Administrators, upwizcampeditors
0
edits
Chalo Chatu:Contributing to Chalo Chatu: Difference between revisions
From Chalo Chatu, Zambia online encyclopedia
Chalo Chatu:Contributing to Chalo Chatu (view source)
Revision as of 07:26, 8 January 2018
, 8 January 2018→Writing an article
| (21 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{pp|small=yes}} | |||
'''''[[Chalo Chatu]]''''' is a free online collaborative encyclopedia by the [[Chalo Chatu Foundation]]. Launched on 1 June 2016, the website aims to be a knowledge hub that will preserve the History and Pride of [[Zambia]]. We are a non-profit organisation and content on this website is contributed by volunteers. | '''''[[Chalo Chatu]]''''' is a free online collaborative encyclopedia by the [[Chalo Chatu Foundation]]. Launched on 1 June 2016, the website aims to be a knowledge hub that will preserve the History and Pride of [[Zambia]]. We are a non-profit organisation and content on this website is contributed by volunteers. | ||
| Line 16: | Line 17: | ||
You can think of a topic to write about, or check through our '''[[:Special:WantedPages|list of wanted pages]]'''. | You can think of a topic to write about, or check through our '''[[:Special:WantedPages|list of wanted pages]]'''. | ||
== Writing an article== | |||
{{main|Chalo Chatu:Writing better articles}} | |||
You have probably already edited blogs or social media sites. Maybe you have already made minor edits to our articles – but now you want to start your own article from scratch. Jump in! | |||
===Editing Chalo Chatu pages | We'll explain some of the DOs and DON'Ts, then show you how to create an article. | ||
:''If the article is not acceptable, it will be deleted quickly. All new articles are patrolled shortly after creation.'' | |||
:*'''Articles that do not meet [[Notability in the Chalo Chatu |notability guidelines]] or do not cite reliable published sources are very likely to be deleted.''' | |||
:*'''Do not create''': pages about ''yourself''', your '''company''', your '''band''', or your '''friends'''; pages that '''advertise'''; ''personal essays'''; or other articles you would not find in an encyclopedia. | |||
:*'''Be careful''' about the following: '''copying things''', '''controversial''' material, extremely '''short articles''', and '''local-interest articles'''. | |||
Here are some tips that can help you: | |||
# First Consider [[:Special:RequestAccount|registering an account]]. | |||
# Chalo Chatu covers certain kinds of subjects in Zambia and not others. Our articles must be [[ Notability in the Chalo Chatu|"worthy of notice"]]; this avoids filling Chalo Chatu with pages that are not really meant for this Zambian encyclopedia. If the topic is suitable for Zambian encyclopedia, go ahead; if you're unsure, or the article is about yourself or something you are closely connected to, you can ask questions at the contribute@chalochatu.org. | |||
#'''[[Special:Search|Search Chalo Chatu first]]''' in case an article ''already exists'' on the subject, perhaps under a different title. If the article already exists, feel free to make any constructive edits to improve it. | |||
# '''Practice first.''' Before starting, try editing existing articles to get a feel for writing and for using Chalo Chatu's mark-up language, experiment first on your own user page. | |||
#'''Gather references''' both to use as source(s) of the information you will include and to demonstrate the '''[[Notability in the Chalo Chatu|notability]]''' of your article's subject matter. Chalo Chatu requires the use of reliable published sources. Sources, particularly internet sources, should also be stable, meaning they should be high enough quality that they will continue to exist for future generations. There are many places to find reliable sources, including your local library, but if internet-based sources are to be used, start with [http://books.google.com/bkshp?hl=en&tab=wp books] and [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&q=a#hl=en&safe=off&gl=us&tbs=ar:1&tbm=nws&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22your+search+here%22&oq=%22your+search+here%22&gs_l=serp.3...13840.16191.2.16495.2.2.0.0.0.0.75.150.2.2.0...0.0...1c.gI5pLKtnlBw&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=eaf35048cd590c78&biw=1550&bih=1201 news archive] searches rather than a simple web search. Extra care should be taken to make sure that articles on '''living persons''' have reliable sources – articles about living people without reliable sources may be deleted, especially if they include negative or controversial content. References to blogs, personal websites, Facebook and YouTube are unsuitable and material obtained from them may be challenged and removed. | |||
#'''Create the article first in Draft or User space''' unless you are very sure that you can create an acceptable article on your first attempt. Draft space has been a safe place to create articles that you want to work up towards being accepted into the encyclopedia. 'Live' articles are required to meet a number of Chalo Chatu rules from the start, or they risk being deleted; but in Draft space, unless you do something seriously bad (like a copyright violation, or a personal attack on somebody) nobody is likely to touch your draft unless you ask them to. | |||
==Search for an existing article== | |||
Chalo Chatu already has {{NUMBEROFARTICLES}} articles. Before creating an article, try to make sure there is not already an article on the same topic, perhaps under a slightly different name. Search for the article before creating your first article. If an article on your topic already exists, but you think people might look for it under some different name or spelling, create redirects to alternative titles; adding needed redirects is a good way to help Chalo Chatu. | |||
