
''not shown when viewing page''<br />
* Used to leave comments in a page for future editors.<br />
* Note that most comments should go on the appropriate [[Wikipedia:Talk page|Talk page]].<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&lt;!-- comment here --><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|}<br />
''(see also: [[Chess symbols in Unicode]])''<br />
<br />
=== Table of Contents ===<br />
==== Placement of the Table of Contents (TOC) ====<br />
At the current status of the wiki markup language, having at least four headers on a page triggers the TOC to appear in front of the first header (or after introductory sections). Putting <nowiki>__TOC__</nowiki> anywhere forces the TOC to appear at that point (instead of just before the first header). Putting <nowiki>__NOTOC__</nowiki> anywhere forces the TOC to disappear. See also [[Wikipedia:Section#Compact_TOC|compact TOC]] for alphabet and year headings.<br />
<br />
==== Keeping headings out of the Table of Contents ====<br />
<br />
If you want some subheadings to not appear in the Table of Contents, then make the following replacements.<br />
<br />
Replace <nowiki> == Header 2 == with <h2> Header 2 </h2> </nowiki><br />
<br />
Replace <nowiki> === Header 3 === with <h3> Header 3 </h3> </nowiki><br />
<br />
And so forth.<br />
<br />
For example, notice that the following header has the same font as the other subheaders to this "Tables" section, but the following header does not appear in the Table of Contents for this page.<br />
<br />
<h4> This header has the h4 font, but is NOT in the Table of Contents</h4><br />
<br />
This effect is obtained by the following line of code.<br />
<br />
<code><nowiki><h4> This header has the h4 font, but is NOT in the Table of Contents </h4></nowiki></code><br />
<br />
Note that when editing by section, this approach places the text between the tags in the subsequent section, not the previous section. To edit this text, click the edit link next to "Tables", not the one above.<br />
<br />
=== Tables ===<br />
There are two ways to build tables: <br />
*in special Wiki-markup (see [[Help:Table]])<br />
*with the usual HTML elements: &lt;table&gt;, &lt;tr&gt;, &lt;td&gt; or &lt;th&gt;.<br />
<br />
For the latter, and a discussion on when tables are appropriate, see [[Wikipedia:How to use tables]].<br />
<br />
===Variables===<br />
<br />
''(See also [[Help:Variable]])''<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
! Code<br />
! Effect<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTH}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTMONTH}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}}</nowiki><br />
| {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}}</nowiki><br />
| {{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTDAY}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTDAY}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTDAYNAME}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTDAYNAME}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTYEAR}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTYEAR}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTTIME}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTTIME}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}</nowiki><br />
| {{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> || {{PAGENAME}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{NAMESPACE}}</nowiki> || {{NAMESPACE}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{localurl:pagename}}</nowiki><br />
| {{localurl:pagename}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{localurl:</nowiki>''Wikipedia:Sandbox''<nowiki>|action=edit}}</nowiki><br />
| {{localurl:Wikipedia:Sandbox|action=edit}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{SERVER}}</nowiki> || {{SERVER}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:1}}</nowiki> || {{ns:1}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:2}}</nowiki> || {{ns:2}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:3}}</nowiki> || {{ns:3}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:4}}</nowiki> || {{ns:4}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:5}}</nowiki> || {{ns:5}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:6}}</nowiki> || {{ns:6}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:7}}</nowiki> || {{ns:7}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:8}}</nowiki> || {{ns:8}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:9}}</nowiki> || {{ns:9}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:10}}</nowiki> || {{ns:10}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:11}}</nowiki> || {{ns:11}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:12}}</nowiki> || {{ns:12}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:13}}</nowiki> || {{ns:13}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:14}}</nowiki> || {{ns:14}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:15}}</nowiki> || {{ns:15}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{SITENAME}}</nowiki> || {{SITENAME}}<br />
|}<br />
<br />
'''NUMBEROFARTICLES''' is the number of pages in the main namespace which contain a link and are not a redirect, in other words number of articles, stubs containing a link, and disambiguation pages.<br />
<br />
'''CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN''' is the genitive (possessive) grammatical form of the month name, as used in some languages; '''CURRENTMONTHNAME''' is the nominative (subject) form, as usually seen in English.<br />
<br />
In languages where it makes a difference, you can use constructs like <nowiki>{{grammar:case|word}}</nowiki> to convert a word from the nominative case to some other case. For example, <nowiki>{{grammar:genitive|{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}}}}</nowiki> means the same as <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}}</nowiki>. <!-- Is there a reference for this, other than the source code (for example, phase3/languages/Lnaguage*.php) ? --><br />
<br />
===Templates===<br />
<br />
We don't currently use templates. Until we do, this section is irrelevent.<br />
<br />
The [[Wikipedia:MediaWiki|MediaWiki]] software used by Wikipedia has support for templates. This means standardized text chunks (such as [[Wikipedia:Template messages|boilerplate]] text) can be inserted into articles. For example, typing <nowiki>{{stub}}</nowiki> will appear as "''This article is a [[Wikipedia:The perfect stub article|stub]]. You can help Wikipedia by [[Wikipedia:Find or fix a stub|expanding it]].''" when the page is saved. See [[Wikipedia:Template messages]] for the complete list. Other commonly used ones are: <nowiki>{{disambig}}</nowiki> for disambiguation pages, <nowiki>{{spoiler}}</nowiki> for spoiler warnings and <nowiki>{{sectstub}}</nowiki> like an article stub but for a section. There are many subject-specific stubs for example: <nowiki> {{Geo-stub}}, {{Hist-stub}}, and {{Linux-stub}}</nowiki>. For a complete list of stubs see [[Wikipedia:Template messages/Stubs]].<br />
<br />
===Hiding the edit links===<br />
<br />
Insert '''<nowiki>__NOEDITSECTION__</nowiki>''' into the document to suppress the edit links that appear next to every section header.<br />
<br />
==More information on editing wiki pages==<br />
<br />
You may also want to learn about:<br />
<br />
* [[Help:How to make a new article]] <br />
* Informal tips on [[Help:contributing to Cacheopedia]]<br />
* Editing tasks in general at the [[Help:Editing FAQ]]<br />
* Why not to rename pages '''boldly''', at [[Help:How to rename (move) a page]]<br />
* Preferred layout of your article, at [[Help:Guide to Layout]] (see also [[Wikipedia:Boilerplate text]])<br />
* Style conventions in the [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style|Manual of Style]]<br />
* An article with annotations pointing out common Cacheopedia style and layout issues, at [[Help:Annotated article]]<br />
* General policies in [[Help:Policies and guidelines]]<br />
* [[Help:Naming conventions]] for how to name articles themselves<br />
<br />
*[[m:Help:Editing|Mediawiki user's guide to editing]]<br />
*[[Wikipedia:MediaWiki]]<br />
<br />
=='Wikipedia Article Editing' Flash Tutorial==<br />
*[http://www.myfilehut.com/userfiles/Random%20Uploader/Wikipedia_Article_Editing_Tutorial.swf A Flash tutorial about editing Wikipedia articles (1.49MB)]</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Wiki_Formatting_Reference
Wiki Formatting Reference
2005-05-25T19:38:15Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* More information on editing wiki pages */</p>
<hr />
<div>Welcome! If you want to test out editing pages, please use the "[[Sandbox]]" for your tests. <br />
<br />
:''See also [[Help:Contents]], [[How to make a new article]], & [[Basics of Wiki Formatting]]''<br />
<br />
== Tips on editing Cacheopedia articles ==<br />
<br />
Always use a [[neutral point of view]], as Cacheopedia is not a place to promote points of view. It can be used to describe or summarize points of view that exist, which is different.<br />
<br />
When practical, cite your sources so others can check and extend your work. <br />
<br />
Do not copy the works of others! You can use them as a resource for ideas and information, but no work should be copied wholesale. Try to re-state what they have said, and use multiple sources. This helps create a better article, as you are drawing on the wisdom and experience of many cachers.<br />
<br />
== Minor edits ==<br />
<br />
When editing a page, a logged-in user can mark that edit as being "minor". Minor edits generally mean spelling corrections, formatting, and minor rearrangement of text. <br />
<br />
== Wiki markup ==<br />
<br />
The '''wiki markup''' is the syntax system you can use to format a page.<br />
<br />
In the left column of the table below, you can see what effects are possible. In the right column, you can see how those effects were achieved. In other words, to make text look like it looks in the left column, type it in the format you see in the right column.<br />
<br />
You may want to keep this page open in a separate browser window for reference. '''If you want to try out things without danger of doing any harm, you can do so in the [[Sandbox]]'''. Try opening the Sandbox in a separate window or tab and keeping this page open for reference.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
=== Sections, paragraphs, lists, and lines ===<br />
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"<br />
|-<br />
! What it looks like<br />
! What you type<br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
Start your sections as follows:<br />
<br />
<!-- The following code messes up the table of contents<br />
and makes the section edit links much less useful,<br />
so please do not use it.<br />
==New section==<br />
===Subsection===<br />
====Sub-subsection====<br />
--><br />
<!-- The following should look almost the same, using<br />
HTML headings markup instead of wiki headings.<br />
However, it messes up the section edit links,<br />
so please do not use it.<br />
<h2>New section</h2><br />
<h3>Subsection</h3><br />
<h4>Sub-subsection</h4><br />
--><br />
<!-- The following just uses bolding and font changes,<br />
so it should be safe. However, it might not<br />
look exactly right, especially when people<br />
use non-standard CSS stylesheets.<br />
--><br />
'''<font style="font-size:120%">New section</font>'''<br />
<br />
'''<font style="font-size:110%">Subsection</font>'''<br />
<br />
'''<font style="font-size:100%">Sub-subsection</font>'''<br />
<br />
* Start with a second-level heading (<tt><nowiki>==</nowiki></tt>); do not use first-level headings (=).<br />
* Do not skip levels (for example, second-level followed by fourth-level).<br />
* A Table of Contents will automatically be added to an article that has four or more sections. <br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
==New section==<br />
<br />
===Subsection===<br />
<br />
====Sub-subsection====<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
A single newline<br />
generally has no effect on the layout.<br />
These can be used to separate<br />
sentences within a paragraph.<br />
Some editors find that this aids editing<br />
and improves the function ''diff'' <br />
(used internally to compare<br />
different versions of a page).<br />
<br />
But an empty line<br />
starts a new paragraph.<br />
<br />
* When used in a list, a newline ''does'' affect the layout ([[#lists|see below]]).<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
A single newline<br />
generally has no effect on the layout. <br />
These can be used to separate<br />
sentences within a paragraph.<br />
Some editors find that this aids editing<br />
and improves the function ''diff'' <br />
(used internally to compare<br />
different versions of a page).<br />
<br />
But an empty line<br />
starts a new paragraph.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
You can break lines<br/><br />
without starting a new paragraph.<br />
<br />
* Please use this sparingly.<br />
* Close markup between lines, do not start a link or ''italics'' or '''bold''' on one line and close it on the next.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
You can break lines<br/><br />
without starting a new paragraph.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- id="lists" valign="top"<br />
|<br />
* Lists are easy to do:<br />
** Start every line with a star (= asterisk).<br />
*** More stars means deeper levels.<br />
**** A newline in a list<br />
marks the end of a list item.<br />
<br />
* An empty line starts a new list.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
* Lists are easy to do:<br />
** Start every line with a star.<br />
*** More stars means deeper levels.<br />
**** A newline in a list<br />
marks the end of a list item.<br />
<br />
* An empty line starts a new list.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
# Numbered lists are also good<br />
## very organized<br />
## easy to follow<br />
### easier still<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
# Numbered lists are also good<br />
## very organized<br />
## easy to follow<br />
### easier still<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
* You can even do mixed lists<br />
*# and nest them<br />
*#* like this<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
* You can even do mixed lists<br />
*# and nest them<br />
*#* like this<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top" id="definition"<br />
|<br />
; Definition list : list of definitions<br />
; item : the item's definition<br />
; another item<br />
: the other item's definition<br />
<br />
* One item per line; a newline can appear before the colon, but using a space before the colon improves parsing.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
; Definition list : list of definitions<br />
; item : the item's definition<br />
; another item<br />
: the other item's definition<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
: A colon indents a line or paragraph.<br />
A manual newline starts a new paragraph.<br />
<br />
* This is primarily for displayed material, but is also used for discussion on Talk pages.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
: A colon indents a line or paragraph.<br />
A manual newline starts a new paragraph.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign=top<br />
|<br />
IF a line starts with a space THEN<br />
it will be formatted exactly<br />
as typed;<br />
in a fixed-width font;<br />
lines will not wrap;<br />
ENDIF<br />
<br />
*This is useful for:<br />
** pasting preformatted text;<br />
** algorithm descriptions;<br />
** program source code;<br />
** ASCII art;<br />
** chemical structures;<br />
* '''WARNING''': If you make it wide, you force the whole page to be wide and hence less readable, especially for people who use lower resolutions. Never start ordinary lines with spaces.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
IF a line starts with a space THEN<br />
it will be formatted exactly<br />
as typed;<br />
in a fixed-width font;<br />
lines will not wrap;<br />
ENDIF<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
<center>Centered text.</center><br />
<br />
* Please note the American spelling of "center."<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
<center>Centered text.</center><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
A horizontal dividing line:<br />
this is above it<br />
----<br />
and this is below it.<br />
<br />
* Mainly useful for separating threads on Talk pages.<br />
* Also used to [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation|disambiguate]] within an article without creating a separate page.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
A [[horizontal dividing line]]:<br />
this is above it<br />
----<br />
and this is below it.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|}<br />
<br />
=== Links and URLs ===<br />
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"<br />
|-<br />
! What it looks like<br />
! What you type<br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
There are many [[types of caches]].<br />
<br />
* A link to another Cacheopedia article.<br />
* Internally, the first letter of the target page is automatically capitalized and spaces are represented as underscores (typing an underscore in the link has the same effect as typing a space, but is not recommended).<br />
* Thus the link above is to the URL <br /><br />
www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Types_of_caches, which is the Cacheopedia article with the name "Types of caches". <br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
There are many [[types of caches]].<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
San Francisco also has all the [[types of caches|kinds of caches]].<br />
<br />
* Same target, different name.<br />
* This is a piped link, using a "pipebar" (|) character to change the visable text of the link.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
San Francisco also has<br />
[[types of caches|kinds of caches]].<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
San Francisco also has<br />
[[public transport]]ation.<br />
<br />
Examples include [[bus]]es, [[taxi]]s,<br />
and [[streetcar]]s.<br />
<br />
* Endings are blended into the link.<br />
* Preferred style is to use this instead of a piped link, if possible.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
San Francisco also has<br />
[[public transport]]ation.<br />
<br />
Examples include [[bus]]es, [[taxi]]s,<br />
and [[streetcar]]s.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
See the [[Help:Contents]].<br />
<br />
* Don't worry too much about this. This called namespacing, and we don't use it too much here. Yet. :)<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
See the [[Help:Contents]].<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- id="link-to-section" valign="top"<br />
|<br />
[[Types of caches#Virtual Caches]] is a link<br />
to a section within another page.<br />
<br />
[[#Links and URLs]] is a link<br />
to a section on the current page.<br />
<br />
[[#example]] is a link to an<br />
anchor that was created using<br />
<div id="example">an id attribute</div><br />
<br />
* The part after the number sign (#) must match a section heading on the page. Matches must be exact in terms of spelling, case, and punctuation. Links to non-existent sections are not broken; they are treated as links to the top of the page.<br />
* Identifiers may be created by attaching an <code>id="..."></code> attribute to almost any HTML element.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[Types of caches#Virtual Caches]] is a link<br />
to a section within another page.<br />
<br />
[[#Links and URLs]] is a link<br />
to a section on the current page.<br />
<br />
[[#example]] is a link to an<br />
anchor that was created using<br />
<div id="example">an id attribute</div><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
Automatically hide stuff in parentheses:<br />
[[kingdom (biology)|kingdom]].<br />
<br />
Automatically hide namespace:<br />
[[Help:Contents|Contents]]. <br />
<br />
Or both:<br />
[[Help:Contents (headings)|Contents]]<br />
<br />
But not:<br />
[[Help:Contents#Links|]]<br />
<br />
* The server fills in the part after the pipe character (|) when you save the page. The next time you open the edit box you will see the expanded piped link. When [[Wikipedia:Show preview|preview]]ing your edits, you will not see the expanded form until you press '''Save''' and '''Edit''' again. The same applies to links to sections within the same page ([[#link-to-section|see previous entry]]).<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
Automatically hide stuff in parentheses:<br />
[[kingdom (biology)|]].<br />
<br />
Automatically hide namespace: <br />
[[Help:Contents|]].<br />
<br />
Or both:<br />
[[Help:Contents (headings)|]]<br />
<br />
But not:<br />
[[Help:Contents#Links|]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
[[Geocaching on Mars]] is a page<br />
that does not exist yet.<br />
<br />
* You can create it by clicking on the link (but please do not do so with this particular link).<br />
* To create a new page: <br />
*# Create a link to it on some other (related) page.<br />
*# Save that page.<br />
*# Click on the link you just made. The new page will open for editing.<br />
* For more information, see [[How to start a new article]] and check out Cacheopedia's [[Help:naming conventions]].<br />
* Please do not create a new article without linking to it from at least one other article.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[Geocaching on Mars]] is a page <br />
that does not exist yet.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
[[Wiki Formatting Reference]] is this page.<br />
<br />
* Self links appear as bold text when the article is viewed.<br />
* Do not use this technique to make the article name bold in the first paragraph.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[Wiki Formatting Reference]] is this page.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
When adding a comment to a Talk page,<br />
you should sign it by adding<br />
three tildes (~) to add your user name:<br />
:[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]]<br />
:or four to add user name plus date/time:<br />
:[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 10:36, 20 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
:Five tildes gives the date/time alone:<br />
:10:36, 20 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
<br />
* The first two both provide a link to your [[Help:user page]].<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
When adding a comment to a Talk page,<br />
you should sign it by adding<br />
three tildes to add your user name:<br />
: ~~~<br />
or four for user name plus date/time:<br />
: ~~~~<br />
Five tildes gives the date/time alone:<br />
: ~~~~~<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
* [[Help:Redirect]] one article title to another by placing a directive like the one shown to the right on the ''first'' line of the article (such as at a page titled "[[USA]]").<br />
* Note that, while it is possible to link to a section, it is not possible to redirect to a section. For example, "<nowiki>#REDIRECT [[United States#History]]</nowiki>" will redirect to the [[United States]] page, but not to any particular section on it. This feature '''will not''' be implemented in the future, so such redirects should not be used.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
#REDIRECT [[United States]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
<!-- Multi-language support not available.<br />
* Link to a page on the same subject in another language by using a link of the form: <nowiki>[[language code:Title]]</nowiki>.<br />
* It does not matter where you put these links while editing as they will always show up in the same place when you save the page, but placement at the end of the edit box is recommended.<br />
* Please see [[Wikipedia:Interlanguage links]] and the [[Wikipedia:Complete list of language wikis available|list of languages and codes]].<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[fr:Wikipédia:Aide]]<br />
</nowiki></pre> --><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''What links here''' and '''Related changes'''<br />
pages can be linked as:<br />
[[Special:Whatlinkshere/Help:Wiki Formatting Reference]]<br />
and<br />
[[Special:Recentchangeslinked/Help:Wiki Formatting Reference]]<br />
<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
'''What links here''' and '''Related changes'''<br />
pages can be linked as:<br />
[[Special:Whatlinkshere/Help:Wiki Formatting Reference]]<br />
and<br />
[[Special:Recentchangeslinked/Help:Wiki Formatting Reference]]<br />
</nowiki></pre> <br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
A user's '''Contributions''' page can be linked as:<br />
[[Special:Contributions/UserName]]<br />
or<br />
[[Special:Contributions/192.0.2.0]]<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
A user's '''Contributions''' page can be linked as:<br />
[[Special:Contributions/UserName]]<br />
or<br />
[[Special:Contributions/192.0.2.0]]<br />
</nowiki></pre> <br />
<br />
<!--We don't do categories (yet?)<br />
<br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
* To put an article in a [[Wikipedia:Category]], place a link like the one to the right anywhere in the article. As with interlanguage links, it does not matter where you put these links while editing as they will always show up in the same place when you save the page, but placement at the end of the edit box is recommended.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[Category:Character sets]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
* To ''link'' to a [[Wikipedia:Category]] page without putting the article into the category, use an initial colon (:) in the link.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[:Category:Character sets]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
<br />
--><br />
<br />
|- id="link-external" valign="top"<br />
|<br />
Three ways to link to external (non-wiki) sources:<br />
# Bare URL: http://www.geocaching.com/ (bad style)<br />
# Unnamed link: [http://www.geocaching.com/] ('''very bad style''')<br />
# Named link: [http://www.geocaching.com Geocaching Website]<br />
<br />
:See [[MetaWikiPedia:Interwiki_map]] for the list of shortcuts.<br />
<br />
* Square brackets indicate an external link. Note the use of a ''space'' (not a pipe) to separate the URL from the link text in the "named" version.<br />
* In the [[Wikipedia:URL|URL]], all symbols must be among:<br/>'''A-Z a-z 0-9 . _ \ / ~ % - + &amp; # ? ! = ( ) @ \x80-\xFF'''<br />
* If a URL contains a character not in this list, it should be encoded by using a percent sign (%) followed by the [[Wikipedia:hexadecimal|hex]] code of the character, which can be found in the table of [[Wikipedia:ASCII#ASCII printable characters|ASCII printable characters]]. For example, the caret character (^) would be encoded in a URL as '''%5E'''.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
Three ways to link to external (non-wiki) sources:<br />
# Bare URL: http://www.geocaching.com/ (bad style)<br />
# Unnamed link: [http://www.geocaching.com/] ('''very bad style''')<br />
# Named link: [http://www.geocaching.com Geocaching Website]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
Linking to other wikis:<br />
# [[Help:Interwiki]] link: [[Wiktionary:Hello]]<br />
# Named interwiki link: [[Wiktionary:Hello|Hello]]<br />
# Interwiki link without prefix: [[Wiktionary:Hello|Hello]]<br />
<br />
* All of these forms lead to the URL http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Hello<br />
* Note that interwiki links use the ''internal'' link style.<br />
* See [[MetaWikiPedia:Interwiki_map]] for the list of shortcuts; if the site you want to link to is not on the list, use an external link ([[#link-external|see above]]).<br />
* See also [[Wikipedia:How to link to Wikimedia projects]].<br />
<br />
Linking to another language's wiktionary:<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour]]<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour|bonjour]]<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour|fr:bonjour]]<br />
<br />
* All of these forms lead to the URL http://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/bonjour<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
Linking to other wikis:<br />
# [[Interwiki]] link: [[Wiktionary:Hello]]<br />
# Named interwiki link: [[Wiktionary:Hello|Hello]]<br />
# Interwiki link without prefix: [[Wiktionary:Hello|]]<br />
<br />
Linking to another language's wiktionary:<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour]]<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour|bonjour]]<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour|]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
ISBN 012345678X<br />
<br />
ISBN 0-123-45678-X<br />
<br />
* Link to books using their [[Wikipedia:ISBN|ISBN]] numbers. This is preferred to linking to a specific online bookstore, because it gives the reader a choice of vendors.<br />
* ISBN links do not need any extra markup, provided you use one of the indicated formats.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
ISBN 012345678X<br />
<br />
ISBN 0-123-45678-X<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign=top<br />
|<br />
Date formats:<br />
# [[July 20]], [[1969]]<br />
# [[20 July]] [[1969]]<br />
# [[1969]]-[[07-20]]<br />
# [[1969-07-20]]<br />
<br />
* Link dates in one of the above formats, so that everyone can set their own display order. If [[Special:Userlogin|logged in]], you can use [[Special:Preferences]] to change your own date display setting.<br />
* All of the above dates will appear as "[[20 July|20 July]] [[1969|1969]]" if you set your date display preference to "15 January 2001", but as "[[20 July|July 20]], [[1969|1969]]" if you set it to "January 15, 2001", or as "[[1969|1969]]-[[July 20|07-20]]" if you set it to "2001-01-15".<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
Date formats:<br />
# [[July 20]], [[1969]]<br />
# [[20 July]] [[1969]]<br />
# [[1969]]-[[07-20]]<br />
# [[1969-07-20]]<br />
<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
[[media:Sg_mrob.ogg|Sound]]<br />
<br />
*To include links to non-image uploads such as sounds, use a "media" link. For images, [[#Images|see next section]].<br />
<br />
Some uploaded sounds are listed at [[Wikipedia:Sound]].<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[media:Sg_mrob.ogg|Sound]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
<!--Saved changes here. Resting for a while. -Luna --><br />
<br />
=== Images ===<br />
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"<br />
|-<br />
! What it looks like<br />
! What you type<br />
|- valign="top"<br />
| A picture: [[Image:Wiki.png]]<br />
<br />
or, with alternative text:<br />
[[Image:Wiki.png|jigsaw globe]]<br />
<br />
or, floating to the right side of the page and with a caption:<br />
[[Image:Wiki.png|frame|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]<br clear=all><br />
<br />
or, floating to the right side of the page ''without'' a caption:<br />
[[Image:Wiki.png|right|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]<br clear=all><br />
<br />
* Only images that have been uploaded to Wikipedia can be used. To upload images, use the [[Special:Upload|upload page]]. You can find the uploaded image on the [[Special:Imagelist|image list]].<br />
* See the [[Wikipedia:Image use policy|image use policy]] and [[Wikipedia:Image markup|extended image markup/syntax]] pages for more hints.<br />
* Alternative text, used when the image is not loaded, in a text-only browser, or when spoken aloud, is '''strongly''' encouraged. See [[Wikipedia:Alternate text for images|Alternate text for images]] for help on choosing it.<br />
* The frame tag automatically floats the image right.<br />
| <pre><nowiki><br />
A picture: [[Image:Wiki.png]]</nowiki><br />
<br />
or, with alternative text:<br />
<nowiki>[[Image:Wiki.png|jigsaw globe]]</nowiki><br />
<br />
or, floating to the right side of the page and with a caption:<br />
<nowiki>[[Image:Wiki.png|frame|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]</nowiki><br />
<br />
or, floating to the right side of the page ''without'' a caption:<br />
<nowiki>[[Image:Wiki.png|right|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]</nowiki></pre><br />
|-<br />
|<br />
Clicking on an uploaded image displays a description page, which you can also link directly to: [[:Image:Wiki.png]]<br />
| <pre><nowiki><br />
<br />
[[:Image:Wiki.png]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|-<br />
|<br />
To include links to images shown as links instead of drawn on the page, use a "media" link.<br />
<br />
<br/>[[media:Tornado.jpg|Image of a Tornado]]<br />
|<br />
<pre><br />
<nowiki><br />
<br />
[[media:Tornado.jpg|Image of a Tornado]]<br />
<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|}<br />
<br />
=== Character formatting ===<br />
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"<br />
|- valign="top"<br />
! What it looks like<br />
! What you type<br />
|- id="emph" valign="top"<br />
|<br />
''Emphasize'', '''strongly''', '''''very strongly'''''.<br />
* These are double, triple, and quintuple apostrophes (single-quote marks), not double-quote marks.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
''Emphasize'', '''strongly''', '''''very strongly'''''.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
<math>\sin x + \ln y</math><br><br />
sin''x'' + ln''y''<br />
<!-- no space between roman "sin" and italic "x" --><br />
<br />
<math>\mathbf{x} = 0</math><br><br />
'''x''' = 0<br />
<br />
Ordinary text should use [[#emph|wiki markup for emphasis]], and should not use <code>&lt;i&gt;</code> or <code>&lt;b&gt;</code>. However, mathematical formulas often use italics, and sometimes use bold, for reasons unrelated to emphasis. Complex formulas should use [[Help:Formula|<code>&lt;math&gt;</code> markup]], and simple formulas may use <code>&lt;math&gt;</code>; or <code>&lt;i&gt;</code> and <code>&lt;b&gt;</code>; or <code><nowiki>''</nowiki></code> and <code><nowiki>'''</nowiki></code>. According to [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Mathematics#Italicization and bolding|WikiProject Mathematics]], wiki markup is preferred over HTML markup like <code>&lt;i&gt;</code> and <code>&lt;b&gt;</code>.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
<math>\sin x + \ln y</math><br />
sin''x'' + ln''y''<br />
<br />
<math>\mathbf{x} = 0</math><br />
'''x''' = 0<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
A typewriter font for <tt>monospace text</tt><br />
or for computer code: <code>int main()</code><br />
<br />
* For semantic reasons, using <code>&lt;code&gt;</code> where applicable is preferable to using <code>&lt;tt&gt;</code>.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
A typewriter font for <tt>monospace text</tt><br />
or for computer code: <code>int main()</code><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
You can use <small>small text</small> for captions.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
You can use <small>small text</small> for captions.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
You can <s>strike out deleted material</s><br />
and <u>underline new material</u>.<br />
<br />
You can also mark <del>deleted material</del> and<br />
<ins>inserted material</ins> using logical markup<br />
rather than visual markup.<br />
<br />
* When editing regular Wikipedia articles, just make your changes and do not mark them up in any special way.<br />
* When editing your own previous remarks in talk pages, it is sometimes appropriate to mark up deleted or inserted material.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
You can <s>strike out deleted material</s><br />
and <u>underline new material</u>.<br />
<br />
You can also mark <del>deleted material</del> and<br />
<ins>inserted material</ins> using logical markup<br />
rather than visual markup.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Diacritical marks:'''<br />
<br/><br />
À Á Â Ã Ä Å <br/><br />
Æ Ç È É Ê Ë <br/><br />
Ì Í<br />
Î Ï Ñ Ò <br/><br />
Ó Ô Õ<br />
Ö Ø Ù <br/><br />
Ú Û Ü ß<br />
à á <br/><br />
â ã ä å æ<br />
ç <br/><br />
è é ê ë ì í<br/><br />
î ï ñ ò ó ô <br/><br />
&oelig; õ<br />
ö ø ù ú <br/><br />
û ü ÿ<br />
<br />
* See [[meta:Help:Special characters|special characters]].<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&amp;Agrave; &amp;Aacute; &amp;Acirc; &amp;Atilde; &amp;Auml; &amp;Aring; <br />
&amp;AElig; &amp;Ccedil; &amp;Egrave; &amp;Eacute; &amp;Ecirc; &amp;Euml; <br />
&amp;Igrave; &amp;Iacute; &amp;Icirc; &amp;Iuml; &amp;Ntilde; &amp;Ograve; <br />
&amp;Oacute; &amp;Ocirc; &amp;Otilde; &amp;Ouml; &amp;Oslash; &amp;Ugrave; <br />
&amp;Uacute; &amp;Ucirc; &amp;Uuml; &amp;szlig; &amp;agrave; &amp;aacute; <br />
&amp;acirc; &amp;atilde; &amp;auml; &amp;aring; &amp;aelig; &amp;ccedil; <br />
&amp;egrave; &amp;eacute; &amp;ecirc; &amp;euml; &amp;igrave; &amp;iacute;<br />
&amp;icirc; &amp;iuml; &amp;ntilde; &amp;ograve; &amp;oacute; &amp;ocirc; <br />
&amp;oelig; &amp;otilde; &amp;ouml; &amp;oslash; &amp;ugrave; &amp;uacute; <br />
&amp;ucirc; &amp;uuml; &amp;yuml;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Punctuation:'''<br />
<br/><br />
¿ ¡ § ¶<br/><br />
&dagger; &Dagger; &bull; &ndash; &mdash;<br/><br />
&lsaquo; &rsaquo; « »<br/><br />
&lsquo; &rsquo; &ldquo; &rdquo;<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&amp;iquest; &amp;iexcl; &amp;sect; &amp;para;<br />
&amp;dagger; &amp;Dagger; &amp;bull; &amp;ndash; &amp;mdash;<br />
&amp;lsaquo; &amp;rsaquo; &amp;laquo; &amp;raquo;<br />
&amp;lsquo; &amp;rsquo; &amp;ldquo; &amp;rdquo;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Commercial symbols:'''<br />
<br/><br />
&trade; © ® ¢ &euro; ¥<br/><br />
£ ¤<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&amp;trade; &amp;copy; &amp;reg; &amp;cent; &amp;euro; &amp;yen; <br />
&amp;pound; &amp;curren;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Subscripts:'''<br />
<br/><br />
x<sub>1</sub> x<sub>2</sub> x<sub>3</sub> or<br />
<br/><br />
x&#8320; x&#8321; x&#8322; x&#8323; x&#8324;<br />
<br/><br />
x&#8325; x&#8326; x&#8327; x&#8328; x&#8329;<br />
<br />
'''Superscripts:'''<br />
<br/><br />
x<sup>1</sup> x<sup>2</sup> x<sup>3</sup> or<br />
<br/><br />
x&#8304; x&sup1; x&sup2; x&sup3; x&#8308;<br />
<br/><br />
x&#8309; x&#8310; x&#8311; x&#8312; x&#8313;<br />
<br />
*The latter methods of sub/superscripting cannot be used in the most general context, as they rely on Unicode support which may not be present on all users' machines. For the 1-2-3 superscripts, it is nevertheless preferred when possible (as with units of measurement) because most browsers have an easier time formatting lines with it.<br />
<br />
&epsilon;<sub>0</sub> =<br />
8.85 &times; 10<sup>&minus;12</sup><br />
C&sup2; / J m.<br />
<br />
1 [[hectare]] = [[1 E4 m&sup2;]]<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
x<sub>1</sub> x<sub>2</sub> x<sub>3</sub> or<br />
<br/><br />
x&amp;#8320; x&amp;#8321; x&amp;#8322; x&amp;#8323; x&amp;#8324;<br />
<br/><br />
x&amp;#8325; x&amp;#8326; x&amp;#8327; x&amp;#8328; x&amp;#8329;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
x<sup>1</sup> x<sup>2</sup> x<sup>3</sup> or<br />
<br/><br />
x&amp;#8304; x&amp;sup1; x&amp;sup2; x&amp;sup3; x&amp;#8308;<br />
<br/><br />
x&amp;#8309; x&amp;#8310; x&amp;#8311; x&amp;#8312; x&amp;#8313;<br />
<br />
&amp;epsilon;<sub>0</sub> =<br />
8.85 &amp;times; 10<sup>&amp;minus;12</sup><br />
C&amp;sup2; / J m.<br />
<br />
1 [[hectare]] = [[1 E4 m&amp;sup2;]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Greek characters:'''<br />
<br/><br />
&alpha; &beta; &gamma; &delta; &epsilon; &zeta;<br/><br />
&eta; &theta; &iota; &kappa; &lambda; &mu; &nu;<br/><br />
&xi; &omicron; &pi; &rho; &sigma; &sigmaf;<br/><br />
&tau; &upsilon; &phi; &chi; &psi; &omega;<br/><br />
&Gamma; &Delta; &Theta; &Lambda; &Xi; &Pi;<br/><br />
&Sigma; &Phi; &Psi; &Omega;<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&amp;alpha; &amp;beta; &amp;gamma; &amp;delta; &amp;epsilon; &amp;zeta; <br />
&amp;eta; &amp;theta; &amp;iota; &amp;kappa; &amp;lambda; &amp;mu; &amp;nu; <br />
&amp;xi; &amp;omicron; &amp;pi; &amp;rho; &amp;sigma; &amp;sigmaf;<br />
&amp;tau; &amp;upsilon; &amp;phi; &amp;chi; &amp;psi; &amp;omega;<br />
&amp;Gamma; &amp;Delta; &amp;Theta; &amp;Lambda; &amp;Xi; &amp;Pi; <br />
&amp;Sigma; &amp;Phi; &amp;Psi; &amp;Omega;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Mathematical characters:'''<br />
<br/><br />
&int; &sum; &prod; &radic; &minus; &plusmn; &infin;<br/><br />
&asymp; &prop; &equiv; &ne; &le; &ge;<br/><br />
&times; &middot; &divide; &part; &prime; &Prime;<br/><br />
&nabla; &permil; &deg; &there4; &alefsym; &oslash;<br/><br />
&isin; &notin; &cap; &cup; &sub; &sup; &sube; &supe;<br/><br />
&not; &and; &or; &exist; &forall; &rArr; &hArr;<br/><br />
&rarr; &harr;<br/><br />
* See also [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Mathematics|WikiProject Mathematics]].<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&amp;int; &amp;sum; &amp;prod; &amp;radic; &amp;minus; &amp;plusmn; &amp;infin;<br />
&amp;asymp; &amp;prop; &amp;equiv; &amp;ne; &amp;le; &amp;ge;<br />
&amp;times; &amp;middot; &amp;divide; &amp;part; &amp;prime; &amp;Prime;<br />
&amp;nabla; &amp;permil; &amp;deg; &amp;there4; &amp;alefsym; &amp;oslash;<br />
&amp;isin; &amp;notin; &amp;cap; &amp;cup; &amp;sub; &amp;sup; &amp;sube; &amp;supe;<br />
&amp;not; &amp;and; &amp;or; &amp;exist; &amp;forall; &amp;rArr; &amp;hArr;<br />
&amp;rarr; &amp;harr;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Spacing in simple math formulas:'''<br />
<br/><br />
Obviously, ''x''&sup2;&nbsp;&ge;&nbsp;0 is true.<br />
*To space things out without allowing line breaks to interrupt the formula, use non-breaking spaces: <tt>&amp;nbsp;</tt>.<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
Obviously, ''x''&amp;sup2;&amp;nbsp;&amp;ge;&amp;nbsp;0 is true.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Complicated formulas:'''<br />
<br/><br />
: <math>\sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{x^n}{n!}</math><br />
* See [[Help:Formula]] for how to use <tt>&lt;math></tt>.<br />
* A formula displayed on a line by itself should probably be indented by using the colon (:) character.<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
: <math>\sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{x^n}{n!}</math><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Suppressing interpretation of markup:'''<br />
<br/><br />
<nowiki>Link &rarr; (''to'') the [[Wikipedia FAQ]]</nowiki><br />
* Used to show literal data that would otherwise have special meaning.<br />
* Escape all wiki markup, including that which looks like HTML tags.<br />
* Does not escape HTML character references.<br />
* To escape HTML character references such as <tt>&amp;rarr;</tt> use <tt>&amp;amp;rarr;</tt><br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&lt;nowiki>Link &amp;rarr; (''to'') <br />
the [[Wikipedia FAQ]]&lt;/nowiki><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Commenting page source:'''<br />
<br/><br />
''not shown when viewing page''<br />
* Used to leave comments in a page for future editors.<br />
* Note that most comments should go on the appropriate [[Wikipedia:Talk page|Talk page]].<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&lt;!-- comment here --><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|}<br />
''(see also: [[Chess symbols in Unicode]])''<br />
<br />
=== Table of Contents ===<br />
==== Placement of the Table of Contents (TOC) ====<br />
At the current status of the wiki markup language, having at least four headers on a page triggers the TOC to appear in front of the first header (or after introductory sections). Putting <nowiki>__TOC__</nowiki> anywhere forces the TOC to appear at that point (instead of just before the first header). Putting <nowiki>__NOTOC__</nowiki> anywhere forces the TOC to disappear. See also [[Wikipedia:Section#Compact_TOC|compact TOC]] for alphabet and year headings.<br />
<br />
==== Keeping headings out of the Table of Contents ====<br />
<br />
If you want some subheadings to not appear in the Table of Contents, then make the following replacements.<br />
<br />
Replace <nowiki> == Header 2 == with <h2> Header 2 </h2> </nowiki><br />
<br />
Replace <nowiki> === Header 3 === with <h3> Header 3 </h3> </nowiki><br />
<br />
And so forth.<br />
<br />
For example, notice that the following header has the same font as the other subheaders to this "Tables" section, but the following header does not appear in the Table of Contents for this page.<br />
<br />
<h4> This header has the h4 font, but is NOT in the Table of Contents</h4><br />
<br />
This effect is obtained by the following line of code.<br />
<br />
<code><nowiki><h4> This header has the h4 font, but is NOT in the Table of Contents </h4></nowiki></code><br />
<br />
Note that when editing by section, this approach places the text between the tags in the subsequent section, not the previous section. To edit this text, click the edit link next to "Tables", not the one above.<br />
<br />
=== Tables ===<br />
There are two ways to build tables: <br />
*in special Wiki-markup (see [[Help:Table]])<br />
*with the usual HTML elements: &lt;table&gt;, &lt;tr&gt;, &lt;td&gt; or &lt;th&gt;.<br />
<br />
For the latter, and a discussion on when tables are appropriate, see [[Wikipedia:How to use tables]].<br />
<br />
===Variables===<br />
<br />
''(See also [[Help:Variable]])''<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
! Code<br />
! Effect<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTH}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTMONTH}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}}</nowiki><br />
| {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}}</nowiki><br />
| {{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTDAY}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTDAY}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTDAYNAME}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTDAYNAME}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTYEAR}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTYEAR}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTTIME}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTTIME}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}</nowiki><br />
| {{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> || {{PAGENAME}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{NAMESPACE}}</nowiki> || {{NAMESPACE}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{localurl:pagename}}</nowiki><br />
| {{localurl:pagename}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{localurl:</nowiki>''Wikipedia:Sandbox''<nowiki>|action=edit}}</nowiki><br />
| {{localurl:Wikipedia:Sandbox|action=edit}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{SERVER}}</nowiki> || {{SERVER}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:1}}</nowiki> || {{ns:1}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:2}}</nowiki> || {{ns:2}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:3}}</nowiki> || {{ns:3}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:4}}</nowiki> || {{ns:4}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:5}}</nowiki> || {{ns:5}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:6}}</nowiki> || {{ns:6}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:7}}</nowiki> || {{ns:7}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:8}}</nowiki> || {{ns:8}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:9}}</nowiki> || {{ns:9}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:10}}</nowiki> || {{ns:10}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:11}}</nowiki> || {{ns:11}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:12}}</nowiki> || {{ns:12}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:13}}</nowiki> || {{ns:13}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:14}}</nowiki> || {{ns:14}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:15}}</nowiki> || {{ns:15}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{SITENAME}}</nowiki> || {{SITENAME}}<br />
|}<br />
<br />
'''NUMBEROFARTICLES''' is the number of pages in the main namespace which contain a link and are not a redirect, in other words number of articles, stubs containing a link, and disambiguation pages.<br />
<br />
'''CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN''' is the genitive (possessive) grammatical form of the month name, as used in some languages; '''CURRENTMONTHNAME''' is the nominative (subject) form, as usually seen in English.<br />
<br />
In languages where it makes a difference, you can use constructs like <nowiki>{{grammar:case|word}}</nowiki> to convert a word from the nominative case to some other case. For example, <nowiki>{{grammar:genitive|{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}}}}</nowiki> means the same as <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}}</nowiki>. <!-- Is there a reference for this, other than the source code (for example, phase3/languages/Lnaguage*.php) ? --><br />
<br />
===Templates===<br />
<br />
We don't currently use templates. Until we do, this section is irrelevent.<br />
<br />
The [[Wikipedia:MediaWiki|MediaWiki]] software used by Wikipedia has support for templates. This means standardized text chunks (such as [[Wikipedia:Template messages|boilerplate]] text) can be inserted into articles. For example, typing <nowiki>{{stub}}</nowiki> will appear as "''This article is a [[Wikipedia:The perfect stub article|stub]]. You can help Wikipedia by [[Wikipedia:Find or fix a stub|expanding it]].''" when the page is saved. See [[Wikipedia:Template messages]] for the complete list. Other commonly used ones are: <nowiki>{{disambig}}</nowiki> for disambiguation pages, <nowiki>{{spoiler}}</nowiki> for spoiler warnings and <nowiki>{{sectstub}}</nowiki> like an article stub but for a section. There are many subject-specific stubs for example: <nowiki> {{Geo-stub}}, {{Hist-stub}}, and {{Linux-stub}}</nowiki>. For a complete list of stubs see [[Wikipedia:Template messages/Stubs]].<br />
<br />
===Hiding the edit links===<br />
<br />
Insert '''<nowiki>__NOEDITSECTION__</nowiki>''' into the document to suppress the edit links that appear next to every section header.<br />
<br />
==More information on editing wiki pages==<br />
<br />
You may also want to learn about:<br />
<br />
* [[Help:How to make a new article]] <br />
* Informal tips on [[Help:contributing to Cacheopedia]]<br />
* Editing tasks in general at the [[Help:Editing FAQ]]<br />
* Why not to rename pages '''boldly''', at [[Help:How to rename (move) a page]]<br />
* Preferred layout of your article, at [[Help:Guide to Layout]] (see also [[Wikipedia:Boilerplate text]])<br />
* Style conventions in the [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style|Manual of Style]]<br />
* An article with annotations pointing out common Cacheopedia style and layout issues, at [[Help:Annotated article]]<br />
* General policies in [[Help:Policies and guidelines]]<br />
* [[Help:Naming conventions]] for how to name articles themselves<br />
* Finally, for a list of articles about editing Cacheopedia consult [[Help:Style and How-to Directory]].<br />
<br />
*[[m:Help:Editing|Mediawiki user's guide to editing]]<br />
*[[Wikipedia:MediaWiki]]<br />
<br />
=='Wikipedia Article Editing' Flash Tutorial==<br />
*[http://www.myfilehut.com/userfiles/Random%20Uploader/Wikipedia_Article_Editing_Tutorial.swf A Flash tutorial about editing Wikipedia articles (1.49MB)]</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Wiki_Formatting_Reference
Wiki Formatting Reference
2005-05-25T19:33:01Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* More information on editing wiki pages */</p>
<hr />
<div>Welcome! If you want to test out editing pages, please use the "[[Sandbox]]" for your tests. <br />
<br />
:''See also [[Help:Contents]], [[How to make a new article]], & [[Basics of Wiki Formatting]]''<br />
<br />
== Tips on editing Cacheopedia articles ==<br />
<br />
Always use a [[neutral point of view]], as Cacheopedia is not a place to promote points of view. It can be used to describe or summarize points of view that exist, which is different.<br />
<br />
When practical, cite your sources so others can check and extend your work. <br />
<br />
Do not copy the works of others! You can use them as a resource for ideas and information, but no work should be copied wholesale. Try to re-state what they have said, and use multiple sources. This helps create a better article, as you are drawing on the wisdom and experience of many cachers.<br />
<br />
== Minor edits ==<br />
<br />
When editing a page, a logged-in user can mark that edit as being "minor". Minor edits generally mean spelling corrections, formatting, and minor rearrangement of text. <br />
<br />
== Wiki markup ==<br />
<br />
The '''wiki markup''' is the syntax system you can use to format a page.<br />
<br />
In the left column of the table below, you can see what effects are possible. In the right column, you can see how those effects were achieved. In other words, to make text look like it looks in the left column, type it in the format you see in the right column.<br />
<br />
You may want to keep this page open in a separate browser window for reference. '''If you want to try out things without danger of doing any harm, you can do so in the [[Sandbox]]'''. Try opening the Sandbox in a separate window or tab and keeping this page open for reference.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
=== Sections, paragraphs, lists, and lines ===<br />
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"<br />
|-<br />
! What it looks like<br />
! What you type<br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
Start your sections as follows:<br />
<br />
<!-- The following code messes up the table of contents<br />
and makes the section edit links much less useful,<br />
so please do not use it.<br />
==New section==<br />
===Subsection===<br />
====Sub-subsection====<br />
--><br />
<!-- The following should look almost the same, using<br />
HTML headings markup instead of wiki headings.<br />
However, it messes up the section edit links,<br />
so please do not use it.<br />
<h2>New section</h2><br />
<h3>Subsection</h3><br />
<h4>Sub-subsection</h4><br />
--><br />
<!-- The following just uses bolding and font changes,<br />
so it should be safe. However, it might not<br />
look exactly right, especially when people<br />
use non-standard CSS stylesheets.<br />
--><br />
'''<font style="font-size:120%">New section</font>'''<br />
<br />
'''<font style="font-size:110%">Subsection</font>'''<br />
<br />
'''<font style="font-size:100%">Sub-subsection</font>'''<br />
<br />
* Start with a second-level heading (<tt><nowiki>==</nowiki></tt>); do not use first-level headings (=).<br />
* Do not skip levels (for example, second-level followed by fourth-level).<br />
* A Table of Contents will automatically be added to an article that has four or more sections. <br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
==New section==<br />
<br />
===Subsection===<br />
<br />
====Sub-subsection====<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
A single newline<br />
generally has no effect on the layout.<br />
These can be used to separate<br />
sentences within a paragraph.<br />
Some editors find that this aids editing<br />
and improves the function ''diff'' <br />
(used internally to compare<br />
different versions of a page).<br />
<br />
But an empty line<br />
starts a new paragraph.<br />
<br />
* When used in a list, a newline ''does'' affect the layout ([[#lists|see below]]).<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
A single newline<br />
generally has no effect on the layout. <br />
These can be used to separate<br />
sentences within a paragraph.<br />
Some editors find that this aids editing<br />
and improves the function ''diff'' <br />
(used internally to compare<br />
different versions of a page).<br />
<br />
But an empty line<br />
starts a new paragraph.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
You can break lines<br/><br />
without starting a new paragraph.<br />
<br />
* Please use this sparingly.<br />
* Close markup between lines, do not start a link or ''italics'' or '''bold''' on one line and close it on the next.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
You can break lines<br/><br />
without starting a new paragraph.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- id="lists" valign="top"<br />
|<br />
* Lists are easy to do:<br />
** Start every line with a star (= asterisk).<br />
*** More stars means deeper levels.<br />
**** A newline in a list<br />
marks the end of a list item.<br />
<br />
* An empty line starts a new list.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
* Lists are easy to do:<br />
** Start every line with a star.<br />
*** More stars means deeper levels.<br />
**** A newline in a list<br />
marks the end of a list item.<br />
<br />
* An empty line starts a new list.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
# Numbered lists are also good<br />
## very organized<br />
## easy to follow<br />
### easier still<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
# Numbered lists are also good<br />
## very organized<br />
## easy to follow<br />
### easier still<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
* You can even do mixed lists<br />
*# and nest them<br />
*#* like this<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
* You can even do mixed lists<br />
*# and nest them<br />
*#* like this<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top" id="definition"<br />
|<br />
; Definition list : list of definitions<br />
; item : the item's definition<br />
; another item<br />
: the other item's definition<br />
<br />
* One item per line; a newline can appear before the colon, but using a space before the colon improves parsing.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
; Definition list : list of definitions<br />
; item : the item's definition<br />
; another item<br />
: the other item's definition<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
: A colon indents a line or paragraph.<br />
A manual newline starts a new paragraph.<br />
<br />
* This is primarily for displayed material, but is also used for discussion on Talk pages.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
: A colon indents a line or paragraph.<br />
A manual newline starts a new paragraph.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign=top<br />
|<br />
IF a line starts with a space THEN<br />
