Template talk:HelpHeader
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The template of which this is the talk page is considered a high-risk template. this means that it is used on many pages, and could cause widespread problems if it were changed accidentally or maliciously. Accordingly it has been protected. If you need to edit it, ask a moderator or post on the Moderator noticeboard.
Template Text
As proposed
This page is a help or manual page for the ISFDB database. It describes standards or methods for entering or maintaining data in the iSFDB database, or otherwise working with the database. Other help pages may be found via the category below. To discuss what should go on this page, use the talk page.
If you have a question about how to proceed, please post it at the Help desk.
If you are new to editing the ISFDB, please see Help:Getting Started."
Comments
- Change iSFDB to ISFDB Kevin 23:54, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
- Remove "Other help pages may be found..." this is redundant.. we might as well put a link to Category:ISFDB_Help in the header (that was created to automatically add it to the bottom). Kevin 23:54, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
- My thought was that people new to wikis (which I think has included most of our editors to date) could use a pointer: the category line at the bottom is i fear all too easily overlooked. I have seen this when watching newcomers to wikipedia, and to other wikis. But It is technically redundant, and could be removed. -DES Talk 01:42, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
- Remove "To discuss..." - If someone starts discussing on the page.. just move the discussion to the talk and let them know why... Kevin 23:54, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
- In the past, people have often been confused about the differing purposes of a wiki page and its talk page. I thought that a mention such as this would be helpful. Note that if a discussion is moved to the talk page, history is effectively lost, which may or may not matter. If the other users think this is unneeded, it can be removed. -DES Talk 01:42, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
- History is only important if there is a history. The conversation should get moved prior to it blooming into 15 indents, and this is not a community prone to long conversation before a Mod wanders by. Kevin 04:25, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
- I'll grant you that. Frankly some of the people i am trying to educate about wiki-usage are mods. I'm hoping for some input from those with less wiki experience on whether this sentence is useful. -DES Talk 05:21, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
- Give up. There are mods who say 'I don't know nothin about birthin' no
babiesebooks' (paraphrasing). You can lead the hose to water.... etc. If you want to educate Mods to the Wiki... write a wiki primer. There is no 'Getting Started' section in Category:Wiki_Help. Nothing that says... Welcome to Wiki... Eveypage has a talk or discussion page... use it like so... you have a user page to practice on (its all yours)... here are some simple things... etc etc. Kevin 15:26, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
- Give up. There are mods who say 'I don't know nothin about birthin' no
- I'll grant you that. Frankly some of the people i am trying to educate about wiki-usage are mods. I'm hoping for some input from those with less wiki experience on whether this sentence is useful. -DES Talk 05:21, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
- History is only important if there is a history. The conversation should get moved prior to it blooming into 15 indents, and this is not a community prone to long conversation before a Mod wanders by. Kevin 04:25, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
- In the past, people have often been confused about the differing purposes of a wiki page and its talk page. I thought that a mention such as this would be helpful. Note that if a discussion is moved to the talk page, history is effectively lost, which may or may not matter. If the other users think this is unneeded, it can be removed. -DES Talk 01:42, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
- Revise "If you have a question..." Of course they have a question.. that's why they are in help.... it invites everyone to use the Helpdesk instead of help.Kevin 23:59, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
- Actually, many people use the help pages to look up "what was the rule on X again" and have no need to post. But I have revised this to "If, after reading this page, you still have a question". Do you think that addresses the point? -DES Talk 01:42, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
- Which means, they have a question: "What...?". If you must put a header on every help page, then it would read better as "If, after exploring the Help system, you still have a question, please visit the help desk. We probably know the answer, but we need your help to know what we left out of the help pages."Kevin 04:25, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
- Actually, many people use the help pages to look up "what was the rule on X again" and have no need to post. But I have revised this to "If, after reading this page, you still have a question". Do you think that addresses the point? -DES Talk 01:42, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
- Remove the stray quotation mark before "If, after exploring the Help system"? -- Dave (davecat) 17:51, 4 September 2008 (UTC)
- Done. -DES Talk 19:21, 4 September 2008 (UTC)
- Thanks. I thought about doing it myself, but wasn't absolutely sure about template editing. -- Dave (davecat) 20:44, 4 September 2008 (UTC)
- Editing the parts that handle the parameters can be tricky if they are used in a complicated way, but editing the straight text is no different from editing the wiki text on any page. Take a look at this diff. But it was my typo, nd i have no problem fixing it.-DES Talk 20:50, 4 September 2008 (UTC)
- Thanks. I thought about doing it myself, but wasn't absolutely sure about template editing. -- Dave (davecat) 20:44, 4 September 2008 (UTC)
- Done. -DES Talk 19:21, 4 September 2008 (UTC)