Also, remember to check the article's [[Special:Log/delete|deletion log]] in order to avoid creating an article that has already been deleted. (In some cases, the topic may be suitable even if deleted in the past; the past deletion may have been because it was a copyright violation, did not explain the importance of the topic, or on other grounds addressed to the writing rather that the topic's suitability.) | |||
If a search does not find the topic, consider broadening your search to find existing articles that might include the subject of your article. For example, if you want to write an article about a band member, you might search for the band and then add information about your subject as a section within that broader article. | |||
==References== | |||
Gather sources for the information you will be writing about. To be worthy of inclusion in an encyclopedia, a subject must be sufficiently [[Notability in the Chalo Chatu|notable]], and that notability must be verifiable through citations to reliable sources unless in special cases for example freedom fighters and national history not documented but is verifiable with the general public. | |||
As noted, the sources you use must be <u>reliable</u>; that is, they must be sources that exercise some form of editorial control and have some reputation for fact checking and accuracy. Print sources (and web-based versions of those sources) tend to be the most reliable, though some web-only sources may also be reliable. Examples might include (but are not limited to) books published by major publishing houses, newspapers, magazines, peer-reviewed scholarly journals, websites of any of the above, and other websites that meet the same requirements as a reputable print-based source. | |||
In general, sources with '''no''' editorial control are not reliable. These include (but are not limited to) books published by vanity presses, self-published 'zines', blogs, web forums, usenet discussions, personal social media, fan sites, vanity websites that permit the creation of self-promotional articles, and other similar venues. If anyone at all can post information without anyone else checking that information, it is probably not reliable. | |||
To put it simply, if there are reliable sources (such as newspapers, journals, or books) with extensive information published over an extended period about a subject, then that subject is notable and you must cite such sources as part of the process of creating (or expanding) the Chalo Chatu article. If you cannot find such ''reliable sources'' that provide extensive and comprehensive information about your proposed subject, then the subject is not notable or verifiable and almost certainly will be deleted. So your first job is to '''go find references''' to cite. | |||
There are many places to find reliable sources, including your local library, but if internet-based sources are to be used, start with [http://books.google.com/bkshp?hl=en&tab=wp books] and [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&q=a#hl=en&safe=off&gl=us&tbs=ar:1&tbm=nws&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22your+search+here%22&oq=%22your+search+here%22&gs_l=serp.3...13840.16191.2.16495.2.2.0.0.0.0.75.150.2.2.0...0.0...1c.gI5pLKtnlBw&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=eaf35048cd590c78&biw=1550&bih=1201 news archive] searches rather than a web search. | |||
==Editing Chalo Chatu pages== | |||
Chalo Chatu content is intended to be factual, notable, verifiable with cited external sources, and neutrally presented. | Chalo Chatu content is intended to be factual, notable, verifiable with cited external sources, and neutrally presented. | ||
| Line 76: | Line 114: | ||
In the extreme case of an edit summary containing certain kinds of harmful content, the summary can be deleted on request. They may be removed from public view by administrators using Revision Deletion; such edit summaries remain visible to administrators. In even more limited circumstances the entire edit may be oversighted, leaving it and its edit summary visible only to the handful of users with the Oversight permission. | In the extreme case of an edit summary containing certain kinds of harmful content, the summary can be deleted on request. They may be removed from public view by administrators using Revision Deletion; such edit summaries remain visible to administrators. In even more limited circumstances the entire edit may be oversighted, leaving it and its edit summary visible only to the handful of users with the Oversight permission. | ||
==Edit summary properties and features== | ===Edit summary properties and features=== | ||
* ''[[#The 250 character limit|Limited to 250 characters]]''. The edit summary box can hold one line of 250 characters. If you attempt to type or paste more, only the first 250 characters will be displayed – the rest will be discarded. For example, attempting to add 10 new characters (at the end or in between) to a summary already containing 245 characters will result in the first 5 new characters being inserted and the second 5 being disregarded. | * ''[[#The 250 character limit|Limited to 250 characters]]''. The edit summary box can hold one line of 250 characters. If you attempt to type or paste more, only the first 250 characters will be displayed – the rest will be discarded. For example, attempting to add 10 new characters (at the end or in between) to a summary already containing 245 characters will result in the first 5 new characters being inserted and the second 5 being disregarded. | ||
* ''Show preview''. The "Show preview" button also provides a preview of the edit summary to facilitate checking links. | * ''Show preview''. The "Show preview" button also provides a preview of the edit summary to facilitate checking links. | ||
| Line 83: | Line 121: | ||