it will be formatted exactly<br />
as typed;<br />
in a fixed-width font;<br />
lines will not wrap;<br />
ENDIF<br />
<br />
*This is useful for:<br />
** pasting preformatted text;<br />
** algorithm descriptions;<br />
** program source code;<br />
** ASCII art;<br />
** chemical structures;<br />
* '''WARNING''': If you make it wide, you force the whole page to be wide and hence less readable, especially for people who use lower resolutions. Never start ordinary lines with spaces.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
IF a line starts with a space THEN<br />
it will be formatted exactly<br />
as typed;<br />
in a fixed-width font;<br />
lines will not wrap;<br />
ENDIF<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
<center>Centered text.</center><br />
<br />
* Please note the American spelling of "center."<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
<center>Centered text.</center><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
A horizontal dividing line:<br />
this is above it<br />
----<br />
and this is below it.<br />
<br />
* Mainly useful for separating threads on Talk pages.<br />
* Also used to [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation|disambiguate]] within an article without creating a separate page.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
A [[horizontal dividing line]]:<br />
this is above it<br />
----<br />
and this is below it.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|}<br />
<br />
=== Links and URLs ===<br />
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"<br />
|-<br />
! What it looks like<br />
! What you type<br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
There are many [[types of caches]].<br />
<br />
* A link to another Cacheopedia article.<br />
* Internally, the first letter of the target page is automatically capitalized and spaces are represented as underscores (typing an underscore in the link has the same effect as typing a space, but is not recommended).<br />
* Thus the link above is to the URL <br /><br />
www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Types_of_caches, which is the Cacheopedia article with the name "Types of caches". <br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
There are many [[types of caches]].<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
San Francisco also has all the [[types of caches|kinds of caches]].<br />
<br />
* Same target, different name.<br />
* This is a piped link, using a "pipebar" (|) character to change the visable text of the link.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
San Francisco also has<br />
[[types of caches|kinds of caches]].<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
San Francisco also has<br />
[[public transport]]ation.<br />
<br />
Examples include [[bus]]es, [[taxi]]s,<br />
and [[streetcar]]s.<br />
<br />
* Endings are blended into the link.<br />
* Preferred style is to use this instead of a piped link, if possible.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
San Francisco also has<br />
[[public transport]]ation.<br />
<br />
Examples include [[bus]]es, [[taxi]]s,<br />
and [[streetcar]]s.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
See the [[Help:Contents]].<br />
<br />
* Don't worry too much about this. This called namespacing, and we don't use it too much here. Yet. :)<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
See the [[Help:Contents]].<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- id="link-to-section" valign="top"<br />
|<br />
[[Types of caches#Virtual Caches]] is a link<br />
to a section within another page.<br />
<br />
[[#Links and URLs]] is a link<br />
to a section on the current page.<br />
<br />
[[#example]] is a link to an<br />
anchor that was created using<br />
<div id="example">an id attribute</div><br />
<br />
* The part after the number sign (#) must match a section heading on the page. Matches must be exact in terms of spelling, case, and punctuation. Links to non-existent sections are not broken; they are treated as links to the top of the page.<br />
* Identifiers may be created by attaching an <code>id="..."></code> attribute to almost any HTML element.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[Types of caches#Virtual Caches]] is a link<br />
to a section within another page.<br />
<br />
[[#Links and URLs]] is a link<br />
to a section on the current page.<br />
<br />
[[#example]] is a link to an<br />
anchor that was created using<br />
<div id="example">an id attribute</div><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
Automatically hide stuff in parentheses:<br />
[[kingdom (biology)|kingdom]].<br />
<br />
Automatically hide namespace:<br />
[[Help:Contents|Contents]]. <br />
<br />
Or both:<br />
[[Help:Contents (headings)|Contents]]<br />
<br />
But not:<br />
[[Help:Contents#Links|]]<br />
<br />
* The server fills in the part after the pipe character (|) when you save the page. The next time you open the edit box you will see the expanded piped link. When [[Wikipedia:Show preview|preview]]ing your edits, you will not see the expanded form until you press '''Save''' and '''Edit''' again. The same applies to links to sections within the same page ([[#link-to-section|see previous entry]]).<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
Automatically hide stuff in parentheses:<br />
[[kingdom (biology)|]].<br />
<br />
Automatically hide namespace: <br />
[[Help:Contents|]].<br />
<br />
Or both:<br />
[[Help:Contents (headings)|]]<br />
<br />
But not:<br />
[[Help:Contents#Links|]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
[[Geocaching on Mars]] is a page<br />
that does not exist yet.<br />
<br />
* You can create it by clicking on the link (but please do not do so with this particular link).<br />
* To create a new page: <br />
*# Create a link to it on some other (related) page.<br />
*# Save that page.<br />
*# Click on the link you just made. The new page will open for editing.<br />
* For more information, see [[How to start a new article]] and check out Cacheopedia's [[Help:naming conventions]].<br />
* Please do not create a new article without linking to it from at least one other article.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[Geocaching on Mars]] is a page <br />
that does not exist yet.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
[[Wiki Formatting Reference]] is this page.<br />
<br />
* Self links appear as bold text when the article is viewed.<br />
* Do not use this technique to make the article name bold in the first paragraph.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[Wiki Formatting Reference]] is this page.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
When adding a comment to a Talk page,<br />
you should sign it by adding<br />
three tildes (~) to add your user name:<br />
:[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]]<br />
:or four to add user name plus date/time:<br />
:[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 10:36, 20 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
:Five tildes gives the date/time alone:<br />
:10:36, 20 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
<br />
* The first two both provide a link to your [[Help:user page]].<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
When adding a comment to a Talk page,<br />
you should sign it by adding<br />
three tildes to add your user name:<br />
: ~~~<br />
or four for user name plus date/time:<br />
: ~~~~<br />
Five tildes gives the date/time alone:<br />
: ~~~~~<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
* [[Help:Redirect]] one article title to another by placing a directive like the one shown to the right on the ''first'' line of the article (such as at a page titled "[[USA]]").<br />
* Note that, while it is possible to link to a section, it is not possible to redirect to a section. For example, "<nowiki>#REDIRECT [[United States#History]]</nowiki>" will redirect to the [[United States]] page, but not to any particular section on it. This feature '''will not''' be implemented in the future, so such redirects should not be used.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
#REDIRECT [[United States]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
<!-- Multi-language support not available.<br />
* Link to a page on the same subject in another language by using a link of the form: <nowiki>[[language code:Title]]</nowiki>.<br />
* It does not matter where you put these links while editing as they will always show up in the same place when you save the page, but placement at the end of the edit box is recommended.<br />
* Please see [[Wikipedia:Interlanguage links]] and the [[Wikipedia:Complete list of language wikis available|list of languages and codes]].<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[fr:Wikipédia:Aide]]<br />
</nowiki></pre> --><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''What links here''' and '''Related changes'''<br />
pages can be linked as:<br />
[[Special:Whatlinkshere/Help:Wiki Formatting Reference]]<br />
and<br />
[[Special:Recentchangeslinked/Help:Wiki Formatting Reference]]<br />
<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
'''What links here''' and '''Related changes'''<br />
pages can be linked as:<br />
[[Special:Whatlinkshere/Help:Wiki Formatting Reference]]<br />
and<br />
[[Special:Recentchangeslinked/Help:Wiki Formatting Reference]]<br />
</nowiki></pre> <br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
A user's '''Contributions''' page can be linked as:<br />
[[Special:Contributions/UserName]]<br />
or<br />
[[Special:Contributions/192.0.2.0]]<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
A user's '''Contributions''' page can be linked as:<br />
[[Special:Contributions/UserName]]<br />
or<br />
[[Special:Contributions/192.0.2.0]]<br />
</nowiki></pre> <br />
<br />
<!--We don't do categories (yet?)<br />
<br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
* To put an article in a [[Wikipedia:Category]], place a link like the one to the right anywhere in the article. As with interlanguage links, it does not matter where you put these links while editing as they will always show up in the same place when you save the page, but placement at the end of the edit box is recommended.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[Category:Character sets]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
* To ''link'' to a [[Wikipedia:Category]] page without putting the article into the category, use an initial colon (:) in the link.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[:Category:Character sets]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
<br />
--><br />
<br />
|- id="link-external" valign="top"<br />
|<br />
Three ways to link to external (non-wiki) sources:<br />
# Bare URL: http://www.geocaching.com/ (bad style)<br />
# Unnamed link: [http://www.geocaching.com/] ('''very bad style''')<br />
# Named link: [http://www.geocaching.com Geocaching Website]<br />
<br />
:See [[MetaWikiPedia:Interwiki_map]] for the list of shortcuts.<br />
<br />
* Square brackets indicate an external link. Note the use of a ''space'' (not a pipe) to separate the URL from the link text in the "named" version.<br />
* In the [[Wikipedia:URL|URL]], all symbols must be among:<br/>'''A-Z a-z 0-9 . _ \ / ~ % - + &amp; # ? ! = ( ) @ \x80-\xFF'''<br />
* If a URL contains a character not in this list, it should be encoded by using a percent sign (%) followed by the [[Wikipedia:hexadecimal|hex]] code of the character, which can be found in the table of [[Wikipedia:ASCII#ASCII printable characters|ASCII printable characters]]. For example, the caret character (^) would be encoded in a URL as '''%5E'''.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
Three ways to link to external (non-wiki) sources:<br />
# Bare URL: http://www.geocaching.com/ (bad style)<br />
# Unnamed link: [http://www.geocaching.com/] ('''very bad style''')<br />
# Named link: [http://www.geocaching.com Geocaching Website]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
Linking to other wikis:<br />
# [[Help:Interwiki]] link: [[Wiktionary:Hello]]<br />
# Named interwiki link: [[Wiktionary:Hello|Hello]]<br />
# Interwiki link without prefix: [[Wiktionary:Hello|Hello]]<br />
<br />
* All of these forms lead to the URL http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Hello<br />
* Note that interwiki links use the ''internal'' link style.<br />
* See [[MetaWikiPedia:Interwiki_map]] for the list of shortcuts; if the site you want to link to is not on the list, use an external link ([[#link-external|see above]]).<br />
* See also [[Wikipedia:How to link to Wikimedia projects]].<br />
<br />
Linking to another language's wiktionary:<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour]]<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour|bonjour]]<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour|fr:bonjour]]<br />
<br />
* All of these forms lead to the URL http://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/bonjour<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
Linking to other wikis:<br />
# [[Interwiki]] link: [[Wiktionary:Hello]]<br />
# Named interwiki link: [[Wiktionary:Hello|Hello]]<br />
# Interwiki link without prefix: [[Wiktionary:Hello|]]<br />
<br />
Linking to another language's wiktionary:<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour]]<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour|bonjour]]<br />
# [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour|]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
ISBN 012345678X<br />
<br />
ISBN 0-123-45678-X<br />
<br />
* Link to books using their [[Wikipedia:ISBN|ISBN]] numbers. This is preferred to linking to a specific online bookstore, because it gives the reader a choice of vendors.<br />
* ISBN links do not need any extra markup, provided you use one of the indicated formats.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
ISBN 012345678X<br />
<br />
ISBN 0-123-45678-X<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign=top<br />
|<br />
Date formats:<br />
# [[July 20]], [[1969]]<br />
# [[20 July]] [[1969]]<br />
# [[1969]]-[[07-20]]<br />
# [[1969-07-20]]<br />
<br />
* Link dates in one of the above formats, so that everyone can set their own display order. If [[Special:Userlogin|logged in]], you can use [[Special:Preferences]] to change your own date display setting.<br />
* All of the above dates will appear as "[[20 July|20 July]] [[1969|1969]]" if you set your date display preference to "15 January 2001", but as "[[20 July|July 20]], [[1969|1969]]" if you set it to "January 15, 2001", or as "[[1969|1969]]-[[July 20|07-20]]" if you set it to "2001-01-15".<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
Date formats:<br />
# [[July 20]], [[1969]]<br />
# [[20 July]] [[1969]]<br />
# [[1969]]-[[07-20]]<br />
# [[1969-07-20]]<br />
<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
[[media:Sg_mrob.ogg|Sound]]<br />
<br />
*To include links to non-image uploads such as sounds, use a "media" link. For images, [[#Images|see next section]].<br />
<br />
Some uploaded sounds are listed at [[Wikipedia:Sound]].<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
[[media:Sg_mrob.ogg|Sound]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
<!--Saved changes here. Resting for a while. -Luna --><br />
<br />
=== Images ===<br />
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"<br />
|-<br />
! What it looks like<br />
! What you type<br />
|- valign="top"<br />
| A picture: [[Image:Wiki.png]]<br />
<br />
or, with alternative text:<br />
[[Image:Wiki.png|jigsaw globe]]<br />
<br />
or, floating to the right side of the page and with a caption:<br />
[[Image:Wiki.png|frame|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]<br clear=all><br />
<br />
or, floating to the right side of the page ''without'' a caption:<br />
[[Image:Wiki.png|right|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]<br clear=all><br />
<br />
* Only images that have been uploaded to Wikipedia can be used. To upload images, use the [[Special:Upload|upload page]]. You can find the uploaded image on the [[Special:Imagelist|image list]].<br />
* See the [[Wikipedia:Image use policy|image use policy]] and [[Wikipedia:Image markup|extended image markup/syntax]] pages for more hints.<br />
* Alternative text, used when the image is not loaded, in a text-only browser, or when spoken aloud, is '''strongly''' encouraged. See [[Wikipedia:Alternate text for images|Alternate text for images]] for help on choosing it.<br />
* The frame tag automatically floats the image right.<br />
| <pre><nowiki><br />
A picture: [[Image:Wiki.png]]</nowiki><br />
<br />
or, with alternative text:<br />
<nowiki>[[Image:Wiki.png|jigsaw globe]]</nowiki><br />
<br />
or, floating to the right side of the page and with a caption:<br />
<nowiki>[[Image:Wiki.png|frame|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]</nowiki><br />
<br />
or, floating to the right side of the page ''without'' a caption:<br />
<nowiki>[[Image:Wiki.png|right|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]</nowiki></pre><br />
|-<br />
|<br />
Clicking on an uploaded image displays a description page, which you can also link directly to: [[:Image:Wiki.png]]<br />
| <pre><nowiki><br />
<br />
[[:Image:Wiki.png]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|-<br />
|<br />
To include links to images shown as links instead of drawn on the page, use a "media" link.<br />
<br />
<br/>[[media:Tornado.jpg|Image of a Tornado]]<br />
|<br />
<pre><br />
<nowiki><br />
<br />
[[media:Tornado.jpg|Image of a Tornado]]<br />
<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|}<br />
<br />
=== Character formatting ===<br />
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"<br />
|- valign="top"<br />
! What it looks like<br />
! What you type<br />
|- id="emph" valign="top"<br />
|<br />
''Emphasize'', '''strongly''', '''''very strongly'''''.<br />
* These are double, triple, and quintuple apostrophes (single-quote marks), not double-quote marks.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
''Emphasize'', '''strongly''', '''''very strongly'''''.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
<math>\sin x + \ln y</math><br><br />
sin''x'' + ln''y''<br />
<!-- no space between roman "sin" and italic "x" --><br />
<br />
<math>\mathbf{x} = 0</math><br><br />
'''x''' = 0<br />
<br />
Ordinary text should use [[#emph|wiki markup for emphasis]], and should not use <code>&lt;i&gt;</code> or <code>&lt;b&gt;</code>. However, mathematical formulas often use italics, and sometimes use bold, for reasons unrelated to emphasis. Complex formulas should use [[Help:Formula|<code>&lt;math&gt;</code> markup]], and simple formulas may use <code>&lt;math&gt;</code>; or <code>&lt;i&gt;</code> and <code>&lt;b&gt;</code>; or <code><nowiki>''</nowiki></code> and <code><nowiki>'''</nowiki></code>. According to [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Mathematics#Italicization and bolding|WikiProject Mathematics]], wiki markup is preferred over HTML markup like <code>&lt;i&gt;</code> and <code>&lt;b&gt;</code>.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
<math>\sin x + \ln y</math><br />
sin''x'' + ln''y''<br />
<br />
<math>\mathbf{x} = 0</math><br />
'''x''' = 0<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
A typewriter font for <tt>monospace text</tt><br />
or for computer code: <code>int main()</code><br />
<br />
* For semantic reasons, using <code>&lt;code&gt;</code> where applicable is preferable to using <code>&lt;tt&gt;</code>.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
A typewriter font for <tt>monospace text</tt><br />
or for computer code: <code>int main()</code><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
You can use <small>small text</small> for captions.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
You can use <small>small text</small> for captions.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
You can <s>strike out deleted material</s><br />
and <u>underline new material</u>.<br />
<br />
You can also mark <del>deleted material</del> and<br />
<ins>inserted material</ins> using logical markup<br />
rather than visual markup.<br />
<br />
* When editing regular Wikipedia articles, just make your changes and do not mark them up in any special way.<br />
* When editing your own previous remarks in talk pages, it is sometimes appropriate to mark up deleted or inserted material.<br />
|<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
You can <s>strike out deleted material</s><br />
and <u>underline new material</u>.<br />
<br />
You can also mark <del>deleted material</del> and<br />
<ins>inserted material</ins> using logical markup<br />
rather than visual markup.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Diacritical marks:'''<br />
<br/><br />
À Á Â Ã Ä Å <br/><br />
Æ Ç È É Ê Ë <br/><br />
Ì Í<br />
Î Ï Ñ Ò <br/><br />
Ó Ô Õ<br />
Ö Ø Ù <br/><br />
Ú Û Ü ß<br />
à á <br/><br />
â ã ä å æ<br />
ç <br/><br />
è é ê ë ì í<br/><br />
î ï ñ ò ó ô <br/><br />
&oelig; õ<br />
ö ø ù ú <br/><br />
û ü ÿ<br />
<br />
* See [[meta:Help:Special characters|special characters]].<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&amp;Agrave; &amp;Aacute; &amp;Acirc; &amp;Atilde; &amp;Auml; &amp;Aring; <br />
&amp;AElig; &amp;Ccedil; &amp;Egrave; &amp;Eacute; &amp;Ecirc; &amp;Euml; <br />
&amp;Igrave; &amp;Iacute; &amp;Icirc; &amp;Iuml; &amp;Ntilde; &amp;Ograve; <br />
&amp;Oacute; &amp;Ocirc; &amp;Otilde; &amp;Ouml; &amp;Oslash; &amp;Ugrave; <br />
&amp;Uacute; &amp;Ucirc; &amp;Uuml; &amp;szlig; &amp;agrave; &amp;aacute; <br />
&amp;acirc; &amp;atilde; &amp;auml; &amp;aring; &amp;aelig; &amp;ccedil; <br />
&amp;egrave; &amp;eacute; &amp;ecirc; &amp;euml; &amp;igrave; &amp;iacute;<br />
&amp;icirc; &amp;iuml; &amp;ntilde; &amp;ograve; &amp;oacute; &amp;ocirc; <br />
&amp;oelig; &amp;otilde; &amp;ouml; &amp;oslash; &amp;ugrave; &amp;uacute; <br />
&amp;ucirc; &amp;uuml; &amp;yuml;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Punctuation:'''<br />
<br/><br />
¿ ¡ § ¶<br/><br />
&dagger; &Dagger; &bull; &ndash; &mdash;<br/><br />
&lsaquo; &rsaquo; « »<br/><br />
&lsquo; &rsquo; &ldquo; &rdquo;<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&amp;iquest; &amp;iexcl; &amp;sect; &amp;para;<br />
&amp;dagger; &amp;Dagger; &amp;bull; &amp;ndash; &amp;mdash;<br />
&amp;lsaquo; &amp;rsaquo; &amp;laquo; &amp;raquo;<br />
&amp;lsquo; &amp;rsquo; &amp;ldquo; &amp;rdquo;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Commercial symbols:'''<br />
<br/><br />
&trade; © ® ¢ &euro; ¥<br/><br />
£ ¤<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&amp;trade; &amp;copy; &amp;reg; &amp;cent; &amp;euro; &amp;yen; <br />
&amp;pound; &amp;curren;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Subscripts:'''<br />
<br/><br />
x<sub>1</sub> x<sub>2</sub> x<sub>3</sub> or<br />
<br/><br />
x&#8320; x&#8321; x&#8322; x&#8323; x&#8324;<br />
<br/><br />
x&#8325; x&#8326; x&#8327; x&#8328; x&#8329;<br />
<br />
'''Superscripts:'''<br />
<br/><br />
x<sup>1</sup> x<sup>2</sup> x<sup>3</sup> or<br />
<br/><br />
x&#8304; x&sup1; x&sup2; x&sup3; x&#8308;<br />
<br/><br />
x&#8309; x&#8310; x&#8311; x&#8312; x&#8313;<br />
<br />
*The latter methods of sub/superscripting cannot be used in the most general context, as they rely on Unicode support which may not be present on all users' machines. For the 1-2-3 superscripts, it is nevertheless preferred when possible (as with units of measurement) because most browsers have an easier time formatting lines with it.<br />
<br />
&epsilon;<sub>0</sub> =<br />
8.85 &times; 10<sup>&minus;12</sup><br />
C&sup2; / J m.<br />
<br />
1 [[hectare]] = [[1 E4 m&sup2;]]<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
x<sub>1</sub> x<sub>2</sub> x<sub>3</sub> or<br />
<br/><br />
x&amp;#8320; x&amp;#8321; x&amp;#8322; x&amp;#8323; x&amp;#8324;<br />
<br/><br />
x&amp;#8325; x&amp;#8326; x&amp;#8327; x&amp;#8328; x&amp;#8329;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
x<sup>1</sup> x<sup>2</sup> x<sup>3</sup> or<br />
<br/><br />
x&amp;#8304; x&amp;sup1; x&amp;sup2; x&amp;sup3; x&amp;#8308;<br />
<br/><br />
x&amp;#8309; x&amp;#8310; x&amp;#8311; x&amp;#8312; x&amp;#8313;<br />
<br />
&amp;epsilon;<sub>0</sub> =<br />
8.85 &amp;times; 10<sup>&amp;minus;12</sup><br />
C&amp;sup2; / J m.<br />
<br />
1 [[hectare]] = [[1 E4 m&amp;sup2;]]<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Greek characters:'''<br />
<br/><br />
&alpha; &beta; &gamma; &delta; &epsilon; &zeta;<br/><br />
&eta; &theta; &iota; &kappa; &lambda; &mu; &nu;<br/><br />
&xi; &omicron; &pi; &rho; &sigma; &sigmaf;<br/><br />
&tau; &upsilon; &phi; &chi; &psi; &omega;<br/><br />
&Gamma; &Delta; &Theta; &Lambda; &Xi; &Pi;<br/><br />
&Sigma; &Phi; &Psi; &Omega;<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&amp;alpha; &amp;beta; &amp;gamma; &amp;delta; &amp;epsilon; &amp;zeta; <br />
&amp;eta; &amp;theta; &amp;iota; &amp;kappa; &amp;lambda; &amp;mu; &amp;nu; <br />
&amp;xi; &amp;omicron; &amp;pi; &amp;rho; &amp;sigma; &amp;sigmaf;<br />
&amp;tau; &amp;upsilon; &amp;phi; &amp;chi; &amp;psi; &amp;omega;<br />
&amp;Gamma; &amp;Delta; &amp;Theta; &amp;Lambda; &amp;Xi; &amp;Pi; <br />
&amp;Sigma; &amp;Phi; &amp;Psi; &amp;Omega;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Mathematical characters:'''<br />
<br/><br />
&int; &sum; &prod; &radic; &minus; &plusmn; &infin;<br/><br />
&asymp; &prop; &equiv; &ne; &le; &ge;<br/><br />
&times; &middot; &divide; &part; &prime; &Prime;<br/><br />
&nabla; &permil; &deg; &there4; &alefsym; &oslash;<br/><br />
&isin; &notin; &cap; &cup; &sub; &sup; &sube; &supe;<br/><br />
&not; &and; &or; &exist; &forall; &rArr; &hArr;<br/><br />
&rarr; &harr;<br/><br />
* See also [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Mathematics|WikiProject Mathematics]].<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&amp;int; &amp;sum; &amp;prod; &amp;radic; &amp;minus; &amp;plusmn; &amp;infin;<br />
&amp;asymp; &amp;prop; &amp;equiv; &amp;ne; &amp;le; &amp;ge;<br />
&amp;times; &amp;middot; &amp;divide; &amp;part; &amp;prime; &amp;Prime;<br />
&amp;nabla; &amp;permil; &amp;deg; &amp;there4; &amp;alefsym; &amp;oslash;<br />
&amp;isin; &amp;notin; &amp;cap; &amp;cup; &amp;sub; &amp;sup; &amp;sube; &amp;supe;<br />
&amp;not; &amp;and; &amp;or; &amp;exist; &amp;forall; &amp;rArr; &amp;hArr;<br />
&amp;rarr; &amp;harr;<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Spacing in simple math formulas:'''<br />
<br/><br />
Obviously, ''x''&sup2;&nbsp;&ge;&nbsp;0 is true.<br />
*To space things out without allowing line breaks to interrupt the formula, use non-breaking spaces: <tt>&amp;nbsp;</tt>.<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
Obviously, ''x''&amp;sup2;&amp;nbsp;&amp;ge;&amp;nbsp;0 is true.<br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Complicated formulas:'''<br />
<br/><br />
: <math>\sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{x^n}{n!}</math><br />
* See [[Help:Formula]] for how to use <tt>&lt;math></tt>.<br />
* A formula displayed on a line by itself should probably be indented by using the colon (:) character.<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
: <math>\sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{x^n}{n!}</math><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Suppressing interpretation of markup:'''<br />
<br/><br />
<nowiki>Link &rarr; (''to'') the [[Wikipedia FAQ]]</nowiki><br />
* Used to show literal data that would otherwise have special meaning.<br />
* Escape all wiki markup, including that which looks like HTML tags.<br />
* Does not escape HTML character references.<br />
* To escape HTML character references such as <tt>&amp;rarr;</tt> use <tt>&amp;amp;rarr;</tt><br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&lt;nowiki>Link &amp;rarr; (''to'') <br />
the [[Wikipedia FAQ]]&lt;/nowiki><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|- valign="top"<br />
|<br />
'''Commenting page source:'''<br />
<br/><br />
''not shown when viewing page''<br />
* Used to leave comments in a page for future editors.<br />
* Note that most comments should go on the appropriate [[Wikipedia:Talk page|Talk page]].<br />
|<br />
<br/><br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
&lt;!-- comment here --><br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
|}<br />
''(see also: [[Chess symbols in Unicode]])''<br />
<br />
=== Table of Contents ===<br />
==== Placement of the Table of Contents (TOC) ====<br />
At the current status of the wiki markup language, having at least four headers on a page triggers the TOC to appear in front of the first header (or after introductory sections). Putting <nowiki>__TOC__</nowiki> anywhere forces the TOC to appear at that point (instead of just before the first header). Putting <nowiki>__NOTOC__</nowiki> anywhere forces the TOC to disappear. See also [[Wikipedia:Section#Compact_TOC|compact TOC]] for alphabet and year headings.<br />
<br />
==== Keeping headings out of the Table of Contents ====<br />
<br />
If you want some subheadings to not appear in the Table of Contents, then make the following replacements.<br />
<br />
Replace <nowiki> == Header 2 == with <h2> Header 2 </h2> </nowiki><br />
<br />
Replace <nowiki> === Header 3 === with <h3> Header 3 </h3> </nowiki><br />
<br />
And so forth.<br />
<br />
For example, notice that the following header has the same font as the other subheaders to this "Tables" section, but the following header does not appear in the Table of Contents for this page.<br />
<br />
<h4> This header has the h4 font, but is NOT in the Table of Contents</h4><br />
<br />
This effect is obtained by the following line of code.<br />
<br />
<code><nowiki><h4> This header has the h4 font, but is NOT in the Table of Contents </h4></nowiki></code><br />
<br />
Note that when editing by section, this approach places the text between the tags in the subsequent section, not the previous section. To edit this text, click the edit link next to "Tables", not the one above.<br />
<br />
=== Tables ===<br />
There are two ways to build tables: <br />
*in special Wiki-markup (see [[Help:Table]])<br />
*with the usual HTML elements: &lt;table&gt;, &lt;tr&gt;, &lt;td&gt; or &lt;th&gt;.<br />
<br />
For the latter, and a discussion on when tables are appropriate, see [[Wikipedia:How to use tables]].<br />
<br />
===Variables===<br />
<br />
''(See also [[Help:Variable]])''<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
! Code<br />
! Effect<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTH}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTMONTH}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}}</nowiki><br />
| {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}}</nowiki><br />
| {{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTDAY}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTDAY}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTDAYNAME}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTDAYNAME}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTYEAR}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTYEAR}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTTIME}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTTIME}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}</nowiki><br />
| {{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> || {{PAGENAME}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{NAMESPACE}}</nowiki> || {{NAMESPACE}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{localurl:pagename}}</nowiki><br />
| {{localurl:pagename}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{localurl:</nowiki>''Wikipedia:Sandbox''<nowiki>|action=edit}}</nowiki><br />
| {{localurl:Wikipedia:Sandbox|action=edit}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{SERVER}}</nowiki> || {{SERVER}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:1}}</nowiki> || {{ns:1}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:2}}</nowiki> || {{ns:2}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:3}}</nowiki> || {{ns:3}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:4}}</nowiki> || {{ns:4}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:5}}</nowiki> || {{ns:5}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:6}}</nowiki> || {{ns:6}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:7}}</nowiki> || {{ns:7}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:8}}</nowiki> || {{ns:8}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:9}}</nowiki> || {{ns:9}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:10}}</nowiki> || {{ns:10}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:11}}</nowiki> || {{ns:11}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:12}}</nowiki> || {{ns:12}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:13}}</nowiki> || {{ns:13}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:14}}</nowiki> || {{ns:14}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{ns:15}}</nowiki> || {{ns:15}}<br />
|-<br />
| <nowiki>{{SITENAME}}</nowiki> || {{SITENAME}}<br />
|}<br />
<br />
'''NUMBEROFARTICLES''' is the number of pages in the main namespace which contain a link and are not a redirect, in other words number of articles, stubs containing a link, and disambiguation pages.<br />
<br />
'''CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN''' is the genitive (possessive) grammatical form of the month name, as used in some languages; '''CURRENTMONTHNAME''' is the nominative (subject) form, as usually seen in English.<br />
<br />
In languages where it makes a difference, you can use constructs like <nowiki>{{grammar:case|word}}</nowiki> to convert a word from the nominative case to some other case. For example, <nowiki>{{grammar:genitive|{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}}}}</nowiki> means the same as <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}}</nowiki>. <!-- Is there a reference for this, other than the source code (for example, phase3/languages/Lnaguage*.php) ? --><br />
<br />
===Templates===<br />
<br />
We don't currently use templates. Until we do, this section is irrelevent.<br />
<br />
The [[Wikipedia:MediaWiki|MediaWiki]] software used by Wikipedia has support for templates. This means standardized text chunks (such as [[Wikipedia:Template messages|boilerplate]] text) can be inserted into articles. For example, typing <nowiki>{{stub}}</nowiki> will appear as "''This article is a [[Wikipedia:The perfect stub article|stub]]. You can help Wikipedia by [[Wikipedia:Find or fix a stub|expanding it]].''" when the page is saved. See [[Wikipedia:Template messages]] for the complete list. Other commonly used ones are: <nowiki>{{disambig}}</nowiki> for disambiguation pages, <nowiki>{{spoiler}}</nowiki> for spoiler warnings and <nowiki>{{sectstub}}</nowiki> like an article stub but for a section. There are many subject-specific stubs for example: <nowiki> {{Geo-stub}}, {{Hist-stub}}, and {{Linux-stub}}</nowiki>. For a complete list of stubs see [[Wikipedia:Template messages/Stubs]].<br />
<br />
===Hiding the edit links===<br />
<br />
Insert '''<nowiki>__NOEDITSECTION__</nowiki>''' into the document to suppress the edit links that appear next to every section header.<br />
<br />
==More information on editing wiki pages==<br />
<br />
You may also want to learn about:<br />
<br />
* [[Help:How to make a new article]] <br />
* Informal tips on [[Help:contributing to Cacheopedia]]<br />
* Editing tasks in general at the [[Help:Editing FAQ]]<br />
* Why not to rename pages '''boldly''', at [[Help:How to rename (move) a page]]<br />
* Preferred layout of your article, at [[Help:Guide to Layout]] (see also [[Wikipedia:Boilerplate text]])<br />
* Style conventions in the [[Help:Manual of Style]]<br />
* An article with annotations pointing out common Cacheopedia style and layout issues, at [[Help:Annotated article]]<br />
* General policies in [[Help:Policies and guidelines]]<br />
* [[Help:Naming conventions]] for how to name articles themselves<br />
* Finally, for a list of articles about editing Cacheopedia consult [[Help:Style and How-to Directory]].<br />
<br />
*[[m:Help:Editing|Mediawiki user's guide to editing]]<br />
*[[Wikipedia:MediaWiki]]<br />
<br />
=='Wikipedia Article Editing' Flash Tutorial==<br />
*[http://www.myfilehut.com/userfiles/Random%20Uploader/Wikipedia_Article_Editing_Tutorial.swf A Flash tutorial about editing Wikipedia articles (1.49MB)]</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:How_to_use_talk_pages
Help:How to use talk pages
2005-05-25T19:29:51Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>A '''talk page''' is a special [[Cacheopedia]] page containing discussion about the contents of its associated "subject" page. To view the talk page of an article, click on the '''discussion''' link on the border of the screen (depending on whether you have changed your presentation preferences). In the default Cacheopedia presentation, the '''discussion''' link is found in a tab at the top of the page, next to '''edit this page''' link. When you are on the talk page, clicking on '''project page''' or '''article''' link will take you back to the main article.<br />
<br />
Inevitably, there will arise situations in which collaborators on an article can benefit mutually from discussing the article&mdash;thus we have designated a namespace specifically for such discussion.<br />
<br />
For some important guidlines on how to use a Talk Page, see [[Help:Talk Page Style Guide]].<br />
<br />
== What is it used for? ==<br />
<br />
<b><i>NOTE: Use of the Cacheopedia talk pages (the "discussion tab") is recommended as the first step in [[Help:Dispute resolution|Dispute resolution]].</i></b><br />
<br />
On Cacheopedia the purpose of a talk page is to help to improve the contents of the main page, usually from an encyclopedic point of view. Questions, challenges, excised text (due to truly egregious confusion or bias, for example), arguments relevant to changing the text, and commentary regarding the main page are all fair play.<br />
<br />
[[Cacheopedians]] generally oppose the use of talk pages ''just'' for the purpose of partisan talk about the main subject. Cacheopedia, it's an encyclopedia. In other words, talk about the article, not about the subject. It's only the habits we encourage that keep Cacheopedia from turning into another [[Wikipedia:H2G2|H2G2]] or [[Wikipedia:Everything2|Everything2]]. See also: [[Help:Wikiquette|Wikiquette]]<br />
<br />
That said, Cacheopedians are fallible creatures, so it's entirely natural that a bit of partisan wrangling takes place on talk pages - and occasionally this even leads to improvements in the article! So there's a fair degree of tolerance, and most Cacheopedians succumb to a bit of wrangling from time to time.<br />
<br />
The practice of "spamming" - posting similar messages to more than a few users' talk pages, often for the purpose of soliciting a certain action - is discouraged.<br />
<br />
== User talk pages ==<br />
<br />
Your user page also has a talk page which has some special features. For one thing, there is a link to it in the header next to your name (if you use a "skin" other than the default it may be somewhere else). Also, if edits are made to it by others, the text '''You have new messages''' will appear at the top of the page. These pages can be used for occasional personal communication among users; but note that these pages are public. If you want to communicate privately, use e-mail (see [[Help:Emailing users]]).<br />
<br />
To write in another user's talk page, click the ''Discuss this page'' link on your sidebar when you view the user page (which you can do by clicking on a user's nickname). On the list of recent changes and on your watchlist, you can directly access a user's talk page by following the (Talk) link behind the user's name / [[Wikipedia:IP address|IP address]].<br />
<br />
=="Post a comment" feature==<br />
For editing a talk page, one can optionally use the "Post a comment" feature, but only for a new thread and for a reply to be put at the bottom of the last thread.<br />
<br />
*For a new thread, fill in the "Subject/headline" box. Then the edit summary is automatically the same as the new section header.<br />
<br />
*For a reply to be put at the bottom of the last thread, do not fill in the "Subject/headline" box. In this case it is not possible to supply an edit summary. Instead, edit the previous thread.<br />
<br />
When using "Post a comment", an edit conflict is impossible. However, in the case that you are not starting a new thread but replying to an existing one, your response may be appended to a newly created post that was added while you wrote yours. It is therefore generally recommended to use section editing to respond, and "Post a comment" to start new threads. If your comment is accidentally misplaced, just edit the page and move it.<br />
<br />
== Example of a Talk Page ==<br />
<br />
This article is great. [[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 18:20 Jan 30, 2003 (UTC)<br />
:No it isn't! --fish<br />
<br />
::Yes it is! --wojahowicz<br />
<br />
:I was talking to [[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]]! --fish<br />
<br />
I like wojahowicz better. [[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]]<br />
<br />
:::Now, now. [[User:Barney Miller|Barney Miller]]<br />
<br />
-----<br />
'''Need this more?'''<br />
<br />
We need an article on [[kindness]]s more than we need this mess. --Alfred the butler<br />
<br />
:Yeah, but what about [[rubber baby buggy bumpers]]? -- Comissioner gordon<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== Refactoring talk pages ==<br />
<br />
According to [[Help:editing policy]], the notion of [[Wikipedia:refactoring|refactoring]], in the context of a wiki, means basically cleaning up and reorganizing a page such that all the useful information on the page is preserved and made more accessible. It's relatively rare that one needs to entirely refactor a Cacheopedia article&mdash;usually, edits and additions are what is necessary.<br />
<br />
The purpose of talk pages is to assist in creating better articles.<br />
Therefore, the purpose of refactoring talk page discussions is to help create good encyclopedia articles, at least in the long run.<br />
A short-run purpose is to channel a discussion in a useful direction, that is, to help aim it at the future time when it can be used in an encyclopedia article.<br />
<br />
There are a number of talk or other discussion oriented pages which could use a bit of traditional Wiki refactoring. There's useful content there, sometimes, that can be transferred to the article itself. Sometimes large chunks of old talk pages can be completely wiped out with no harm done&mdash;feel free to do so, unless you think there's some value in preserving the discussion. In refactoring a talk page, one solid recommendation is to use the traditional wiki refactoring technique of adding a summary with whatever consensus we've arrived at the top, grouping separate discussion items together, and placing them towards the bottom.<br />
<br />
See [[Wikipedia:Refactoring|Refactoring]] for details on why and how to refactor talk pages.<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
<br />
* [[Help:Talk etiquette FAQ]]</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Talk:Cacheopedia
Talk:Cacheopedia
2005-05-25T19:19:57Z
<p>Lunaverse: removing "sandboxy" stuff</p>
<hr />
<div></div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Cacheopedia
Cacheopedia
2005-05-25T19:18:57Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* I want to help! */</p>
<hr />
<div>== Welcome! ==<br />
<br />
'''Welcome to Cacheopedia''', an attempt to create an online encyclopedia / reference / survival guide for the sport of geocaching. As this site grows, its maintainers hope to see it into a definitive and mature source for geocaching FAQ's, articles, definitions, guides, and a whole lot more.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Who are the maintainers? You are!'''<br />
<br />
This site is set up in a "Wiki" fashion. That means that anyone can contribute to the pages and articles, including making new ones, editing old ones, expanding, linking, and growing. If you want to see an article on here about something, write one! If you think that a current article needs some work, then fix it! It's all up to us, the users.<br />
<br />
The content on this site is growing quickly. We are well on our way!<br />
<br />
<br />
'''A word about logging in.'''<br />
<br />
Logging in is not a requirement, although it is highly encouraged. It will be nice to give credit where credit is due.<br />
<br />
Using the same login name as your forum login or caching name on one of the geocaching sites is also highly encouraged.<br />
<br />
However, I would prefer that you '''do not''' use the same password that you use on another site.<br />
<br />
--[[User:WikiSysop|BigWhiteTruck]] 23:19, 19 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
== I want to help! ==<br />
Excellent! Take a look at these links:<br />
<br />
[[How to make a new article]] ''you'' can do it, and it's easy!<br />
<br />
[[Articles we would like to see]] created or improved (add your own!)<br />
<br />
[[Help:Contributing to Cacheopedia|Our current priorities]]<br />
<br />
[[:Category:Stubs|List of stubs]] (pages that need to be expanded)<br />
<br />
If you have concerns or questions directed toward the community, you can voice them in the [[Cacheopedia:Village Pump]]. Follow the directions there for making a post. Or you can also directly message one of the administrators by going to [[Talk:WikiSysop]] or [[Talk:Lunaverse]] and posting a message there.<br />
<br />
== Articles ==<br />
<br />
*[[What is geocaching]]<br />
**[[History of geocaching]]<br />
**[[Legal Definitions]]<br />
**[[Geocaching Websites]]<br />
**[[Geocaching in the news]]<br />
**[[Glossary]]<br />
<br />
<br />
*[[The sport]]<br />
**[[Getting started]]<br />
**[[Finding a cache]]<br />
**[[Hiding a cache]]<br />
**[[Types of caches]]<br />
**[[Cacher benefits]]<br />
<br />
<br />
*[[Guides]]<br />
**[[Things to bring in the woods]]<br />
**[[GPS receivers]]<br />
**[[How to use a map and compass]] (you never know!)<br />
**[[Geocaching Books]]<br />
**[[Geocaching Software]]<br />
<br />
<br />
*[[Who's Who in Geocaching]]<br />
**[[Pioneers in Geocaching]]<br />
**[[Famous Geocachers]]<br />
**[[Regional Leaders]]<br />
**[[Autobiographies]]</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Cacheopedia:Community_Portal
Cacheopedia:Community Portal
2005-05-25T19:12:35Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>Is this where general discussion takes place?<br />
--[[User:CoyoteRed|CoyoteRed]] 11:55, 24 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:Sure, if you want. For now. :) If it's a discussion related to a specific page, then do the discussion on that page. You might want to then drop a message on the author(s) user: talk page so they notice. :)<br />
<br />
:P.S. Normally, this would be for links like "What needs done" and other types of things like that. It's not really set up yet or used, but [[Cacheopedia:Village Pump]] is where other sites do it. I haven't had time to investigate and set it up.<br />
<br />
:[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 15:02, 25 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::Amendment -- [[Cacheopedia:Village Pump|Village Pump]] has been created. Please use that for general discussions, concerns, etc. Someday it will be better organized, but this is sufficient.<br />
<br />
::This discussion will be removed in a few days to be replaced by spiffy links as mentioned above.<br />
<br />
::[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 15:12, 25 May 2005 (EDT)</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Cacheopedia:Village_Pump
Cacheopedia:Village Pump
2005-05-25T19:10:51Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>General discussion goes here. Start new topics with a separator line (<nowiki>----</nowiki>) and comments to a topic should be indented by using one colon (:) per indent at the beginning of each line. Sign and timestamp your posts with the spiffy "4 tildas" (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>). Enjoy!<br />
<br />
----<br />
[[User:CoyoteRed|CoyoteRed]] has asked, and I have answered.<br />
<br />
[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 15:10, 25 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:This is a sample reply, but it's to myself.<br />
<br />
:[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 15:10, 25 May 2005 (EDT)</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Cacheopedia:Village_Pump
Cacheopedia:Village Pump
2005-05-25T19:10:29Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>General discussion goes here. Start new topics with a separator line (<nowiki>----</nowiki>) and comments to a topic should be indented by using one colon (:) per indent at the beginning of each line. Sign and timestamp your posts with the spiffy "4 tildas" (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>). Enjoy!<br />
<br />
----<br />
[[User:CoyoteRed]] has asked, and I have answered.<br />
<br />
[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 15:10, 25 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:This is a sample reply, but it's to myself.<br />
<br />
:[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 15:10, 25 May 2005 (EDT)</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Cacheopedia:Community_Portal
Cacheopedia:Community Portal
2005-05-25T19:05:25Z
<p>Lunaverse: added a P.S.</p>
<hr />
<div>Is this where general discussion takes place?<br />
--[[User:CoyoteRed|CoyoteRed]] 11:55, 24 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:Sure, if you want. For now. :) If it's a discussion related to a specific page, then do the discussion on that page. You might want to then drop a message on the author(s) user: talk page so they notice. :)<br />
<br />
:P.S. Normally, this would be for links like "What needs done" and other types of things like that. It's not really set up yet or used, but [[Cacheopedia:Village Pump]] is where other sites do it. I haven't had time to investigate and set it up.<br />
<br />
:[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 15:02, 25 May 2005 (EDT)</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Cacheopedia:Community_Portal
Cacheopedia:Community Portal
2005-05-25T19:03:03Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>Is this where general discussion takes place?<br />
--[[User:CoyoteRed|CoyoteRed]] 11:55, 24 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:Sure, if you want. For now. :) If it's a discussion related to a specific page, then do the discussion on that page. You might want to then drop a message on the author(s) user: talk page so they notice. :)<br />
<br />
:[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 15:02, 25 May 2005 (EDT)</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Cacheopedia:Community_Portal
Cacheopedia:Community Portal
2005-05-25T19:02:50Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>Is this where general discussion takes place?<br />
--[[User:CoyoteRed|CoyoteRed]] 11:55, 24 May 2005 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Sure, if you want. For now. :) If it's a discussion related to a specific page, then do the discussion on that page. You might want to then drop a message on the author(s) user: talk page so they notice. :)<br />
<br />
[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 15:02, 25 May 2005 (EDT)</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Hiking_tips
Hiking tips
2005-05-23T15:18:02Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* Bring the right tools for the job. */ Spellcheck</p>
<hr />
<div>Before Hiking:<br />
<br />
== Make sure you are physically ready. ==<br />
DO NOT sit on the couch or in school or an office cubicle all week and then go out on a ten-mile hike on Saturday. Prepare yourself by taking a leisurely walk around the neighborhhod in the evenings. Gradually increase the distance each day or evening until you feel comfortable with your progress. Do not attempt to do it all at once. Gradual physical training is always the best way to prepare for the big stuff.<br />
DO NOT sit inside all week, away from sunlight, and then go out into the sun for ten hours on Saturday looking for the "The Cache Ne'er Before Seen by Man". Gradually prepare your skin by spending your break or lunch sitting outside or walking around the building or block. Fifteen minutes once or twice a day in shorts and a T-shirt should give you a gradual tan and help prevent you from burning. Sunburn can be a far more severe injury if not prevented and/or treated! Use sun block while hiking and use a strong sun block and protective clothing (a long sleeve shirt and hat) if you are fair-skinned.<br />
<br />
== Bring the right tools for the job. ==<br />
Always dress appropriately for the environment. Be aware of weather reports and be prepared for inclement weather for which the region is noted (hail storms, tornadoes) whether it is mentioned in the weather report or not. When geocaching, you should always have a GPSr with you. If you got there in a vehicle, mark where you parked and label it on your GPSr. This will help you find your way back in the event you get lost. Don't ever stray out very far in the wilderness without bringing food or water and/or knowing where fresh food and water can be found. Bottled water and canteens are a must when hiking. Stay hydrated! Trail mix (nuts, dried fruit, M&M's, etc.) is awesome when you start to fatigue. Keep energized!<br />
A cellular phone is a good idea but do not always rely on it working when you need it. Cell phones only work in the areas where antennaes are set up for them and, although a lot of wilderness areas are set up with coverage in these modern times, there are many that aren't and even the ones that are have weak spots and blind alleys where signals don't reach.<br />
Wear good, comfortable, supportive hiking shoes. It is not uncommon for a hiker to spend as much as or more for their shoes as they do the rest of their clothing when they hike. Good shoes have to take you their and back. Don't skimp on the hiking shoes. More than just your comfort is at risk. It can affect your spine, your muscles, your feet and other aspects of your general health.<br />
<br />
== Get a Good Night's Sleep. Stay Hydrated. ==<br />
Don't party or stay up late the night before. Alchohol consumption will dehydrate you and cause muscle fatigue and cramps quicker than you can imagine. Ironically, caffienated drinks such as coffee, iced tea, and soda can can dehydrate you as well. Water is the best thing to drink before and while on the trail. Don't bring iced tea unless you bring water as well. Gatorade-type drinks work well too, however, they certainly aren't necessary. Water is always the bet thing to drink.<br />
<br />
== Stretch and Enjoy the Trip ==<br />
Stretch out your muscles before you get started, especially if you have been driving a while to get there. Take slow and steady until you find your natural stride. A hiking stick is invaluable in a lot of ways. Always keep an eye out for wildlife. Not only is it beautiful, but it can be dangerous. Be wary of poisionous plants and animals. Always keep an eye out for gopher holes and loose rocks, soil, and pebbles. Trip and slide hazzards are always magnified when the closest hospital trip is by helicopter and the closest phone is a gas staion 10 mile down the trail.<br />
<br />
You should try to have a map, print out, or at least a sketch of the surrounding area and its geologocal attributes. This will help you find your general position in the event you are lost. (One shouldn't always rely on your GPS. It can be lost. Batteries can die.)<br />
<br />
Someone other than the people on your hike should always know where you are hiking and your estimated schedule of return. This is helpful in case you do not return for whatever reason and they need to contact the authorities.<br />
<br />
Hiking can be the best experience if the hiker is prepared and knows what they are doing.</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Policies_and_guidelines
Help:Policies and guidelines
2005-05-21T20:27:57Z
<p>Lunaverse: Created article. Yay, cans of worms!</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Cacheopedia]] is a collaborative project and its founders and contributors have a common goal:<br />
<br />
:''Our goal with Cacheopedia is to create an online encyclopedia / reference / survival guide for the sport of [[geocaching]]. As this site grows, its maintainers hope to see it into a definitive and mature source for geocaching FAQ's, articles, definitions, guides, and a whole lot more.''<br />
<br />
Cacheopedia has some '''policies and guidelines''' that help us to work toward that common goal. Some of these policies are still evolving.<br />
<br />
While our policies continue to evolve, many [[Cacheopedian]]s feel that written rules are inherently inadequate to cover every possible variation of disruptive or malevolent behavior. For example, a user who acts against the spirit of our written policies might be reprimanded even if the letter of the rules has not been violated. Those who edit in [[Help:Assume good faith|good faith]], show [[Help:Civility|civility]], seek [[Help:Consensus|consensus]], and work towards the goal of creating an [[NPOV|impartial]] [[Wikipedia:encyclopedia]], should find a [[Help:Wikiquette|welcoming environment]].<br />
<br />
== Key policies ==<br />
You don't need to read every Cacheopedia policy before you contribute! However, the following policies are key to a productive Cacheopedia experience, and the sooner you get to grips with them, the better.<br />
<br />
# '''Avoid bias.''' Articles should be written from a [[neutral point of view]], representing differing views on a subject fairly and sympathetically.<br />
# '''Don't infringe copyrights.''' Cacheopedia is a free encyclopedia licensed under the terms of the [[Attribution-ShareAlike license]]. Submitting work which [[Wikipedia:Copyright infringement|infringes copyright]]s threatens our objective to build a truly free encyclopedia that anyone can redistribute, and could lead to legal problems. See [[wikipedia:copyrights|Wikipedia copyrights]] for more information.<br />
# '''Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia.''' Its goals go no further. See [[Help:What Cacheopedia is not|What Cacheopedia is not]] for more info.<br />
# '''Respect other contributors.''' Cacheopedia contributors come from many different perspectives, and even other countries besides the USA. Everyone will have widely different views. Treating others with respect is key to collaborating effectively in building an encyclopedia. <br />
<!--<br />
For some guidelines, see [[Help:Wikiquette|Wikipedia etiquette]], [[Wikipedia:Writers rules of engagement]], [[Wikipedia:Civility]], [[Wikipedia:Dispute resolution|Dispute resolution]].<br />
--><br />
<br />
==Procedural questions==<br />
=== How are policies decided? ===<br />
Cacheopedia policy is formulated for the most part by [[Wikipedia:Consensus|consensus]]. This consensus may be reached through open debate over difficult questions, or it may simply develop as a result of established practice. In many cases, accepted standards are not formally written down right away. Hence, the statements on this and other pages about Cacheopedia policy are intended to describe existing community norms that have developed over time.<br />
<br />
The central place to discuss policies is [[Cacheopedia:Village pump (policy)|Village pump (policy)]]. Policy issues may also be formulated and debated on [[Cacheopedia:Talk page|talk pages]]. If a policy may be controversial, it should always be discussed before being claimed as official. Consider the guidelines in [[Cacheopedia:How to create policy]]. Votes are sometimes useful, but should only be held based on previous discussion and with a view to achieving consensus.<br />
<br />
In general, there are three ways in which a policy becomes official: <br />
* It is pronounced official by [[Special:Listadmins|Cacheopedia Administrators]].<br />
* It receives a [[Wikipedia:supermajority]] in a poll.<br />
* The idea of making it official has been prominently advertised on the Village pump, mailing list, and on related talk pages, and after a reasonable length of time all objections have been dealt with. (Or the more common, but less prefered, method of marking something as official and waiting to see if anyone reverts you.)<br />
<br />
Traditions that result from established practice are sometimes hard to identify. If there is no objection to the practice, it may be difficult to sustain community attention long enough for a formal process of adopting it as policy. In this situation, the best solution may be to document existing practice on an appropriate page. This then provides a location to discuss the practice and possible changes to the policy, and it also allows people to cite a source for the policy if necessary.<br />
<br />
===How are policies enforced? ===<br />
''You'' are a [[Cacheopedia]] editor. Cacheopedia lacks an editor-in-chief or a central, top-down mechanism whereby the day-to-day progress on the encyclopedia is monitored and approved. Instead, active participants make [[Wikipedia:Copy editing |copyedits]] and corrections to the content and format problems they see. So [[Cacheopedians|the participants]] are both writers ''and'' editors.<br />
<br />
Most policies and guidelines are thus enforced by individual users editing pages, and discussing matters with each other. Some policies are also enforced by temporary blocks (notably as a mechanism for [[Help:dealing with vandalism|dealing with vandalism]]) by admins. <br />
<br />
== Types of policies ==<br />
Links to various policies can be found in the following [[:Category|categories]]:<br />
* [[:Category:Wikipedia official policy]] - policies that are widely accepted and that everyone generally follows<br />
* [[:Category:Wikipedia semi-policy]] - policy ideas that are not as widely accepted by consensus, but still have some degree of support in the community<br />
* [[:Category:Wikipedia guidelines]] - suggested policies that one should follow but don't have to and people should keep in mind while at the Wikipedia<br />
<br />
=== Conventions ===<br />
By following these we are able to produce a more consistent and more usable encyclopedia: <br />
* [[Help:Editing policy|Editing policy]] (How to edit articles)<br />
* [[Help:Naming conventions|Naming conventions]] (How to title articles)<br />
* [[Help:Disambiguation|Disambiguation]] (How to resolve title conflicts)<br />
* [[Help:Image use policy|Image use policy]] (Handling uploads)<br />
* [[Help:Deletion policy|Deletion policy]] (how to nominate pages for deletion and, (restricted) how to perform the deletion)<br />
<br />
=== Restricted features ===<br />
Some features of the software which could potentially be misused, such as deleting pages and locking pages from editing, are restricted to [[Cacheopedia:Administrators|Administrators]], who are experienced and trusted members of the community. Policies particularly relevant to administrators include:<br />
* [[Help:Protection policy|Protection policy]] (When and why to protect a page)<br />
* [[Help:Blocking policy|Blocking policy]] (Blocking users to deal with vandalism or to enforce decisions of the arbitration committee)<br />
<br />
<br />
== Types of guidelines ==<br />
<!-- What, exactly, is the difference between a policy and a guideline? --><br />
=== General guidelines ===<br />
* [[help:Contribute what you know or are willing to learn about|Contribute what you know or are willing to learn about]] <br />
* [[Help:Be bold in updating pages|Be bold in updating pages]]<br />
* [[Help:Make omissions explicit|Make omissions explicit]]<br />
* [[Help:Build the web|Build the web]]<br />
* [[Help:Bots|Avoid using bots]]<br />
* [[Help:Edit summary|Provide an edit summary]]<br />
<br />
These are some additional specific guidelines that have been suggested by various participants. For other useful tips, see [[Help:Avoiding common mistakes|avoiding common mistakes]].<br />
<br />
=== Behavior guidelines ===<br />
* [[Help:Sign your posts on talk pages|Sign your posts on talk pages]]<br />
* [[Help:Profanity|Avoid profanity]]<br />
* [[Help:No personal attacks|No personal attacks]] (and move personal debates to email)<br />
* [[Help:No legal threats|No legal threats]]<br />
* [[Help:Log in before making drastic changes|Log in before making drastic changes to existing articles]]<br />
* [[Help:No offensive usernames|No offensive usernames]]<br />
* [[Help:Please do not bite the newcomers|Please do not bite the newcomers]]<br />
* [[Help:Don't create articles about yourself|Don't create articles about yourself]]<br />
* [[Help:Revert#Explain reverts|Always explain your reverts]]<br />
* [[Help:Three revert rule|Three revert rule]] (Revert wars considered harmful)<br />
* [[Help:Administrators|Dealing with administration issues]]<br />
* [[Help:User page|Use your user pages appropriately]]<br />
<br />
=== Content guidelines ===<br />
* [[Help:Guide to writing better articles]]<br />
* [[Help:Explain jargon|Explain jargon]]<br />
* Deal appropriately with [[Help:patent nonsense|patent nonsense]]<br />
* [[Help:State the obvious|State the obvious]]<br />
* [[Help:Cite sources|Cite sources]]: point the reader to authoritative references (and list them properly)<br />
* [[Help:Verifiability|Verifiability]]: ensure information cited is verifiable if needed (this does not mean it is "official", rather it refers to others' ability to confirm it exists and is as stated)<br />
* [[Help:Avoid statements that will date quickly|Avoid statements that will date quickly]]<br />
* [[Help:Stay on topic|Stay on topic]]<br />
* [[Help:Warn readers about spoilers|Warn readers about spoilers]]<br />
* [[Help:Make articles useful for readers|Make articles useful for readers]] (and consider the audience in writing)<br />
* [[Help:Check your facts|Check your facts]]<br />
* [[Help:Summarize discussion|Summarize discussion]] (after a while)<br />
* [[Help:Avoid self-references|Avoid self-references]]<br />
* [[Help:Words to avoid|Avoid POV phrases]]<br />
* [[Help:Spoon feeding|Avoid "Spoon feeding"]]<br />
<br />
=== Style guidelines ===<br />
* [[Help:Manual of Style|Manual of style]]<br />
* [[Help:Don't include copies of primary sources|Don't include copies of primary sources]]<br />
* [[Help:Always fill summary field|Always fill summary field]]<br />
* [[Help:Follow highlighting conventions|Follow highlighting conventions]]<br />
* [[Help:Use subheads sparingly|Use subheads sparingly]]<br />
* [[Help:Use short sentences and lists|Use short sentences and lists]]<br />
* [[Help:Don't use line breaks|Don't use line breaks]]<br />
* [[Help:One-sentence paragraphs|Avoid one-sentence paragraphs]]<br />
* [[Help:Subpages|Do not use subpages]]<br />
<br />
== Other essays and discussions about Cacheopedia==<br />
* Creating [[Help:How-to|how-to]] articles in Wikipedia.</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Contributing_to_Cacheopedia
Help:Contributing to Cacheopedia
2005-05-21T20:16:21Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Write articles (even stubby ones) ==<br />
Cacheopedia is currently (05 May, 2005) in it's infancy. What we could really use now is people writing articles. Currently we have a very high requested/written article ratio. If you would like to write about something, go for it! Don't worry about writing the best article, or what people will think about it. Just make it as clear and informative as possible. Others will add to it if they feel it could be improved. The whole idea of a wiki is people building off of what other's have started. This is your site, make it what you want.<br />
<br />
But, '''do not submit copyrighted work without permission'''. Even if you have permission, please give credit where it is due in the form of some type of reference. If you cannot determine if a work is copyrighted or not, you '''must''' assume that it is.<br />
<br />
One way to get the ball rolling is to change empty links into [[:Category:Stubs|Stubs]]. Let's say you just wrote an article, and wikilinked a bunch of terms from it. Take a minute and turn those empty red links into stubs.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Organization ==<br />
=== Categories ===<br />
We need some. It'll be nice to get a lot of categories set up with subcategories too. Having categories linked to from the front page would really expand the site. Categories and subcategories are masively simple to set up, let's do it!<br />
<br />
=== Formatting ===<br />
Also, there are a lot of articles that are using lists of wikilinks to define a bunch of terms.<br><br />
Bad way:<br />
<pre>[[sneakers]]<br />
[[boots]]<br />
[[heels]]</pre><br />
If you are going to write an article about heels, then go ahead. Otherwise try this:<br />
<br />
Better way, using level two headlines. Three or more of which on one page causes an automatic table of contents for the page to be generated.:<br />
<pre>== Carp ==<br />
Carp are tasty fish if cooked right. . .<br />
=== Big carp ===<br />
they can get huge!<br />
=== Little carp ===<br />
no such thing!<br />
== Perch ==<br />
Yum!</pre><br />
When you do it that way, everything is spaced out nicely on one page, with a clickable table of contents. Also, it doesn't cause massive inflation of the articles list..<br />
<br />
<br />
== Design a new logo ==<br />
Something to replace the flower. It should reflect the nature of this site.<br />
<br />
==Cleanup tasks==<br />
<br />
*When you see an article that could be better, help by editing<br />
**Spelling corrections<br />
**Grammar<br />
**Fact-checking<br />
**Adding additional information<br />
**Rewriting awkward or [[NPoV]] sections<br />
*If an article has not yet been [[Wiki Formatting Reference|wiki formatted]], do so!<br />
*Add links, both internal and external. Link to [[Wikipedia]] articles if it's not something we're likely to have here<br />
*If you see a redlink and it's something you think you could write, go for it<br />
*Go through [[Categories:Stubs]] and flesh out stubs<br />
*Go through [[Special:Wantedpages]] and write these articles<br />
*Create [[Help:Redirects|Redirects]]<br />
**Think of alternate names for the article and redirect that name so people can find it<br />
*Upload images and add them to articles (make sure the copyrights are covered!!)<br />
<br />
==Licensing==<br />
<br />
Does anyone know anything about open source licensing? We've started this under Attribution-ShareAlike, however Wikipedia is under GNU Documentation License. We're not sure what the difference is between them, which is better, or what they imply towards the legality of this site and its content. Please help us! Send a talk message to either [[User:WikiSysop]] or [[User:Lunaverse]]. Thanks!</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Contents
Help:Contents
2005-05-21T20:09:15Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>*[[How to make a new article]] - How to start an article<br />
*[[Basics of Wiki Formatting]] - How to make links, '''bolds''', lists, etc.<br />
*[[Wiki Formatting Reference]] - For more advanced formatting<br />
*Keep a [[Neutral point of view]]<br />
*[[Help:Contributing to Cacheopedia|Contributing to Cacheopedia]] - What you can do<br />
*[[Help:Editing FAQ|Editing FAQ]] - Frequently asked questions about editing<br />
*[[Help:Guide to Layout]] - Good layouts for articles<br />
*[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]] - [[Wikipedia]]'s writing style guide, applicable here<br />
*[[Help:Policies and guidelines]]<br />
*[[Help:Naming conventions]] - How to name articles<br />
* [[Help:How to edit a page]]<br />
* [[Help:How to use talk pages]], which are used to discuss how to improve articles.<br />
* [[Help:How to rename (move) a page]].<br />
* [[Help:How to use redirect pages]].<br />
* [[Help:How to revert a page to an earlier version]].<br />
* [[Help:Disambiguation|How to create page(s) for topics with several different definitions]].<br />
* [[Help:deletion policy|How to delete pages]]<br />
* [[Help:How to import articles|How to import articles]]<br />
* [[Help:How to break up a page|How to break up a page]]<br />
* [[Help:How to use tables|How to use tables]]<br />
* [[Help:How to create a template]]</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Neutral_point_of_view
Neutral point of view
2005-05-21T20:08:29Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* External links */ links links</p>
<hr />
<div>Simply, think of yourself as a historian. Strive for facts, but reporting opinions of others can sometimes provide additional insight to an article. Attempt to credit others' opinions and avoid including your own.<br />
<br />
More complicatedly:<br />
<br />
Cacheopedia policy is that all articles should be written from a '''neutral point of view'''. <br />
<br />
For guidance on making an article conform to the neutral point of view (NPOV), please see the [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]].<br />
<br />
==Introduction==<br />
The '''neutral point of view policy''' states that articles should be written without [[Wikipedia:bias]], representing all views fairly.<br />
<br />
The policy is easily misunderstood. It doesn't assume that it's possible to write an article from a single, unbiased, objective point of view. The policy says that we should ''fairly represent'' all sides of a [[Wikipedia:dispute]], and not make an article state, imply, or insinuate that any one side is correct. It is crucial that [[Cacheopedian]]s work together to make articles unbiased. This comprises one of the great merits of Cacheopedia, and separates it from the [[Geocaching.com forum]]s.<br />
<br />
Writing unbiased text is an art that requires practice. <br />
<br />
===The basic concept of neutrality===<br />
<br />
At Cacheopedia, we use the terms "unbiased" and "neutral point of view" in a precise way that is different from the common understanding:<br />
<br />
:Articles without bias ''describe'' debates fairly rather than ''advocating'' any side of the debate. Since all articles are edited by people, this is difficult, as people are inherently biased.<br />
<br />
====The original formulation of NPOV====<br />
<br />
''A general purpose encyclopedia is a collection of synthesized knowledge presented from a neutral point of view. To whatever extent possible, encyclopedic writing should steer clear of taking any particular stance '''other than''' the stance of the neutral point of view.''<br />
<br />
''The neutral point of view attempts to present ideas and facts in such a fashion that both supporters and opponents can agree. Of course, 100% agreement is not possible; there are ideologues in the world who will not concede to any presentation other than a forceful statement of their own point of view. We can only seek a type of writing that is agreeable to essentially rational people who may differ on particular points.''<br />
<br />
''Some examples may help to drive home the point I am trying to make. '' <br />
<br />
''1. An encyclopedic article should not argue that corporations are criminals, even if the author believes it to be so. It should instead present the fact that ''some people'' believe it, and what their reasons are, and then as well it should present what the other side says.''<br />
<br />
''2. An encyclopedia article should not argue that laissez-faire capitalism is the best social system. [...] It should instead present the arguments of the advocates of that point of view, and the arguments of the people who disagree with that point of view.''<br />
<br />
''Perhaps the easiest way to make your writing more encyclopedic is to write about ''what people believe'', rather than ''what is so''. If this strikes you as somehow subjectivist or collectivist or imperialist, then ask me about it, because I think that you are just mistaken. What people believe is a matter of objective fact, and we can present ''that'' quite easily from the neutral point of view.''<br />
<br />
''--[[Wikipedia:Jimbo Wales]], Wikipedia founder''<br />
<br />
===Why should Wikipedia be unbiased?===<br />
<br />
Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia. While it covers a niche topic, Geocaching, it still means this is a representation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge|knowledge]] at some level of generality. But human beings disagree about specific cases; for any topic on which there are competing views, each view represents a different idea of what the truth is, and insofar as that view contradicts other views, its adherents believe that the other views are ''false'' and therefore not ''knowledge''. Where there is disagreement about what is true, there's disagreement about what constitutes knowledge. Wikipedia works because it's a collaborative effort; but, while collaborating, how can we solve the problem of endless "[[Wikipedia:edit war|edit war]]s" in which one person asserts that ''p,'' whereupon the next person changes the text so that it asserts ''not-p''?<br />
<br />
A solution is that we accept, for the purposes of working on Cacheopedia, that "human knowledge" includes ''all different'' '''significant''' theories on all different topics. So we're committed to the goal of representing human knowledge in ''that'' sense. Something like this is surely a well-established sense of the word "knowledge"; in this sense, what is "known" changes constantly with the passage of time, and when we use the word "know", we often use so-called [[Wikipedia:Quotation mark#Emphasis and ironic quotes|scare quotes]]. In the Middle Ages, we "knew" that demons caused diseases. We now "know" otherwise.<br />
<br />
We could sum up human knowledge (in this sense) in a biased way: we'd state a series of theories about topic T, and then claim that the truth about T is such-and-such. But again, consider that Cacheopedia is an international, collaborative project. Nearly every view on every subject will be found among our authors and readers. To avoid endless edit wars, we can agree to present each of the significant views fairly, and not assert any one of them as correct. That is what makes an article "unbiased" or "neutral" in the sense we are presenting here. To write from a neutral point of view, one presents controversial views without asserting them; to do ''that,'' it generally suffices to present competing views in a way that is more or less acceptable to their adherents, and also to ''attribute'' the views to their adherents. Disputes are '''characterized''' in Cacheopedia. They are not re-enacted.<br />
<br />
To sum up the primary reason for this policy: Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia, a compilation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge|knowledge]]. But because Cacheopedia is a community-built, international resource, we cannot expect collaborators to agree in all cases, or even in many cases, on what constitutes knowledge in a strict sense. We can, therefore, adopt the looser sense of "human knowledge" according to which a wide variety of conflicting theories constitute what we call "knowledge." We should, both individually and collectively, make an effort to present these conflicting views fairly, without advocating any one of them, with the qualification that views held only by a tiny minority of people should not be represented as though they are significant minority views, and perhaps should not be represented at all.<br />
<br />
There is another reason to commit ourselves to this policy. Namely, when it is clear to readers that we do not expect them to adopt any particular opinion, this leaves them free to make up their minds for themselves, thus encouraging ''intellectual independence''.<br />
<br />
==What is the neutral point of view?==<br />
What we mean isn't obvious, and is easily misunderstood. There are many other valid interpretations of "unbiased," and "neutral". The notion of "unbiased writing" that informs Cacheopedia's policy is "presenting conflicting views without asserting them." This needs further clarification, as follows.<br />
<br />
First, and most importantly, consider what it means to say that unbiased writing presents conflicting views without asserting them. Unbiased writing does not present only the most popular view; it does not ''assert'' the most popular view is correct after presenting all views; it does not assert that some sort of intermediate view among the different views is the correct one. Presenting all points of view says, more or less, that ''p''-ists believe that ''p,'' and ''q''-ists believe that ''q,'' and that's where the debate stands at present. Ideally, presenting all points of view also gives a great deal of background on who believes that ''p'' and ''q'' and why, and which view is more popular (being careful not to associate ''popularity'' with ''correctness''). Detailed articles might also contain the mutual evaluations of the ''p''-ists and the ''q''-ists, allowing each side to give its "best shot" at the other, but studiously refraining from saying who won the exchange.<br />
<br />
A point here bears elaboration. We said that the neutral point of view is not, contrary to the seeming implication of the phrase, some actual ''point of view'' that is "neutral," or "intermediate," among the different positions. That represents a particular understanding of what "neutral point of view" means. The prevailing Cacheopedia understanding is that the neutral point of view is not a ''point of view'' at all; according to our understanding, when one writes neutrally, one is very careful not to state (or imply or insinuate or subtly massage the reader into believing) that ''any particular view at all'' is correct.<br />
<br />
'''Now an important qualification:''' Articles that compare views need not give minority views ''as much'' or as detailed a description as more popular views. We should not attempt to represent a dispute as if a view held by only a small minority of people deserved as much attention as a majority view. That may be misleading as to the shape of the dispute. If we are to represent the dispute fairly, we should present competing views in proportion to their representation among experts on the subject, or among the concerned parties. None of this, however, is to say that minority views cannot receive as much attention as we can possibly give them on pages specifically devoted to those views. There is no size limit to Cacheopedia. But even on such pages, though a view is spelled out possibly in great detail, we still make sure that the view is not represented as ''the truth.''<br />
<br />
Bias need not be conscious. For example, beginners in a field often fail to realize that what sounds like common sense is actually biased in favor of one particular view. (So we not infrequently need an expert in order to render the article entirely unbiased.) To take another example, writers can, without intent, propagate "geographical" bias, by for example describing a dispute ''as it is conducted in one country'' without knowing that the dispute is framed differently elsewhere.<br />
<br />
The policy of having a neutral point of view is not to ''hide'' different points of view, but to show the diversity of viewpoints. In case of controversy, the strong points and weak points will be shown according to each point of view, without taking a side. The neutral point of view is not a "[[Wikipedia:separate but equal|separate but equal]]" policy. The facts, in themselves, are neutral, but the simple accumulation of them cannot be the neutral point of view. If only the favorable facts of a point of view are shown in an article, the article will still be non-neutral.<br />
<br />
==The vital component: good research==<br />
<br />
Many POV battles would be made much easier through the practice of good research. Facts are not points of view in and of themselves. So an easy way to avoid making a statement that promotes a point of view is to find a reputable source for a fact and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite the source]]. This is an easy way to characterize a side of a debate without promoting a view. The trick is to find the best and most reputable source you can. Try the library for good books and journal articles, and look for the most reliable online resources. A little bit of ground work can save a lot of time in trying to justify a point later.<br />
<br />
The only other important consideration is that while a fact is not POV in and of itself, adding facts, no matter how well cited, from only one side of a debate is a POV problem. So work for balance. Find facts that aren't from one side or the other and '''cite the source'''.<br />
<br />
==A simple formulation==<br />
<br />
We sometimes give an alternative formulation of the non-bias policy: assert facts, including facts about opinions &mdash; but don't assert opinions themselves. There is a difference between facts and values, or opinions. By "fact," we mean "a piece of information about which there is no serious dispute." In this sense, that a survey produced a certain published result is a fact. That Mars is a planet is a fact. That Socrates was a philosopher is a fact. No one seriously disputes any of these things. So we can feel free to ''assert'' as many of them as we can.<br />
<br />
By value or opinion, on the other hand, we mean "a piece of information about which there is some dispute." There are bound to be [[meta:borderline case|borderline cases]] where we're not sure if we should take a particular dispute seriously; but there are many propositions that very clearly express values or opinions. That stealing is wrong is a value or opinion. That [[Wikipedia:the Beatles|the Beatles]] was the greatest band is a value or opinion. That the United States was wrong to drop the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a value or opinion. That God exists ... this can be a troublesome one. Whether God exists or not is a question of fact, not a question of value. But as the fact is essentially undiscoverable, so far as anyone knows, whether God exists will usually be couched in terms of opinion or value. To state as a fact that "the existence of God is an opinion", while seeming to be sensitive to the issue, implies that there is no fact being discussed ([[Wikipedia:postmodernism|postmodernism]] or [[Wikipedia:strong agnosticism|strong agnosticism]]), or that it is relatively unimportant ([[Wikipedia:secular|secular]] bias).<br />
<br />
Cacheopedia is devoted to stating facts and only facts. Where we might want to state an opinion, we convert that opinion into a fact by ''attributing'' the opinion to someone. So, rather than asserting, "The Beatles were the greatest band", we can say, "Most Americans believe that the Beatles were the greatest band," which is a fact verifiable by survey results, or "The Beatles had many songs that made the [[Wikipedia:Billboard Hot 100|Billboard Hot 100]]," which is also fact. In the first instance we assert an opinion; in the second and third instances we "convert" that opinion into fact by attributing it to someone. It's important to note this formulation is substantially different from the "some people believe ..." formulation popular in political debates. The reference requires '''an identifiable and subjectively quantifiable population''' or, better still, '''a name'''. <br />
<br />
In presenting an opinion, moreover, it is important to bear in mind that there are disagreements about how opinions are best stated; sometimes, it will be necessary to qualify the description of an opinion or to present several formulations, simply to arrive at a solution that fairly represents all the leading views of the situation. (Theological and philosophical debates are particularly hard to frame in a non-biased way; this very page bears that out, as it posed in a previous incarnation as an example of an opinion, "God exists".)<br />
<br />
But it's not ''enough,'' to express the Cacheopedia non-bias policy, just to say that we should state facts and not opinions. When asserting a fact ''about an opinion,'' it is important ''also'' to assert facts ''about competing opinions,'' and to do so without implying that any one of the opinions is correct. It's also generally important to give the facts about the reasons behind the views, and to make it clear who holds them. (It's often best to cite a prominent representative of the view.)<br />
<br />
==Fairness and sympathetic tone==<br />
<br />
If we're going to characterize disputes fairly, we should present competing views with a consistently positive, sympathetic tone. Many articles end up as partisan commentary ''even while'' presenting both points of view. Even when a topic is presented in terms of facts rather than opinion, an article can still radiate an implied stance through either selection of which facts to present, or more subtly their organization &mdash; for instance, refuting opposing views as one goes along makes them look a lot worse than collecting them in an opinions-of-opponents section.<br />
<br />
We should, instead, write articles with the tone that ''all'' positions presented are at least plausible, bearing in mind the important qualification about extreme minority views. Let's present all significant, competing views sympathetically. We can write with the attitude that such-and-such is a good idea, except that, on the view of some detractors, the supporters of said view overlooked such-and-such a detail.<br />
<br />
==A consequence: writing for the enemy==<br />
<br />
Those who constantly attempt to advocate their views on politically charged topics, and who seem not to care about whether other points of view are represented fairly, are violating the non-bias policy ("write unbiasedly"). But the policy also entails that it is our job to speak for the other side, and not just avoid advocating our own views. If we don't commit ourselves to doing that, Cacheopedia will be weaker for it. We should all be engaged in explaining each other's points of view as sympathetically as possible.<br />
<br />
In saying this, we are spelling out what might have been obvious from an initial reading of the policy. If each of us is permitted to contribute biased stuff, then how is it possible that the policy is ever ''violated''? The policy ''says'', "Go thou and write unbiasedly". If that ''doesn't'' entail that each of us should fairly represent views with which we disagree, then what ''does'' it mean? Maybe you think it means, "Represent your own view fairly, and let others have a say." But consider, if we each take responsibility for ''the entire'' article when we hit "save", then when we make a change that represents ''our own'' views but not contrary views, or represents contrary views unfairly or incompletely, surely we are adding bias to Cacheopedia. Does it make sense ''not'' to take responsibility for the entire article? Does it make sense to take sentences and say, "These are mine"? Perhaps, but in a project that is so strongly and explicitly committed to neutrality, that attitude seems out of place.<br />
<br />
The other side might very well find your attempts to characterize their views substandard, but it's the thought that counts. In resolving disputes over neutrality issues, it's far better that we acknowledge that all sides must be presented fairly, and make at least a college try at presenting the other sides fairly. That will be appreciated much more than not trying at all.<br />
<br />
"Writing for the enemy" might make it seem as if we were adding ''deliberately'' flawed arguments to Cacheopedia, which would be a very strange thing to do. But it's better to view this (otherwise puzzling) behavior as adding the ''best'' (published) arguments of the opposition, citing some prominent person who has actually made the argument in the form in which you present it, and stating them as sympathetically as possible. Academics, e.g., philosophers, do this all the time. Always [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]], and make sure your sources are reputable, and you won't go far wrong.<br />
<br />
===An example===<br />
<br />
[[Wikipedia:User:Karada|Karada]] offered the following advice in the context of the [[Wikipedia:Saddam Hussein|Saddam Hussein]] article:<br />
:You won't even ''need'' to say he was evil. That's why the article on [[Wikipedia:Hitler|Hitler]] does not start with "Hitler was a bad man" &mdash; we don't need to, his deeds convict him a thousand times over. We just list the facts of the [[Wikipedia:Holocaust|Holocaust]] dispassionately, and the voices of the dead cry out afresh in a way that makes name-calling both pointless and unnecessary. Please do the same: list Saddam's crimes, and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]].<br />
<br />
==Objections and clarifications==<br />
<br />
What follows is a list of common objections, or questions, regarding Cacheopedia's non-bias policy, followed by replies.<br />
<br />
===There's no such thing as objectivity===<br />
<br />
''Everybody with any philosophical sophistication knows that. So how can we take the "neutrality" policy seriously? Neutrality, lack of bias, isn't possible.''<br />
<br />
This is probably the most common objection to the neutrality policy. It also reflects the most common ''misunderstanding'' of the policy. The misunderstanding is that the policy says something about the possibility of ''objectivity.'' It simply does not. In particular, the policy does ''not'' say that there even ''is'' such a thing as objectivity, a "view from nowhere" (in [[Wikipedia:Thomas Nagel|Thomas Nagel]]'s phrase)--such that articles written from ''that'' point of view are consequently objectively true. That isn't the policy and it is not our aim! Rather, we employ a different understanding of "neutral" and "unbiased" than many might be used to. The policy is simply that we should characterize disputes rather than engage in them. To say ''this'' is not to say anything contentious, from a philosophical point of view; indeed, this is something that philosophers are doing all the time. Sophisticated relativists will immediately recognize that the policy is perfectly consistent with their relativism.<br />
<br />
If there's ''anything'' possibly contentious about the policy along these lines, it is the implication that it is ''possible'' to characterize disputes fairly, so that all the major participants will be able to look at the resulting text, agreeing that their views are presented sympathetically and as completely as possible (within the context of the discussion). It is an empirical question, not a philosophical one, whether this is possible; and that such a thing ''is'' indeed possible is evident simply by observing that such texts are being written daily by the most capable academics, encyclopedists, textbook writers, and journalists.<br />
<br />
This should not be construed to mean that there can be no objective truth in an encyclopedia, in the sense that easily obtainable documents should be quoted or referenced correctly when first-hand sources are available, even if there are second-hand sources which quote them incorrectly. Neutrality does not compel us to introduce inaccuracy when something can be directly verified. Neutrality dictates that there can be multiple prominent interpretations to the meaning or validity of a work, but often the contents can be objectively verified, especially in the case of modern documents.<br />
<br />
=== Anglo-American focus ===<br />
<br />
''Cacheopedia seems to have an Anglo-American focus. Is this contrary to the neutral point of view?''<br />
<br />
Yes, it is, especially when dealing with articles that require an international perspective. The presence of articles written from a United States or British perspective is simply a reflection of the fact that there are many U.S. and British citizens working on the project, which in turn is a reflection of the fact that so many of them are online. This is an ongoing problem that should be corrected by active collaboration from people from other countries. But rather than introducing their own cultural bias, they should seek to improve articles by removing any examples of cultural bias that they encounter. <br />
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===Lack of neutrality as an excuse to delete===<br />
<br />
''The neutrality policy is used sometimes as an excuse to delete texts that are perceived as biased. Isn't this a problem?''<br />
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In many cases, yes. Many of us believe that the fact that some text is biased is not enough, in itself, to delete it outright. If it contains valid information, the text should simply be edited accordingly.<br />
<br />
There's sometimes trouble determining whether some claim is true or useful, particularly when there are few people on board who know about the topic. In such a case, it's a good idea to raise objections on a [[Help:talk page]]; if one has some reason to believe that the author of the biased material will not be induced to change it, we have sometimes taken to removing the text to the talk page itself (but not deleting it entirely). But the latter should be done more or less as a last resort, never as a way of punishing people who have written something biased.<br />
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=== Dealing with biased contributors ===<br />
<br />
''I agree with the nonbias policy but there are some here who seem completely, irremediably biased. I have to go around and clean up after them. What do I do?''<br />
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Unless the case is really egregious, maybe the best thing is to call attention to the problem publicly, pointing the perpetrators to this page (but [[Help:Wikipetiquette|politely]] &mdash; one gets more flies with honey) and asking others to help. See [[Help:Dispute_resolution|Dispute resolution]] for more ideas. There must surely be a point beyond which our very strong interest in being a ''completely'' open project is trumped by the interest the vast majority of our writers have, in being able to get work done without constantly having to fix the intrusions of people who do not respect our policy.<br />
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=== Avoiding constant disputes ===<br />
<br />
''How can we avoid constant and endless warfare over neutrality issues?''<br />
<br />
The best way to avoid warfare over bias is to remember that most of us are reasonably intelligent, articulate people here, or we wouldn't be working on this and caring so much about it. We have to make it our goal to understand each others' perspectives and to work hard to make sure that those other perspectives are fairly represented. When any dispute arises as to what the article should say, or what is true, we must not adopt an adversarial stance; we must do our best to step back and ask ourselves, "How can this dispute be fairly characterized?" This has to be asked repeatedly as each new controversial point is stated. It is not our job to edit Cacheopedia so that it reflects our own idiosyncratic views and then defend those edits against all-comers; it is our job to work together, mainly adding new content, but also, when necessary, coming to a compromise about how a controversy should be described, so that it is fair to all sides.<br />
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=== Writing for the "enemy" POV ===<br />
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''I'm not convinced by what you say about "writing for the enemy." I don't want to write for the enemy. Most of them rely on stating as fact many things which are demonstrably false. Are you saying that, to be neutral in writing an article, I must ''lie,'' in order to represent the view I disagree with?''<br />
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This is a misunderstanding of what the neutrality policy says. ''You'' aren't claiming anything, except to say, "So-and-so argues that ____________, and therefore, ___________." This can be done with a straight face, with no moral compunctions, because you are attributing the claim to ''someone else.'' It's worth observing that scholars are trained so that, even when trying to prove a point, counter-arguments are included, so that they can explain why the counter-arguments fail.<br />
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This can be a particularly touchy subject, and a large number of people can honestly fail to see the bias inherent in a popular term, simply because its the one commonly used. But it shouldn't take long to understand that the English wikipedia is a ''highly international project'', and its editors reflect many different points of view. Its important to note that this level of objectivity is rather new to most people, and disputes over the proper terms may simply depend on the balance of points of view.<br />
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=== Other objections ===<br />
<br />
''I have some other objection. Where should I ask it?''<br />
<br />
Before asking it, please review the links below. Many issues surrounding the neutrality policy have been covered before very extensively. If you have some new contribution to make to the debate, you could try [[Talk:Neutral point of view]].<br />
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== Other resources ==<br />
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* [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]]<br />
* [[Help:Neutral point of view/Examples|Examples]]<br />
* [[Help:Words to avoid|Words to avoid]]<br />
* [[meta:Positive tone]]<br />
* [[Template:NPOV]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV}}</nowiki> message used to warn of problems<br />
* [[Template:NPOV-section]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV-section}}</nowiki> tags only a single section as disputed<br />
* [[Template:POV check]] - <nowiki>{{POV check}}</nowiki> message used to mark articles that may be biased. [[Template:bias]] (<nowiki>{{bias}}</nowiki> may be used for short)<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
* [[MeatBall:AssumeGoodFaith|AssumeGoodFaith]] and<br />
* [[MeatBall:NeutralPointOfView|NeutralPointOfView]], both on [[WikipediaMeatballWiki|]].<br />
* [http://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/6/mooney-science.asp Blinded By Science: How &#8216;Balanced&#8217; Coverage Lets the Scientific Fringe Hijack Reality] - Chris Mooney, Columbia Journalism Review. A valuable warning to Wikipedians about how attempts to balance the coverage can lead to biased, inaccurate and misleading reporting.</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Neutral_point_of_view
Neutral point of view
2005-05-21T20:07:51Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* There's no such thing as objectivity */ fixlinks</p>
<hr />
<div>Simply, think of yourself as a historian. Strive for facts, but reporting opinions of others can sometimes provide additional insight to an article. Attempt to credit others' opinions and avoid including your own.<br />
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More complicatedly:<br />
<br />
Cacheopedia policy is that all articles should be written from a '''neutral point of view'''. <br />
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For guidance on making an article conform to the neutral point of view (NPOV), please see the [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]].<br />
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==Introduction==<br />
The '''neutral point of view policy''' states that articles should be written without [[Wikipedia:bias]], representing all views fairly.<br />
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The policy is easily misunderstood. It doesn't assume that it's possible to write an article from a single, unbiased, objective point of view. The policy says that we should ''fairly represent'' all sides of a [[Wikipedia:dispute]], and not make an article state, imply, or insinuate that any one side is correct. It is crucial that [[Cacheopedian]]s work together to make articles unbiased. This comprises one of the great merits of Cacheopedia, and separates it from the [[Geocaching.com forum]]s.<br />
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Writing unbiased text is an art that requires practice. <br />
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===The basic concept of neutrality===<br />
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At Cacheopedia, we use the terms "unbiased" and "neutral point of view" in a precise way that is different from the common understanding:<br />
<br />
:Articles without bias ''describe'' debates fairly rather than ''advocating'' any side of the debate. Since all articles are edited by people, this is difficult, as people are inherently biased.<br />
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====The original formulation of NPOV====<br />
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''A general purpose encyclopedia is a collection of synthesized knowledge presented from a neutral point of view. To whatever extent possible, encyclopedic writing should steer clear of taking any particular stance '''other than''' the stance of the neutral point of view.''<br />
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''The neutral point of view attempts to present ideas and facts in such a fashion that both supporters and opponents can agree. Of course, 100% agreement is not possible; there are ideologues in the world who will not concede to any presentation other than a forceful statement of their own point of view. We can only seek a type of writing that is agreeable to essentially rational people who may differ on particular points.''<br />
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''Some examples may help to drive home the point I am trying to make. '' <br />
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''1. An encyclopedic article should not argue that corporations are criminals, even if the author believes it to be so. It should instead present the fact that ''some people'' believe it, and what their reasons are, and then as well it should present what the other side says.''<br />
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''2. An encyclopedia article should not argue that laissez-faire capitalism is the best social system. [...] It should instead present the arguments of the advocates of that point of view, and the arguments of the people who disagree with that point of view.''<br />
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''Perhaps the easiest way to make your writing more encyclopedic is to write about ''what people believe'', rather than ''what is so''. If this strikes you as somehow subjectivist or collectivist or imperialist, then ask me about it, because I think that you are just mistaken. What people believe is a matter of objective fact, and we can present ''that'' quite easily from the neutral point of view.''<br />
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''--[[Wikipedia:Jimbo Wales]], Wikipedia founder''<br />
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===Why should Wikipedia be unbiased?===<br />
<br />
Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia. While it covers a niche topic, Geocaching, it still means this is a representation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge|knowledge]] at some level of generality. But human beings disagree about specific cases; for any topic on which there are competing views, each view represents a different idea of what the truth is, and insofar as that view contradicts other views, its adherents believe that the other views are ''false'' and therefore not ''knowledge''. Where there is disagreement about what is true, there's disagreement about what constitutes knowledge. Wikipedia works because it's a collaborative effort; but, while collaborating, how can we solve the problem of endless "[[Wikipedia:edit war|edit war]]s" in which one person asserts that ''p,'' whereupon the next person changes the text so that it asserts ''not-p''?<br />
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A solution is that we accept, for the purposes of working on Cacheopedia, that "human knowledge" includes ''all different'' '''significant''' theories on all different topics. So we're committed to the goal of representing human knowledge in ''that'' sense. Something like this is surely a well-established sense of the word "knowledge"; in this sense, what is "known" changes constantly with the passage of time, and when we use the word "know", we often use so-called [[Wikipedia:Quotation mark#Emphasis and ironic quotes|scare quotes]]. In the Middle Ages, we "knew" that demons caused diseases. We now "know" otherwise.<br />
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We could sum up human knowledge (in this sense) in a biased way: we'd state a series of theories about topic T, and then claim that the truth about T is such-and-such. But again, consider that Cacheopedia is an international, collaborative project. Nearly every view on every subject will be found among our authors and readers. To avoid endless edit wars, we can agree to present each of the significant views fairly, and not assert any one of them as correct. That is what makes an article "unbiased" or "neutral" in the sense we are presenting here. To write from a neutral point of view, one presents controversial views without asserting them; to do ''that,'' it generally suffices to present competing views in a way that is more or less acceptable to their adherents, and also to ''attribute'' the views to their adherents. Disputes are '''characterized''' in Cacheopedia. They are not re-enacted.<br />
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To sum up the primary reason for this policy: Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia, a compilation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge|knowledge]]. But because Cacheopedia is a community-built, international resource, we cannot expect collaborators to agree in all cases, or even in many cases, on what constitutes knowledge in a strict sense. We can, therefore, adopt the looser sense of "human knowledge" according to which a wide variety of conflicting theories constitute what we call "knowledge." We should, both individually and collectively, make an effort to present these conflicting views fairly, without advocating any one of them, with the qualification that views held only by a tiny minority of people should not be represented as though they are significant minority views, and perhaps should not be represented at all.<br />
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There is another reason to commit ourselves to this policy. Namely, when it is clear to readers that we do not expect them to adopt any particular opinion, this leaves them free to make up their minds for themselves, thus encouraging ''intellectual independence''.<br />
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==What is the neutral point of view?==<br />
What we mean isn't obvious, and is easily misunderstood. There are many other valid interpretations of "unbiased," and "neutral". The notion of "unbiased writing" that informs Cacheopedia's policy is "presenting conflicting views without asserting them." This needs further clarification, as follows.<br />
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First, and most importantly, consider what it means to say that unbiased writing presents conflicting views without asserting them. Unbiased writing does not present only the most popular view; it does not ''assert'' the most popular view is correct after presenting all views; it does not assert that some sort of intermediate view among the different views is the correct one. Presenting all points of view says, more or less, that ''p''-ists believe that ''p,'' and ''q''-ists believe that ''q,'' and that's where the debate stands at present. Ideally, presenting all points of view also gives a great deal of background on who believes that ''p'' and ''q'' and why, and which view is more popular (being careful not to associate ''popularity'' with ''correctness''). Detailed articles might also contain the mutual evaluations of the ''p''-ists and the ''q''-ists, allowing each side to give its "best shot" at the other, but studiously refraining from saying who won the exchange.<br />
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A point here bears elaboration. We said that the neutral point of view is not, contrary to the seeming implication of the phrase, some actual ''point of view'' that is "neutral," or "intermediate," among the different positions. That represents a particular understanding of what "neutral point of view" means. The prevailing Cacheopedia understanding is that the neutral point of view is not a ''point of view'' at all; according to our understanding, when one writes neutrally, one is very careful not to state (or imply or insinuate or subtly massage the reader into believing) that ''any particular view at all'' is correct.<br />
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'''Now an important qualification:''' Articles that compare views need not give minority views ''as much'' or as detailed a description as more popular views. We should not attempt to represent a dispute as if a view held by only a small minority of people deserved as much attention as a majority view. That may be misleading as to the shape of the dispute. If we are to represent the dispute fairly, we should present competing views in proportion to their representation among experts on the subject, or among the concerned parties. None of this, however, is to say that minority views cannot receive as much attention as we can possibly give them on pages specifically devoted to those views. There is no size limit to Cacheopedia. But even on such pages, though a view is spelled out possibly in great detail, we still make sure that the view is not represented as ''the truth.''<br />
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Bias need not be conscious. For example, beginners in a field often fail to realize that what sounds like common sense is actually biased in favor of one particular view. (So we not infrequently need an expert in order to render the article entirely unbiased.) To take another example, writers can, without intent, propagate "geographical" bias, by for example describing a dispute ''as it is conducted in one country'' without knowing that the dispute is framed differently elsewhere.<br />
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The policy of having a neutral point of view is not to ''hide'' different points of view, but to show the diversity of viewpoints. In case of controversy, the strong points and weak points will be shown according to each point of view, without taking a side. The neutral point of view is not a "[[Wikipedia:separate but equal|separate but equal]]" policy. The facts, in themselves, are neutral, but the simple accumulation of them cannot be the neutral point of view. If only the favorable facts of a point of view are shown in an article, the article will still be non-neutral.<br />
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==The vital component: good research==<br />
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Many POV battles would be made much easier through the practice of good research. Facts are not points of view in and of themselves. So an easy way to avoid making a statement that promotes a point of view is to find a reputable source for a fact and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite the source]]. This is an easy way to characterize a side of a debate without promoting a view. The trick is to find the best and most reputable source you can. Try the library for good books and journal articles, and look for the most reliable online resources. A little bit of ground work can save a lot of time in trying to justify a point later.<br />
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The only other important consideration is that while a fact is not POV in and of itself, adding facts, no matter how well cited, from only one side of a debate is a POV problem. So work for balance. Find facts that aren't from one side or the other and '''cite the source'''.<br />
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==A simple formulation==<br />
<br />
We sometimes give an alternative formulation of the non-bias policy: assert facts, including facts about opinions &mdash; but don't assert opinions themselves. There is a difference between facts and values, or opinions. By "fact," we mean "a piece of information about which there is no serious dispute." In this sense, that a survey produced a certain published result is a fact. That Mars is a planet is a fact. That Socrates was a philosopher is a fact. No one seriously disputes any of these things. So we can feel free to ''assert'' as many of them as we can.<br />
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By value or opinion, on the other hand, we mean "a piece of information about which there is some dispute." There are bound to be [[meta:borderline case|borderline cases]] where we're not sure if we should take a particular dispute seriously; but there are many propositions that very clearly express values or opinions. That stealing is wrong is a value or opinion. That [[Wikipedia:the Beatles|the Beatles]] was the greatest band is a value or opinion. That the United States was wrong to drop the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a value or opinion. That God exists ... this can be a troublesome one. Whether God exists or not is a question of fact, not a question of value. But as the fact is essentially undiscoverable, so far as anyone knows, whether God exists will usually be couched in terms of opinion or value. To state as a fact that "the existence of God is an opinion", while seeming to be sensitive to the issue, implies that there is no fact being discussed ([[Wikipedia:postmodernism|postmodernism]] or [[Wikipedia:strong agnosticism|strong agnosticism]]), or that it is relatively unimportant ([[Wikipedia:secular|secular]] bias).<br />
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Cacheopedia is devoted to stating facts and only facts. Where we might want to state an opinion, we convert that opinion into a fact by ''attributing'' the opinion to someone. So, rather than asserting, "The Beatles were the greatest band", we can say, "Most Americans believe that the Beatles were the greatest band," which is a fact verifiable by survey results, or "The Beatles had many songs that made the [[Wikipedia:Billboard Hot 100|Billboard Hot 100]]," which is also fact. In the first instance we assert an opinion; in the second and third instances we "convert" that opinion into fact by attributing it to someone. It's important to note this formulation is substantially different from the "some people believe ..." formulation popular in political debates. The reference requires '''an identifiable and subjectively quantifiable population''' or, better still, '''a name'''. <br />
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In presenting an opinion, moreover, it is important to bear in mind that there are disagreements about how opinions are best stated; sometimes, it will be necessary to qualify the description of an opinion or to present several formulations, simply to arrive at a solution that fairly represents all the leading views of the situation. (Theological and philosophical debates are particularly hard to frame in a non-biased way; this very page bears that out, as it posed in a previous incarnation as an example of an opinion, "God exists".)<br />
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But it's not ''enough,'' to express the Cacheopedia non-bias policy, just to say that we should state facts and not opinions. When asserting a fact ''about an opinion,'' it is important ''also'' to assert facts ''about competing opinions,'' and to do so without implying that any one of the opinions is correct. It's also generally important to give the facts about the reasons behind the views, and to make it clear who holds them. (It's often best to cite a prominent representative of the view.)<br />
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==Fairness and sympathetic tone==<br />
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If we're going to characterize disputes fairly, we should present competing views with a consistently positive, sympathetic tone. Many articles end up as partisan commentary ''even while'' presenting both points of view. Even when a topic is presented in terms of facts rather than opinion, an article can still radiate an implied stance through either selection of which facts to present, or more subtly their organization &mdash; for instance, refuting opposing views as one goes along makes them look a lot worse than collecting them in an opinions-of-opponents section.<br />
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We should, instead, write articles with the tone that ''all'' positions presented are at least plausible, bearing in mind the important qualification about extreme minority views. Let's present all significant, competing views sympathetically. We can write with the attitude that such-and-such is a good idea, except that, on the view of some detractors, the supporters of said view overlooked such-and-such a detail.<br />
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==A consequence: writing for the enemy==<br />
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Those who constantly attempt to advocate their views on politically charged topics, and who seem not to care about whether other points of view are represented fairly, are violating the non-bias policy ("write unbiasedly"). But the policy also entails that it is our job to speak for the other side, and not just avoid advocating our own views. If we don't commit ourselves to doing that, Cacheopedia will be weaker for it. We should all be engaged in explaining each other's points of view as sympathetically as possible.<br />
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In saying this, we are spelling out what might have been obvious from an initial reading of the policy. If each of us is permitted to contribute biased stuff, then how is it possible that the policy is ever ''violated''? The policy ''says'', "Go thou and write unbiasedly". If that ''doesn't'' entail that each of us should fairly represent views with which we disagree, then what ''does'' it mean? Maybe you think it means, "Represent your own view fairly, and let others have a say." But consider, if we each take responsibility for ''the entire'' article when we hit "save", then when we make a change that represents ''our own'' views but not contrary views, or represents contrary views unfairly or incompletely, surely we are adding bias to Cacheopedia. Does it make sense ''not'' to take responsibility for the entire article? Does it make sense to take sentences and say, "These are mine"? Perhaps, but in a project that is so strongly and explicitly committed to neutrality, that attitude seems out of place.<br />
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The other side might very well find your attempts to characterize their views substandard, but it's the thought that counts. In resolving disputes over neutrality issues, it's far better that we acknowledge that all sides must be presented fairly, and make at least a college try at presenting the other sides fairly. That will be appreciated much more than not trying at all.<br />
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"Writing for the enemy" might make it seem as if we were adding ''deliberately'' flawed arguments to Cacheopedia, which would be a very strange thing to do. But it's better to view this (otherwise puzzling) behavior as adding the ''best'' (published) arguments of the opposition, citing some prominent person who has actually made the argument in the form in which you present it, and stating them as sympathetically as possible. Academics, e.g., philosophers, do this all the time. Always [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]], and make sure your sources are reputable, and you won't go far wrong.<br />
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===An example===<br />
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[[Wikipedia:User:Karada|Karada]] offered the following advice in the context of the [[Wikipedia:Saddam Hussein|Saddam Hussein]] article:<br />
:You won't even ''need'' to say he was evil. That's why the article on [[Wikipedia:Hitler|Hitler]] does not start with "Hitler was a bad man" &mdash; we don't need to, his deeds convict him a thousand times over. We just list the facts of the [[Wikipedia:Holocaust|Holocaust]] dispassionately, and the voices of the dead cry out afresh in a way that makes name-calling both pointless and unnecessary. Please do the same: list Saddam's crimes, and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]].<br />
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==Objections and clarifications==<br />
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What follows is a list of common objections, or questions, regarding Cacheopedia's non-bias policy, followed by replies.<br />
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===There's no such thing as objectivity===<br />
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''Everybody with any philosophical sophistication knows that. So how can we take the "neutrality" policy seriously? Neutrality, lack of bias, isn't possible.''<br />
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This is probably the most common objection to the neutrality policy. It also reflects the most common ''misunderstanding'' of the policy. The misunderstanding is that the policy says something about the possibility of ''objectivity.'' It simply does not. In particular, the policy does ''not'' say that there even ''is'' such a thing as objectivity, a "view from nowhere" (in [[Wikipedia:Thomas Nagel|Thomas Nagel]]'s phrase)--such that articles written from ''that'' point of view are consequently objectively true. That isn't the policy and it is not our aim! Rather, we employ a different understanding of "neutral" and "unbiased" than many might be used to. The policy is simply that we should characterize disputes rather than engage in them. To say ''this'' is not to say anything contentious, from a philosophical point of view; indeed, this is something that philosophers are doing all the time. Sophisticated relativists will immediately recognize that the policy is perfectly consistent with their relativism.<br />
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If there's ''anything'' possibly contentious about the policy along these lines, it is the implication that it is ''possible'' to characterize disputes fairly, so that all the major participants will be able to look at the resulting text, agreeing that their views are presented sympathetically and as completely as possible (within the context of the discussion). It is an empirical question, not a philosophical one, whether this is possible; and that such a thing ''is'' indeed possible is evident simply by observing that such texts are being written daily by the most capable academics, encyclopedists, textbook writers, and journalists.<br />
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This should not be construed to mean that there can be no objective truth in an encyclopedia, in the sense that easily obtainable documents should be quoted or referenced correctly when first-hand sources are available, even if there are second-hand sources which quote them incorrectly. Neutrality does not compel us to introduce inaccuracy when something can be directly verified. Neutrality dictates that there can be multiple prominent interpretations to the meaning or validity of a work, but often the contents can be objectively verified, especially in the case of modern documents.<br />
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=== Anglo-American focus ===<br />
<br />
''Cacheopedia seems to have an Anglo-American focus. Is this contrary to the neutral point of view?''<br />
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Yes, it is, especially when dealing with articles that require an international perspective. The presence of articles written from a United States or British perspective is simply a reflection of the fact that there are many U.S. and British citizens working on the project, which in turn is a reflection of the fact that so many of them are online. This is an ongoing problem that should be corrected by active collaboration from people from other countries. But rather than introducing their own cultural bias, they should seek to improve articles by removing any examples of cultural bias that they encounter. <br />
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===Lack of neutrality as an excuse to delete===<br />
<br />
''The neutrality policy is used sometimes as an excuse to delete texts that are perceived as biased. Isn't this a problem?''<br />
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In many cases, yes. Many of us believe that the fact that some text is biased is not enough, in itself, to delete it outright. If it contains valid information, the text should simply be edited accordingly.<br />
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There's sometimes trouble determining whether some claim is true or useful, particularly when there are few people on board who know about the topic. In such a case, it's a good idea to raise objections on a [[Help:talk page]]; if one has some reason to believe that the author of the biased material will not be induced to change it, we have sometimes taken to removing the text to the talk page itself (but not deleting it entirely). But the latter should be done more or less as a last resort, never as a way of punishing people who have written something biased.<br />
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=== Dealing with biased contributors ===<br />
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''I agree with the nonbias policy but there are some here who seem completely, irremediably biased. I have to go around and clean up after them. What do I do?''<br />
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Unless the case is really egregious, maybe the best thing is to call attention to the problem publicly, pointing the perpetrators to this page (but [[Help:Wikipetiquette|politely]] &mdash; one gets more flies with honey) and asking others to help. See [[Help:Dispute_resolution|Dispute resolution]] for more ideas. There must surely be a point beyond which our very strong interest in being a ''completely'' open project is trumped by the interest the vast majority of our writers have, in being able to get work done without constantly having to fix the intrusions of people who do not respect our policy.<br />
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=== Avoiding constant disputes ===<br />
<br />
''How can we avoid constant and endless warfare over neutrality issues?''<br />
<br />
The best way to avoid warfare over bias is to remember that most of us are reasonably intelligent, articulate people here, or we wouldn't be working on this and caring so much about it. We have to make it our goal to understand each others' perspectives and to work hard to make sure that those other perspectives are fairly represented. When any dispute arises as to what the article should say, or what is true, we must not adopt an adversarial stance; we must do our best to step back and ask ourselves, "How can this dispute be fairly characterized?" This has to be asked repeatedly as each new controversial point is stated. It is not our job to edit Cacheopedia so that it reflects our own idiosyncratic views and then defend those edits against all-comers; it is our job to work together, mainly adding new content, but also, when necessary, coming to a compromise about how a controversy should be described, so that it is fair to all sides.<br />
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=== Writing for the "enemy" POV ===<br />
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''I'm not convinced by what you say about "writing for the enemy." I don't want to write for the enemy. Most of them rely on stating as fact many things which are demonstrably false. Are you saying that, to be neutral in writing an article, I must ''lie,'' in order to represent the view I disagree with?''<br />
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This is a misunderstanding of what the neutrality policy says. ''You'' aren't claiming anything, except to say, "So-and-so argues that ____________, and therefore, ___________." This can be done with a straight face, with no moral compunctions, because you are attributing the claim to ''someone else.'' It's worth observing that scholars are trained so that, even when trying to prove a point, counter-arguments are included, so that they can explain why the counter-arguments fail.<br />
<br />
This can be a particularly touchy subject, and a large number of people can honestly fail to see the bias inherent in a popular term, simply because its the one commonly used. But it shouldn't take long to understand that the English wikipedia is a ''highly international project'', and its editors reflect many different points of view. Its important to note that this level of objectivity is rather new to most people, and disputes over the proper terms may simply depend on the balance of points of view.<br />
<br />
=== Other objections ===<br />
<br />
''I have some other objection. Where should I ask it?''<br />
<br />
Before asking it, please review the links below. Many issues surrounding the neutrality policy have been covered before very extensively. If you have some new contribution to make to the debate, you could try [[Talk:Neutral point of view]].<br />
<br />
== Other resources ==<br />
<br />
* [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]]<br />
* [[Help:Neutral point of view/Examples|Examples]]<br />
* [[Help:Words to avoid|Words to avoid]]<br />
* [[meta:Positive tone]]<br />
* [[Template:NPOV]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV}}</nowiki> message used to warn of problems<br />
* [[Template:NPOV-section]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV-section}}</nowiki> tags only a single section as disputed<br />
* [[Template:POV check]] - <nowiki>{{POV check}}</nowiki> message used to mark articles that may be biased. [[Template:bias]] (<nowiki>{{bias}}</nowiki> may be used for short)<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
* [[MeatBall:AssumeGoodFaith|AssumeGoodFaith]] and<br />
* [[MeatBall:NeutralPointOfView|NeutralPointOfView]], both on [[MeatballWiki]].<br />
* [http://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/6/mooney-science.asp Blinded By Science: How &#8216;Balanced&#8217; Coverage Lets the Scientific Fringe Hijack Reality] - Chris Mooney, Columbia Journalism Review. A valuable warning to Wikipedians about how attempts to balance the coverage can lead to biased, inaccurate and misleading reporting.</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Neutral_point_of_view
Neutral point of view
2005-05-21T20:07:31Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* An example */ fixedlinks</p>
<hr />
<div>Simply, think of yourself as a historian. Strive for facts, but reporting opinions of others can sometimes provide additional insight to an article. Attempt to credit others' opinions and avoid including your own.<br />
<br />
More complicatedly:<br />
<br />
Cacheopedia policy is that all articles should be written from a '''neutral point of view'''. <br />
<br />
For guidance on making an article conform to the neutral point of view (NPOV), please see the [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]].<br />
<br />
==Introduction==<br />
The '''neutral point of view policy''' states that articles should be written without [[Wikipedia:bias]], representing all views fairly.<br />
<br />
The policy is easily misunderstood. It doesn't assume that it's possible to write an article from a single, unbiased, objective point of view. The policy says that we should ''fairly represent'' all sides of a [[Wikipedia:dispute]], and not make an article state, imply, or insinuate that any one side is correct. It is crucial that [[Cacheopedian]]s work together to make articles unbiased. This comprises one of the great merits of Cacheopedia, and separates it from the [[Geocaching.com forum]]s.<br />
<br />
Writing unbiased text is an art that requires practice. <br />
<br />
===The basic concept of neutrality===<br />
<br />
At Cacheopedia, we use the terms "unbiased" and "neutral point of view" in a precise way that is different from the common understanding:<br />
<br />
:Articles without bias ''describe'' debates fairly rather than ''advocating'' any side of the debate. Since all articles are edited by people, this is difficult, as people are inherently biased.<br />
<br />
====The original formulation of NPOV====<br />
<br />
''A general purpose encyclopedia is a collection of synthesized knowledge presented from a neutral point of view. To whatever extent possible, encyclopedic writing should steer clear of taking any particular stance '''other than''' the stance of the neutral point of view.''<br />
<br />
''The neutral point of view attempts to present ideas and facts in such a fashion that both supporters and opponents can agree. Of course, 100% agreement is not possible; there are ideologues in the world who will not concede to any presentation other than a forceful statement of their own point of view. We can only seek a type of writing that is agreeable to essentially rational people who may differ on particular points.''<br />
<br />
''Some examples may help to drive home the point I am trying to make. '' <br />
<br />
''1. An encyclopedic article should not argue that corporations are criminals, even if the author believes it to be so. It should instead present the fact that ''some people'' believe it, and what their reasons are, and then as well it should present what the other side says.''<br />
<br />
''2. An encyclopedia article should not argue that laissez-faire capitalism is the best social system. [...] It should instead present the arguments of the advocates of that point of view, and the arguments of the people who disagree with that point of view.''<br />
<br />
''Perhaps the easiest way to make your writing more encyclopedic is to write about ''what people believe'', rather than ''what is so''. If this strikes you as somehow subjectivist or collectivist or imperialist, then ask me about it, because I think that you are just mistaken. What people believe is a matter of objective fact, and we can present ''that'' quite easily from the neutral point of view.''<br />
<br />
''--[[Wikipedia:Jimbo Wales]], Wikipedia founder''<br />
<br />
===Why should Wikipedia be unbiased?===<br />
<br />
Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia. While it covers a niche topic, Geocaching, it still means this is a representation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge|knowledge]] at some level of generality. But human beings disagree about specific cases; for any topic on which there are competing views, each view represents a different idea of what the truth is, and insofar as that view contradicts other views, its adherents believe that the other views are ''false'' and therefore not ''knowledge''. Where there is disagreement about what is true, there's disagreement about what constitutes knowledge. Wikipedia works because it's a collaborative effort; but, while collaborating, how can we solve the problem of endless "[[Wikipedia:edit war|edit war]]s" in which one person asserts that ''p,'' whereupon the next person changes the text so that it asserts ''not-p''?<br />
<br />
A solution is that we accept, for the purposes of working on Cacheopedia, that "human knowledge" includes ''all different'' '''significant''' theories on all different topics. So we're committed to the goal of representing human knowledge in ''that'' sense. Something like this is surely a well-established sense of the word "knowledge"; in this sense, what is "known" changes constantly with the passage of time, and when we use the word "know", we often use so-called [[Wikipedia:Quotation mark#Emphasis and ironic quotes|scare quotes]]. In the Middle Ages, we "knew" that demons caused diseases. We now "know" otherwise.<br />
<br />
We could sum up human knowledge (in this sense) in a biased way: we'd state a series of theories about topic T, and then claim that the truth about T is such-and-such. But again, consider that Cacheopedia is an international, collaborative project. Nearly every view on every subject will be found among our authors and readers. To avoid endless edit wars, we can agree to present each of the significant views fairly, and not assert any one of them as correct. That is what makes an article "unbiased" or "neutral" in the sense we are presenting here. To write from a neutral point of view, one presents controversial views without asserting them; to do ''that,'' it generally suffices to present competing views in a way that is more or less acceptable to their adherents, and also to ''attribute'' the views to their adherents. Disputes are '''characterized''' in Cacheopedia. They are not re-enacted.<br />
<br />
To sum up the primary reason for this policy: Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia, a compilation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge|knowledge]]. But because Cacheopedia is a community-built, international resource, we cannot expect collaborators to agree in all cases, or even in many cases, on what constitutes knowledge in a strict sense. We can, therefore, adopt the looser sense of "human knowledge" according to which a wide variety of conflicting theories constitute what we call "knowledge." We should, both individually and collectively, make an effort to present these conflicting views fairly, without advocating any one of them, with the qualification that views held only by a tiny minority of people should not be represented as though they are significant minority views, and perhaps should not be represented at all.<br />
<br />
There is another reason to commit ourselves to this policy. Namely, when it is clear to readers that we do not expect them to adopt any particular opinion, this leaves them free to make up their minds for themselves, thus encouraging ''intellectual independence''.<br />
<br />
==What is the neutral point of view?==<br />
What we mean isn't obvious, and is easily misunderstood. There are many other valid interpretations of "unbiased," and "neutral". The notion of "unbiased writing" that informs Cacheopedia's policy is "presenting conflicting views without asserting them." This needs further clarification, as follows.<br />
<br />
First, and most importantly, consider what it means to say that unbiased writing presents conflicting views without asserting them. Unbiased writing does not present only the most popular view; it does not ''assert'' the most popular view is correct after presenting all views; it does not assert that some sort of intermediate view among the different views is the correct one. Presenting all points of view says, more or less, that ''p''-ists believe that ''p,'' and ''q''-ists believe that ''q,'' and that's where the debate stands at present. Ideally, presenting all points of view also gives a great deal of background on who believes that ''p'' and ''q'' and why, and which view is more popular (being careful not to associate ''popularity'' with ''correctness''). Detailed articles might also contain the mutual evaluations of the ''p''-ists and the ''q''-ists, allowing each side to give its "best shot" at the other, but studiously refraining from saying who won the exchange.<br />
<br />
A point here bears elaboration. We said that the neutral point of view is not, contrary to the seeming implication of the phrase, some actual ''point of view'' that is "neutral," or "intermediate," among the different positions. That represents a particular understanding of what "neutral point of view" means. The prevailing Cacheopedia understanding is that the neutral point of view is not a ''point of view'' at all; according to our understanding, when one writes neutrally, one is very careful not to state (or imply or insinuate or subtly massage the reader into believing) that ''any particular view at all'' is correct.<br />
<br />
'''Now an important qualification:''' Articles that compare views need not give minority views ''as much'' or as detailed a description as more popular views. We should not attempt to represent a dispute as if a view held by only a small minority of people deserved as much attention as a majority view. That may be misleading as to the shape of the dispute. If we are to represent the dispute fairly, we should present competing views in proportion to their representation among experts on the subject, or among the concerned parties. None of this, however, is to say that minority views cannot receive as much attention as we can possibly give them on pages specifically devoted to those views. There is no size limit to Cacheopedia. But even on such pages, though a view is spelled out possibly in great detail, we still make sure that the view is not represented as ''the truth.''<br />
<br />
Bias need not be conscious. For example, beginners in a field often fail to realize that what sounds like common sense is actually biased in favor of one particular view. (So we not infrequently need an expert in order to render the article entirely unbiased.) To take another example, writers can, without intent, propagate "geographical" bias, by for example describing a dispute ''as it is conducted in one country'' without knowing that the dispute is framed differently elsewhere.<br />
<br />
The policy of having a neutral point of view is not to ''hide'' different points of view, but to show the diversity of viewpoints. In case of controversy, the strong points and weak points will be shown according to each point of view, without taking a side. The neutral point of view is not a "[[Wikipedia:separate but equal|separate but equal]]" policy. The facts, in themselves, are neutral, but the simple accumulation of them cannot be the neutral point of view. If only the favorable facts of a point of view are shown in an article, the article will still be non-neutral.<br />
<br />
==The vital component: good research==<br />
<br />
Many POV battles would be made much easier through the practice of good research. Facts are not points of view in and of themselves. So an easy way to avoid making a statement that promotes a point of view is to find a reputable source for a fact and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite the source]]. This is an easy way to characterize a side of a debate without promoting a view. The trick is to find the best and most reputable source you can. Try the library for good books and journal articles, and look for the most reliable online resources. A little bit of ground work can save a lot of time in trying to justify a point later.<br />
<br />
The only other important consideration is that while a fact is not POV in and of itself, adding facts, no matter how well cited, from only one side of a debate is a POV problem. So work for balance. Find facts that aren't from one side or the other and '''cite the source'''.<br />
<br />
==A simple formulation==<br />
<br />
We sometimes give an alternative formulation of the non-bias policy: assert facts, including facts about opinions &mdash; but don't assert opinions themselves. There is a difference between facts and values, or opinions. By "fact," we mean "a piece of information about which there is no serious dispute." In this sense, that a survey produced a certain published result is a fact. That Mars is a planet is a fact. That Socrates was a philosopher is a fact. No one seriously disputes any of these things. So we can feel free to ''assert'' as many of them as we can.<br />
<br />
By value or opinion, on the other hand, we mean "a piece of information about which there is some dispute." There are bound to be [[meta:borderline case|borderline cases]] where we're not sure if we should take a particular dispute seriously; but there are many propositions that very clearly express values or opinions. That stealing is wrong is a value or opinion. That [[Wikipedia:the Beatles|the Beatles]] was the greatest band is a value or opinion. That the United States was wrong to drop the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a value or opinion. That God exists ... this can be a troublesome one. Whether God exists or not is a question of fact, not a question of value. But as the fact is essentially undiscoverable, so far as anyone knows, whether God exists will usually be couched in terms of opinion or value. To state as a fact that "the existence of God is an opinion", while seeming to be sensitive to the issue, implies that there is no fact being discussed ([[Wikipedia:postmodernism|postmodernism]] or [[Wikipedia:strong agnosticism|strong agnosticism]]), or that it is relatively unimportant ([[Wikipedia:secular|secular]] bias).<br />
<br />
Cacheopedia is devoted to stating facts and only facts. Where we might want to state an opinion, we convert that opinion into a fact by ''attributing'' the opinion to someone. So, rather than asserting, "The Beatles were the greatest band", we can say, "Most Americans believe that the Beatles were the greatest band," which is a fact verifiable by survey results, or "The Beatles had many songs that made the [[Wikipedia:Billboard Hot 100|Billboard Hot 100]]," which is also fact. In the first instance we assert an opinion; in the second and third instances we "convert" that opinion into fact by attributing it to someone. It's important to note this formulation is substantially different from the "some people believe ..." formulation popular in political debates. The reference requires '''an identifiable and subjectively quantifiable population''' or, better still, '''a name'''. <br />
<br />
In presenting an opinion, moreover, it is important to bear in mind that there are disagreements about how opinions are best stated; sometimes, it will be necessary to qualify the description of an opinion or to present several formulations, simply to arrive at a solution that fairly represents all the leading views of the situation. (Theological and philosophical debates are particularly hard to frame in a non-biased way; this very page bears that out, as it posed in a previous incarnation as an example of an opinion, "God exists".)<br />
<br />
But it's not ''enough,'' to express the Cacheopedia non-bias policy, just to say that we should state facts and not opinions. When asserting a fact ''about an opinion,'' it is important ''also'' to assert facts ''about competing opinions,'' and to do so without implying that any one of the opinions is correct. It's also generally important to give the facts about the reasons behind the views, and to make it clear who holds them. (It's often best to cite a prominent representative of the view.)<br />
<br />
==Fairness and sympathetic tone==<br />
<br />
If we're going to characterize disputes fairly, we should present competing views with a consistently positive, sympathetic tone. Many articles end up as partisan commentary ''even while'' presenting both points of view. Even when a topic is presented in terms of facts rather than opinion, an article can still radiate an implied stance through either selection of which facts to present, or more subtly their organization &mdash; for instance, refuting opposing views as one goes along makes them look a lot worse than collecting them in an opinions-of-opponents section.<br />
<br />
We should, instead, write articles with the tone that ''all'' positions presented are at least plausible, bearing in mind the important qualification about extreme minority views. Let's present all significant, competing views sympathetically. We can write with the attitude that such-and-such is a good idea, except that, on the view of some detractors, the supporters of said view overlooked such-and-such a detail.<br />
<br />
==A consequence: writing for the enemy==<br />
<br />
Those who constantly attempt to advocate their views on politically charged topics, and who seem not to care about whether other points of view are represented fairly, are violating the non-bias policy ("write unbiasedly"). But the policy also entails that it is our job to speak for the other side, and not just avoid advocating our own views. If we don't commit ourselves to doing that, Cacheopedia will be weaker for it. We should all be engaged in explaining each other's points of view as sympathetically as possible.<br />
<br />
In saying this, we are spelling out what might have been obvious from an initial reading of the policy. If each of us is permitted to contribute biased stuff, then how is it possible that the policy is ever ''violated''? The policy ''says'', "Go thou and write unbiasedly". If that ''doesn't'' entail that each of us should fairly represent views with which we disagree, then what ''does'' it mean? Maybe you think it means, "Represent your own view fairly, and let others have a say." But consider, if we each take responsibility for ''the entire'' article when we hit "save", then when we make a change that represents ''our own'' views but not contrary views, or represents contrary views unfairly or incompletely, surely we are adding bias to Cacheopedia. Does it make sense ''not'' to take responsibility for the entire article? Does it make sense to take sentences and say, "These are mine"? Perhaps, but in a project that is so strongly and explicitly committed to neutrality, that attitude seems out of place.<br />
<br />
The other side might very well find your attempts to characterize their views substandard, but it's the thought that counts. In resolving disputes over neutrality issues, it's far better that we acknowledge that all sides must be presented fairly, and make at least a college try at presenting the other sides fairly. That will be appreciated much more than not trying at all.<br />
<br />
"Writing for the enemy" might make it seem as if we were adding ''deliberately'' flawed arguments to Cacheopedia, which would be a very strange thing to do. But it's better to view this (otherwise puzzling) behavior as adding the ''best'' (published) arguments of the opposition, citing some prominent person who has actually made the argument in the form in which you present it, and stating them as sympathetically as possible. Academics, e.g., philosophers, do this all the time. Always [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]], and make sure your sources are reputable, and you won't go far wrong.<br />
<br />
===An example===<br />
<br />
[[Wikipedia:User:Karada|Karada]] offered the following advice in the context of the [[Wikipedia:Saddam Hussein|Saddam Hussein]] article:<br />
:You won't even ''need'' to say he was evil. That's why the article on [[Wikipedia:Hitler|Hitler]] does not start with "Hitler was a bad man" &mdash; we don't need to, his deeds convict him a thousand times over. We just list the facts of the [[Wikipedia:Holocaust|Holocaust]] dispassionately, and the voices of the dead cry out afresh in a way that makes name-calling both pointless and unnecessary. Please do the same: list Saddam's crimes, and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]].<br />
<br />
==Objections and clarifications==<br />
<br />
What follows is a list of common objections, or questions, regarding Cacheopedia's non-bias policy, followed by replies.<br />
<br />
===There's no such thing as objectivity===<br />
<br />
''Everybody with any philosophical sophistication knows that. So how can we take the "neutrality" policy seriously? Neutrality, lack of bias, isn't possible.''<br />
<br />
This is probably the most common objection to the neutrality policy. It also reflects the most common ''misunderstanding'' of the policy. The misunderstanding is that the policy says something about the possibility of ''objectivity.'' It simply does not. In particular, the policy does ''not'' say that there even ''is'' such a thing as objectivity, a "view from nowhere" (in [[Wikipedia:Thomas Nagel]]'s phrase)--such that articles written from ''that'' point of view are consequently objectively true. That isn't the policy and it is not our aim! Rather, we employ a different understanding of "neutral" and "unbiased" than many might be used to. The policy is simply that we should characterize disputes rather than engage in them. To say ''this'' is not to say anything contentious, from a philosophical point of view; indeed, this is something that philosophers are doing all the time. Sophisticated relativists will immediately recognize that the policy is perfectly consistent with their relativism.<br />
<br />
If there's ''anything'' possibly contentious about the policy along these lines, it is the implication that it is ''possible'' to characterize disputes fairly, so that all the major participants will be able to look at the resulting text, agreeing that their views are presented sympathetically and as completely as possible (within the context of the discussion). It is an empirical question, not a philosophical one, whether this is possible; and that such a thing ''is'' indeed possible is evident simply by observing that such texts are being written daily by the most capable academics, encyclopedists, textbook writers, and journalists.<br />
<br />
This should not be construed to mean that there can be no objective truth in an encyclopedia, in the sense that easily obtainable documents should be quoted or referenced correctly when first-hand sources are available, even if there are second-hand sources which quote them incorrectly. Neutrality does not compel us to introduce inaccuracy when something can be directly verified. Neutrality dictates that there can be multiple prominent interpretations to the meaning or validity of a work, but often the contents can be objectively verified, especially in the case of modern documents.<br />
<br />
=== Anglo-American focus ===<br />
<br />
''Cacheopedia seems to have an Anglo-American focus. Is this contrary to the neutral point of view?''<br />
<br />
Yes, it is, especially when dealing with articles that require an international perspective. The presence of articles written from a United States or British perspective is simply a reflection of the fact that there are many U.S. and British citizens working on the project, which in turn is a reflection of the fact that so many of them are online. This is an ongoing problem that should be corrected by active collaboration from people from other countries. But rather than introducing their own cultural bias, they should seek to improve articles by removing any examples of cultural bias that they encounter. <br />
<br />
===Lack of neutrality as an excuse to delete===<br />
<br />
''The neutrality policy is used sometimes as an excuse to delete texts that are perceived as biased. Isn't this a problem?''<br />
<br />
In many cases, yes. Many of us believe that the fact that some text is biased is not enough, in itself, to delete it outright. If it contains valid information, the text should simply be edited accordingly.<br />
<br />
There's sometimes trouble determining whether some claim is true or useful, particularly when there are few people on board who know about the topic. In such a case, it's a good idea to raise objections on a [[Help:talk page]]; if one has some reason to believe that the author of the biased material will not be induced to change it, we have sometimes taken to removing the text to the talk page itself (but not deleting it entirely). But the latter should be done more or less as a last resort, never as a way of punishing people who have written something biased.<br />
<br />
=== Dealing with biased contributors ===<br />
<br />
''I agree with the nonbias policy but there are some here who seem completely, irremediably biased. I have to go around and clean up after them. What do I do?''<br />
<br />
Unless the case is really egregious, maybe the best thing is to call attention to the problem publicly, pointing the perpetrators to this page (but [[Help:Wikipetiquette|politely]] &mdash; one gets more flies with honey) and asking others to help. See [[Help:Dispute_resolution|Dispute resolution]] for more ideas. There must surely be a point beyond which our very strong interest in being a ''completely'' open project is trumped by the interest the vast majority of our writers have, in being able to get work done without constantly having to fix the intrusions of people who do not respect our policy.<br />
<br />
=== Avoiding constant disputes ===<br />
<br />
''How can we avoid constant and endless warfare over neutrality issues?''<br />
<br />
The best way to avoid warfare over bias is to remember that most of us are reasonably intelligent, articulate people here, or we wouldn't be working on this and caring so much about it. We have to make it our goal to understand each others' perspectives and to work hard to make sure that those other perspectives are fairly represented. When any dispute arises as to what the article should say, or what is true, we must not adopt an adversarial stance; we must do our best to step back and ask ourselves, "How can this dispute be fairly characterized?" This has to be asked repeatedly as each new controversial point is stated. It is not our job to edit Cacheopedia so that it reflects our own idiosyncratic views and then defend those edits against all-comers; it is our job to work together, mainly adding new content, but also, when necessary, coming to a compromise about how a controversy should be described, so that it is fair to all sides.<br />
<br />
=== Writing for the "enemy" POV ===<br />
<br />
''I'm not convinced by what you say about "writing for the enemy." I don't want to write for the enemy. Most of them rely on stating as fact many things which are demonstrably false. Are you saying that, to be neutral in writing an article, I must ''lie,'' in order to represent the view I disagree with?''<br />
<br />
This is a misunderstanding of what the neutrality policy says. ''You'' aren't claiming anything, except to say, "So-and-so argues that ____________, and therefore, ___________." This can be done with a straight face, with no moral compunctions, because you are attributing the claim to ''someone else.'' It's worth observing that scholars are trained so that, even when trying to prove a point, counter-arguments are included, so that they can explain why the counter-arguments fail.<br />
<br />
This can be a particularly touchy subject, and a large number of people can honestly fail to see the bias inherent in a popular term, simply because its the one commonly used. But it shouldn't take long to understand that the English wikipedia is a ''highly international project'', and its editors reflect many different points of view. Its important to note that this level of objectivity is rather new to most people, and disputes over the proper terms may simply depend on the balance of points of view.<br />
<br />
=== Other objections ===<br />
<br />
''I have some other objection. Where should I ask it?''<br />
<br />
Before asking it, please review the links below. Many issues surrounding the neutrality policy have been covered before very extensively. If you have some new contribution to make to the debate, you could try [[Talk:Neutral point of view]].<br />
<br />
== Other resources ==<br />
<br />
* [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]]<br />
* [[Help:Neutral point of view/Examples|Examples]]<br />
* [[Help:Words to avoid|Words to avoid]]<br />
* [[meta:Positive tone]]<br />
* [[Template:NPOV]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV}}</nowiki> message used to warn of problems<br />
* [[Template:NPOV-section]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV-section}}</nowiki> tags only a single section as disputed<br />
* [[Template:POV check]] - <nowiki>{{POV check}}</nowiki> message used to mark articles that may be biased. [[Template:bias]] (<nowiki>{{bias}}</nowiki> may be used for short)<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
* [[MeatBall:AssumeGoodFaith|AssumeGoodFaith]] and<br />
* [[MeatBall:NeutralPointOfView|NeutralPointOfView]], both on [[MeatballWiki]].<br />
* [http://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/6/mooney-science.asp Blinded By Science: How &#8216;Balanced&#8217; Coverage Lets the Scientific Fringe Hijack Reality] - Chris Mooney, Columbia Journalism Review. A valuable warning to Wikipedians about how attempts to balance the coverage can lead to biased, inaccurate and misleading reporting.</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Neutral_point_of_view
Neutral point of view
2005-05-21T20:07:03Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* A simple formulation */ fixed links</p>
<hr />
<div>Simply, think of yourself as a historian. Strive for facts, but reporting opinions of others can sometimes provide additional insight to an article. Attempt to credit others' opinions and avoid including your own.<br />
<br />
More complicatedly:<br />
<br />
Cacheopedia policy is that all articles should be written from a '''neutral point of view'''. <br />
<br />
For guidance on making an article conform to the neutral point of view (NPOV), please see the [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]].<br />
<br />
==Introduction==<br />
The '''neutral point of view policy''' states that articles should be written without [[Wikipedia:bias]], representing all views fairly.<br />
<br />
The policy is easily misunderstood. It doesn't assume that it's possible to write an article from a single, unbiased, objective point of view. The policy says that we should ''fairly represent'' all sides of a [[Wikipedia:dispute]], and not make an article state, imply, or insinuate that any one side is correct. It is crucial that [[Cacheopedian]]s work together to make articles unbiased. This comprises one of the great merits of Cacheopedia, and separates it from the [[Geocaching.com forum]]s.<br />
<br />
Writing unbiased text is an art that requires practice. <br />
<br />
===The basic concept of neutrality===<br />
<br />
At Cacheopedia, we use the terms "unbiased" and "neutral point of view" in a precise way that is different from the common understanding:<br />
<br />
:Articles without bias ''describe'' debates fairly rather than ''advocating'' any side of the debate. Since all articles are edited by people, this is difficult, as people are inherently biased.<br />
<br />
====The original formulation of NPOV====<br />
<br />
''A general purpose encyclopedia is a collection of synthesized knowledge presented from a neutral point of view. To whatever extent possible, encyclopedic writing should steer clear of taking any particular stance '''other than''' the stance of the neutral point of view.''<br />
<br />
''The neutral point of view attempts to present ideas and facts in such a fashion that both supporters and opponents can agree. Of course, 100% agreement is not possible; there are ideologues in the world who will not concede to any presentation other than a forceful statement of their own point of view. We can only seek a type of writing that is agreeable to essentially rational people who may differ on particular points.''<br />
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''Some examples may help to drive home the point I am trying to make. '' <br />
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''1. An encyclopedic article should not argue that corporations are criminals, even if the author believes it to be so. It should instead present the fact that ''some people'' believe it, and what their reasons are, and then as well it should present what the other side says.''<br />
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''2. An encyclopedia article should not argue that laissez-faire capitalism is the best social system. [...] It should instead present the arguments of the advocates of that point of view, and the arguments of the people who disagree with that point of view.''<br />
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''Perhaps the easiest way to make your writing more encyclopedic is to write about ''what people believe'', rather than ''what is so''. If this strikes you as somehow subjectivist or collectivist or imperialist, then ask me about it, because I think that you are just mistaken. What people believe is a matter of objective fact, and we can present ''that'' quite easily from the neutral point of view.''<br />
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''--[[Wikipedia:Jimbo Wales]], Wikipedia founder''<br />
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===Why should Wikipedia be unbiased?===<br />
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Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia. While it covers a niche topic, Geocaching, it still means this is a representation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge|knowledge]] at some level of generality. But human beings disagree about specific cases; for any topic on which there are competing views, each view represents a different idea of what the truth is, and insofar as that view contradicts other views, its adherents believe that the other views are ''false'' and therefore not ''knowledge''. Where there is disagreement about what is true, there's disagreement about what constitutes knowledge. Wikipedia works because it's a collaborative effort; but, while collaborating, how can we solve the problem of endless "[[Wikipedia:edit war|edit war]]s" in which one person asserts that ''p,'' whereupon the next person changes the text so that it asserts ''not-p''?<br />
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A solution is that we accept, for the purposes of working on Cacheopedia, that "human knowledge" includes ''all different'' '''significant''' theories on all different topics. So we're committed to the goal of representing human knowledge in ''that'' sense. Something like this is surely a well-established sense of the word "knowledge"; in this sense, what is "known" changes constantly with the passage of time, and when we use the word "know", we often use so-called [[Wikipedia:Quotation mark#Emphasis and ironic quotes|scare quotes]]. In the Middle Ages, we "knew" that demons caused diseases. We now "know" otherwise.<br />
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We could sum up human knowledge (in this sense) in a biased way: we'd state a series of theories about topic T, and then claim that the truth about T is such-and-such. But again, consider that Cacheopedia is an international, collaborative project. Nearly every view on every subject will be found among our authors and readers. To avoid endless edit wars, we can agree to present each of the significant views fairly, and not assert any one of them as correct. That is what makes an article "unbiased" or "neutral" in the sense we are presenting here. To write from a neutral point of view, one presents controversial views without asserting them; to do ''that,'' it generally suffices to present competing views in a way that is more or less acceptable to their adherents, and also to ''attribute'' the views to their adherents. Disputes are '''characterized''' in Cacheopedia. They are not re-enacted.<br />
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To sum up the primary reason for this policy: Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia, a compilation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge|knowledge]]. But because Cacheopedia is a community-built, international resource, we cannot expect collaborators to agree in all cases, or even in many cases, on what constitutes knowledge in a strict sense. We can, therefore, adopt the looser sense of "human knowledge" according to which a wide variety of conflicting theories constitute what we call "knowledge." We should, both individually and collectively, make an effort to present these conflicting views fairly, without advocating any one of them, with the qualification that views held only by a tiny minority of people should not be represented as though they are significant minority views, and perhaps should not be represented at all.<br />
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There is another reason to commit ourselves to this policy. Namely, when it is clear to readers that we do not expect them to adopt any particular opinion, this leaves them free to make up their minds for themselves, thus encouraging ''intellectual independence''.<br />
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==What is the neutral point of view?==<br />
What we mean isn't obvious, and is easily misunderstood. There are many other valid interpretations of "unbiased," and "neutral". The notion of "unbiased writing" that informs Cacheopedia's policy is "presenting conflicting views without asserting them." This needs further clarification, as follows.<br />
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First, and most importantly, consider what it means to say that unbiased writing presents conflicting views without asserting them. Unbiased writing does not present only the most popular view; it does not ''assert'' the most popular view is correct after presenting all views; it does not assert that some sort of intermediate view among the different views is the correct one. Presenting all points of view says, more or less, that ''p''-ists believe that ''p,'' and ''q''-ists believe that ''q,'' and that's where the debate stands at present. Ideally, presenting all points of view also gives a great deal of background on who believes that ''p'' and ''q'' and why, and which view is more popular (being careful not to associate ''popularity'' with ''correctness''). Detailed articles might also contain the mutual evaluations of the ''p''-ists and the ''q''-ists, allowing each side to give its "best shot" at the other, but studiously refraining from saying who won the exchange.<br />
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A point here bears elaboration. We said that the neutral point of view is not, contrary to the seeming implication of the phrase, some actual ''point of view'' that is "neutral," or "intermediate," among the different positions. That represents a particular understanding of what "neutral point of view" means. The prevailing Cacheopedia understanding is that the neutral point of view is not a ''point of view'' at all; according to our understanding, when one writes neutrally, one is very careful not to state (or imply or insinuate or subtly massage the reader into believing) that ''any particular view at all'' is correct.<br />
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'''Now an important qualification:''' Articles that compare views need not give minority views ''as much'' or as detailed a description as more popular views. We should not attempt to represent a dispute as if a view held by only a small minority of people deserved as much attention as a majority view. That may be misleading as to the shape of the dispute. If we are to represent the dispute fairly, we should present competing views in proportion to their representation among experts on the subject, or among the concerned parties. None of this, however, is to say that minority views cannot receive as much attention as we can possibly give them on pages specifically devoted to those views. There is no size limit to Cacheopedia. But even on such pages, though a view is spelled out possibly in great detail, we still make sure that the view is not represented as ''the truth.''<br />
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Bias need not be conscious. For example, beginners in a field often fail to realize that what sounds like common sense is actually biased in favor of one particular view. (So we not infrequently need an expert in order to render the article entirely unbiased.) To take another example, writers can, without intent, propagate "geographical" bias, by for example describing a dispute ''as it is conducted in one country'' without knowing that the dispute is framed differently elsewhere.<br />
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The policy of having a neutral point of view is not to ''hide'' different points of view, but to show the diversity of viewpoints. In case of controversy, the strong points and weak points will be shown according to each point of view, without taking a side. The neutral point of view is not a "[[Wikipedia:separate but equal|separate but equal]]" policy. The facts, in themselves, are neutral, but the simple accumulation of them cannot be the neutral point of view. If only the favorable facts of a point of view are shown in an article, the article will still be non-neutral.<br />
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==The vital component: good research==<br />
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Many POV battles would be made much easier through the practice of good research. Facts are not points of view in and of themselves. So an easy way to avoid making a statement that promotes a point of view is to find a reputable source for a fact and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite the source]]. This is an easy way to characterize a side of a debate without promoting a view. The trick is to find the best and most reputable source you can. Try the library for good books and journal articles, and look for the most reliable online resources. A little bit of ground work can save a lot of time in trying to justify a point later.<br />
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The only other important consideration is that while a fact is not POV in and of itself, adding facts, no matter how well cited, from only one side of a debate is a POV problem. So work for balance. Find facts that aren't from one side or the other and '''cite the source'''.<br />
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==A simple formulation==<br />
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We sometimes give an alternative formulation of the non-bias policy: assert facts, including facts about opinions &mdash; but don't assert opinions themselves. There is a difference between facts and values, or opinions. By "fact," we mean "a piece of information about which there is no serious dispute." In this sense, that a survey produced a certain published result is a fact. That Mars is a planet is a fact. That Socrates was a philosopher is a fact. No one seriously disputes any of these things. So we can feel free to ''assert'' as many of them as we can.<br />
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By value or opinion, on the other hand, we mean "a piece of information about which there is some dispute." There are bound to be [[meta:borderline case|borderline cases]] where we're not sure if we should take a particular dispute seriously; but there are many propositions that very clearly express values or opinions. That stealing is wrong is a value or opinion. That [[Wikipedia:the Beatles|the Beatles]] was the greatest band is a value or opinion. That the United States was wrong to drop the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a value or opinion. That God exists ... this can be a troublesome one. Whether God exists or not is a question of fact, not a question of value. But as the fact is essentially undiscoverable, so far as anyone knows, whether God exists will usually be couched in terms of opinion or value. To state as a fact that "the existence of God is an opinion", while seeming to be sensitive to the issue, implies that there is no fact being discussed ([[Wikipedia:postmodernism|postmodernism]] or [[Wikipedia:strong agnosticism|strong agnosticism]]), or that it is relatively unimportant ([[Wikipedia:secular|secular]] bias).<br />
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Cacheopedia is devoted to stating facts and only facts. Where we might want to state an opinion, we convert that opinion into a fact by ''attributing'' the opinion to someone. So, rather than asserting, "The Beatles were the greatest band", we can say, "Most Americans believe that the Beatles were the greatest band," which is a fact verifiable by survey results, or "The Beatles had many songs that made the [[Wikipedia:Billboard Hot 100|Billboard Hot 100]]," which is also fact. In the first instance we assert an opinion; in the second and third instances we "convert" that opinion into fact by attributing it to someone. It's important to note this formulation is substantially different from the "some people believe ..." formulation popular in political debates. The reference requires '''an identifiable and subjectively quantifiable population''' or, better still, '''a name'''. <br />
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In presenting an opinion, moreover, it is important to bear in mind that there are disagreements about how opinions are best stated; sometimes, it will be necessary to qualify the description of an opinion or to present several formulations, simply to arrive at a solution that fairly represents all the leading views of the situation. (Theological and philosophical debates are particularly hard to frame in a non-biased way; this very page bears that out, as it posed in a previous incarnation as an example of an opinion, "God exists".)<br />
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But it's not ''enough,'' to express the Cacheopedia non-bias policy, just to say that we should state facts and not opinions. When asserting a fact ''about an opinion,'' it is important ''also'' to assert facts ''about competing opinions,'' and to do so without implying that any one of the opinions is correct. It's also generally important to give the facts about the reasons behind the views, and to make it clear who holds them. (It's often best to cite a prominent representative of the view.)<br />
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==Fairness and sympathetic tone==<br />
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If we're going to characterize disputes fairly, we should present competing views with a consistently positive, sympathetic tone. Many articles end up as partisan commentary ''even while'' presenting both points of view. Even when a topic is presented in terms of facts rather than opinion, an article can still radiate an implied stance through either selection of which facts to present, or more subtly their organization &mdash; for instance, refuting opposing views as one goes along makes them look a lot worse than collecting them in an opinions-of-opponents section.<br />
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We should, instead, write articles with the tone that ''all'' positions presented are at least plausible, bearing in mind the important qualification about extreme minority views. Let's present all significant, competing views sympathetically. We can write with the attitude that such-and-such is a good idea, except that, on the view of some detractors, the supporters of said view overlooked such-and-such a detail.<br />
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==A consequence: writing for the enemy==<br />
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Those who constantly attempt to advocate their views on politically charged topics, and who seem not to care about whether other points of view are represented fairly, are violating the non-bias policy ("write unbiasedly"). But the policy also entails that it is our job to speak for the other side, and not just avoid advocating our own views. If we don't commit ourselves to doing that, Cacheopedia will be weaker for it. We should all be engaged in explaining each other's points of view as sympathetically as possible.<br />
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In saying this, we are spelling out what might have been obvious from an initial reading of the policy. If each of us is permitted to contribute biased stuff, then how is it possible that the policy is ever ''violated''? The policy ''says'', "Go thou and write unbiasedly". If that ''doesn't'' entail that each of us should fairly represent views with which we disagree, then what ''does'' it mean? Maybe you think it means, "Represent your own view fairly, and let others have a say." But consider, if we each take responsibility for ''the entire'' article when we hit "save", then when we make a change that represents ''our own'' views but not contrary views, or represents contrary views unfairly or incompletely, surely we are adding bias to Cacheopedia. Does it make sense ''not'' to take responsibility for the entire article? Does it make sense to take sentences and say, "These are mine"? Perhaps, but in a project that is so strongly and explicitly committed to neutrality, that attitude seems out of place.<br />
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The other side might very well find your attempts to characterize their views substandard, but it's the thought that counts. In resolving disputes over neutrality issues, it's far better that we acknowledge that all sides must be presented fairly, and make at least a college try at presenting the other sides fairly. That will be appreciated much more than not trying at all.<br />
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"Writing for the enemy" might make it seem as if we were adding ''deliberately'' flawed arguments to Cacheopedia, which would be a very strange thing to do. But it's better to view this (otherwise puzzling) behavior as adding the ''best'' (published) arguments of the opposition, citing some prominent person who has actually made the argument in the form in which you present it, and stating them as sympathetically as possible. Academics, e.g., philosophers, do this all the time. Always [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]], and make sure your sources are reputable, and you won't go far wrong.<br />
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===An example===<br />
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[[Wikipedia:User:Karada|Karada]] offered the following advice in the context of the [[Wikipedia:Saddam Hussein]] article:<br />
:You won't even ''need'' to say he was evil. That's why the article on [[Wikipedia:Hitler]] does not start with "Hitler was a bad man" &mdash; we don't need to, his deeds convict him a thousand times over. We just list the facts of the [[Wikipedia:Holocaust]] dispassionately, and the voices of the dead cry out afresh in a way that makes name-calling both pointless and unnecessary. Please do the same: list Saddam's crimes, and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]].<br />
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==Objections and clarifications==<br />
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What follows is a list of common objections, or questions, regarding Cacheopedia's non-bias policy, followed by replies.<br />
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===There's no such thing as objectivity===<br />
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''Everybody with any philosophical sophistication knows that. So how can we take the "neutrality" policy seriously? Neutrality, lack of bias, isn't possible.''<br />
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This is probably the most common objection to the neutrality policy. It also reflects the most common ''misunderstanding'' of the policy. The misunderstanding is that the policy says something about the possibility of ''objectivity.'' It simply does not. In particular, the policy does ''not'' say that there even ''is'' such a thing as objectivity, a "view from nowhere" (in [[Wikipedia:Thomas Nagel]]'s phrase)--such that articles written from ''that'' point of view are consequently objectively true. That isn't the policy and it is not our aim! Rather, we employ a different understanding of "neutral" and "unbiased" than many might be used to. The policy is simply that we should characterize disputes rather than engage in them. To say ''this'' is not to say anything contentious, from a philosophical point of view; indeed, this is something that philosophers are doing all the time. Sophisticated relativists will immediately recognize that the policy is perfectly consistent with their relativism.<br />
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If there's ''anything'' possibly contentious about the policy along these lines, it is the implication that it is ''possible'' to characterize disputes fairly, so that all the major participants will be able to look at the resulting text, agreeing that their views are presented sympathetically and as completely as possible (within the context of the discussion). It is an empirical question, not a philosophical one, whether this is possible; and that such a thing ''is'' indeed possible is evident simply by observing that such texts are being written daily by the most capable academics, encyclopedists, textbook writers, and journalists.<br />
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This should not be construed to mean that there can be no objective truth in an encyclopedia, in the sense that easily obtainable documents should be quoted or referenced correctly when first-hand sources are available, even if there are second-hand sources which quote them incorrectly. Neutrality does not compel us to introduce inaccuracy when something can be directly verified. Neutrality dictates that there can be multiple prominent interpretations to the meaning or validity of a work, but often the contents can be objectively verified, especially in the case of modern documents.<br />
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=== Anglo-American focus ===<br />
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''Cacheopedia seems to have an Anglo-American focus. Is this contrary to the neutral point of view?''<br />
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Yes, it is, especially when dealing with articles that require an international perspective. The presence of articles written from a United States or British perspective is simply a reflection of the fact that there are many U.S. and British citizens working on the project, which in turn is a reflection of the fact that so many of them are online. This is an ongoing problem that should be corrected by active collaboration from people from other countries. But rather than introducing their own cultural bias, they should seek to improve articles by removing any examples of cultural bias that they encounter. <br />
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===Lack of neutrality as an excuse to delete===<br />
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''The neutrality policy is used sometimes as an excuse to delete texts that are perceived as biased. Isn't this a problem?''<br />
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In many cases, yes. Many of us believe that the fact that some text is biased is not enough, in itself, to delete it outright. If it contains valid information, the text should simply be edited accordingly.<br />
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There's sometimes trouble determining whether some claim is true or useful, particularly when there are few people on board who know about the topic. In such a case, it's a good idea to raise objections on a [[Help:talk page]]; if one has some reason to believe that the author of the biased material will not be induced to change it, we have sometimes taken to removing the text to the talk page itself (but not deleting it entirely). But the latter should be done more or less as a last resort, never as a way of punishing people who have written something biased.<br />
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=== Dealing with biased contributors ===<br />
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''I agree with the nonbias policy but there are some here who seem completely, irremediably biased. I have to go around and clean up after them. What do I do?''<br />
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Unless the case is really egregious, maybe the best thing is to call attention to the problem publicly, pointing the perpetrators to this page (but [[Help:Wikipetiquette|politely]] &mdash; one gets more flies with honey) and asking others to help. See [[Help:Dispute_resolution|Dispute resolution]] for more ideas. There must surely be a point beyond which our very strong interest in being a ''completely'' open project is trumped by the interest the vast majority of our writers have, in being able to get work done without constantly having to fix the intrusions of people who do not respect our policy.<br />
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=== Avoiding constant disputes ===<br />
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''How can we avoid constant and endless warfare over neutrality issues?''<br />
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The best way to avoid warfare over bias is to remember that most of us are reasonably intelligent, articulate people here, or we wouldn't be working on this and caring so much about it. We have to make it our goal to understand each others' perspectives and to work hard to make sure that those other perspectives are fairly represented. When any dispute arises as to what the article should say, or what is true, we must not adopt an adversarial stance; we must do our best to step back and ask ourselves, "How can this dispute be fairly characterized?" This has to be asked repeatedly as each new controversial point is stated. It is not our job to edit Cacheopedia so that it reflects our own idiosyncratic views and then defend those edits against all-comers; it is our job to work together, mainly adding new content, but also, when necessary, coming to a compromise about how a controversy should be described, so that it is fair to all sides.<br />
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=== Writing for the "enemy" POV ===<br />
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''I'm not convinced by what you say about "writing for the enemy." I don't want to write for the enemy. Most of them rely on stating as fact many things which are demonstrably false. Are you saying that, to be neutral in writing an article, I must ''lie,'' in order to represent the view I disagree with?''<br />
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This is a misunderstanding of what the neutrality policy says. ''You'' aren't claiming anything, except to say, "So-and-so argues that ____________, and therefore, ___________." This can be done with a straight face, with no moral compunctions, because you are attributing the claim to ''someone else.'' It's worth observing that scholars are trained so that, even when trying to prove a point, counter-arguments are included, so that they can explain why the counter-arguments fail.<br />
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This can be a particularly touchy subject, and a large number of people can honestly fail to see the bias inherent in a popular term, simply because its the one commonly used. But it shouldn't take long to understand that the English wikipedia is a ''highly international project'', and its editors reflect many different points of view. Its important to note that this level of objectivity is rather new to most people, and disputes over the proper terms may simply depend on the balance of points of view.<br />
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=== Other objections ===<br />
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''I have some other objection. Where should I ask it?''<br />
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Before asking it, please review the links below. Many issues surrounding the neutrality policy have been covered before very extensively. If you have some new contribution to make to the debate, you could try [[Talk:Neutral point of view]].<br />
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== Other resources ==<br />
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* [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]]<br />
* [[Help:Neutral point of view/Examples|Examples]]<br />
* [[Help:Words to avoid|Words to avoid]]<br />
* [[meta:Positive tone]]<br />
* [[Template:NPOV]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV}}</nowiki> message used to warn of problems<br />
* [[Template:NPOV-section]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV-section}}</nowiki> tags only a single section as disputed<br />
* [[Template:POV check]] - <nowiki>{{POV check}}</nowiki> message used to mark articles that may be biased. [[Template:bias]] (<nowiki>{{bias}}</nowiki> may be used for short)<br />
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== External links ==<br />
* [[MeatBall:AssumeGoodFaith|AssumeGoodFaith]] and<br />
* [[MeatBall:NeutralPointOfView|NeutralPointOfView]], both on [[MeatballWiki]].<br />
* [http://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/6/mooney-science.asp Blinded By Science: How &#8216;Balanced&#8217; Coverage Lets the Scientific Fringe Hijack Reality] - Chris Mooney, Columbia Journalism Review. A valuable warning to Wikipedians about how attempts to balance the coverage can lead to biased, inaccurate and misleading reporting.</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Neutral_point_of_view
Neutral point of view
2005-05-21T20:06:24Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* What is the neutral point of view? */ fixed link</p>
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<div>Simply, think of yourself as a historian. Strive for facts, but reporting opinions of others can sometimes provide additional insight to an article. Attempt to credit others' opinions and avoid including your own.<br />
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More complicatedly:<br />
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Cacheopedia policy is that all articles should be written from a '''neutral point of view'''. <br />
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For guidance on making an article conform to the neutral point of view (NPOV), please see the [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]].<br />
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==Introduction==<br />
The '''neutral point of view policy''' states that articles should be written without [[Wikipedia:bias]], representing all views fairly.<br />
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The policy is easily misunderstood. It doesn't assume that it's possible to write an article from a single, unbiased, objective point of view. The policy says that we should ''fairly represent'' all sides of a [[Wikipedia:dispute]], and not make an article state, imply, or insinuate that any one side is correct. It is crucial that [[Cacheopedian]]s work together to make articles unbiased. This comprises one of the great merits of Cacheopedia, and separates it from the [[Geocaching.com forum]]s.<br />
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Writing unbiased text is an art that requires practice. <br />
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===The basic concept of neutrality===<br />
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At Cacheopedia, we use the terms "unbiased" and "neutral point of view" in a precise way that is different from the common understanding:<br />
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:Articles without bias ''describe'' debates fairly rather than ''advocating'' any side of the debate. Since all articles are edited by people, this is difficult, as people are inherently biased.<br />
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====The original formulation of NPOV====<br />
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''A general purpose encyclopedia is a collection of synthesized knowledge presented from a neutral point of view. To whatever extent possible, encyclopedic writing should steer clear of taking any particular stance '''other than''' the stance of the neutral point of view.''<br />
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''The neutral point of view attempts to present ideas and facts in such a fashion that both supporters and opponents can agree. Of course, 100% agreement is not possible; there are ideologues in the world who will not concede to any presentation other than a forceful statement of their own point of view. We can only seek a type of writing that is agreeable to essentially rational people who may differ on particular points.''<br />
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''Some examples may help to drive home the point I am trying to make. '' <br />
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''1. An encyclopedic article should not argue that corporations are criminals, even if the author believes it to be so. It should instead present the fact that ''some people'' believe it, and what their reasons are, and then as well it should present what the other side says.''<br />
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''2. An encyclopedia article should not argue that laissez-faire capitalism is the best social system. [...] It should instead present the arguments of the advocates of that point of view, and the arguments of the people who disagree with that point of view.''<br />
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''Perhaps the easiest way to make your writing more encyclopedic is to write about ''what people believe'', rather than ''what is so''. If this strikes you as somehow subjectivist or collectivist or imperialist, then ask me about it, because I think that you are just mistaken. What people believe is a matter of objective fact, and we can present ''that'' quite easily from the neutral point of view.''<br />
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''--[[Wikipedia:Jimbo Wales]], Wikipedia founder''<br />
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===Why should Wikipedia be unbiased?===<br />
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Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia. While it covers a niche topic, Geocaching, it still means this is a representation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge|knowledge]] at some level of generality. But human beings disagree about specific cases; for any topic on which there are competing views, each view represents a different idea of what the truth is, and insofar as that view contradicts other views, its adherents believe that the other views are ''false'' and therefore not ''knowledge''. Where there is disagreement about what is true, there's disagreement about what constitutes knowledge. Wikipedia works because it's a collaborative effort; but, while collaborating, how can we solve the problem of endless "[[Wikipedia:edit war|edit war]]s" in which one person asserts that ''p,'' whereupon the next person changes the text so that it asserts ''not-p''?<br />
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A solution is that we accept, for the purposes of working on Cacheopedia, that "human knowledge" includes ''all different'' '''significant''' theories on all different topics. So we're committed to the goal of representing human knowledge in ''that'' sense. Something like this is surely a well-established sense of the word "knowledge"; in this sense, what is "known" changes constantly with the passage of time, and when we use the word "know", we often use so-called [[Wikipedia:Quotation mark#Emphasis and ironic quotes|scare quotes]]. In the Middle Ages, we "knew" that demons caused diseases. We now "know" otherwise.<br />
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We could sum up human knowledge (in this sense) in a biased way: we'd state a series of theories about topic T, and then claim that the truth about T is such-and-such. But again, consider that Cacheopedia is an international, collaborative project. Nearly every view on every subject will be found among our authors and readers. To avoid endless edit wars, we can agree to present each of the significant views fairly, and not assert any one of them as correct. That is what makes an article "unbiased" or "neutral" in the sense we are presenting here. To write from a neutral point of view, one presents controversial views without asserting them; to do ''that,'' it generally suffices to present competing views in a way that is more or less acceptable to their adherents, and also to ''attribute'' the views to their adherents. Disputes are '''characterized''' in Cacheopedia. They are not re-enacted.<br />
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To sum up the primary reason for this policy: Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia, a compilation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge|knowledge]]. But because Cacheopedia is a community-built, international resource, we cannot expect collaborators to agree in all cases, or even in many cases, on what constitutes knowledge in a strict sense. We can, therefore, adopt the looser sense of "human knowledge" according to which a wide variety of conflicting theories constitute what we call "knowledge." We should, both individually and collectively, make an effort to present these conflicting views fairly, without advocating any one of them, with the qualification that views held only by a tiny minority of people should not be represented as though they are significant minority views, and perhaps should not be represented at all.<br />
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There is another reason to commit ourselves to this policy. Namely, when it is clear to readers that we do not expect them to adopt any particular opinion, this leaves them free to make up their minds for themselves, thus encouraging ''intellectual independence''.<br />
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==What is the neutral point of view?==<br />
What we mean isn't obvious, and is easily misunderstood. There are many other valid interpretations of "unbiased," and "neutral". The notion of "unbiased writing" that informs Cacheopedia's policy is "presenting conflicting views without asserting them." This needs further clarification, as follows.<br />
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First, and most importantly, consider what it means to say that unbiased writing presents conflicting views without asserting them. Unbiased writing does not present only the most popular view; it does not ''assert'' the most popular view is correct after presenting all views; it does not assert that some sort of intermediate view among the different views is the correct one. Presenting all points of view says, more or less, that ''p''-ists believe that ''p,'' and ''q''-ists believe that ''q,'' and that's where the debate stands at present. Ideally, presenting all points of view also gives a great deal of background on who believes that ''p'' and ''q'' and why, and which view is more popular (being careful not to associate ''popularity'' with ''correctness''). Detailed articles might also contain the mutual evaluations of the ''p''-ists and the ''q''-ists, allowing each side to give its "best shot" at the other, but studiously refraining from saying who won the exchange.<br />
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A point here bears elaboration. We said that the neutral point of view is not, contrary to the seeming implication of the phrase, some actual ''point of view'' that is "neutral," or "intermediate," among the different positions. That represents a particular understanding of what "neutral point of view" means. The prevailing Cacheopedia understanding is that the neutral point of view is not a ''point of view'' at all; according to our understanding, when one writes neutrally, one is very careful not to state (or imply or insinuate or subtly massage the reader into believing) that ''any particular view at all'' is correct.<br />
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'''Now an important qualification:''' Articles that compare views need not give minority views ''as much'' or as detailed a description as more popular views. We should not attempt to represent a dispute as if a view held by only a small minority of people deserved as much attention as a majority view. That may be misleading as to the shape of the dispute. If we are to represent the dispute fairly, we should present competing views in proportion to their representation among experts on the subject, or among the concerned parties. None of this, however, is to say that minority views cannot receive as much attention as we can possibly give them on pages specifically devoted to those views. There is no size limit to Cacheopedia. But even on such pages, though a view is spelled out possibly in great detail, we still make sure that the view is not represented as ''the truth.''<br />
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Bias need not be conscious. For example, beginners in a field often fail to realize that what sounds like common sense is actually biased in favor of one particular view. (So we not infrequently need an expert in order to render the article entirely unbiased.) To take another example, writers can, without intent, propagate "geographical" bias, by for example describing a dispute ''as it is conducted in one country'' without knowing that the dispute is framed differently elsewhere.<br />
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The policy of having a neutral point of view is not to ''hide'' different points of view, but to show the diversity of viewpoints. In case of controversy, the strong points and weak points will be shown according to each point of view, without taking a side. The neutral point of view is not a "[[Wikipedia:separate but equal|separate but equal]]" policy. The facts, in themselves, are neutral, but the simple accumulation of them cannot be the neutral point of view. If only the favorable facts of a point of view are shown in an article, the article will still be non-neutral.<br />
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==The vital component: good research==<br />
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Many POV battles would be made much easier through the practice of good research. Facts are not points of view in and of themselves. So an easy way to avoid making a statement that promotes a point of view is to find a reputable source for a fact and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite the source]]. This is an easy way to characterize a side of a debate without promoting a view. The trick is to find the best and most reputable source you can. Try the library for good books and journal articles, and look for the most reliable online resources. A little bit of ground work can save a lot of time in trying to justify a point later.<br />
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The only other important consideration is that while a fact is not POV in and of itself, adding facts, no matter how well cited, from only one side of a debate is a POV problem. So work for balance. Find facts that aren't from one side or the other and '''cite the source'''.<br />
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==A simple formulation==<br />
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We sometimes give an alternative formulation of the non-bias policy: assert facts, including facts about opinions &mdash; but don't assert opinions themselves. There is a difference between facts and values, or opinions. By "fact," we mean "a piece of information about which there is no serious dispute." In this sense, that a survey produced a certain published result is a fact. That Mars is a planet is a fact. That Socrates was a philosopher is a fact. No one seriously disputes any of these things. So we can feel free to ''assert'' as many of them as we can.<br />
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By value or opinion, on the other hand, we mean "a piece of information about which there is some dispute." There are bound to be [[meta:borderline case|borderline cases]] where we're not sure if we should take a particular dispute seriously; but there are many propositions that very clearly express values or opinions. That stealing is wrong is a value or opinion. That [[Wikipedia:the Beatles]] was the greatest band is a value or opinion. That the United States was wrong to drop the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a value or opinion. That God exists ... this can be a troublesome one. Whether God exists or not is a question of fact, not a question of value. But as the fact is essentially undiscoverable, so far as anyone knows, whether God exists will usually be couched in terms of opinion or value. To state as a fact that "the existence of God is an opinion", while seeming to be sensitive to the issue, implies that there is no fact being discussed ([[Wikipedia:postmodernism]] or [[Wikipedia:strong agnosticism]]), or that it is relatively unimportant ([[Wikipedia:secular]] bias).<br />
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Cacheopedia is devoted to stating facts and only facts. Where we might want to state an opinion, we convert that opinion into a fact by ''attributing'' the opinion to someone. So, rather than asserting, "The Beatles were the greatest band", we can say, "Most Americans believe that the Beatles were the greatest band," which is a fact verifiable by survey results, or "The Beatles had many songs that made the [[Wikipedia:Billboard Hot 100]]," which is also fact. In the first instance we assert an opinion; in the second and third instances we "convert" that opinion into fact by attributing it to someone. It's important to note this formulation is substantially different from the "some people believe ..." formulation popular in political debates. The reference requires '''an identifiable and subjectively quantifiable population''' or, better still, '''a name'''. <br />
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In presenting an opinion, moreover, it is important to bear in mind that there are disagreements about how opinions are best stated; sometimes, it will be necessary to qualify the description of an opinion or to present several formulations, simply to arrive at a solution that fairly represents all the leading views of the situation. (Theological and philosophical debates are particularly hard to frame in a non-biased way; this very page bears that out, as it posed in a previous incarnation as an example of an opinion, "God exists".)<br />
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But it's not ''enough,'' to express the Cacheopedia non-bias policy, just to say that we should state facts and not opinions. When asserting a fact ''about an opinion,'' it is important ''also'' to assert facts ''about competing opinions,'' and to do so without implying that any one of the opinions is correct. It's also generally important to give the facts about the reasons behind the views, and to make it clear who holds them. (It's often best to cite a prominent representative of the view.)<br />
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==Fairness and sympathetic tone==<br />
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If we're going to characterize disputes fairly, we should present competing views with a consistently positive, sympathetic tone. Many articles end up as partisan commentary ''even while'' presenting both points of view. Even when a topic is presented in terms of facts rather than opinion, an article can still radiate an implied stance through either selection of which facts to present, or more subtly their organization &mdash; for instance, refuting opposing views as one goes along makes them look a lot worse than collecting them in an opinions-of-opponents section.<br />
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We should, instead, write articles with the tone that ''all'' positions presented are at least plausible, bearing in mind the important qualification about extreme minority views. Let's present all significant, competing views sympathetically. We can write with the attitude that such-and-such is a good idea, except that, on the view of some detractors, the supporters of said view overlooked such-and-such a detail.<br />
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==A consequence: writing for the enemy==<br />
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Those who constantly attempt to advocate their views on politically charged topics, and who seem not to care about whether other points of view are represented fairly, are violating the non-bias policy ("write unbiasedly"). But the policy also entails that it is our job to speak for the other side, and not just avoid advocating our own views. If we don't commit ourselves to doing that, Cacheopedia will be weaker for it. We should all be engaged in explaining each other's points of view as sympathetically as possible.<br />
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In saying this, we are spelling out what might have been obvious from an initial reading of the policy. If each of us is permitted to contribute biased stuff, then how is it possible that the policy is ever ''violated''? The policy ''says'', "Go thou and write unbiasedly". If that ''doesn't'' entail that each of us should fairly represent views with which we disagree, then what ''does'' it mean? Maybe you think it means, "Represent your own view fairly, and let others have a say." But consider, if we each take responsibility for ''the entire'' article when we hit "save", then when we make a change that represents ''our own'' views but not contrary views, or represents contrary views unfairly or incompletely, surely we are adding bias to Cacheopedia. Does it make sense ''not'' to take responsibility for the entire article? Does it make sense to take sentences and say, "These are mine"? Perhaps, but in a project that is so strongly and explicitly committed to neutrality, that attitude seems out of place.<br />
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The other side might very well find your attempts to characterize their views substandard, but it's the thought that counts. In resolving disputes over neutrality issues, it's far better that we acknowledge that all sides must be presented fairly, and make at least a college try at presenting the other sides fairly. That will be appreciated much more than not trying at all.<br />
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"Writing for the enemy" might make it seem as if we were adding ''deliberately'' flawed arguments to Cacheopedia, which would be a very strange thing to do. But it's better to view this (otherwise puzzling) behavior as adding the ''best'' (published) arguments of the opposition, citing some prominent person who has actually made the argument in the form in which you present it, and stating them as sympathetically as possible. Academics, e.g., philosophers, do this all the time. Always [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]], and make sure your sources are reputable, and you won't go far wrong.<br />
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===An example===<br />
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[[Wikipedia:User:Karada|Karada]] offered the following advice in the context of the [[Wikipedia:Saddam Hussein]] article:<br />
:You won't even ''need'' to say he was evil. That's why the article on [[Wikipedia:Hitler]] does not start with "Hitler was a bad man" &mdash; we don't need to, his deeds convict him a thousand times over. We just list the facts of the [[Wikipedia:Holocaust]] dispassionately, and the voices of the dead cry out afresh in a way that makes name-calling both pointless and unnecessary. Please do the same: list Saddam's crimes, and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]].<br />
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==Objections and clarifications==<br />
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What follows is a list of common objections, or questions, regarding Cacheopedia's non-bias policy, followed by replies.<br />
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===There's no such thing as objectivity===<br />
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''Everybody with any philosophical sophistication knows that. So how can we take the "neutrality" policy seriously? Neutrality, lack of bias, isn't possible.''<br />
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This is probably the most common objection to the neutrality policy. It also reflects the most common ''misunderstanding'' of the policy. The misunderstanding is that the policy says something about the possibility of ''objectivity.'' It simply does not. In particular, the policy does ''not'' say that there even ''is'' such a thing as objectivity, a "view from nowhere" (in [[Wikipedia:Thomas Nagel]]'s phrase)--such that articles written from ''that'' point of view are consequently objectively true. That isn't the policy and it is not our aim! Rather, we employ a different understanding of "neutral" and "unbiased" than many might be used to. The policy is simply that we should characterize disputes rather than engage in them. To say ''this'' is not to say anything contentious, from a philosophical point of view; indeed, this is something that philosophers are doing all the time. Sophisticated relativists will immediately recognize that the policy is perfectly consistent with their relativism.<br />
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If there's ''anything'' possibly contentious about the policy along these lines, it is the implication that it is ''possible'' to characterize disputes fairly, so that all the major participants will be able to look at the resulting text, agreeing that their views are presented sympathetically and as completely as possible (within the context of the discussion). It is an empirical question, not a philosophical one, whether this is possible; and that such a thing ''is'' indeed possible is evident simply by observing that such texts are being written daily by the most capable academics, encyclopedists, textbook writers, and journalists.<br />
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This should not be construed to mean that there can be no objective truth in an encyclopedia, in the sense that easily obtainable documents should be quoted or referenced correctly when first-hand sources are available, even if there are second-hand sources which quote them incorrectly. Neutrality does not compel us to introduce inaccuracy when something can be directly verified. Neutrality dictates that there can be multiple prominent interpretations to the meaning or validity of a work, but often the contents can be objectively verified, especially in the case of modern documents.<br />
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=== Anglo-American focus ===<br />
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''Cacheopedia seems to have an Anglo-American focus. Is this contrary to the neutral point of view?''<br />
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Yes, it is, especially when dealing with articles that require an international perspective. The presence of articles written from a United States or British perspective is simply a reflection of the fact that there are many U.S. and British citizens working on the project, which in turn is a reflection of the fact that so many of them are online. This is an ongoing problem that should be corrected by active collaboration from people from other countries. But rather than introducing their own cultural bias, they should seek to improve articles by removing any examples of cultural bias that they encounter. <br />
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===Lack of neutrality as an excuse to delete===<br />
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''The neutrality policy is used sometimes as an excuse to delete texts that are perceived as biased. Isn't this a problem?''<br />
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In many cases, yes. Many of us believe that the fact that some text is biased is not enough, in itself, to delete it outright. If it contains valid information, the text should simply be edited accordingly.<br />
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There's sometimes trouble determining whether some claim is true or useful, particularly when there are few people on board who know about the topic. In such a case, it's a good idea to raise objections on a [[Help:talk page]]; if one has some reason to believe that the author of the biased material will not be induced to change it, we have sometimes taken to removing the text to the talk page itself (but not deleting it entirely). But the latter should be done more or less as a last resort, never as a way of punishing people who have written something biased.<br />
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=== Dealing with biased contributors ===<br />
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''I agree with the nonbias policy but there are some here who seem completely, irremediably biased. I have to go around and clean up after them. What do I do?''<br />
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Unless the case is really egregious, maybe the best thing is to call attention to the problem publicly, pointing the perpetrators to this page (but [[Help:Wikipetiquette|politely]] &mdash; one gets more flies with honey) and asking others to help. See [[Help:Dispute_resolution|Dispute resolution]] for more ideas. There must surely be a point beyond which our very strong interest in being a ''completely'' open project is trumped by the interest the vast majority of our writers have, in being able to get work done without constantly having to fix the intrusions of people who do not respect our policy.<br />
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=== Avoiding constant disputes ===<br />
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''How can we avoid constant and endless warfare over neutrality issues?''<br />
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The best way to avoid warfare over bias is to remember that most of us are reasonably intelligent, articulate people here, or we wouldn't be working on this and caring so much about it. We have to make it our goal to understand each others' perspectives and to work hard to make sure that those other perspectives are fairly represented. When any dispute arises as to what the article should say, or what is true, we must not adopt an adversarial stance; we must do our best to step back and ask ourselves, "How can this dispute be fairly characterized?" This has to be asked repeatedly as each new controversial point is stated. It is not our job to edit Cacheopedia so that it reflects our own idiosyncratic views and then defend those edits against all-comers; it is our job to work together, mainly adding new content, but also, when necessary, coming to a compromise about how a controversy should be described, so that it is fair to all sides.<br />
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=== Writing for the "enemy" POV ===<br />
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''I'm not convinced by what you say about "writing for the enemy." I don't want to write for the enemy. Most of them rely on stating as fact many things which are demonstrably false. Are you saying that, to be neutral in writing an article, I must ''lie,'' in order to represent the view I disagree with?''<br />
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This is a misunderstanding of what the neutrality policy says. ''You'' aren't claiming anything, except to say, "So-and-so argues that ____________, and therefore, ___________." This can be done with a straight face, with no moral compunctions, because you are attributing the claim to ''someone else.'' It's worth observing that scholars are trained so that, even when trying to prove a point, counter-arguments are included, so that they can explain why the counter-arguments fail.<br />
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This can be a particularly touchy subject, and a large number of people can honestly fail to see the bias inherent in a popular term, simply because its the one commonly used. But it shouldn't take long to understand that the English wikipedia is a ''highly international project'', and its editors reflect many different points of view. Its important to note that this level of objectivity is rather new to most people, and disputes over the proper terms may simply depend on the balance of points of view.<br />
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=== Other objections ===<br />
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''I have some other objection. Where should I ask it?''<br />
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Before asking it, please review the links below. Many issues surrounding the neutrality policy have been covered before very extensively. If you have some new contribution to make to the debate, you could try [[Talk:Neutral point of view]].<br />
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== Other resources ==<br />
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* [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]]<br />
* [[Help:Neutral point of view/Examples|Examples]]<br />
* [[Help:Words to avoid|Words to avoid]]<br />
* [[meta:Positive tone]]<br />
* [[Template:NPOV]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV}}</nowiki> message used to warn of problems<br />
* [[Template:NPOV-section]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV-section}}</nowiki> tags only a single section as disputed<br />
* [[Template:POV check]] - <nowiki>{{POV check}}</nowiki> message used to mark articles that may be biased. [[Template:bias]] (<nowiki>{{bias}}</nowiki> may be used for short)<br />
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== External links ==<br />
* [[MeatBall:AssumeGoodFaith|AssumeGoodFaith]] and<br />
* [[MeatBall:NeutralPointOfView|NeutralPointOfView]], both on [[MeatballWiki]].<br />
* [http://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/6/mooney-science.asp Blinded By Science: How &#8216;Balanced&#8217; Coverage Lets the Scientific Fringe Hijack Reality] - Chris Mooney, Columbia Journalism Review. A valuable warning to Wikipedians about how attempts to balance the coverage can lead to biased, inaccurate and misleading reporting.</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Neutral_point_of_view
Neutral point of view
2005-05-21T20:06:05Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* Why should Wikipedia be unbiased? */ fixed links</p>
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<div>Simply, think of yourself as a historian. Strive for facts, but reporting opinions of others can sometimes provide additional insight to an article. Attempt to credit others' opinions and avoid including your own.<br />
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More complicatedly:<br />
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Cacheopedia policy is that all articles should be written from a '''neutral point of view'''. <br />
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For guidance on making an article conform to the neutral point of view (NPOV), please see the [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]].<br />
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==Introduction==<br />
The '''neutral point of view policy''' states that articles should be written without [[Wikipedia:bias]], representing all views fairly.<br />
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The policy is easily misunderstood. It doesn't assume that it's possible to write an article from a single, unbiased, objective point of view. The policy says that we should ''fairly represent'' all sides of a [[Wikipedia:dispute]], and not make an article state, imply, or insinuate that any one side is correct. It is crucial that [[Cacheopedian]]s work together to make articles unbiased. This comprises one of the great merits of Cacheopedia, and separates it from the [[Geocaching.com forum]]s.<br />
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Writing unbiased text is an art that requires practice. <br />
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===The basic concept of neutrality===<br />
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At Cacheopedia, we use the terms "unbiased" and "neutral point of view" in a precise way that is different from the common understanding:<br />
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:Articles without bias ''describe'' debates fairly rather than ''advocating'' any side of the debate. Since all articles are edited by people, this is difficult, as people are inherently biased.<br />
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====The original formulation of NPOV====<br />
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''A general purpose encyclopedia is a collection of synthesized knowledge presented from a neutral point of view. To whatever extent possible, encyclopedic writing should steer clear of taking any particular stance '''other than''' the stance of the neutral point of view.''<br />
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''The neutral point of view attempts to present ideas and facts in such a fashion that both supporters and opponents can agree. Of course, 100% agreement is not possible; there are ideologues in the world who will not concede to any presentation other than a forceful statement of their own point of view. We can only seek a type of writing that is agreeable to essentially rational people who may differ on particular points.''<br />
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''Some examples may help to drive home the point I am trying to make. '' <br />
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''1. An encyclopedic article should not argue that corporations are criminals, even if the author believes it to be so. It should instead present the fact that ''some people'' believe it, and what their reasons are, and then as well it should present what the other side says.''<br />
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''2. An encyclopedia article should not argue that laissez-faire capitalism is the best social system. [...] It should instead present the arguments of the advocates of that point of view, and the arguments of the people who disagree with that point of view.''<br />
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''Perhaps the easiest way to make your writing more encyclopedic is to write about ''what people believe'', rather than ''what is so''. If this strikes you as somehow subjectivist or collectivist or imperialist, then ask me about it, because I think that you are just mistaken. What people believe is a matter of objective fact, and we can present ''that'' quite easily from the neutral point of view.''<br />
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''--[[Wikipedia:Jimbo Wales]], Wikipedia founder''<br />
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===Why should Wikipedia be unbiased?===<br />
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Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia. While it covers a niche topic, Geocaching, it still means this is a representation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge|knowledge]] at some level of generality. But human beings disagree about specific cases; for any topic on which there are competing views, each view represents a different idea of what the truth is, and insofar as that view contradicts other views, its adherents believe that the other views are ''false'' and therefore not ''knowledge''. Where there is disagreement about what is true, there's disagreement about what constitutes knowledge. Wikipedia works because it's a collaborative effort; but, while collaborating, how can we solve the problem of endless "[[Wikipedia:edit war|edit war]]s" in which one person asserts that ''p,'' whereupon the next person changes the text so that it asserts ''not-p''?<br />
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A solution is that we accept, for the purposes of working on Cacheopedia, that "human knowledge" includes ''all different'' '''significant''' theories on all different topics. So we're committed to the goal of representing human knowledge in ''that'' sense. Something like this is surely a well-established sense of the word "knowledge"; in this sense, what is "known" changes constantly with the passage of time, and when we use the word "know", we often use so-called [[Wikipedia:Quotation mark#Emphasis and ironic quotes|scare quotes]]. In the Middle Ages, we "knew" that demons caused diseases. We now "know" otherwise.<br />
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We could sum up human knowledge (in this sense) in a biased way: we'd state a series of theories about topic T, and then claim that the truth about T is such-and-such. But again, consider that Cacheopedia is an international, collaborative project. Nearly every view on every subject will be found among our authors and readers. To avoid endless edit wars, we can agree to present each of the significant views fairly, and not assert any one of them as correct. That is what makes an article "unbiased" or "neutral" in the sense we are presenting here. To write from a neutral point of view, one presents controversial views without asserting them; to do ''that,'' it generally suffices to present competing views in a way that is more or less acceptable to their adherents, and also to ''attribute'' the views to their adherents. Disputes are '''characterized''' in Cacheopedia. They are not re-enacted.<br />
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To sum up the primary reason for this policy: Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia, a compilation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge|knowledge]]. But because Cacheopedia is a community-built, international resource, we cannot expect collaborators to agree in all cases, or even in many cases, on what constitutes knowledge in a strict sense. We can, therefore, adopt the looser sense of "human knowledge" according to which a wide variety of conflicting theories constitute what we call "knowledge." We should, both individually and collectively, make an effort to present these conflicting views fairly, without advocating any one of them, with the qualification that views held only by a tiny minority of people should not be represented as though they are significant minority views, and perhaps should not be represented at all.<br />
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There is another reason to commit ourselves to this policy. Namely, when it is clear to readers that we do not expect them to adopt any particular opinion, this leaves them free to make up their minds for themselves, thus encouraging ''intellectual independence''.<br />
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==What is the neutral point of view?==<br />
What we mean isn't obvious, and is easily misunderstood. There are many other valid interpretations of "unbiased," and "neutral". The notion of "unbiased writing" that informs Cacheopedia's policy is "presenting conflicting views without asserting them." This needs further clarification, as follows.<br />
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First, and most importantly, consider what it means to say that unbiased writing presents conflicting views without asserting them. Unbiased writing does not present only the most popular view; it does not ''assert'' the most popular view is correct after presenting all views; it does not assert that some sort of intermediate view among the different views is the correct one. Presenting all points of view says, more or less, that ''p''-ists believe that ''p,'' and ''q''-ists believe that ''q,'' and that's where the debate stands at present. Ideally, presenting all points of view also gives a great deal of background on who believes that ''p'' and ''q'' and why, and which view is more popular (being careful not to associate ''popularity'' with ''correctness''). Detailed articles might also contain the mutual evaluations of the ''p''-ists and the ''q''-ists, allowing each side to give its "best shot" at the other, but studiously refraining from saying who won the exchange.<br />
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A point here bears elaboration. We said that the neutral point of view is not, contrary to the seeming implication of the phrase, some actual ''point of view'' that is "neutral," or "intermediate," among the different positions. That represents a particular understanding of what "neutral point of view" means. The prevailing Cacheopedia understanding is that the neutral point of view is not a ''point of view'' at all; according to our understanding, when one writes neutrally, one is very careful not to state (or imply or insinuate or subtly massage the reader into believing) that ''any particular view at all'' is correct.<br />
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'''Now an important qualification:''' Articles that compare views need not give minority views ''as much'' or as detailed a description as more popular views. We should not attempt to represent a dispute as if a view held by only a small minority of people deserved as much attention as a majority view. That may be misleading as to the shape of the dispute. If we are to represent the dispute fairly, we should present competing views in proportion to their representation among experts on the subject, or among the concerned parties. None of this, however, is to say that minority views cannot receive as much attention as we can possibly give them on pages specifically devoted to those views. There is no size limit to Cacheopedia. But even on such pages, though a view is spelled out possibly in great detail, we still make sure that the view is not represented as ''the truth.''<br />
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Bias need not be conscious. For example, beginners in a field often fail to realize that what sounds like common sense is actually biased in favor of one particular view. (So we not infrequently need an expert in order to render the article entirely unbiased.) To take another example, writers can, without intent, propagate "geographical" bias, by for example describing a dispute ''as it is conducted in one country'' without knowing that the dispute is framed differently elsewhere.<br />
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The policy of having a neutral point of view is not to ''hide'' different points of view, but to show the diversity of viewpoints. In case of controversy, the strong points and weak points will be shown according to each point of view, without taking a side. The neutral point of view is not a "[[Wikipedia:separate but equal]]" policy. The facts, in themselves, are neutral, but the simple accumulation of them cannot be the neutral point of view. If only the favorable facts of a point of view are shown in an article, the article will still be non-neutral.<br />
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==The vital component: good research==<br />
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Many POV battles would be made much easier through the practice of good research. Facts are not points of view in and of themselves. So an easy way to avoid making a statement that promotes a point of view is to find a reputable source for a fact and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite the source]]. This is an easy way to characterize a side of a debate without promoting a view. The trick is to find the best and most reputable source you can. Try the library for good books and journal articles, and look for the most reliable online resources. A little bit of ground work can save a lot of time in trying to justify a point later.<br />
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The only other important consideration is that while a fact is not POV in and of itself, adding facts, no matter how well cited, from only one side of a debate is a POV problem. So work for balance. Find facts that aren't from one side or the other and '''cite the source'''.<br />
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==A simple formulation==<br />
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We sometimes give an alternative formulation of the non-bias policy: assert facts, including facts about opinions &mdash; but don't assert opinions themselves. There is a difference between facts and values, or opinions. By "fact," we mean "a piece of information about which there is no serious dispute." In this sense, that a survey produced a certain published result is a fact. That Mars is a planet is a fact. That Socrates was a philosopher is a fact. No one seriously disputes any of these things. So we can feel free to ''assert'' as many of them as we can.<br />
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By value or opinion, on the other hand, we mean "a piece of information about which there is some dispute." There are bound to be [[meta:borderline case|borderline cases]] where we're not sure if we should take a particular dispute seriously; but there are many propositions that very clearly express values or opinions. That stealing is wrong is a value or opinion. That [[Wikipedia:the Beatles]] was the greatest band is a value or opinion. That the United States was wrong to drop the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a value or opinion. That God exists ... this can be a troublesome one. Whether God exists or not is a question of fact, not a question of value. But as the fact is essentially undiscoverable, so far as anyone knows, whether God exists will usually be couched in terms of opinion or value. To state as a fact that "the existence of God is an opinion", while seeming to be sensitive to the issue, implies that there is no fact being discussed ([[Wikipedia:postmodernism]] or [[Wikipedia:strong agnosticism]]), or that it is relatively unimportant ([[Wikipedia:secular]] bias).<br />
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Cacheopedia is devoted to stating facts and only facts. Where we might want to state an opinion, we convert that opinion into a fact by ''attributing'' the opinion to someone. So, rather than asserting, "The Beatles were the greatest band", we can say, "Most Americans believe that the Beatles were the greatest band," which is a fact verifiable by survey results, or "The Beatles had many songs that made the [[Wikipedia:Billboard Hot 100]]," which is also fact. In the first instance we assert an opinion; in the second and third instances we "convert" that opinion into fact by attributing it to someone. It's important to note this formulation is substantially different from the "some people believe ..." formulation popular in political debates. The reference requires '''an identifiable and subjectively quantifiable population''' or, better still, '''a name'''. <br />
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In presenting an opinion, moreover, it is important to bear in mind that there are disagreements about how opinions are best stated; sometimes, it will be necessary to qualify the description of an opinion or to present several formulations, simply to arrive at a solution that fairly represents all the leading views of the situation. (Theological and philosophical debates are particularly hard to frame in a non-biased way; this very page bears that out, as it posed in a previous incarnation as an example of an opinion, "God exists".)<br />
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But it's not ''enough,'' to express the Cacheopedia non-bias policy, just to say that we should state facts and not opinions. When asserting a fact ''about an opinion,'' it is important ''also'' to assert facts ''about competing opinions,'' and to do so without implying that any one of the opinions is correct. It's also generally important to give the facts about the reasons behind the views, and to make it clear who holds them. (It's often best to cite a prominent representative of the view.)<br />
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==Fairness and sympathetic tone==<br />
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If we're going to characterize disputes fairly, we should present competing views with a consistently positive, sympathetic tone. Many articles end up as partisan commentary ''even while'' presenting both points of view. Even when a topic is presented in terms of facts rather than opinion, an article can still radiate an implied stance through either selection of which facts to present, or more subtly their organization &mdash; for instance, refuting opposing views as one goes along makes them look a lot worse than collecting them in an opinions-of-opponents section.<br />
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We should, instead, write articles with the tone that ''all'' positions presented are at least plausible, bearing in mind the important qualification about extreme minority views. Let's present all significant, competing views sympathetically. We can write with the attitude that such-and-such is a good idea, except that, on the view of some detractors, the supporters of said view overlooked such-and-such a detail.<br />
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==A consequence: writing for the enemy==<br />
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Those who constantly attempt to advocate their views on politically charged topics, and who seem not to care about whether other points of view are represented fairly, are violating the non-bias policy ("write unbiasedly"). But the policy also entails that it is our job to speak for the other side, and not just avoid advocating our own views. If we don't commit ourselves to doing that, Cacheopedia will be weaker for it. We should all be engaged in explaining each other's points of view as sympathetically as possible.<br />
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In saying this, we are spelling out what might have been obvious from an initial reading of the policy. If each of us is permitted to contribute biased stuff, then how is it possible that the policy is ever ''violated''? The policy ''says'', "Go thou and write unbiasedly". If that ''doesn't'' entail that each of us should fairly represent views with which we disagree, then what ''does'' it mean? Maybe you think it means, "Represent your own view fairly, and let others have a say." But consider, if we each take responsibility for ''the entire'' article when we hit "save", then when we make a change that represents ''our own'' views but not contrary views, or represents contrary views unfairly or incompletely, surely we are adding bias to Cacheopedia. Does it make sense ''not'' to take responsibility for the entire article? Does it make sense to take sentences and say, "These are mine"? Perhaps, but in a project that is so strongly and explicitly committed to neutrality, that attitude seems out of place.<br />
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The other side might very well find your attempts to characterize their views substandard, but it's the thought that counts. In resolving disputes over neutrality issues, it's far better that we acknowledge that all sides must be presented fairly, and make at least a college try at presenting the other sides fairly. That will be appreciated much more than not trying at all.<br />
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"Writing for the enemy" might make it seem as if we were adding ''deliberately'' flawed arguments to Cacheopedia, which would be a very strange thing to do. But it's better to view this (otherwise puzzling) behavior as adding the ''best'' (published) arguments of the opposition, citing some prominent person who has actually made the argument in the form in which you present it, and stating them as sympathetically as possible. Academics, e.g., philosophers, do this all the time. Always [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]], and make sure your sources are reputable, and you won't go far wrong.<br />
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===An example===<br />
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[[Wikipedia:User:Karada|Karada]] offered the following advice in the context of the [[Wikipedia:Saddam Hussein]] article:<br />
:You won't even ''need'' to say he was evil. That's why the article on [[Wikipedia:Hitler]] does not start with "Hitler was a bad man" &mdash; we don't need to, his deeds convict him a thousand times over. We just list the facts of the [[Wikipedia:Holocaust]] dispassionately, and the voices of the dead cry out afresh in a way that makes name-calling both pointless and unnecessary. Please do the same: list Saddam's crimes, and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]].<br />
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==Objections and clarifications==<br />
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What follows is a list of common objections, or questions, regarding Cacheopedia's non-bias policy, followed by replies.<br />
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===There's no such thing as objectivity===<br />
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''Everybody with any philosophical sophistication knows that. So how can we take the "neutrality" policy seriously? Neutrality, lack of bias, isn't possible.''<br />
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This is probably the most common objection to the neutrality policy. It also reflects the most common ''misunderstanding'' of the policy. The misunderstanding is that the policy says something about the possibility of ''objectivity.'' It simply does not. In particular, the policy does ''not'' say that there even ''is'' such a thing as objectivity, a "view from nowhere" (in [[Wikipedia:Thomas Nagel]]'s phrase)--such that articles written from ''that'' point of view are consequently objectively true. That isn't the policy and it is not our aim! Rather, we employ a different understanding of "neutral" and "unbiased" than many might be used to. The policy is simply that we should characterize disputes rather than engage in them. To say ''this'' is not to say anything contentious, from a philosophical point of view; indeed, this is something that philosophers are doing all the time. Sophisticated relativists will immediately recognize that the policy is perfectly consistent with their relativism.<br />
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If there's ''anything'' possibly contentious about the policy along these lines, it is the implication that it is ''possible'' to characterize disputes fairly, so that all the major participants will be able to look at the resulting text, agreeing that their views are presented sympathetically and as completely as possible (within the context of the discussion). It is an empirical question, not a philosophical one, whether this is possible; and that such a thing ''is'' indeed possible is evident simply by observing that such texts are being written daily by the most capable academics, encyclopedists, textbook writers, and journalists.<br />
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This should not be construed to mean that there can be no objective truth in an encyclopedia, in the sense that easily obtainable documents should be quoted or referenced correctly when first-hand sources are available, even if there are second-hand sources which quote them incorrectly. Neutrality does not compel us to introduce inaccuracy when something can be directly verified. Neutrality dictates that there can be multiple prominent interpretations to the meaning or validity of a work, but often the contents can be objectively verified, especially in the case of modern documents.<br />
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=== Anglo-American focus ===<br />
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''Cacheopedia seems to have an Anglo-American focus. Is this contrary to the neutral point of view?''<br />
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Yes, it is, especially when dealing with articles that require an international perspective. The presence of articles written from a United States or British perspective is simply a reflection of the fact that there are many U.S. and British citizens working on the project, which in turn is a reflection of the fact that so many of them are online. This is an ongoing problem that should be corrected by active collaboration from people from other countries. But rather than introducing their own cultural bias, they should seek to improve articles by removing any examples of cultural bias that they encounter. <br />
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===Lack of neutrality as an excuse to delete===<br />
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''The neutrality policy is used sometimes as an excuse to delete texts that are perceived as biased. Isn't this a problem?''<br />
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In many cases, yes. Many of us believe that the fact that some text is biased is not enough, in itself, to delete it outright. If it contains valid information, the text should simply be edited accordingly.<br />
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There's sometimes trouble determining whether some claim is true or useful, particularly when there are few people on board who know about the topic. In such a case, it's a good idea to raise objections on a [[Help:talk page]]; if one has some reason to believe that the author of the biased material will not be induced to change it, we have sometimes taken to removing the text to the talk page itself (but not deleting it entirely). But the latter should be done more or less as a last resort, never as a way of punishing people who have written something biased.<br />
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=== Dealing with biased contributors ===<br />
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''I agree with the nonbias policy but there are some here who seem completely, irremediably biased. I have to go around and clean up after them. What do I do?''<br />
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Unless the case is really egregious, maybe the best thing is to call attention to the problem publicly, pointing the perpetrators to this page (but [[Help:Wikipetiquette|politely]] &mdash; one gets more flies with honey) and asking others to help. See [[Help:Dispute_resolution|Dispute resolution]] for more ideas. There must surely be a point beyond which our very strong interest in being a ''completely'' open project is trumped by the interest the vast majority of our writers have, in being able to get work done without constantly having to fix the intrusions of people who do not respect our policy.<br />
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=== Avoiding constant disputes ===<br />
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''How can we avoid constant and endless warfare over neutrality issues?''<br />
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The best way to avoid warfare over bias is to remember that most of us are reasonably intelligent, articulate people here, or we wouldn't be working on this and caring so much about it. We have to make it our goal to understand each others' perspectives and to work hard to make sure that those other perspectives are fairly represented. When any dispute arises as to what the article should say, or what is true, we must not adopt an adversarial stance; we must do our best to step back and ask ourselves, "How can this dispute be fairly characterized?" This has to be asked repeatedly as each new controversial point is stated. It is not our job to edit Cacheopedia so that it reflects our own idiosyncratic views and then defend those edits against all-comers; it is our job to work together, mainly adding new content, but also, when necessary, coming to a compromise about how a controversy should be described, so that it is fair to all sides.<br />
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=== Writing for the "enemy" POV ===<br />
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''I'm not convinced by what you say about "writing for the enemy." I don't want to write for the enemy. Most of them rely on stating as fact many things which are demonstrably false. Are you saying that, to be neutral in writing an article, I must ''lie,'' in order to represent the view I disagree with?''<br />
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This is a misunderstanding of what the neutrality policy says. ''You'' aren't claiming anything, except to say, "So-and-so argues that ____________, and therefore, ___________." This can be done with a straight face, with no moral compunctions, because you are attributing the claim to ''someone else.'' It's worth observing that scholars are trained so that, even when trying to prove a point, counter-arguments are included, so that they can explain why the counter-arguments fail.<br />
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This can be a particularly touchy subject, and a large number of people can honestly fail to see the bias inherent in a popular term, simply because its the one commonly used. But it shouldn't take long to understand that the English wikipedia is a ''highly international project'', and its editors reflect many different points of view. Its important to note that this level of objectivity is rather new to most people, and disputes over the proper terms may simply depend on the balance of points of view.<br />
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=== Other objections ===<br />
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''I have some other objection. Where should I ask it?''<br />
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Before asking it, please review the links below. Many issues surrounding the neutrality policy have been covered before very extensively. If you have some new contribution to make to the debate, you could try [[Talk:Neutral point of view]].<br />
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== Other resources ==<br />
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* [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]]<br />
* [[Help:Neutral point of view/Examples|Examples]]<br />
* [[Help:Words to avoid|Words to avoid]]<br />
* [[meta:Positive tone]]<br />
* [[Template:NPOV]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV}}</nowiki> message used to warn of problems<br />
* [[Template:NPOV-section]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV-section}}</nowiki> tags only a single section as disputed<br />
* [[Template:POV check]] - <nowiki>{{POV check}}</nowiki> message used to mark articles that may be biased. [[Template:bias]] (<nowiki>{{bias}}</nowiki> may be used for short)<br />
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== External links ==<br />
* [[MeatBall:AssumeGoodFaith|AssumeGoodFaith]] and<br />
* [[MeatBall:NeutralPointOfView|NeutralPointOfView]], both on [[MeatballWiki]].<br />
* [http://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/6/mooney-science.asp Blinded By Science: How &#8216;Balanced&#8217; Coverage Lets the Scientific Fringe Hijack Reality] - Chris Mooney, Columbia Journalism Review. A valuable warning to Wikipedians about how attempts to balance the coverage can lead to biased, inaccurate and misleading reporting.</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Neutral_point_of_view
Neutral point of view
2005-05-21T20:05:34Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* The original formulation of NPOV */ fixed link</p>
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<div>Simply, think of yourself as a historian. Strive for facts, but reporting opinions of others can sometimes provide additional insight to an article. Attempt to credit others' opinions and avoid including your own.<br />
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More complicatedly:<br />
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Cacheopedia policy is that all articles should be written from a '''neutral point of view'''. <br />
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For guidance on making an article conform to the neutral point of view (NPOV), please see the [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]].<br />
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==Introduction==<br />
The '''neutral point of view policy''' states that articles should be written without [[Wikipedia:bias]], representing all views fairly.<br />
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The policy is easily misunderstood. It doesn't assume that it's possible to write an article from a single, unbiased, objective point of view. The policy says that we should ''fairly represent'' all sides of a [[Wikipedia:dispute]], and not make an article state, imply, or insinuate that any one side is correct. It is crucial that [[Cacheopedian]]s work together to make articles unbiased. This comprises one of the great merits of Cacheopedia, and separates it from the [[Geocaching.com forum]]s.<br />
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Writing unbiased text is an art that requires practice. <br />
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===The basic concept of neutrality===<br />
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At Cacheopedia, we use the terms "unbiased" and "neutral point of view" in a precise way that is different from the common understanding:<br />
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:Articles without bias ''describe'' debates fairly rather than ''advocating'' any side of the debate. Since all articles are edited by people, this is difficult, as people are inherently biased.<br />
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====The original formulation of NPOV====<br />
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''A general purpose encyclopedia is a collection of synthesized knowledge presented from a neutral point of view. To whatever extent possible, encyclopedic writing should steer clear of taking any particular stance '''other than''' the stance of the neutral point of view.''<br />
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''The neutral point of view attempts to present ideas and facts in such a fashion that both supporters and opponents can agree. Of course, 100% agreement is not possible; there are ideologues in the world who will not concede to any presentation other than a forceful statement of their own point of view. We can only seek a type of writing that is agreeable to essentially rational people who may differ on particular points.''<br />
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''Some examples may help to drive home the point I am trying to make. '' <br />
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''1. An encyclopedic article should not argue that corporations are criminals, even if the author believes it to be so. It should instead present the fact that ''some people'' believe it, and what their reasons are, and then as well it should present what the other side says.''<br />
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''2. An encyclopedia article should not argue that laissez-faire capitalism is the best social system. [...] It should instead present the arguments of the advocates of that point of view, and the arguments of the people who disagree with that point of view.''<br />
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''Perhaps the easiest way to make your writing more encyclopedic is to write about ''what people believe'', rather than ''what is so''. If this strikes you as somehow subjectivist or collectivist or imperialist, then ask me about it, because I think that you are just mistaken. What people believe is a matter of objective fact, and we can present ''that'' quite easily from the neutral point of view.''<br />
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''--[[Wikipedia:Jimbo Wales]], Wikipedia founder''<br />
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===Why should Wikipedia be unbiased?===<br />
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Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia. While it covers a niche topic, Geocaching, it still means this is a representation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge]] at some level of generality. But human beings disagree about specific cases; for any topic on which there are competing views, each view represents a different idea of what the truth is, and insofar as that view contradicts other views, its adherents believe that the other views are ''false'' and therefore not ''knowledge''. Where there is disagreement about what is true, there's disagreement about what constitutes knowledge. Wikipedia works because it's a collaborative effort; but, while collaborating, how can we solve the problem of endless "[[Wikipedia:edit war]]s" in which one person asserts that ''p,'' whereupon the next person changes the text so that it asserts ''not-p''?<br />
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A solution is that we accept, for the purposes of working on Cacheopedia, that "human knowledge" includes ''all different'' '''significant''' theories on all different topics. So we're committed to the goal of representing human knowledge in ''that'' sense. Something like this is surely a well-established sense of the word "knowledge"; in this sense, what is "known" changes constantly with the passage of time, and when we use the word "know", we often use so-called [[Wikipedia:Quotation mark#Emphasis and ironic quotes|scare quotes]]. In the Middle Ages, we "knew" that demons caused diseases. We now "know" otherwise.<br />
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We could sum up human knowledge (in this sense) in a biased way: we'd state a series of theories about topic T, and then claim that the truth about T is such-and-such. But again, consider that Cacheopedia is an international, collaborative project. Nearly every view on every subject will be found among our authors and readers. To avoid endless edit wars, we can agree to present each of the significant views fairly, and not assert any one of them as correct. That is what makes an article "unbiased" or "neutral" in the sense we are presenting here. To write from a neutral point of view, one presents controversial views without asserting them; to do ''that,'' it generally suffices to present competing views in a way that is more or less acceptable to their adherents, and also to ''attribute'' the views to their adherents. Disputes are '''characterized''' in Cacheopedia. They are not re-enacted.<br />
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To sum up the primary reason for this policy: Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia, a compilation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge]]. But because Cacheopedia is a community-built, international resource, we cannot expect collaborators to agree in all cases, or even in many cases, on what constitutes knowledge in a strict sense. We can, therefore, adopt the looser sense of "human knowledge" according to which a wide variety of conflicting theories constitute what we call "knowledge." We should, both individually and collectively, make an effort to present these conflicting views fairly, without advocating any one of them, with the qualification that views held only by a tiny minority of people should not be represented as though they are significant minority views, and perhaps should not be represented at all.<br />
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There is another reason to commit ourselves to this policy. Namely, when it is clear to readers that we do not expect them to adopt any particular opinion, this leaves them free to make up their minds for themselves, thus encouraging ''intellectual independence''.<br />
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==What is the neutral point of view?==<br />
What we mean isn't obvious, and is easily misunderstood. There are many other valid interpretations of "unbiased," and "neutral". The notion of "unbiased writing" that informs Cacheopedia's policy is "presenting conflicting views without asserting them." This needs further clarification, as follows.<br />
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First, and most importantly, consider what it means to say that unbiased writing presents conflicting views without asserting them. Unbiased writing does not present only the most popular view; it does not ''assert'' the most popular view is correct after presenting all views; it does not assert that some sort of intermediate view among the different views is the correct one. Presenting all points of view says, more or less, that ''p''-ists believe that ''p,'' and ''q''-ists believe that ''q,'' and that's where the debate stands at present. Ideally, presenting all points of view also gives a great deal of background on who believes that ''p'' and ''q'' and why, and which view is more popular (being careful not to associate ''popularity'' with ''correctness''). Detailed articles might also contain the mutual evaluations of the ''p''-ists and the ''q''-ists, allowing each side to give its "best shot" at the other, but studiously refraining from saying who won the exchange.<br />
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A point here bears elaboration. We said that the neutral point of view is not, contrary to the seeming implication of the phrase, some actual ''point of view'' that is "neutral," or "intermediate," among the different positions. That represents a particular understanding of what "neutral point of view" means. The prevailing Cacheopedia understanding is that the neutral point of view is not a ''point of view'' at all; according to our understanding, when one writes neutrally, one is very careful not to state (or imply or insinuate or subtly massage the reader into believing) that ''any particular view at all'' is correct.<br />
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'''Now an important qualification:''' Articles that compare views need not give minority views ''as much'' or as detailed a description as more popular views. We should not attempt to represent a dispute as if a view held by only a small minority of people deserved as much attention as a majority view. That may be misleading as to the shape of the dispute. If we are to represent the dispute fairly, we should present competing views in proportion to their representation among experts on the subject, or among the concerned parties. None of this, however, is to say that minority views cannot receive as much attention as we can possibly give them on pages specifically devoted to those views. There is no size limit to Cacheopedia. But even on such pages, though a view is spelled out possibly in great detail, we still make sure that the view is not represented as ''the truth.''<br />
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Bias need not be conscious. For example, beginners in a field often fail to realize that what sounds like common sense is actually biased in favor of one particular view. (So we not infrequently need an expert in order to render the article entirely unbiased.) To take another example, writers can, without intent, propagate "geographical" bias, by for example describing a dispute ''as it is conducted in one country'' without knowing that the dispute is framed differently elsewhere.<br />
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The policy of having a neutral point of view is not to ''hide'' different points of view, but to show the diversity of viewpoints. In case of controversy, the strong points and weak points will be shown according to each point of view, without taking a side. The neutral point of view is not a "[[Wikipedia:separate but equal]]" policy. The facts, in themselves, are neutral, but the simple accumulation of them cannot be the neutral point of view. If only the favorable facts of a point of view are shown in an article, the article will still be non-neutral.<br />
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==The vital component: good research==<br />
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Many POV battles would be made much easier through the practice of good research. Facts are not points of view in and of themselves. So an easy way to avoid making a statement that promotes a point of view is to find a reputable source for a fact and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite the source]]. This is an easy way to characterize a side of a debate without promoting a view. The trick is to find the best and most reputable source you can. Try the library for good books and journal articles, and look for the most reliable online resources. A little bit of ground work can save a lot of time in trying to justify a point later.<br />
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The only other important consideration is that while a fact is not POV in and of itself, adding facts, no matter how well cited, from only one side of a debate is a POV problem. So work for balance. Find facts that aren't from one side or the other and '''cite the source'''.<br />
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==A simple formulation==<br />
<br />
We sometimes give an alternative formulation of the non-bias policy: assert facts, including facts about opinions &mdash; but don't assert opinions themselves. There is a difference between facts and values, or opinions. By "fact," we mean "a piece of information about which there is no serious dispute." In this sense, that a survey produced a certain published result is a fact. That Mars is a planet is a fact. That Socrates was a philosopher is a fact. No one seriously disputes any of these things. So we can feel free to ''assert'' as many of them as we can.<br />
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By value or opinion, on the other hand, we mean "a piece of information about which there is some dispute." There are bound to be [[meta:borderline case|borderline cases]] where we're not sure if we should take a particular dispute seriously; but there are many propositions that very clearly express values or opinions. That stealing is wrong is a value or opinion. That [[Wikipedia:the Beatles]] was the greatest band is a value or opinion. That the United States was wrong to drop the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a value or opinion. That God exists ... this can be a troublesome one. Whether God exists or not is a question of fact, not a question of value. But as the fact is essentially undiscoverable, so far as anyone knows, whether God exists will usually be couched in terms of opinion or value. To state as a fact that "the existence of God is an opinion", while seeming to be sensitive to the issue, implies that there is no fact being discussed ([[Wikipedia:postmodernism]] or [[Wikipedia:strong agnosticism]]), or that it is relatively unimportant ([[Wikipedia:secular]] bias).<br />
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Cacheopedia is devoted to stating facts and only facts. Where we might want to state an opinion, we convert that opinion into a fact by ''attributing'' the opinion to someone. So, rather than asserting, "The Beatles were the greatest band", we can say, "Most Americans believe that the Beatles were the greatest band," which is a fact verifiable by survey results, or "The Beatles had many songs that made the [[Wikipedia:Billboard Hot 100]]," which is also fact. In the first instance we assert an opinion; in the second and third instances we "convert" that opinion into fact by attributing it to someone. It's important to note this formulation is substantially different from the "some people believe ..." formulation popular in political debates. The reference requires '''an identifiable and subjectively quantifiable population''' or, better still, '''a name'''. <br />
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In presenting an opinion, moreover, it is important to bear in mind that there are disagreements about how opinions are best stated; sometimes, it will be necessary to qualify the description of an opinion or to present several formulations, simply to arrive at a solution that fairly represents all the leading views of the situation. (Theological and philosophical debates are particularly hard to frame in a non-biased way; this very page bears that out, as it posed in a previous incarnation as an example of an opinion, "God exists".)<br />
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But it's not ''enough,'' to express the Cacheopedia non-bias policy, just to say that we should state facts and not opinions. When asserting a fact ''about an opinion,'' it is important ''also'' to assert facts ''about competing opinions,'' and to do so without implying that any one of the opinions is correct. It's also generally important to give the facts about the reasons behind the views, and to make it clear who holds them. (It's often best to cite a prominent representative of the view.)<br />
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==Fairness and sympathetic tone==<br />
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If we're going to characterize disputes fairly, we should present competing views with a consistently positive, sympathetic tone. Many articles end up as partisan commentary ''even while'' presenting both points of view. Even when a topic is presented in terms of facts rather than opinion, an article can still radiate an implied stance through either selection of which facts to present, or more subtly their organization &mdash; for instance, refuting opposing views as one goes along makes them look a lot worse than collecting them in an opinions-of-opponents section.<br />
<br />
We should, instead, write articles with the tone that ''all'' positions presented are at least plausible, bearing in mind the important qualification about extreme minority views. Let's present all significant, competing views sympathetically. We can write with the attitude that such-and-such is a good idea, except that, on the view of some detractors, the supporters of said view overlooked such-and-such a detail.<br />
<br />
==A consequence: writing for the enemy==<br />
<br />
Those who constantly attempt to advocate their views on politically charged topics, and who seem not to care about whether other points of view are represented fairly, are violating the non-bias policy ("write unbiasedly"). But the policy also entails that it is our job to speak for the other side, and not just avoid advocating our own views. If we don't commit ourselves to doing that, Cacheopedia will be weaker for it. We should all be engaged in explaining each other's points of view as sympathetically as possible.<br />
<br />
In saying this, we are spelling out what might have been obvious from an initial reading of the policy. If each of us is permitted to contribute biased stuff, then how is it possible that the policy is ever ''violated''? The policy ''says'', "Go thou and write unbiasedly". If that ''doesn't'' entail that each of us should fairly represent views with which we disagree, then what ''does'' it mean? Maybe you think it means, "Represent your own view fairly, and let others have a say." But consider, if we each take responsibility for ''the entire'' article when we hit "save", then when we make a change that represents ''our own'' views but not contrary views, or represents contrary views unfairly or incompletely, surely we are adding bias to Cacheopedia. Does it make sense ''not'' to take responsibility for the entire article? Does it make sense to take sentences and say, "These are mine"? Perhaps, but in a project that is so strongly and explicitly committed to neutrality, that attitude seems out of place.<br />
<br />
The other side might very well find your attempts to characterize their views substandard, but it's the thought that counts. In resolving disputes over neutrality issues, it's far better that we acknowledge that all sides must be presented fairly, and make at least a college try at presenting the other sides fairly. That will be appreciated much more than not trying at all.<br />
<br />
"Writing for the enemy" might make it seem as if we were adding ''deliberately'' flawed arguments to Cacheopedia, which would be a very strange thing to do. But it's better to view this (otherwise puzzling) behavior as adding the ''best'' (published) arguments of the opposition, citing some prominent person who has actually made the argument in the form in which you present it, and stating them as sympathetically as possible. Academics, e.g., philosophers, do this all the time. Always [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]], and make sure your sources are reputable, and you won't go far wrong.<br />
<br />
===An example===<br />
<br />
[[Wikipedia:User:Karada|Karada]] offered the following advice in the context of the [[Wikipedia:Saddam Hussein]] article:<br />
:You won't even ''need'' to say he was evil. That's why the article on [[Wikipedia:Hitler]] does not start with "Hitler was a bad man" &mdash; we don't need to, his deeds convict him a thousand times over. We just list the facts of the [[Wikipedia:Holocaust]] dispassionately, and the voices of the dead cry out afresh in a way that makes name-calling both pointless and unnecessary. Please do the same: list Saddam's crimes, and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]].<br />
<br />
==Objections and clarifications==<br />
<br />
What follows is a list of common objections, or questions, regarding Cacheopedia's non-bias policy, followed by replies.<br />
<br />
===There's no such thing as objectivity===<br />
<br />
''Everybody with any philosophical sophistication knows that. So how can we take the "neutrality" policy seriously? Neutrality, lack of bias, isn't possible.''<br />
<br />
This is probably the most common objection to the neutrality policy. It also reflects the most common ''misunderstanding'' of the policy. The misunderstanding is that the policy says something about the possibility of ''objectivity.'' It simply does not. In particular, the policy does ''not'' say that there even ''is'' such a thing as objectivity, a "view from nowhere" (in [[Wikipedia:Thomas Nagel]]'s phrase)--such that articles written from ''that'' point of view are consequently objectively true. That isn't the policy and it is not our aim! Rather, we employ a different understanding of "neutral" and "unbiased" than many might be used to. The policy is simply that we should characterize disputes rather than engage in them. To say ''this'' is not to say anything contentious, from a philosophical point of view; indeed, this is something that philosophers are doing all the time. Sophisticated relativists will immediately recognize that the policy is perfectly consistent with their relativism.<br />
<br />
If there's ''anything'' possibly contentious about the policy along these lines, it is the implication that it is ''possible'' to characterize disputes fairly, so that all the major participants will be able to look at the resulting text, agreeing that their views are presented sympathetically and as completely as possible (within the context of the discussion). It is an empirical question, not a philosophical one, whether this is possible; and that such a thing ''is'' indeed possible is evident simply by observing that such texts are being written daily by the most capable academics, encyclopedists, textbook writers, and journalists.<br />
<br />
This should not be construed to mean that there can be no objective truth in an encyclopedia, in the sense that easily obtainable documents should be quoted or referenced correctly when first-hand sources are available, even if there are second-hand sources which quote them incorrectly. Neutrality does not compel us to introduce inaccuracy when something can be directly verified. Neutrality dictates that there can be multiple prominent interpretations to the meaning or validity of a work, but often the contents can be objectively verified, especially in the case of modern documents.<br />
<br />
=== Anglo-American focus ===<br />
<br />
''Cacheopedia seems to have an Anglo-American focus. Is this contrary to the neutral point of view?''<br />
<br />
Yes, it is, especially when dealing with articles that require an international perspective. The presence of articles written from a United States or British perspective is simply a reflection of the fact that there are many U.S. and British citizens working on the project, which in turn is a reflection of the fact that so many of them are online. This is an ongoing problem that should be corrected by active collaboration from people from other countries. But rather than introducing their own cultural bias, they should seek to improve articles by removing any examples of cultural bias that they encounter. <br />
<br />
===Lack of neutrality as an excuse to delete===<br />
<br />
''The neutrality policy is used sometimes as an excuse to delete texts that are perceived as biased. Isn't this a problem?''<br />
<br />
In many cases, yes. Many of us believe that the fact that some text is biased is not enough, in itself, to delete it outright. If it contains valid information, the text should simply be edited accordingly.<br />
<br />
There's sometimes trouble determining whether some claim is true or useful, particularly when there are few people on board who know about the topic. In such a case, it's a good idea to raise objections on a [[Help:talk page]]; if one has some reason to believe that the author of the biased material will not be induced to change it, we have sometimes taken to removing the text to the talk page itself (but not deleting it entirely). But the latter should be done more or less as a last resort, never as a way of punishing people who have written something biased.<br />
<br />
=== Dealing with biased contributors ===<br />
<br />
''I agree with the nonbias policy but there are some here who seem completely, irremediably biased. I have to go around and clean up after them. What do I do?''<br />
<br />
Unless the case is really egregious, maybe the best thing is to call attention to the problem publicly, pointing the perpetrators to this page (but [[Help:Wikipetiquette|politely]] &mdash; one gets more flies with honey) and asking others to help. See [[Help:Dispute_resolution|Dispute resolution]] for more ideas. There must surely be a point beyond which our very strong interest in being a ''completely'' open project is trumped by the interest the vast majority of our writers have, in being able to get work done without constantly having to fix the intrusions of people who do not respect our policy.<br />
<br />
=== Avoiding constant disputes ===<br />
<br />
''How can we avoid constant and endless warfare over neutrality issues?''<br />
<br />
The best way to avoid warfare over bias is to remember that most of us are reasonably intelligent, articulate people here, or we wouldn't be working on this and caring so much about it. We have to make it our goal to understand each others' perspectives and to work hard to make sure that those other perspectives are fairly represented. When any dispute arises as to what the article should say, or what is true, we must not adopt an adversarial stance; we must do our best to step back and ask ourselves, "How can this dispute be fairly characterized?" This has to be asked repeatedly as each new controversial point is stated. It is not our job to edit Cacheopedia so that it reflects our own idiosyncratic views and then defend those edits against all-comers; it is our job to work together, mainly adding new content, but also, when necessary, coming to a compromise about how a controversy should be described, so that it is fair to all sides.<br />
<br />
=== Writing for the "enemy" POV ===<br />
<br />
''I'm not convinced by what you say about "writing for the enemy." I don't want to write for the enemy. Most of them rely on stating as fact many things which are demonstrably false. Are you saying that, to be neutral in writing an article, I must ''lie,'' in order to represent the view I disagree with?''<br />
<br />
This is a misunderstanding of what the neutrality policy says. ''You'' aren't claiming anything, except to say, "So-and-so argues that ____________, and therefore, ___________." This can be done with a straight face, with no moral compunctions, because you are attributing the claim to ''someone else.'' It's worth observing that scholars are trained so that, even when trying to prove a point, counter-arguments are included, so that they can explain why the counter-arguments fail.<br />
<br />
This can be a particularly touchy subject, and a large number of people can honestly fail to see the bias inherent in a popular term, simply because its the one commonly used. But it shouldn't take long to understand that the English wikipedia is a ''highly international project'', and its editors reflect many different points of view. Its important to note that this level of objectivity is rather new to most people, and disputes over the proper terms may simply depend on the balance of points of view.<br />
<br />
=== Other objections ===<br />
<br />
''I have some other objection. Where should I ask it?''<br />
<br />
Before asking it, please review the links below. Many issues surrounding the neutrality policy have been covered before very extensively. If you have some new contribution to make to the debate, you could try [[Talk:Neutral point of view]].<br />
<br />
== Other resources ==<br />
<br />
* [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]]<br />
* [[Help:Neutral point of view/Examples|Examples]]<br />
* [[Help:Words to avoid|Words to avoid]]<br />
* [[meta:Positive tone]]<br />
* [[Template:NPOV]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV}}</nowiki> message used to warn of problems<br />
* [[Template:NPOV-section]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV-section}}</nowiki> tags only a single section as disputed<br />
* [[Template:POV check]] - <nowiki>{{POV check}}</nowiki> message used to mark articles that may be biased. [[Template:bias]] (<nowiki>{{bias}}</nowiki> may be used for short)<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
* [[MeatBall:AssumeGoodFaith|AssumeGoodFaith]] and<br />
* [[MeatBall:NeutralPointOfView|NeutralPointOfView]], both on [[MeatballWiki]].<br />
* [http://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/6/mooney-science.asp Blinded By Science: How &#8216;Balanced&#8217; Coverage Lets the Scientific Fringe Hijack Reality] - Chris Mooney, Columbia Journalism Review. A valuable warning to Wikipedians about how attempts to balance the coverage can lead to biased, inaccurate and misleading reporting.</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Geocaching.com_forum
Geocaching.com forum
2005-05-21T20:05:12Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[Geocaching.com Forum]]</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Neutral_point_of_view
Neutral point of view
2005-05-21T20:04:37Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* Introduction */ fixed link</p>
<hr />
<div>Simply, think of yourself as a historian. Strive for facts, but reporting opinions of others can sometimes provide additional insight to an article. Attempt to credit others' opinions and avoid including your own.<br />
<br />
More complicatedly:<br />
<br />
Cacheopedia policy is that all articles should be written from a '''neutral point of view'''. <br />
<br />
For guidance on making an article conform to the neutral point of view (NPOV), please see the [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]].<br />
<br />
==Introduction==<br />
The '''neutral point of view policy''' states that articles should be written without [[Wikipedia:bias]], representing all views fairly.<br />
<br />
The policy is easily misunderstood. It doesn't assume that it's possible to write an article from a single, unbiased, objective point of view. The policy says that we should ''fairly represent'' all sides of a [[Wikipedia:dispute]], and not make an article state, imply, or insinuate that any one side is correct. It is crucial that [[Cacheopedian]]s work together to make articles unbiased. This comprises one of the great merits of Cacheopedia, and separates it from the [[Geocaching.com forum]]s.<br />
<br />
Writing unbiased text is an art that requires practice. <br />
<br />
===The basic concept of neutrality===<br />
<br />
At Cacheopedia, we use the terms "unbiased" and "neutral point of view" in a precise way that is different from the common understanding:<br />
<br />
:Articles without bias ''describe'' debates fairly rather than ''advocating'' any side of the debate. Since all articles are edited by people, this is difficult, as people are inherently biased.<br />
<br />
====The original formulation of NPOV====<br />
<br />
''A general purpose encyclopedia is a collection of synthesized knowledge presented from a neutral point of view. To whatever extent possible, encyclopedic writing should steer clear of taking any particular stance '''other than''' the stance of the neutral point of view.''<br />
<br />
''The neutral point of view attempts to present ideas and facts in such a fashion that both supporters and opponents can agree. Of course, 100% agreement is not possible; there are ideologues in the world who will not concede to any presentation other than a forceful statement of their own point of view. We can only seek a type of writing that is agreeable to essentially rational people who may differ on particular points.''<br />
<br />
''Some examples may help to drive home the point I am trying to make. '' <br />
<br />
''1. An encyclopedic article should not argue that corporations are criminals, even if the author believes it to be so. It should instead present the fact that ''some people'' believe it, and what their reasons are, and then as well it should present what the other side says.''<br />
<br />
''2. An encyclopedia article should not argue that laissez-faire capitalism is the best social system. [...] It should instead present the arguments of the advocates of that point of view, and the arguments of the people who disagree with that point of view.''<br />
<br />
''Perhaps the easiest way to make your writing more encyclopedic is to write about ''what people believe'', rather than ''what is so''. If this strikes you as somehow subjectivist or collectivist or imperialist, then ask me about it, because I think that you are just mistaken. What people believe is a matter of objective fact, and we can present ''that'' quite easily from the neutral point of view.''<br />
<br />
''--[[Jimbo Wales]], Wikipedia founder''<br />
<br />
===Why should Wikipedia be unbiased?===<br />
<br />
Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia. While it covers a niche topic, Geocaching, it still means this is a representation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge]] at some level of generality. But human beings disagree about specific cases; for any topic on which there are competing views, each view represents a different idea of what the truth is, and insofar as that view contradicts other views, its adherents believe that the other views are ''false'' and therefore not ''knowledge''. Where there is disagreement about what is true, there's disagreement about what constitutes knowledge. Wikipedia works because it's a collaborative effort; but, while collaborating, how can we solve the problem of endless "[[Wikipedia:edit war]]s" in which one person asserts that ''p,'' whereupon the next person changes the text so that it asserts ''not-p''?<br />
<br />
A solution is that we accept, for the purposes of working on Cacheopedia, that "human knowledge" includes ''all different'' '''significant''' theories on all different topics. So we're committed to the goal of representing human knowledge in ''that'' sense. Something like this is surely a well-established sense of the word "knowledge"; in this sense, what is "known" changes constantly with the passage of time, and when we use the word "know", we often use so-called [[Wikipedia:Quotation mark#Emphasis and ironic quotes|scare quotes]]. In the Middle Ages, we "knew" that demons caused diseases. We now "know" otherwise.<br />
<br />
We could sum up human knowledge (in this sense) in a biased way: we'd state a series of theories about topic T, and then claim that the truth about T is such-and-such. But again, consider that Cacheopedia is an international, collaborative project. Nearly every view on every subject will be found among our authors and readers. To avoid endless edit wars, we can agree to present each of the significant views fairly, and not assert any one of them as correct. That is what makes an article "unbiased" or "neutral" in the sense we are presenting here. To write from a neutral point of view, one presents controversial views without asserting them; to do ''that,'' it generally suffices to present competing views in a way that is more or less acceptable to their adherents, and also to ''attribute'' the views to their adherents. Disputes are '''characterized''' in Cacheopedia. They are not re-enacted.<br />
<br />
To sum up the primary reason for this policy: Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia, a compilation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge]]. But because Cacheopedia is a community-built, international resource, we cannot expect collaborators to agree in all cases, or even in many cases, on what constitutes knowledge in a strict sense. We can, therefore, adopt the looser sense of "human knowledge" according to which a wide variety of conflicting theories constitute what we call "knowledge." We should, both individually and collectively, make an effort to present these conflicting views fairly, without advocating any one of them, with the qualification that views held only by a tiny minority of people should not be represented as though they are significant minority views, and perhaps should not be represented at all.<br />
<br />
There is another reason to commit ourselves to this policy. Namely, when it is clear to readers that we do not expect them to adopt any particular opinion, this leaves them free to make up their minds for themselves, thus encouraging ''intellectual independence''.<br />
<br />
==What is the neutral point of view?==<br />
What we mean isn't obvious, and is easily misunderstood. There are many other valid interpretations of "unbiased," and "neutral". The notion of "unbiased writing" that informs Cacheopedia's policy is "presenting conflicting views without asserting them." This needs further clarification, as follows.<br />
<br />
First, and most importantly, consider what it means to say that unbiased writing presents conflicting views without asserting them. Unbiased writing does not present only the most popular view; it does not ''assert'' the most popular view is correct after presenting all views; it does not assert that some sort of intermediate view among the different views is the correct one. Presenting all points of view says, more or less, that ''p''-ists believe that ''p,'' and ''q''-ists believe that ''q,'' and that's where the debate stands at present. Ideally, presenting all points of view also gives a great deal of background on who believes that ''p'' and ''q'' and why, and which view is more popular (being careful not to associate ''popularity'' with ''correctness''). Detailed articles might also contain the mutual evaluations of the ''p''-ists and the ''q''-ists, allowing each side to give its "best shot" at the other, but studiously refraining from saying who won the exchange.<br />
<br />
A point here bears elaboration. We said that the neutral point of view is not, contrary to the seeming implication of the phrase, some actual ''point of view'' that is "neutral," or "intermediate," among the different positions. That represents a particular understanding of what "neutral point of view" means. The prevailing Cacheopedia understanding is that the neutral point of view is not a ''point of view'' at all; according to our understanding, when one writes neutrally, one is very careful not to state (or imply or insinuate or subtly massage the reader into believing) that ''any particular view at all'' is correct.<br />
<br />
'''Now an important qualification:''' Articles that compare views need not give minority views ''as much'' or as detailed a description as more popular views. We should not attempt to represent a dispute as if a view held by only a small minority of people deserved as much attention as a majority view. That may be misleading as to the shape of the dispute. If we are to represent the dispute fairly, we should present competing views in proportion to their representation among experts on the subject, or among the concerned parties. None of this, however, is to say that minority views cannot receive as much attention as we can possibly give them on pages specifically devoted to those views. There is no size limit to Cacheopedia. But even on such pages, though a view is spelled out possibly in great detail, we still make sure that the view is not represented as ''the truth.''<br />
<br />
Bias need not be conscious. For example, beginners in a field often fail to realize that what sounds like common sense is actually biased in favor of one particular view. (So we not infrequently need an expert in order to render the article entirely unbiased.) To take another example, writers can, without intent, propagate "geographical" bias, by for example describing a dispute ''as it is conducted in one country'' without knowing that the dispute is framed differently elsewhere.<br />
<br />
The policy of having a neutral point of view is not to ''hide'' different points of view, but to show the diversity of viewpoints. In case of controversy, the strong points and weak points will be shown according to each point of view, without taking a side. The neutral point of view is not a "[[Wikipedia:separate but equal]]" policy. The facts, in themselves, are neutral, but the simple accumulation of them cannot be the neutral point of view. If only the favorable facts of a point of view are shown in an article, the article will still be non-neutral.<br />
<br />
==The vital component: good research==<br />
<br />
Many POV battles would be made much easier through the practice of good research. Facts are not points of view in and of themselves. So an easy way to avoid making a statement that promotes a point of view is to find a reputable source for a fact and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite the source]]. This is an easy way to characterize a side of a debate without promoting a view. The trick is to find the best and most reputable source you can. Try the library for good books and journal articles, and look for the most reliable online resources. A little bit of ground work can save a lot of time in trying to justify a point later.<br />
<br />
The only other important consideration is that while a fact is not POV in and of itself, adding facts, no matter how well cited, from only one side of a debate is a POV problem. So work for balance. Find facts that aren't from one side or the other and '''cite the source'''.<br />
<br />
==A simple formulation==<br />
<br />
We sometimes give an alternative formulation of the non-bias policy: assert facts, including facts about opinions &mdash; but don't assert opinions themselves. There is a difference between facts and values, or opinions. By "fact," we mean "a piece of information about which there is no serious dispute." In this sense, that a survey produced a certain published result is a fact. That Mars is a planet is a fact. That Socrates was a philosopher is a fact. No one seriously disputes any of these things. So we can feel free to ''assert'' as many of them as we can.<br />
<br />
By value or opinion, on the other hand, we mean "a piece of information about which there is some dispute." There are bound to be [[meta:borderline case|borderline cases]] where we're not sure if we should take a particular dispute seriously; but there are many propositions that very clearly express values or opinions. That stealing is wrong is a value or opinion. That [[Wikipedia:the Beatles]] was the greatest band is a value or opinion. That the United States was wrong to drop the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a value or opinion. That God exists ... this can be a troublesome one. Whether God exists or not is a question of fact, not a question of value. But as the fact is essentially undiscoverable, so far as anyone knows, whether God exists will usually be couched in terms of opinion or value. To state as a fact that "the existence of God is an opinion", while seeming to be sensitive to the issue, implies that there is no fact being discussed ([[Wikipedia:postmodernism]] or [[Wikipedia:strong agnosticism]]), or that it is relatively unimportant ([[Wikipedia:secular]] bias).<br />
<br />
Cacheopedia is devoted to stating facts and only facts. Where we might want to state an opinion, we convert that opinion into a fact by ''attributing'' the opinion to someone. So, rather than asserting, "The Beatles were the greatest band", we can say, "Most Americans believe that the Beatles were the greatest band," which is a fact verifiable by survey results, or "The Beatles had many songs that made the [[Wikipedia:Billboard Hot 100]]," which is also fact. In the first instance we assert an opinion; in the second and third instances we "convert" that opinion into fact by attributing it to someone. It's important to note this formulation is substantially different from the "some people believe ..." formulation popular in political debates. The reference requires '''an identifiable and subjectively quantifiable population''' or, better still, '''a name'''. <br />
<br />
In presenting an opinion, moreover, it is important to bear in mind that there are disagreements about how opinions are best stated; sometimes, it will be necessary to qualify the description of an opinion or to present several formulations, simply to arrive at a solution that fairly represents all the leading views of the situation. (Theological and philosophical debates are particularly hard to frame in a non-biased way; this very page bears that out, as it posed in a previous incarnation as an example of an opinion, "God exists".)<br />
<br />
But it's not ''enough,'' to express the Cacheopedia non-bias policy, just to say that we should state facts and not opinions. When asserting a fact ''about an opinion,'' it is important ''also'' to assert facts ''about competing opinions,'' and to do so without implying that any one of the opinions is correct. It's also generally important to give the facts about the reasons behind the views, and to make it clear who holds them. (It's often best to cite a prominent representative of the view.)<br />
<br />
==Fairness and sympathetic tone==<br />
<br />
If we're going to characterize disputes fairly, we should present competing views with a consistently positive, sympathetic tone. Many articles end up as partisan commentary ''even while'' presenting both points of view. Even when a topic is presented in terms of facts rather than opinion, an article can still radiate an implied stance through either selection of which facts to present, or more subtly their organization &mdash; for instance, refuting opposing views as one goes along makes them look a lot worse than collecting them in an opinions-of-opponents section.<br />
<br />
We should, instead, write articles with the tone that ''all'' positions presented are at least plausible, bearing in mind the important qualification about extreme minority views. Let's present all significant, competing views sympathetically. We can write with the attitude that such-and-such is a good idea, except that, on the view of some detractors, the supporters of said view overlooked such-and-such a detail.<br />
<br />
==A consequence: writing for the enemy==<br />
<br />
Those who constantly attempt to advocate their views on politically charged topics, and who seem not to care about whether other points of view are represented fairly, are violating the non-bias policy ("write unbiasedly"). But the policy also entails that it is our job to speak for the other side, and not just avoid advocating our own views. If we don't commit ourselves to doing that, Cacheopedia will be weaker for it. We should all be engaged in explaining each other's points of view as sympathetically as possible.<br />
<br />
In saying this, we are spelling out what might have been obvious from an initial reading of the policy. If each of us is permitted to contribute biased stuff, then how is it possible that the policy is ever ''violated''? The policy ''says'', "Go thou and write unbiasedly". If that ''doesn't'' entail that each of us should fairly represent views with which we disagree, then what ''does'' it mean? Maybe you think it means, "Represent your own view fairly, and let others have a say." But consider, if we each take responsibility for ''the entire'' article when we hit "save", then when we make a change that represents ''our own'' views but not contrary views, or represents contrary views unfairly or incompletely, surely we are adding bias to Cacheopedia. Does it make sense ''not'' to take responsibility for the entire article? Does it make sense to take sentences and say, "These are mine"? Perhaps, but in a project that is so strongly and explicitly committed to neutrality, that attitude seems out of place.<br />
<br />
The other side might very well find your attempts to characterize their views substandard, but it's the thought that counts. In resolving disputes over neutrality issues, it's far better that we acknowledge that all sides must be presented fairly, and make at least a college try at presenting the other sides fairly. That will be appreciated much more than not trying at all.<br />
<br />
"Writing for the enemy" might make it seem as if we were adding ''deliberately'' flawed arguments to Cacheopedia, which would be a very strange thing to do. But it's better to view this (otherwise puzzling) behavior as adding the ''best'' (published) arguments of the opposition, citing some prominent person who has actually made the argument in the form in which you present it, and stating them as sympathetically as possible. Academics, e.g., philosophers, do this all the time. Always [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]], and make sure your sources are reputable, and you won't go far wrong.<br />
<br />
===An example===<br />
<br />
[[Wikipedia:User:Karada|Karada]] offered the following advice in the context of the [[Wikipedia:Saddam Hussein]] article:<br />
:You won't even ''need'' to say he was evil. That's why the article on [[Wikipedia:Hitler]] does not start with "Hitler was a bad man" &mdash; we don't need to, his deeds convict him a thousand times over. We just list the facts of the [[Wikipedia:Holocaust]] dispassionately, and the voices of the dead cry out afresh in a way that makes name-calling both pointless and unnecessary. Please do the same: list Saddam's crimes, and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]].<br />
<br />
==Objections and clarifications==<br />
<br />
What follows is a list of common objections, or questions, regarding Cacheopedia's non-bias policy, followed by replies.<br />
<br />
===There's no such thing as objectivity===<br />
<br />
''Everybody with any philosophical sophistication knows that. So how can we take the "neutrality" policy seriously? Neutrality, lack of bias, isn't possible.''<br />
<br />
This is probably the most common objection to the neutrality policy. It also reflects the most common ''misunderstanding'' of the policy. The misunderstanding is that the policy says something about the possibility of ''objectivity.'' It simply does not. In particular, the policy does ''not'' say that there even ''is'' such a thing as objectivity, a "view from nowhere" (in [[Wikipedia:Thomas Nagel]]'s phrase)--such that articles written from ''that'' point of view are consequently objectively true. That isn't the policy and it is not our aim! Rather, we employ a different understanding of "neutral" and "unbiased" than many might be used to. The policy is simply that we should characterize disputes rather than engage in them. To say ''this'' is not to say anything contentious, from a philosophical point of view; indeed, this is something that philosophers are doing all the time. Sophisticated relativists will immediately recognize that the policy is perfectly consistent with their relativism.<br />
<br />
If there's ''anything'' possibly contentious about the policy along these lines, it is the implication that it is ''possible'' to characterize disputes fairly, so that all the major participants will be able to look at the resulting text, agreeing that their views are presented sympathetically and as completely as possible (within the context of the discussion). It is an empirical question, not a philosophical one, whether this is possible; and that such a thing ''is'' indeed possible is evident simply by observing that such texts are being written daily by the most capable academics, encyclopedists, textbook writers, and journalists.<br />
<br />
This should not be construed to mean that there can be no objective truth in an encyclopedia, in the sense that easily obtainable documents should be quoted or referenced correctly when first-hand sources are available, even if there are second-hand sources which quote them incorrectly. Neutrality does not compel us to introduce inaccuracy when something can be directly verified. Neutrality dictates that there can be multiple prominent interpretations to the meaning or validity of a work, but often the contents can be objectively verified, especially in the case of modern documents.<br />
<br />
=== Anglo-American focus ===<br />
<br />
''Cacheopedia seems to have an Anglo-American focus. Is this contrary to the neutral point of view?''<br />
<br />
Yes, it is, especially when dealing with articles that require an international perspective. The presence of articles written from a United States or British perspective is simply a reflection of the fact that there are many U.S. and British citizens working on the project, which in turn is a reflection of the fact that so many of them are online. This is an ongoing problem that should be corrected by active collaboration from people from other countries. But rather than introducing their own cultural bias, they should seek to improve articles by removing any examples of cultural bias that they encounter. <br />
<br />
===Lack of neutrality as an excuse to delete===<br />
<br />
''The neutrality policy is used sometimes as an excuse to delete texts that are perceived as biased. Isn't this a problem?''<br />
<br />
In many cases, yes. Many of us believe that the fact that some text is biased is not enough, in itself, to delete it outright. If it contains valid information, the text should simply be edited accordingly.<br />
<br />
There's sometimes trouble determining whether some claim is true or useful, particularly when there are few people on board who know about the topic. In such a case, it's a good idea to raise objections on a [[Help:talk page]]; if one has some reason to believe that the author of the biased material will not be induced to change it, we have sometimes taken to removing the text to the talk page itself (but not deleting it entirely). But the latter should be done more or less as a last resort, never as a way of punishing people who have written something biased.<br />
<br />
=== Dealing with biased contributors ===<br />
<br />
''I agree with the nonbias policy but there are some here who seem completely, irremediably biased. I have to go around and clean up after them. What do I do?''<br />
<br />
Unless the case is really egregious, maybe the best thing is to call attention to the problem publicly, pointing the perpetrators to this page (but [[Help:Wikipetiquette|politely]] &mdash; one gets more flies with honey) and asking others to help. See [[Help:Dispute_resolution|Dispute resolution]] for more ideas. There must surely be a point beyond which our very strong interest in being a ''completely'' open project is trumped by the interest the vast majority of our writers have, in being able to get work done without constantly having to fix the intrusions of people who do not respect our policy.<br />
<br />
=== Avoiding constant disputes ===<br />
<br />
''How can we avoid constant and endless warfare over neutrality issues?''<br />
<br />
The best way to avoid warfare over bias is to remember that most of us are reasonably intelligent, articulate people here, or we wouldn't be working on this and caring so much about it. We have to make it our goal to understand each others' perspectives and to work hard to make sure that those other perspectives are fairly represented. When any dispute arises as to what the article should say, or what is true, we must not adopt an adversarial stance; we must do our best to step back and ask ourselves, "How can this dispute be fairly characterized?" This has to be asked repeatedly as each new controversial point is stated. It is not our job to edit Cacheopedia so that it reflects our own idiosyncratic views and then defend those edits against all-comers; it is our job to work together, mainly adding new content, but also, when necessary, coming to a compromise about how a controversy should be described, so that it is fair to all sides.<br />
<br />
=== Writing for the "enemy" POV ===<br />
<br />
''I'm not convinced by what you say about "writing for the enemy." I don't want to write for the enemy. Most of them rely on stating as fact many things which are demonstrably false. Are you saying that, to be neutral in writing an article, I must ''lie,'' in order to represent the view I disagree with?''<br />
<br />
This is a misunderstanding of what the neutrality policy says. ''You'' aren't claiming anything, except to say, "So-and-so argues that ____________, and therefore, ___________." This can be done with a straight face, with no moral compunctions, because you are attributing the claim to ''someone else.'' It's worth observing that scholars are trained so that, even when trying to prove a point, counter-arguments are included, so that they can explain why the counter-arguments fail.<br />
<br />
This can be a particularly touchy subject, and a large number of people can honestly fail to see the bias inherent in a popular term, simply because its the one commonly used. But it shouldn't take long to understand that the English wikipedia is a ''highly international project'', and its editors reflect many different points of view. Its important to note that this level of objectivity is rather new to most people, and disputes over the proper terms may simply depend on the balance of points of view.<br />
<br />
=== Other objections ===<br />
<br />
''I have some other objection. Where should I ask it?''<br />
<br />
Before asking it, please review the links below. Many issues surrounding the neutrality policy have been covered before very extensively. If you have some new contribution to make to the debate, you could try [[Talk:Neutral point of view]].<br />
<br />
== Other resources ==<br />
<br />
* [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]]<br />
* [[Help:Neutral point of view/Examples|Examples]]<br />
* [[Help:Words to avoid|Words to avoid]]<br />
* [[meta:Positive tone]]<br />
* [[Template:NPOV]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV}}</nowiki> message used to warn of problems<br />
* [[Template:NPOV-section]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV-section}}</nowiki> tags only a single section as disputed<br />
* [[Template:POV check]] - <nowiki>{{POV check}}</nowiki> message used to mark articles that may be biased. [[Template:bias]] (<nowiki>{{bias}}</nowiki> may be used for short)<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
* [[MeatBall:AssumeGoodFaith|AssumeGoodFaith]] and<br />
* [[MeatBall:NeutralPointOfView|NeutralPointOfView]], both on [[MeatballWiki]].<br />
* [http://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/6/mooney-science.asp Blinded By Science: How &#8216;Balanced&#8217; Coverage Lets the Scientific Fringe Hijack Reality] - Chris Mooney, Columbia Journalism Review. A valuable warning to Wikipedians about how attempts to balance the coverage can lead to biased, inaccurate and misleading reporting.</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Cacheopedian
Cacheopedian
2005-05-21T20:04:07Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>You! You who are here reading or editing [[Cacheopedia]].<br />
<br />
{{Stub}}</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Neutral_point_of_view
Neutral point of view
2005-05-21T20:03:36Z
<p>Lunaverse: Added article</p>
<hr />
<div>Simply, think of yourself as a historian. Strive for facts, but reporting opinions of others can sometimes provide additional insight to an article. Attempt to credit others' opinions and avoid including your own.<br />
<br />
More complicatedly:<br />
<br />
Cacheopedia policy is that all articles should be written from a '''neutral point of view'''. <br />
<br />
For guidance on making an article conform to the neutral point of view (NPOV), please see the [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]].<br />
<br />
==Introduction==<br />
The '''neutral point of view policy''' states that articles should be written without [[Wikipedia:bias]], representing all views fairly.<br />
<br />
The policy is easily misunderstood. It doesn't assume that it's possible to write an article from a single, unbiased, objective point of view. The policy says that we should ''fairly represent'' all sides of a [[Wikipedia:dispute]], and not make an article state, imply, or insinuate that any one side is correct. It is crucial that [[Cacheopedian]]s work together to make articles unbiased. This comprises one of the great merits of Cacheopedia, and separates it from the [[Geocaching.com forums]].<br />
<br />
Writing unbiased text is an art that requires practice. <br />
<br />
===The basic concept of neutrality===<br />
<br />
At Cacheopedia, we use the terms "unbiased" and "neutral point of view" in a precise way that is different from the common understanding:<br />
<br />
:Articles without bias ''describe'' debates fairly rather than ''advocating'' any side of the debate. Since all articles are edited by people, this is difficult, as people are inherently biased.<br />
<br />
====The original formulation of NPOV====<br />
<br />
''A general purpose encyclopedia is a collection of synthesized knowledge presented from a neutral point of view. To whatever extent possible, encyclopedic writing should steer clear of taking any particular stance '''other than''' the stance of the neutral point of view.''<br />
<br />
''The neutral point of view attempts to present ideas and facts in such a fashion that both supporters and opponents can agree. Of course, 100% agreement is not possible; there are ideologues in the world who will not concede to any presentation other than a forceful statement of their own point of view. We can only seek a type of writing that is agreeable to essentially rational people who may differ on particular points.''<br />
<br />
''Some examples may help to drive home the point I am trying to make. '' <br />
<br />
''1. An encyclopedic article should not argue that corporations are criminals, even if the author believes it to be so. It should instead present the fact that ''some people'' believe it, and what their reasons are, and then as well it should present what the other side says.''<br />
<br />
''2. An encyclopedia article should not argue that laissez-faire capitalism is the best social system. [...] It should instead present the arguments of the advocates of that point of view, and the arguments of the people who disagree with that point of view.''<br />
<br />
''Perhaps the easiest way to make your writing more encyclopedic is to write about ''what people believe'', rather than ''what is so''. If this strikes you as somehow subjectivist or collectivist or imperialist, then ask me about it, because I think that you are just mistaken. What people believe is a matter of objective fact, and we can present ''that'' quite easily from the neutral point of view.''<br />
<br />
''--[[Jimbo Wales]], Wikipedia founder''<br />
<br />
===Why should Wikipedia be unbiased?===<br />
<br />
Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia. While it covers a niche topic, Geocaching, it still means this is a representation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge]] at some level of generality. But human beings disagree about specific cases; for any topic on which there are competing views, each view represents a different idea of what the truth is, and insofar as that view contradicts other views, its adherents believe that the other views are ''false'' and therefore not ''knowledge''. Where there is disagreement about what is true, there's disagreement about what constitutes knowledge. Wikipedia works because it's a collaborative effort; but, while collaborating, how can we solve the problem of endless "[[Wikipedia:edit war]]s" in which one person asserts that ''p,'' whereupon the next person changes the text so that it asserts ''not-p''?<br />
<br />
A solution is that we accept, for the purposes of working on Cacheopedia, that "human knowledge" includes ''all different'' '''significant''' theories on all different topics. So we're committed to the goal of representing human knowledge in ''that'' sense. Something like this is surely a well-established sense of the word "knowledge"; in this sense, what is "known" changes constantly with the passage of time, and when we use the word "know", we often use so-called [[Wikipedia:Quotation mark#Emphasis and ironic quotes|scare quotes]]. In the Middle Ages, we "knew" that demons caused diseases. We now "know" otherwise.<br />
<br />
We could sum up human knowledge (in this sense) in a biased way: we'd state a series of theories about topic T, and then claim that the truth about T is such-and-such. But again, consider that Cacheopedia is an international, collaborative project. Nearly every view on every subject will be found among our authors and readers. To avoid endless edit wars, we can agree to present each of the significant views fairly, and not assert any one of them as correct. That is what makes an article "unbiased" or "neutral" in the sense we are presenting here. To write from a neutral point of view, one presents controversial views without asserting them; to do ''that,'' it generally suffices to present competing views in a way that is more or less acceptable to their adherents, and also to ''attribute'' the views to their adherents. Disputes are '''characterized''' in Cacheopedia. They are not re-enacted.<br />
<br />
To sum up the primary reason for this policy: Cacheopedia is an encyclopedia, a compilation of human [[Wikipedia:knowledge]]. But because Cacheopedia is a community-built, international resource, we cannot expect collaborators to agree in all cases, or even in many cases, on what constitutes knowledge in a strict sense. We can, therefore, adopt the looser sense of "human knowledge" according to which a wide variety of conflicting theories constitute what we call "knowledge." We should, both individually and collectively, make an effort to present these conflicting views fairly, without advocating any one of them, with the qualification that views held only by a tiny minority of people should not be represented as though they are significant minority views, and perhaps should not be represented at all.<br />
<br />
There is another reason to commit ourselves to this policy. Namely, when it is clear to readers that we do not expect them to adopt any particular opinion, this leaves them free to make up their minds for themselves, thus encouraging ''intellectual independence''. <br />
<br />
==What is the neutral point of view?==<br />
What we mean isn't obvious, and is easily misunderstood. There are many other valid interpretations of "unbiased," and "neutral". The notion of "unbiased writing" that informs Cacheopedia's policy is "presenting conflicting views without asserting them." This needs further clarification, as follows.<br />
<br />
First, and most importantly, consider what it means to say that unbiased writing presents conflicting views without asserting them. Unbiased writing does not present only the most popular view; it does not ''assert'' the most popular view is correct after presenting all views; it does not assert that some sort of intermediate view among the different views is the correct one. Presenting all points of view says, more or less, that ''p''-ists believe that ''p,'' and ''q''-ists believe that ''q,'' and that's where the debate stands at present. Ideally, presenting all points of view also gives a great deal of background on who believes that ''p'' and ''q'' and why, and which view is more popular (being careful not to associate ''popularity'' with ''correctness''). Detailed articles might also contain the mutual evaluations of the ''p''-ists and the ''q''-ists, allowing each side to give its "best shot" at the other, but studiously refraining from saying who won the exchange.<br />
<br />
A point here bears elaboration. We said that the neutral point of view is not, contrary to the seeming implication of the phrase, some actual ''point of view'' that is "neutral," or "intermediate," among the different positions. That represents a particular understanding of what "neutral point of view" means. The prevailing Cacheopedia understanding is that the neutral point of view is not a ''point of view'' at all; according to our understanding, when one writes neutrally, one is very careful not to state (or imply or insinuate or subtly massage the reader into believing) that ''any particular view at all'' is correct.<br />
<br />
'''Now an important qualification:''' Articles that compare views need not give minority views ''as much'' or as detailed a description as more popular views. We should not attempt to represent a dispute as if a view held by only a small minority of people deserved as much attention as a majority view. That may be misleading as to the shape of the dispute. If we are to represent the dispute fairly, we should present competing views in proportion to their representation among experts on the subject, or among the concerned parties. None of this, however, is to say that minority views cannot receive as much attention as we can possibly give them on pages specifically devoted to those views. There is no size limit to Cacheopedia. But even on such pages, though a view is spelled out possibly in great detail, we still make sure that the view is not represented as ''the truth.''<br />
<br />
Bias need not be conscious. For example, beginners in a field often fail to realize that what sounds like common sense is actually biased in favor of one particular view. (So we not infrequently need an expert in order to render the article entirely unbiased.) To take another example, writers can, without intent, propagate "geographical" bias, by for example describing a dispute ''as it is conducted in one country'' without knowing that the dispute is framed differently elsewhere.<br />
<br />
The policy of having a neutral point of view is not to ''hide'' different points of view, but to show the diversity of viewpoints. In case of controversy, the strong points and weak points will be shown according to each point of view, without taking a side. The neutral point of view is not a "[[Wikipedia:separate but equal]]" policy. The facts, in themselves, are neutral, but the simple accumulation of them cannot be the neutral point of view. If only the favorable facts of a point of view are shown in an article, the article will still be non-neutral.<br />
<br />
==The vital component: good research==<br />
<br />
Many POV battles would be made much easier through the practice of good research. Facts are not points of view in and of themselves. So an easy way to avoid making a statement that promotes a point of view is to find a reputable source for a fact and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite the source]]. This is an easy way to characterize a side of a debate without promoting a view. The trick is to find the best and most reputable source you can. Try the library for good books and journal articles, and look for the most reliable online resources. A little bit of ground work can save a lot of time in trying to justify a point later.<br />
<br />
The only other important consideration is that while a fact is not POV in and of itself, adding facts, no matter how well cited, from only one side of a debate is a POV problem. So work for balance. Find facts that aren't from one side or the other and '''cite the source'''.<br />
<br />
==A simple formulation==<br />
<br />
We sometimes give an alternative formulation of the non-bias policy: assert facts, including facts about opinions &mdash; but don't assert opinions themselves. There is a difference between facts and values, or opinions. By "fact," we mean "a piece of information about which there is no serious dispute." In this sense, that a survey produced a certain published result is a fact. That Mars is a planet is a fact. That Socrates was a philosopher is a fact. No one seriously disputes any of these things. So we can feel free to ''assert'' as many of them as we can.<br />
<br />
By value or opinion, on the other hand, we mean "a piece of information about which there is some dispute." There are bound to be [[meta:borderline case|borderline cases]] where we're not sure if we should take a particular dispute seriously; but there are many propositions that very clearly express values or opinions. That stealing is wrong is a value or opinion. That [[Wikipedia:the Beatles]] was the greatest band is a value or opinion. That the United States was wrong to drop the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a value or opinion. That God exists ... this can be a troublesome one. Whether God exists or not is a question of fact, not a question of value. But as the fact is essentially undiscoverable, so far as anyone knows, whether God exists will usually be couched in terms of opinion or value. To state as a fact that "the existence of God is an opinion", while seeming to be sensitive to the issue, implies that there is no fact being discussed ([[Wikipedia:postmodernism]] or [[Wikipedia:strong agnosticism]]), or that it is relatively unimportant ([[Wikipedia:secular]] bias).<br />
<br />
Cacheopedia is devoted to stating facts and only facts. Where we might want to state an opinion, we convert that opinion into a fact by ''attributing'' the opinion to someone. So, rather than asserting, "The Beatles were the greatest band", we can say, "Most Americans believe that the Beatles were the greatest band," which is a fact verifiable by survey results, or "The Beatles had many songs that made the [[Wikipedia:Billboard Hot 100]]," which is also fact. In the first instance we assert an opinion; in the second and third instances we "convert" that opinion into fact by attributing it to someone. It's important to note this formulation is substantially different from the "some people believe ..." formulation popular in political debates. The reference requires '''an identifiable and subjectively quantifiable population''' or, better still, '''a name'''. <br />
<br />
In presenting an opinion, moreover, it is important to bear in mind that there are disagreements about how opinions are best stated; sometimes, it will be necessary to qualify the description of an opinion or to present several formulations, simply to arrive at a solution that fairly represents all the leading views of the situation. (Theological and philosophical debates are particularly hard to frame in a non-biased way; this very page bears that out, as it posed in a previous incarnation as an example of an opinion, "God exists".)<br />
<br />
But it's not ''enough,'' to express the Cacheopedia non-bias policy, just to say that we should state facts and not opinions. When asserting a fact ''about an opinion,'' it is important ''also'' to assert facts ''about competing opinions,'' and to do so without implying that any one of the opinions is correct. It's also generally important to give the facts about the reasons behind the views, and to make it clear who holds them. (It's often best to cite a prominent representative of the view.)<br />
<br />
==Fairness and sympathetic tone==<br />
<br />
If we're going to characterize disputes fairly, we should present competing views with a consistently positive, sympathetic tone. Many articles end up as partisan commentary ''even while'' presenting both points of view. Even when a topic is presented in terms of facts rather than opinion, an article can still radiate an implied stance through either selection of which facts to present, or more subtly their organization &mdash; for instance, refuting opposing views as one goes along makes them look a lot worse than collecting them in an opinions-of-opponents section.<br />
<br />
We should, instead, write articles with the tone that ''all'' positions presented are at least plausible, bearing in mind the important qualification about extreme minority views. Let's present all significant, competing views sympathetically. We can write with the attitude that such-and-such is a good idea, except that, on the view of some detractors, the supporters of said view overlooked such-and-such a detail.<br />
<br />
==A consequence: writing for the enemy==<br />
<br />
Those who constantly attempt to advocate their views on politically charged topics, and who seem not to care about whether other points of view are represented fairly, are violating the non-bias policy ("write unbiasedly"). But the policy also entails that it is our job to speak for the other side, and not just avoid advocating our own views. If we don't commit ourselves to doing that, Cacheopedia will be weaker for it. We should all be engaged in explaining each other's points of view as sympathetically as possible.<br />
<br />
In saying this, we are spelling out what might have been obvious from an initial reading of the policy. If each of us is permitted to contribute biased stuff, then how is it possible that the policy is ever ''violated''? The policy ''says'', "Go thou and write unbiasedly". If that ''doesn't'' entail that each of us should fairly represent views with which we disagree, then what ''does'' it mean? Maybe you think it means, "Represent your own view fairly, and let others have a say." But consider, if we each take responsibility for ''the entire'' article when we hit "save", then when we make a change that represents ''our own'' views but not contrary views, or represents contrary views unfairly or incompletely, surely we are adding bias to Cacheopedia. Does it make sense ''not'' to take responsibility for the entire article? Does it make sense to take sentences and say, "These are mine"? Perhaps, but in a project that is so strongly and explicitly committed to neutrality, that attitude seems out of place.<br />
<br />
The other side might very well find your attempts to characterize their views substandard, but it's the thought that counts. In resolving disputes over neutrality issues, it's far better that we acknowledge that all sides must be presented fairly, and make at least a college try at presenting the other sides fairly. That will be appreciated much more than not trying at all.<br />
<br />
"Writing for the enemy" might make it seem as if we were adding ''deliberately'' flawed arguments to Cacheopedia, which would be a very strange thing to do. But it's better to view this (otherwise puzzling) behavior as adding the ''best'' (published) arguments of the opposition, citing some prominent person who has actually made the argument in the form in which you present it, and stating them as sympathetically as possible. Academics, e.g., philosophers, do this all the time. Always [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]], and make sure your sources are reputable, and you won't go far wrong.<br />
<br />
===An example===<br />
<br />
[[Wikipedia:User:Karada|Karada]] offered the following advice in the context of the [[Wikipedia:Saddam Hussein]] article:<br />
:You won't even ''need'' to say he was evil. That's why the article on [[Wikipedia:Hitler]] does not start with "Hitler was a bad man" &mdash; we don't need to, his deeds convict him a thousand times over. We just list the facts of the [[Wikipedia:Holocaust]] dispassionately, and the voices of the dead cry out afresh in a way that makes name-calling both pointless and unnecessary. Please do the same: list Saddam's crimes, and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite your sources]].<br />
<br />
==Objections and clarifications==<br />
<br />
What follows is a list of common objections, or questions, regarding Cacheopedia's non-bias policy, followed by replies.<br />
<br />
===There's no such thing as objectivity===<br />
<br />
''Everybody with any philosophical sophistication knows that. So how can we take the "neutrality" policy seriously? Neutrality, lack of bias, isn't possible.''<br />
<br />
This is probably the most common objection to the neutrality policy. It also reflects the most common ''misunderstanding'' of the policy. The misunderstanding is that the policy says something about the possibility of ''objectivity.'' It simply does not. In particular, the policy does ''not'' say that there even ''is'' such a thing as objectivity, a "view from nowhere" (in [[Wikipedia:Thomas Nagel]]'s phrase)--such that articles written from ''that'' point of view are consequently objectively true. That isn't the policy and it is not our aim! Rather, we employ a different understanding of "neutral" and "unbiased" than many might be used to. The policy is simply that we should characterize disputes rather than engage in them. To say ''this'' is not to say anything contentious, from a philosophical point of view; indeed, this is something that philosophers are doing all the time. Sophisticated relativists will immediately recognize that the policy is perfectly consistent with their relativism.<br />
<br />
If there's ''anything'' possibly contentious about the policy along these lines, it is the implication that it is ''possible'' to characterize disputes fairly, so that all the major participants will be able to look at the resulting text, agreeing that their views are presented sympathetically and as completely as possible (within the context of the discussion). It is an empirical question, not a philosophical one, whether this is possible; and that such a thing ''is'' indeed possible is evident simply by observing that such texts are being written daily by the most capable academics, encyclopedists, textbook writers, and journalists.<br />
<br />
This should not be construed to mean that there can be no objective truth in an encyclopedia, in the sense that easily obtainable documents should be quoted or referenced correctly when first-hand sources are available, even if there are second-hand sources which quote them incorrectly. Neutrality does not compel us to introduce inaccuracy when something can be directly verified. Neutrality dictates that there can be multiple prominent interpretations to the meaning or validity of a work, but often the contents can be objectively verified, especially in the case of modern documents.<br />
<br />
=== Anglo-American focus ===<br />
<br />
''Cacheopedia seems to have an Anglo-American focus. Is this contrary to the neutral point of view?''<br />
<br />
Yes, it is, especially when dealing with articles that require an international perspective. The presence of articles written from a United States or British perspective is simply a reflection of the fact that there are many U.S. and British citizens working on the project, which in turn is a reflection of the fact that so many of them are online. This is an ongoing problem that should be corrected by active collaboration from people from other countries. But rather than introducing their own cultural bias, they should seek to improve articles by removing any examples of cultural bias that they encounter. <br />
<br />
===Lack of neutrality as an excuse to delete===<br />
<br />
''The neutrality policy is used sometimes as an excuse to delete texts that are perceived as biased. Isn't this a problem?''<br />
<br />
In many cases, yes. Many of us believe that the fact that some text is biased is not enough, in itself, to delete it outright. If it contains valid information, the text should simply be edited accordingly.<br />
<br />
There's sometimes trouble determining whether some claim is true or useful, particularly when there are few people on board who know about the topic. In such a case, it's a good idea to raise objections on a [[Help:talk page]]; if one has some reason to believe that the author of the biased material will not be induced to change it, we have sometimes taken to removing the text to the talk page itself (but not deleting it entirely). But the latter should be done more or less as a last resort, never as a way of punishing people who have written something biased.<br />
<br />
=== Dealing with biased contributors ===<br />
<br />
''I agree with the nonbias policy but there are some here who seem completely, irremediably biased. I have to go around and clean up after them. What do I do?''<br />
<br />
Unless the case is really egregious, maybe the best thing is to call attention to the problem publicly, pointing the perpetrators to this page (but [[Help:Wikipetiquette|politely]] &mdash; one gets more flies with honey) and asking others to help. See [[Help:Dispute_resolution|Dispute resolution]] for more ideas. There must surely be a point beyond which our very strong interest in being a ''completely'' open project is trumped by the interest the vast majority of our writers have, in being able to get work done without constantly having to fix the intrusions of people who do not respect our policy.<br />
<br />
=== Avoiding constant disputes ===<br />
<br />
''How can we avoid constant and endless warfare over neutrality issues?''<br />
<br />
The best way to avoid warfare over bias is to remember that most of us are reasonably intelligent, articulate people here, or we wouldn't be working on this and caring so much about it. We have to make it our goal to understand each others' perspectives and to work hard to make sure that those other perspectives are fairly represented. When any dispute arises as to what the article should say, or what is true, we must not adopt an adversarial stance; we must do our best to step back and ask ourselves, "How can this dispute be fairly characterized?" This has to be asked repeatedly as each new controversial point is stated. It is not our job to edit Cacheopedia so that it reflects our own idiosyncratic views and then defend those edits against all-comers; it is our job to work together, mainly adding new content, but also, when necessary, coming to a compromise about how a controversy should be described, so that it is fair to all sides.<br />
<br />
=== Writing for the "enemy" POV ===<br />
<br />
''I'm not convinced by what you say about "writing for the enemy." I don't want to write for the enemy. Most of them rely on stating as fact many things which are demonstrably false. Are you saying that, to be neutral in writing an article, I must ''lie,'' in order to represent the view I disagree with?''<br />
<br />
This is a misunderstanding of what the neutrality policy says. ''You'' aren't claiming anything, except to say, "So-and-so argues that ____________, and therefore, ___________." This can be done with a straight face, with no moral compunctions, because you are attributing the claim to ''someone else.'' It's worth observing that scholars are trained so that, even when trying to prove a point, counter-arguments are included, so that they can explain why the counter-arguments fail.<br />
<br />
This can be a particularly touchy subject, and a large number of people can honestly fail to see the bias inherent in a popular term, simply because its the one commonly used. But it shouldn't take long to understand that the English wikipedia is a ''highly international project'', and its editors reflect many different points of view. Its important to note that this level of objectivity is rather new to most people, and disputes over the proper terms may simply depend on the balance of points of view.<br />
<br />
=== Other objections ===<br />
<br />
''I have some other objection. Where should I ask it?''<br />
<br />
Before asking it, please review the links below. Many issues surrounding the neutrality policy have been covered before very extensively. If you have some new contribution to make to the debate, you could try [[Talk:Neutral point of view]].<br />
<br />
== Other resources ==<br />
<br />
* [[Help:NPOV tutorial|NPOV tutorial]]<br />
* [[Help:Neutral point of view/Examples|Examples]]<br />
* [[Help:Words to avoid|Words to avoid]]<br />
* [[meta:Positive tone]]<br />
* [[Template:NPOV]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV}}</nowiki> message used to warn of problems<br />
* [[Template:NPOV-section]] - <nowiki>{{NPOV-section}}</nowiki> tags only a single section as disputed<br />
* [[Template:POV check]] - <nowiki>{{POV check}}</nowiki> message used to mark articles that may be biased. [[Template:bias]] (<nowiki>{{bias}}</nowiki> may be used for short)<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
* [[MeatBall:AssumeGoodFaith|AssumeGoodFaith]] and<br />
* [[MeatBall:NeutralPointOfView|NeutralPointOfView]], both on [[MeatballWiki]].<br />
* [http://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/6/mooney-science.asp Blinded By Science: How &#8216;Balanced&#8217; Coverage Lets the Scientific Fringe Hijack Reality] - Chris Mooney, Columbia Journalism Review. A valuable warning to Wikipedians about how attempts to balance the coverage can lead to biased, inaccurate and misleading reporting.</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:How_to_use_redirect_pages
Help:How to use redirect pages
2005-05-21T19:43:38Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* Related topics */</p>
<hr />
<div><!-- Huh what?<br />
<br />
''(To go to an interwiki redirect click {{SERVER}}{{localurl:X|redirect=no}} and change the page name (here X) in the address bar of the browser. Type it in canonical form, i.e., starting with a capital and with underscores for spaces.)''<br />
<br />
For general info on '''redirects''' in [[MediaWiki]], see [[meta:redirect]] &mdash; part of the [[meta:Help:Contents|MediaWiki User's Guide]]. This article discusses policy on the use and abuse of redirects on the English Wikipedia. Other MediaWiki projects may have different approaches.<br />
<br />
--><br />
<br />
==How to make a redirect==<br />
<br />
To redirect a page (1) to a different page (2), enter on the top of page 1:<br />
<br />
'''<nowiki>#REDIRECT [[NAME OF PAGE 2]]</nowiki>'''<br />
<br />
For example, to redirect the [{{SERVER}}{{localurl:CUSU|redirect=no}} NPoV] page to the [[Neutral point of view]] page, [{{SERVER}}{{localurl:NPoV|action=edit}} edit] the NPoV page and enter:<br />
<br />
'''<nowiki>#REDIRECT [[Neutral point of view]]</nowiki>'''<br />
<br />
Everything after the redirect line will be blanked when you save the page. Any text on the same line as the redirect will stay, but will not be visible unless someone edits the page.<br />
<!--<br />
It's possible to add a text in the same line after the #REDIRECT to describe why it had been created. There is a [[Wikipedia:Template messages/Redirect pages|list of Redirect message templates]] (with titles starting with "R_") in the Template namespace that may be used for this, e.g. <nowiki>{</nowiki>{R_to_sort_name}} displays [[Template:R_to_sort_name]], e.g. on <br />
[{{SERVER}}{{localurl:Aasen, Ivar Andreas|redirect=no}} Aasen,_Ivar_Andreas] ''(if you click this link, you won't be redirected. When you click 'Edit this page' there, you will see how it can be used)''. '''Note: This feature is broken right now. See the [[MediaZilla:927|bug report]].'''<br />
--><br />
<br />
More examples are included below:<br />
<br />
== What do we use redirects for? ==<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from abbreviation|Abbreviations]]: [[DSM-IV]] redirects to [[Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from abbreviation|samples]])<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from misspelling|Misspellings]]: [[Condoleeza Rice]] redirects to [[Condoleezza Rice]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from misspelling|samples]])<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R aiding writing|Aiding writing]]: [[planet Mars]] redirects to [[Mars (planet)]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R aiding writing|samples]])<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from alternate spelling|Other spellings]]: [[colour]] redirects to [[color]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from alternate spelling|samples]])<br />
** Other punctuation: [[Al-Jazeera]] redirects to [[Al Jazeera]]<br />
** [[Template:R for alternate capitalisation|Other capitalisations]]: [[Natural Selection]] redirects to [[Natural selection]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R for alternate capitalisation|samples]]).<br />
<br />
* To enable case-insensitive searching: Adding a redirect for articles with mixed case titles allows searches for these articles to be case-insensitive. For example, without the redirect [[Isle of wight]] a search for any capitalization other than exactly 'Isle of Wight' would not find the article [[Isle of Wight]]. These search related redirects are needed only if the article title has more than two words and words following the first have different capitalizations.<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from alternate name|Other names]]: [[Wellie throwing]] redirects to [[Wellie wanging]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from alternate name|samples]])<br />
** Pseudonyms, nicknames: [[Butcher of Kurdistan]] redirects to [[Ali Hassan al-Majid]], [[Rev. Fred Phelps]] redirects to [[Fred Phelps]]<br />
** Synonyms: [[Linear operator]] redirects to [[Linear transformation]]<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from alternate language|Other languages]]: [[The Abduction from the Seraglio]] redirects to [[Die Entführung aus dem Serail]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from alternate language|samples]])<br />
** [[Template:R from ASCII|Accents]]: [[Kurt Goedel]] and [[Kurt Godel]] redirect to [[Kurt Gödel]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from ASCII|samples]])<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from plural|Plurals]], tenses, etc.: [[greenhouse gases]] redirects to [[greenhouse gas]], etc. <br />
** Note that <nowiki>[[greenhouse gas]]es</nowiki> shows up as [[greenhouse gas]]es, so it is not usually necessary to redirect plurals<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from related word|Related words]]: [[Symbiont]] redirects to [[Symbiosis]]<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R with possibilities|Sub-topics or closely related topics that should be explained within the text]]: [[Distributed denial of service]] redirects to [[Denial of service]]<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R to disambiguation page|Facilitate disambiguation]]: [[America (disambiguation)]] redirects to [[America]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R to disambiguation page|samples]])<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R for as of|To track statements that date quickly]]: [[As of 2003]] redirects to [[2003]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R for as of|samples]])<br />
** See [[Wikipedia:As of]] for more info.<br />
<br />
* Avoiding broken links (see [[#Renamings and merges|below]])<br />
<br />
* Minor but notable topics<br />
<br />
[[Template:R with possibilities|Sub-topic redirects]] are often temporary, eventually being replaced by fully fledged articles on the sub-topic in question. Be conservative when creating sub-topic redirects &mdash; they can sometimes be counter-productive, because they disguise the absence of a proper article from editors. Sub-topic redirects should only be used where the main article has a section on the sub-topic. For example, [[denial of service]] has a section on distributed denial of service. Sub-topics should be '''boldfaced''' on their first appearance in the section, to indicate that they are in fact alternate titles or sub-titles.<br />
<br />
In accordance with [[Help:naming conventions]] it's best to have an article at a well-defined, unambiguous term, with redirects from looser colloquial terms, rather than vice versa.<br />
<br />
=== Renamings and merges ===<br />
We try to avoid broken links, because they annoy visitors. Therefore, if we change the layout of some section of Cacheopedia, or we merge two [[Help:duplicate articles|duplicate articles]], we always leave redirects in the old location to point to the new location. Search engines and visitors will probably have linked to ''that'' page at ''that'' url. If the page is deleted, potential new visitors from search engines will be greeted with an edit window. The same is true for anyone who previously bookmarked ''that'' page, and so on. <br />
<br />
On a small scale, this applies to cases where we had duplicate articles on some subject, or lots of twisty little stubs on different aspects of the same overall subject. On a larger scale, we've had a few fairly major reorganisations:<br />
<br />
* Moving away from [[Wikipedia:CamelCase]] article names<br />
* Moving away from having homepages in the article namespace <br />
* Moving away from using [[Wikipedia:subpages|subpages]] in the article namespace<br />
<br />
== When should we delete a redirect? ==<br />
<br />
To delete a redirect '''without replacing it with a new article''', list it on [[Cacheopedia:redirects for deletion|redirects for deletion]]. See [[Help:deletion policy|deletion policy]] for details on how to nominate pages for deletion.<br />
<br />
This isn't necessary if you just want to replace a redirect with an article: see [[meta:redirect#How do I change a redirect?|How do I change a redirect?]] for instructions on how to do this. If you want to ''swap'' a redirect and an article, but are not able to move the article to the location of the redirect please use [[Cacheopedia:Requested moves]] to request help from an [[Cacheopedia:Administrators|admin]] in doing that.<br />
<br />
<!-- If you modify this list, do the same to the copy at [[WP:RfD]]. --><br />
<!-- Apparently this is too complex for some people to follow. Let's try it this way, then. --><br />
{{Wikipedia:Redirect/DeletionReasons}}<br />
<br />
== What needs to be done on pages that are targets of redirects? ==<br />
We follow the "[[Help:Guide to writing better articles#Principle of least astonishment|principle of least astonishment]]" &mdash; after following a redirect, the readers's first question is likely to be: "hang on ... I wanted to read about ''this''. Why has the link taken me to ''that''?". Make it clear to the reader that they ''have'' arrived in the right place.<br />
<br />
Normally, we try to make sure that all "inbound redirects" are mentioned in the first couple of paragraphs of the article. For example:<br />
<br />
* '''Longships''' were boats used by the Vikings... <br />
** [[longship]], redirect from [[viking ship]]<br />
* '''Mario Party''' is a video game series...<br />
** [[Mario Party]], redirect from [[Mario Party 2]]<br />
* '''Edvard Munch''' ([[1863]]&ndash;[[1944]]) was ... The broadest collection of his works is at on display at the Munch Museum at...<br />
** [[Edvard Munch]], redirect from [[Munch Museum]]<br />
<br />
Don't cause a [[Wikipedia:secondary redirect|secondary redirect]]. They don't work like a primary redirect; same with tertiary redirects.<br />
<br />
== Self-links, duplicate links ==<br />
Avoid [[Help:Self link|self-links]], including self-links through redirects ("loop links"). Also, avoid having two links that go to the same place. These can confuse readers, and cause them to unnecessarily load the same page twice.<br />
<br />
== Related topics ==<br />
*[[Help:How to edit a page|How to edit a page]]<br />
*[[Help:How to rename (move) a page|How to rename (move) a page]]<br />
*[[Help:Redirects for deletion|Redirects for deletion]]<br />
*[[Help:Redirects with possibilities|Redirects with possibilities]]<br />
*Practice editing pages in our [[Sandbox]]!</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:How_to_use_redirect_pages
Help:How to use redirect pages
2005-05-21T19:43:03Z
<p>Lunaverse: /* Renamings and merges */</p>
<hr />
<div><!-- Huh what?<br />
<br />
''(To go to an interwiki redirect click {{SERVER}}{{localurl:X|redirect=no}} and change the page name (here X) in the address bar of the browser. Type it in canonical form, i.e., starting with a capital and with underscores for spaces.)''<br />
<br />
For general info on '''redirects''' in [[MediaWiki]], see [[meta:redirect]] &mdash; part of the [[meta:Help:Contents|MediaWiki User's Guide]]. This article discusses policy on the use and abuse of redirects on the English Wikipedia. Other MediaWiki projects may have different approaches.<br />
<br />
--><br />
<br />
==How to make a redirect==<br />
<br />
To redirect a page (1) to a different page (2), enter on the top of page 1:<br />
<br />
'''<nowiki>#REDIRECT [[NAME OF PAGE 2]]</nowiki>'''<br />
<br />
For example, to redirect the [{{SERVER}}{{localurl:CUSU|redirect=no}} NPoV] page to the [[Neutral point of view]] page, [{{SERVER}}{{localurl:NPoV|action=edit}} edit] the NPoV page and enter:<br />
<br />
'''<nowiki>#REDIRECT [[Neutral point of view]]</nowiki>'''<br />
<br />
Everything after the redirect line will be blanked when you save the page. Any text on the same line as the redirect will stay, but will not be visible unless someone edits the page.<br />
<!--<br />
It's possible to add a text in the same line after the #REDIRECT to describe why it had been created. There is a [[Wikipedia:Template messages/Redirect pages|list of Redirect message templates]] (with titles starting with "R_") in the Template namespace that may be used for this, e.g. <nowiki>{</nowiki>{R_to_sort_name}} displays [[Template:R_to_sort_name]], e.g. on <br />
[{{SERVER}}{{localurl:Aasen, Ivar Andreas|redirect=no}} Aasen,_Ivar_Andreas] ''(if you click this link, you won't be redirected. When you click 'Edit this page' there, you will see how it can be used)''. '''Note: This feature is broken right now. See the [[MediaZilla:927|bug report]].'''<br />
--><br />
<br />
More examples are included below:<br />
<br />
== What do we use redirects for? ==<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from abbreviation|Abbreviations]]: [[DSM-IV]] redirects to [[Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from abbreviation|samples]])<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from misspelling|Misspellings]]: [[Condoleeza Rice]] redirects to [[Condoleezza Rice]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from misspelling|samples]])<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R aiding writing|Aiding writing]]: [[planet Mars]] redirects to [[Mars (planet)]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R aiding writing|samples]])<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from alternate spelling|Other spellings]]: [[colour]] redirects to [[color]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from alternate spelling|samples]])<br />
** Other punctuation: [[Al-Jazeera]] redirects to [[Al Jazeera]]<br />
** [[Template:R for alternate capitalisation|Other capitalisations]]: [[Natural Selection]] redirects to [[Natural selection]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R for alternate capitalisation|samples]]).<br />
<br />
* To enable case-insensitive searching: Adding a redirect for articles with mixed case titles allows searches for these articles to be case-insensitive. For example, without the redirect [[Isle of wight]] a search for any capitalization other than exactly 'Isle of Wight' would not find the article [[Isle of Wight]]. These search related redirects are needed only if the article title has more than two words and words following the first have different capitalizations.<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from alternate name|Other names]]: [[Wellie throwing]] redirects to [[Wellie wanging]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from alternate name|samples]])<br />
** Pseudonyms, nicknames: [[Butcher of Kurdistan]] redirects to [[Ali Hassan al-Majid]], [[Rev. Fred Phelps]] redirects to [[Fred Phelps]]<br />
** Synonyms: [[Linear operator]] redirects to [[Linear transformation]]<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from alternate language|Other languages]]: [[The Abduction from the Seraglio]] redirects to [[Die Entführung aus dem Serail]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from alternate language|samples]])<br />
** [[Template:R from ASCII|Accents]]: [[Kurt Goedel]] and [[Kurt Godel]] redirect to [[Kurt Gödel]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from ASCII|samples]])<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from plural|Plurals]], tenses, etc.: [[greenhouse gases]] redirects to [[greenhouse gas]], etc. <br />
** Note that <nowiki>[[greenhouse gas]]es</nowiki> shows up as [[greenhouse gas]]es, so it is not usually necessary to redirect plurals<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from related word|Related words]]: [[Symbiont]] redirects to [[Symbiosis]]<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R with possibilities|Sub-topics or closely related topics that should be explained within the text]]: [[Distributed denial of service]] redirects to [[Denial of service]]<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R to disambiguation page|Facilitate disambiguation]]: [[America (disambiguation)]] redirects to [[America]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R to disambiguation page|samples]])<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R for as of|To track statements that date quickly]]: [[As of 2003]] redirects to [[2003]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R for as of|samples]])<br />
** See [[Wikipedia:As of]] for more info.<br />
<br />
* Avoiding broken links (see [[#Renamings and merges|below]])<br />
<br />
* Minor but notable topics<br />
<br />
[[Template:R with possibilities|Sub-topic redirects]] are often temporary, eventually being replaced by fully fledged articles on the sub-topic in question. Be conservative when creating sub-topic redirects &mdash; they can sometimes be counter-productive, because they disguise the absence of a proper article from editors. Sub-topic redirects should only be used where the main article has a section on the sub-topic. For example, [[denial of service]] has a section on distributed denial of service. Sub-topics should be '''boldfaced''' on their first appearance in the section, to indicate that they are in fact alternate titles or sub-titles.<br />
<br />
In accordance with [[Help:naming conventions]] it's best to have an article at a well-defined, unambiguous term, with redirects from looser colloquial terms, rather than vice versa.<br />
<br />
=== Renamings and merges ===<br />
We try to avoid broken links, because they annoy visitors. Therefore, if we change the layout of some section of Cacheopedia, or we merge two [[Help:duplicate articles|duplicate articles]], we always leave redirects in the old location to point to the new location. Search engines and visitors will probably have linked to ''that'' page at ''that'' url. If the page is deleted, potential new visitors from search engines will be greeted with an edit window. The same is true for anyone who previously bookmarked ''that'' page, and so on. <br />
<br />
On a small scale, this applies to cases where we had duplicate articles on some subject, or lots of twisty little stubs on different aspects of the same overall subject. On a larger scale, we've had a few fairly major reorganisations:<br />
<br />
* Moving away from [[Wikipedia:CamelCase]] article names<br />
* Moving away from having homepages in the article namespace <br />
* Moving away from using [[Wikipedia:subpages|subpages]] in the article namespace<br />
<br />
== When should we delete a redirect? ==<br />
<br />
To delete a redirect '''without replacing it with a new article''', list it on [[Cacheopedia:redirects for deletion|redirects for deletion]]. See [[Help:deletion policy|deletion policy]] for details on how to nominate pages for deletion.<br />
<br />
This isn't necessary if you just want to replace a redirect with an article: see [[meta:redirect#How do I change a redirect?|How do I change a redirect?]] for instructions on how to do this. If you want to ''swap'' a redirect and an article, but are not able to move the article to the location of the redirect please use [[Cacheopedia:Requested moves]] to request help from an [[Cacheopedia:Administrators|admin]] in doing that.<br />
<br />
<!-- If you modify this list, do the same to the copy at [[WP:RfD]]. --><br />
<!-- Apparently this is too complex for some people to follow. Let's try it this way, then. --><br />
{{Wikipedia:Redirect/DeletionReasons}}<br />
<br />
== What needs to be done on pages that are targets of redirects? ==<br />
We follow the "[[Help:Guide to writing better articles#Principle of least astonishment|principle of least astonishment]]" &mdash; after following a redirect, the readers's first question is likely to be: "hang on ... I wanted to read about ''this''. Why has the link taken me to ''that''?". Make it clear to the reader that they ''have'' arrived in the right place.<br />
<br />
Normally, we try to make sure that all "inbound redirects" are mentioned in the first couple of paragraphs of the article. For example:<br />
<br />
* '''Longships''' were boats used by the Vikings... <br />
** [[longship]], redirect from [[viking ship]]<br />
* '''Mario Party''' is a video game series...<br />
** [[Mario Party]], redirect from [[Mario Party 2]]<br />
* '''Edvard Munch''' ([[1863]]&ndash;[[1944]]) was ... The broadest collection of his works is at on display at the Munch Museum at...<br />
** [[Edvard Munch]], redirect from [[Munch Museum]]<br />
<br />
Don't cause a [[Wikipedia:secondary redirect|secondary redirect]]. They don't work like a primary redirect; same with tertiary redirects.<br />
<br />
== Self-links, duplicate links ==<br />
Avoid [[Help:Self link|self-links]], including self-links through redirects ("loop links"). Also, avoid having two links that go to the same place. These can confuse readers, and cause them to unnecessarily load the same page twice.<br />
<br />
== Related topics ==<br />
*[[Help:How to edit a page|How to edit a page]]<br />
*[[Help:How to rename (move) a page|How to rename (move) a page]]<br />
*[[Help:Redirects for deletion|Redirects for deletion]]<br />
*[[Help:Redirects with possibilities|Redirects with possibilities]]<br />
*[[User:Daniel Quinlan/redirects]]-project<br />
*Practice editing pages in our [[Sandbox]]!</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help_talk:How_to_use_redirect_pages
Help talk:How to use redirect pages
2005-05-21T19:42:23Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>This page is full of Wikipedia examples. It will take forever to think up cacheopedia examples :/<br />
<br />
[[User:Lunaverse|Lunaverse]] 15:42, 21 May 2005 (EDT)</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:How_to_use_redirect_pages
Help:How to use redirect pages
2005-05-21T19:41:56Z
<p>Lunaverse: Made the page, blah blah</p>
<hr />
<div><!-- Huh what?<br />
<br />
''(To go to an interwiki redirect click {{SERVER}}{{localurl:X|redirect=no}} and change the page name (here X) in the address bar of the browser. Type it in canonical form, i.e., starting with a capital and with underscores for spaces.)''<br />
<br />
For general info on '''redirects''' in [[MediaWiki]], see [[meta:redirect]] &mdash; part of the [[meta:Help:Contents|MediaWiki User's Guide]]. This article discusses policy on the use and abuse of redirects on the English Wikipedia. Other MediaWiki projects may have different approaches.<br />
<br />
--><br />
<br />
==How to make a redirect==<br />
<br />
To redirect a page (1) to a different page (2), enter on the top of page 1:<br />
<br />
'''<nowiki>#REDIRECT [[NAME OF PAGE 2]]</nowiki>'''<br />
<br />
For example, to redirect the [{{SERVER}}{{localurl:CUSU|redirect=no}} NPoV] page to the [[Neutral point of view]] page, [{{SERVER}}{{localurl:NPoV|action=edit}} edit] the NPoV page and enter:<br />
<br />
'''<nowiki>#REDIRECT [[Neutral point of view]]</nowiki>'''<br />
<br />
Everything after the redirect line will be blanked when you save the page. Any text on the same line as the redirect will stay, but will not be visible unless someone edits the page.<br />
<!--<br />
It's possible to add a text in the same line after the #REDIRECT to describe why it had been created. There is a [[Wikipedia:Template messages/Redirect pages|list of Redirect message templates]] (with titles starting with "R_") in the Template namespace that may be used for this, e.g. <nowiki>{</nowiki>{R_to_sort_name}} displays [[Template:R_to_sort_name]], e.g. on <br />
[{{SERVER}}{{localurl:Aasen, Ivar Andreas|redirect=no}} Aasen,_Ivar_Andreas] ''(if you click this link, you won't be redirected. When you click 'Edit this page' there, you will see how it can be used)''. '''Note: This feature is broken right now. See the [[MediaZilla:927|bug report]].'''<br />
--><br />
<br />
More examples are included below:<br />
<br />
== What do we use redirects for? ==<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from abbreviation|Abbreviations]]: [[DSM-IV]] redirects to [[Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from abbreviation|samples]])<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from misspelling|Misspellings]]: [[Condoleeza Rice]] redirects to [[Condoleezza Rice]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from misspelling|samples]])<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R aiding writing|Aiding writing]]: [[planet Mars]] redirects to [[Mars (planet)]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R aiding writing|samples]])<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from alternate spelling|Other spellings]]: [[colour]] redirects to [[color]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from alternate spelling|samples]])<br />
** Other punctuation: [[Al-Jazeera]] redirects to [[Al Jazeera]]<br />
** [[Template:R for alternate capitalisation|Other capitalisations]]: [[Natural Selection]] redirects to [[Natural selection]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R for alternate capitalisation|samples]]).<br />
<br />
* To enable case-insensitive searching: Adding a redirect for articles with mixed case titles allows searches for these articles to be case-insensitive. For example, without the redirect [[Isle of wight]] a search for any capitalization other than exactly 'Isle of Wight' would not find the article [[Isle of Wight]]. These search related redirects are needed only if the article title has more than two words and words following the first have different capitalizations.<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from alternate name|Other names]]: [[Wellie throwing]] redirects to [[Wellie wanging]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from alternate name|samples]])<br />
** Pseudonyms, nicknames: [[Butcher of Kurdistan]] redirects to [[Ali Hassan al-Majid]], [[Rev. Fred Phelps]] redirects to [[Fred Phelps]]<br />
** Synonyms: [[Linear operator]] redirects to [[Linear transformation]]<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from alternate language|Other languages]]: [[The Abduction from the Seraglio]] redirects to [[Die Entführung aus dem Serail]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from alternate language|samples]])<br />
** [[Template:R from ASCII|Accents]]: [[Kurt Goedel]] and [[Kurt Godel]] redirect to [[Kurt Gödel]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R from ASCII|samples]])<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from plural|Plurals]], tenses, etc.: [[greenhouse gases]] redirects to [[greenhouse gas]], etc. <br />
** Note that <nowiki>[[greenhouse gas]]es</nowiki> shows up as [[greenhouse gas]]es, so it is not usually necessary to redirect plurals<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R from related word|Related words]]: [[Symbiont]] redirects to [[Symbiosis]]<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R with possibilities|Sub-topics or closely related topics that should be explained within the text]]: [[Distributed denial of service]] redirects to [[Denial of service]]<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R to disambiguation page|Facilitate disambiguation]]: [[America (disambiguation)]] redirects to [[America]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R to disambiguation page|samples]])<br />
<br />
* [[Template:R for as of|To track statements that date quickly]]: [[As of 2003]] redirects to [[2003]] ([[Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:R for as of|samples]])<br />
** See [[Wikipedia:As of]] for more info.<br />
<br />
* Avoiding broken links (see [[#Renamings and merges|below]])<br />
<br />
* Minor but notable topics<br />
<br />
[[Template:R with possibilities|Sub-topic redirects]] are often temporary, eventually being replaced by fully fledged articles on the sub-topic in question. Be conservative when creating sub-topic redirects &mdash; they can sometimes be counter-productive, because they disguise the absence of a proper article from editors. Sub-topic redirects should only be used where the main article has a section on the sub-topic. For example, [[denial of service]] has a section on distributed denial of service. Sub-topics should be '''boldfaced''' on their first appearance in the section, to indicate that they are in fact alternate titles or sub-titles.<br />
<br />
In accordance with [[Help:naming conventions]] it's best to have an article at a well-defined, unambiguous term, with redirects from looser colloquial terms, rather than vice versa.<br />
<br />
=== Renamings and merges ===<br />
We try to avoid broken links, because they annoy visitors. Therefore, if we change the layout of some section of Cacheopedia, or we merge two [[Help:duplicate articles|duplicate articles]], we always leave redirects in the old location to point to the new location. Search engines and visitors will probably have linked to ''that'' page at ''that'' url. If the page is deleted, potential new visitors from search engines will be greeted with an edit window. The same is true for anyone who previously bookmarked ''that'' page, and so on. <br />
<br />
On a small scale, this applies to cases where we had duplicate articles on some subject, or lots of twisty little stubs on different aspects of the same overall subject. On a larger scale, we've had a few fairly major reorganisations:<br />
<br />
* Moving away from [[Wikipedia:CamelCase]] article names<br />
* Moving away from having homepages in the article namespace (see [[User:Tim Starling/Redirects from : to User:]] for a partial list)<br />
* Moving away from using [[Wikipedia:subpages|subpages]] in the article namespace<br />
<br />
== When should we delete a redirect? ==<br />
<br />
To delete a redirect '''without replacing it with a new article''', list it on [[Cacheopedia:redirects for deletion|redirects for deletion]]. See [[Help:deletion policy|deletion policy]] for details on how to nominate pages for deletion.<br />
<br />
This isn't necessary if you just want to replace a redirect with an article: see [[meta:redirect#How do I change a redirect?|How do I change a redirect?]] for instructions on how to do this. If you want to ''swap'' a redirect and an article, but are not able to move the article to the location of the redirect please use [[Cacheopedia:Requested moves]] to request help from an [[Cacheopedia:Administrators|admin]] in doing that.<br />
<br />
<!-- If you modify this list, do the same to the copy at [[WP:RfD]]. --><br />
<!-- Apparently this is too complex for some people to follow. Let's try it this way, then. --><br />
{{Wikipedia:Redirect/DeletionReasons}}<br />
<br />
== What needs to be done on pages that are targets of redirects? ==<br />
We follow the "[[Help:Guide to writing better articles#Principle of least astonishment|principle of least astonishment]]" &mdash; after following a redirect, the readers's first question is likely to be: "hang on ... I wanted to read about ''this''. Why has the link taken me to ''that''?". Make it clear to the reader that they ''have'' arrived in the right place.<br />
<br />
Normally, we try to make sure that all "inbound redirects" are mentioned in the first couple of paragraphs of the article. For example:<br />
<br />
* '''Longships''' were boats used by the Vikings... <br />
** [[longship]], redirect from [[viking ship]]<br />
* '''Mario Party''' is a video game series...<br />
** [[Mario Party]], redirect from [[Mario Party 2]]<br />
* '''Edvard Munch''' ([[1863]]&ndash;[[1944]]) was ... The broadest collection of his works is at on display at the Munch Museum at...<br />
** [[Edvard Munch]], redirect from [[Munch Museum]]<br />
<br />
Don't cause a [[Wikipedia:secondary redirect|secondary redirect]]. They don't work like a primary redirect; same with tertiary redirects.<br />
<br />
== Self-links, duplicate links ==<br />
Avoid [[Help:Self link|self-links]], including self-links through redirects ("loop links"). Also, avoid having two links that go to the same place. These can confuse readers, and cause them to unnecessarily load the same page twice.<br />
<br />
== Related topics ==<br />
*[[Help:How to edit a page|How to edit a page]]<br />
*[[Help:How to rename (move) a page|How to rename (move) a page]]<br />
*[[Help:Redirects for deletion|Redirects for deletion]]<br />
*[[Help:Redirects with possibilities|Redirects with possibilities]]<br />
*[[User:Daniel Quinlan/redirects]]-project<br />
*Practice editing pages in our [[Sandbox]]!</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:How_to_edit_a_page
Help:How to edit a page
2005-05-21T19:28:21Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[Wiki Formatting Reference]]</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Contents
Help:Contents
2005-05-21T19:27:40Z
<p>Lunaverse: Yup, it's messy!</p>
<hr />
<div>*[[How to make a new article]] - How to start an article<br />
*[[Basics of Wiki Formatting]] - How to make links, '''bolds''', lists, etc.<br />
*[[Wiki Formatting Reference]] - For more advanced formatting<br />
*[[Help:Contributing to Cacheopedia|Contributing to Cacheopedia]] - What you can do<br />
*[[Help:Editing FAQ|Editing FAQ]] - Frequently asked questions about editing<br />
*[[Help:Guide to Layout]] - Good layouts for articles<br />
*[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]] - [[Wikipedia]]'s writing style guide, applicable here<br />
*[[Help:Policies and guidelines]]<br />
*[[Help:Naming conventions]] - How to name articles<br />
* [[Help:How to edit a page]]<br />
* [[Help:How to use talk pages]], which are used to discuss how to improve articles.<br />
* [[Help:How to rename (move) a page]].<br />
* [[Help:How to use redirect pages]].<br />
* [[Help:How to revert a page to an earlier version]].<br />
* [[Help:Disambiguation|How to create page(s) for topics with several different definitions]].<br />
* [[Help:deletion policy|How to delete pages]]<br />
* [[Help:How to import articles|How to import articles]]<br />
* [[Help:How to break up a page|How to break up a page]]<br />
* [[Help:How to use tables|How to use tables]]<br />
* [[Help:How to create a template]]</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Editing_FAQ
Help:Editing FAQ
2005-05-21T19:26:58Z
<p>Lunaverse: </p>
<hr />
<div>This FAQ answers the most common questions about editing Cacheopedia. <br />
'''For full help on editing articles, see the [[Help:Contents|Help Page]], and these help articles:<br />
'''<br />
* [[Help:How to edit a page]]<br />
* [[Help:How to make a new article]].<br />
* [[Help:How to use talk pages]], which are used to discuss how to improve articles.<br />
* [[Help:How to rename (move) a page]].<br />
* [[Help:How to use redirect pages]].<br />
* [[Help:How to revert a page to an earlier version]].<br />
* [[Help:Disambiguation|How to create page(s) for topics with several different definitions]].<br />
* [[Help:deletion policy|How to delete pages]]<br />
* [[Help:How to import articles|How to import articles]]<br />
* [[Help:How to break up a page|How to break up a page]]<br />
* [[Help:How to use tables|How to use tables]]<br />
* [[Help:How to create a template]]<br />
<br />
==How do I edit a page?==<br />
<br />
: It's quite simple. Simply click the "Edit this page" tab located at the top of the page or the other edit link across from headings on the right hand side of the page, and type away. See [[Help:How to edit a page|How to edit a page]] to learn about making links, using '''bold''' and ''italics'', linking to images, and many other things...<br />
<br />
==But I have problems editing with my browser!==<br />
: See [[Wikipedia:Browser notes]].<br />
<br />
==How do I make links?==<br />
: A [[Wikipedia:Links|link]] is just the name of the page surrounded by double square brackets. It's also possible to make the link display text that is different from that of the link itself: <br />
: <nowiki>[[page name]]</nowiki><br />
: <nowiki>[[page name]]s</nowiki> -- suffix text will display as part of the link<br />
: <nowiki>[[page name|display name]]</nowiki> -- the [[piped link]]: hide the page name and display something else (but use this sparingly, and ''never'' "click here"!)<br />
: <nowiki>[[page name (disambiguation)|]]</nowiki> -- the "pipe trick": the part in parentheses will not be displayed.<br />
: NB You don't need to put underscores ("_"), to act as space separators like you see in links. Spaces will work fine.<br />
<br />
==How do I rename a page?==<br />
<br />
: Registered users with a little bit of editing history under their belt can move a page; this moves the page content and edit history to a new title, and creates a redirecting page at the old title. This method is better than just copying and pasting the content by hand, as it preserves the article's history, as required by our license. Use the "Move this page" link. Once you have moved a page, please click the "What links here" and fix the links to the old page (which will be labelled as a redirect in the "What links here" list). See [[Help:How to rename (move) a page|How to rename (move) a page]] for more details.<br />
<br />
: Consider [[Help:Redirect|redirecting]] a page instead of moving it.<br />
<br />
: Images and other media files cannot be renamed. You may save a copy of the file to your computer, rename it there, and then upload it with the new name. Fix any links to the old file to point to the new one, then tag the old file with an "images for speedy deletion" tag: copy the template <nowiki>{{</nowiki>[[Template:isd|isd]]|New image name}} into the image's description page (filling in the new image name). This will add it to the [[Category:Images and media for deletion|Images for Deletion]] category, and an admin will delete it for you.<br />
<br />
==How do I delete a page?==<br />
<br />
: First off, please don't blank articles. Such changes will most likely get reverted soon afterwards, so they are pointless, too.<br />
<br />
: The procedure for deletions is explained at [[Help:Deletion policy]]. Articles that should be deleted are most commonly nominated at [[Cacheopedia:Votes for deletion]].<br />
<br />
==How do I edit a redirect page?==<br />
<br />
: The easiest way to edit the redirected page is to click on the link you see at the top of the page after being redirected: "redirected from ...". For example, if you try to go to the [[NPoV]] page, you are redirected to the [[Neutral point of view]] page. At the very top of that page, you will see a message: "(redirected from [[NPoV]])", Click on the [[NPoV]] link, and you will edit the redirect page. See [[Help:Redirect|Redirect]].<br />
<br />
== How long should the ideal article be? ==<br />
<br />
: Since one can link from page to page to page, then how long should the ideal Cacheopedia article be? A good rule of thumb would be less than 5000 words, unless the subject really, really needs much exposition. However, for a subject that is that complex, one can link several shorter articles together, using a hub page to tie all articles together.<br />
<br />
: For example:<br />
<br />
: Foo<br />
:: History of Foo<br />
:: Physical Description of Foo<br />
:: Relationship with Bar<br />
:: Modern Cultural Icons and Foo<br />
<br />
: If you write one long article, you will need new headlines anyway. If you write a long paragraph, then you need to add new linebreaks. [[Wikipedia:Build the web|The structure of Wikipedia is a web]], instead of a text that you read linearly.<br />
<br />
: See [[m:Wiki is not paper]] for further discussion.<br />
<br />
==How do I figure out how big an article is?==<br />
<br />
: Search results give the size, for example "Knot theory (3220 bytes)". If search is disabled, copy the content of the edit box into an editor, and save as a text file, and check the properties of the file. Some variation is possible depending on whether a new line takes one or two bytes.<br />
<br />
: When the article size reaches 32 KB a warning is displayed at the top of the edit screen, as that size gives some browsers problems. It will likely give readers and editors problems, also.<br />
<br />
== What do I do when an article is too long? ==<br />
<br />
: See [[Help:How to break up an article]].<br />
<br />
==How do I determine what other users have changed in an article?==<br />
: Cacheopedia's software can produce a list of all the changes between two versions of an article (either between two consecutive versions, or between an old and the current version), laid out in two-columns side by side with changes highlighted (here's an [http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Wikipedia:Editing_FAQ&diff=0&oldid=644424 example]. From the Recent Changes page you can click the "diff" link; from an article page itself click "Page history", then "cur" or "last" to see changes.<br />
<br />
: To see the differences between two arbitrary versions of an article, see [[Wikipedia:URLs]].<br />
<br />
==How do I convert [[Unicode]] characters to [[HTML]] special characters?==<br />
#Edit the article just like you do UTF-8'd wiki sites.<br />
#Then hit preview. You should get broken characters or [[Wikipedia:mojibake]], but don't delete them because they enable conversion of Unicode characters to HTML. <br />
#While keeping broken characters, type articles. You probably want to copy the entire article before removing it then paste it after you get broken characters.<br />
<br />
:(see also [[Help:Special characters]], in particular the section ''CJK characters'')<br />
<br />
==How can I put pictures on my pages?==<br />
<br />
:First, you need the right to publish the picture under the [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license]. This means that either you created the picture and therefore own the copyright, it is in the public domain, or you have obtained express permission. If the picture is located on a server you control, you can refer to that image from your wiki page by simply including its URL, like this:<br />
: <code><nowiki>http://my.webserver.com/image.png</nowiki></code><br />
: and it will be included. (Note it will only be linked, not displayed.) If instead you want to upload a picture to cacheopedia.com, you can use [[special:upload]] as a logged-in user and once it is uploaded, you can refer to it in your wiki pages as above, by including its file name :<code><nowiki>[[image:NameOfImage.png|Alternate Text]]</nowiki></code>. <br />
<br />
: See also [[Help:Image use policy|Image use policy]].<br />
<br />
==How can I delete uploaded items?==<br />
<br />
: Only [[Cacheopedia:Administrators]] can delete uploads, but anyone can upload a new item with the same name, thereby replacing the old one.<br />
<br />
: If you want to nominate an uploaded image for deletion, see [[Cacheopedia:Images for deletion]].<br />
<br />
==How do I describe images?==<br />
<br />
: Click on the image to get the description page. Also, when you upload the file everything you put in the upload summary is placed into the [[image description page]]. See [[:Image:Great Horned Owl.USFWS-thumb.jpg]] for an example of what goes onto one of these pages.<br />
<br />
<!-- We don't have these tools :)<br />
<br />
==Are there any tools to make editing easier / faster / more fun?==<br />
<br />
: See [[Cacheopedia:Tools]] for a list of such tools. Among other things, you can find browser plugins for '''faster editing''' and '''searching''', and tools for HTML '''importing''', and editing enhancements for the blind.<br />
--></div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Editing_FAQ
Help:Editing FAQ
2005-05-21T19:26:37Z
<p>Lunaverse: Created, changed wikipedia references</p>
<hr />
<div>{{CacheopediaFAQ}}<br />
This FAQ answers the most common questions about editing Cacheopedia. <br />
'''For full help on editing articles, see the [[Help:Contents|Help Page]], and these help articles:<br />
'''<br />
* [[Help:How to edit a page]]<br />
* [[Help:How to make a new article]].<br />
* [[Help:How to use talk pages]], which are used to discuss how to improve articles.<br />
* [[Help:How to rename (move) a page]].<br />
* [[Help:How to use redirect pages]].<br />
* [[Help:How to revert a page to an earlier version]].<br />
* [[Help:Disambiguation|How to create page(s) for topics with several different definitions]].<br />
* [[Help:deletion policy|How to delete pages]]<br />
* [[Help:How to import articles|How to import articles]]<br />
* [[Help:How to break up a page|How to break up a page]]<br />
* [[Help:How to use tables|How to use tables]]<br />
* [[Help:How to create a template]]<br />
<br />
==How do I edit a page?==<br />
<br />
: It's quite simple. Simply click the "Edit this page" tab located at the top of the page or the other edit link across from headings on the right hand side of the page, and type away. See [[Help:How to edit a page|How to edit a page]] to learn about making links, using '''bold''' and ''italics'', linking to images, and many other things...<br />
<br />
==But I have problems editing with my browser!==<br />
: See [[Wikipedia:Browser notes]].<br />
<br />
==How do I make links?==<br />
: A [[Wikipedia:Links|link]] is just the name of the page surrounded by double square brackets. It's also possible to make the link display text that is different from that of the link itself: <br />
: <nowiki>[[page name]]</nowiki><br />
: <nowiki>[[page name]]s</nowiki> -- suffix text will display as part of the link<br />
: <nowiki>[[page name|display name]]</nowiki> -- the [[piped link]]: hide the page name and display something else (but use this sparingly, and ''never'' "click here"!)<br />
: <nowiki>[[page name (disambiguation)|]]</nowiki> -- the "pipe trick": the part in parentheses will not be displayed.<br />
: NB You don't need to put underscores ("_"), to act as space separators like you see in links. Spaces will work fine.<br />
<br />
==How do I rename a page?==<br />
<br />
: Registered users with a little bit of editing history under their belt can move a page; this moves the page content and edit history to a new title, and creates a redirecting page at the old title. This method is better than just copying and pasting the content by hand, as it preserves the article's history, as required by our license. Use the "Move this page" link. Once you have moved a page, please click the "What links here" and fix the links to the old page (which will be labelled as a redirect in the "What links here" list). See [[Help:How to rename (move) a page|How to rename (move) a page]] for more details.<br />
<br />
: Consider [[Help:Redirect|redirecting]] a page instead of moving it.<br />
<br />
: Images and other media files cannot be renamed. You may save a copy of the file to your computer, rename it there, and then upload it with the new name. Fix any links to the old file to point to the new one, then tag the old file with an "images for speedy deletion" tag: copy the template <nowiki>{{</nowiki>[[Template:isd|isd]]|New image name}} into the image's description page (filling in the new image name). This will add it to the [[Category:Images and media for deletion|Images for Deletion]] category, and an admin will delete it for you.<br />
<br />
==How do I delete a page?==<br />
<br />
: First off, please don't blank articles. Such changes will most likely get reverted soon afterwards, so they are pointless, too.<br />
<br />
: The procedure for deletions is explained at [[Help:Deletion policy]]. Articles that should be deleted are most commonly nominated at [[Cacheopedia:Votes for deletion]].<br />
<br />
==How do I edit a redirect page?==<br />
<br />
: The easiest way to edit the redirected page is to click on the link you see at the top of the page after being redirected: "redirected from ...". For example, if you try to go to the [[NPoV]] page, you are redirected to the [[Neutral point of view]] page. At the very top of that page, you will see a message: "(redirected from [[NPoV]])", Click on the [[NPoV]] link, and you will edit the redirect page. See [[Help:Redirect|Redirect]].<br />
<br />
== How long should the ideal article be? ==<br />
<br />
: Since one can link from page to page to page, then how long should the ideal Cacheopedia article be? A good rule of thumb would be less than 5000 words, unless the subject really, really needs much exposition. However, for a subject that is that complex, one can link several shorter articles together, using a hub page to tie all articles together.<br />
<br />
: For example:<br />
<br />
: Foo<br />
:: History of Foo<br />
:: Physical Description of Foo<br />
:: Relationship with Bar<br />
:: Modern Cultural Icons and Foo<br />
<br />
: If you write one long article, you will need new headlines anyway. If you write a long paragraph, then you need to add new linebreaks. [[Wikipedia:Build the web|The structure of Wikipedia is a web]], instead of a text that you read linearly.<br />
<br />
: See [[m:Wiki is not paper]] for further discussion.<br />
<br />
==How do I figure out how big an article is?==<br />
<br />
: Search results give the size, for example "Knot theory (3220 bytes)". If search is disabled, copy the content of the edit box into an editor, and save as a text file, and check the properties of the file. Some variation is possible depending on whether a new line takes one or two bytes.<br />
<br />
: When the article size reaches 32 KB a warning is displayed at the top of the edit screen, as that size gives some browsers problems. It will likely give readers and editors problems, also.<br />
<br />
== What do I do when an article is too long? ==<br />
<br />
: See [[Help:How to break up an article]].<br />
<br />
==How do I determine what other users have changed in an article?==<br />
: Cacheopedia's software can produce a list of all the changes between two versions of an article (either between two consecutive versions, or between an old and the current version), laid out in two-columns side by side with changes highlighted (here's an [http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Wikipedia:Editing_FAQ&diff=0&oldid=644424 example]. From the Recent Changes page you can click the "diff" link; from an article page itself click "Page history", then "cur" or "last" to see changes.<br />
<br />
: To see the differences between two arbitrary versions of an article, see [[Wikipedia:URLs]].<br />
<br />
==How do I convert [[Unicode]] characters to [[HTML]] special characters?==<br />
#Edit the article just like you do UTF-8'd wiki sites.<br />
#Then hit preview. You should get broken characters or [[Wikipedia:mojibake]], but don't delete them because they enable conversion of Unicode characters to HTML. <br />
#While keeping broken characters, type articles. You probably want to copy the entire article before removing it then paste it after you get broken characters.<br />
<br />
:(see also [[Help:Special characters]], in particular the section ''CJK characters'')<br />
<br />
==How can I put pictures on my pages?==<br />
<br />
:First, you need the right to publish the picture under the [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license]. This means that either you created the picture and therefore own the copyright, it is in the public domain, or you have obtained express permission. If the picture is located on a server you control, you can refer to that image from your wiki page by simply including its URL, like this:<br />
: <code><nowiki>http://my.webserver.com/image.png</nowiki></code><br />
: and it will be included. (Note it will only be linked, not displayed.) If instead you want to upload a picture to cacheopedia.com, you can use [[special:upload]] as a logged-in user and once it is uploaded, you can refer to it in your wiki pages as above, by including its file name :<code><nowiki>[[image:NameOfImage.png|Alternate Text]]</nowiki></code>. <br />
<br />
: See also [[Help:Image use policy|Image use policy]].<br />
<br />
==How can I delete uploaded items?==<br />
<br />
: Only [[Cacheopedia:Administrators]] can delete uploads, but anyone can upload a new item with the same name, thereby replacing the old one.<br />
<br />
: If you want to nominate an uploaded image for deletion, see [[Cacheopedia:Images for deletion]].<br />
<br />
==How do I describe images?==<br />
<br />
: Click on the image to get the description page. Also, when you upload the file everything you put in the upload summary is placed into the [[image description page]]. See [[:Image:Great Horned Owl.USFWS-thumb.jpg]] for an example of what goes onto one of these pages.<br />
<br />
<!-- We don't have these tools :)<br />
<br />
==Are there any tools to make editing easier / faster / more fun?==<br />
<br />
: See [[Cacheopedia:Tools]] for a list of such tools. Among other things, you can find browser plugins for '''faster editing''' and '''searching''', and tools for HTML '''importing''', and editing enhancements for the blind.<br />
--></div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Help:Contributing_to_Cacheopedia
Help:Contributing to Cacheopedia
2005-05-21T19:11:28Z
<p>Lunaverse: Added a list of cleanup tasks</p>
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<div>== Write articles (even stubby ones) ==<br />
Cacheopedia is currently (05 May, 2005) in it's infancy. What we could really use now is people writing articles. Currently we have a very high requested/written article ratio. If you would like to write about something, go for it! Don't worry about writing the best article, or what people will think about it. Just make it as clear and informative as possible. Others will add to it if they feel it could be improved. The whole idea of a wiki is people building off of what other's have started. This is your site, make it what you want.<br />
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But, '''do not submit copyrighted work without permission'''. Even if you have permission, please give credit where it is due in the form of some type of reference. If you cannot determine if a work is copyrighted or not, you '''must''' assume that it is.<br />
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One way to get the ball rolling is to change empty links into [[:Category:Stubs|Stubs]]. Let's say you just wrote an article, and wikilinked a bunch of terms from it. Take a minute and turn those empty red links into stubs.<br />
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== Organization ==<br />
=== Categories ===<br />
We need some. It'll be nice to get a lot of categories set up with subcategories too. Having categories linked to from the front page would really expand the site. Categories and subcategories are masively simple to set up, let's do it!<br />
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=== Formatting ===<br />
Also, there are a lot of articles that are using lists of wikilinks to define a bunch of terms.<br><br />
Bad way:<br />
<pre>[[sneakers]]<br />
[[boots]]<br />
[[heels]]</pre><br />
If you are going to write an article about heels, then go ahead. Otherwise try this:<br />
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Better way, using level two headlines. Three or more of which on one page causes an automatic table of contents for the page to be generated.:<br />
<pre>== Carp ==<br />
Carp are tasty fish if cooked right. . .<br />
=== Big carp ===<br />
they can get huge!<br />
=== Little carp ===<br />
no such thing!<br />
== Perch ==<br />
Yum!</pre><br />
When you do it that way, everything is spaced out nicely on one page, with a clickable table of contents. Also, it doesn't cause massive inflation of the articles list..<br />
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== Design a new logo ==<br />
Something to replace the flower. It should reflect the nature of this site.<br />
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==Cleanup tasks==<br />
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*When you see an article that could be better, help by editing<br />
**Spelling corrections<br />
**Grammar<br />
**Fact-checking<br />
**Adding additional information<br />
**Rewriting awkward or [[NPoV]] sections<br />
*If an article has not yet been [[Wiki Formatting Reference|wiki formatted]], do so!<br />
*Add links, both internal and external. Link to [[Wikipedia]] articles if it's not something we're likely to have here<br />
*If you see a redlink and it's something you think you could write, go for it<br />
*Go through [[Categories:Stubs]] and flesh out stubs<br />
*Go through [[Special:Wantedpages]] and write these articles<br />
*Create [[Help:Redirects|Redirects]]<br />
**Think of alternate names for the article and redirect that name so people can find it<br />
*Upload images and add them to articles (make sure the copyrights are covered!!)</div>
Lunaverse
http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Geocaching.com_Forum
Geocaching.com Forum
2005-05-21T19:04:24Z
<p>Lunaverse: marked stub</p>
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<div>Here are some links to the Geocaching.com forums, as well as some links to some interesting articles.<br />
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==General Forums==<br />
[http://forums.groundspeak.com/gc/ Forum main page]<br />
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[http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?s=d39a997c531cdac3c32d76bd821ee3ef&showforum=5 Getting started]<br />
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[http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?s=d39a997c531cdac3c32d76bd821ee3ef&showforum=6 Geocaching topics]<br />
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==Interesting articles==<br />
[http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=72689 Avatar creation requests]<br />
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[http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=62421 Cool Cache Containers]<br />
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{{Stub}}</div>
Lunaverse