* ''Wikilinks always rendered; other wikitext coding ignored''. Edit summaries render internal links, including piped links, and interwiki links, even when enclosed within <nowiki><nowiki> and </nowiki></nowiki>. Therefore, copying wikitext in the edit summary box may be preferable to copying text from the preview, except when one wants to save space. Other wikitext coding is not interpreted. <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> has no effect, so do not sign edit summaries. | * ''Wikilinks always rendered; other wikitext coding ignored''. Edit summaries render internal links, including piped links, and interwiki links, even when enclosed within <nowiki><nowiki> and </nowiki></nowiki>. Therefore, copying wikitext in the edit summary box may be preferable to copying text from the preview, except when one wants to save space. Other wikitext coding is not interpreted. <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> has no effect, so do not sign edit summaries. | ||
===Places where the edit summary appears=== | ====Places where the edit summary appears==== | ||
The edit summary appears in black italics in the following places: | The edit summary appears in black italics in the following places: | ||
* Page history – list of changes to the page you edited | * Page history – list of changes to the page you edited | ||
| Line 93: | Line 131: | ||
* [[Special:NewPages|List of new pages]] – shows the edit summary of the creation. | * [[Special:NewPages|List of new pages]] – shows the edit summary of the creation. | ||
===Section editing=== | ====Section editing==== | ||
When adding a new section to a discussion page with the "new section" button, the section title is used as the edit summary. When editing an existing section, the section title is inserted at the beginning of the edit summary, enclosed with /* and */ marks, for example /* External links */. Details of the edit should be added after this text. In the case that you provide a long summary yourself, you can delete the section title in order to stay within the limit of 250 characters. | When adding a new section to a discussion page with the "new section" button, the section title is used as the edit summary. When editing an existing section, the section title is inserted at the beginning of the edit summary, enclosed with /* and */ marks, for example /* External links */. Details of the edit should be added after this text. In the case that you provide a long summary yourself, you can delete the section title in order to stay within the limit of 250 characters. | ||
| Line 112: | Line 150: | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
===Automatic summaries=== | ====Automatic summaries==== | ||
In certain circumstances, an automatic summary is generated when an edit is saved without one. This is slightly different from the summary added when editing a section, as that can be modified by the user before saving. | In certain circumstances, an automatic summary is generated when an edit is saved without one. This is slightly different from the summary added when editing a section, as that can be modified by the user before saving. | ||
| Line 120: | Line 158: | ||
When starting a new thread on a talk page by using the "New section" tab, the text you type into the "subject/headline" field becomes both the heading of your discussion topic, and the edit summary for that edit. | When starting a new thread on a talk page by using the "New section" tab, the text you type into the "subject/headline" field becomes both the heading of your discussion topic, and the edit summary for that edit. | ||
====Tags==== | =====Tags===== | ||
Tags (i.e., edit tags) are brief messages that the software automatically places next to certain edits in histories, recent changes and other special pages. They are implemented by the edit filter to help assist vandalism patrollers and other page watchers. They cannot be added or removed manually. | Tags (i.e., edit tags) are brief messages that the software automatically places next to certain edits in histories, recent changes and other special pages. They are implemented by the edit filter to help assist vandalism patrollers and other page watchers. They cannot be added or removed manually. | ||
==What to avoid== | |||
; Articles about yourself, your family or friends, your website, a band you're in, your teacher, a word you made up, or a story you wrote : If you ''are'' worthy of inclusion in the encyclopedia, let someone else add an article for you. Putting your friends in an encyclopedia may seem like a nice surprise or an amusing joke, but articles like this are likely to be removed. In this process, feelings may be hurt and you may be blocked from editing if you repeatedly make attempts to re-create the article. These things can be avoided by a little forethought on your part. The article may remain if you have enough humility to make it neutral and you really are notable, but even then it's best to submit a draft for approval and consensus of the community instead of just posting it up, since unconscious biases may still exist of which you may not be aware. | |||
; Advertising : Please do not try to promote your product or business. Please do not insert external links to your commercial website unless a neutral party would judge that the link truly belongs in the article; we do have articles about products like [[Boom]] or [[Vitumbuwa]]s, or notable businesses such as [[Hungry Lion]], but if you are writing about a product or business be sure you write from a neutral point of view, that you have no conflict of interest, and that you are able to find references in reliable sources that are independent from the subject you are writing about. | |||
; Attacks on a person or organization : Material that violates our biographies of living persons policy or is intended to threaten, defame, or harass its subject or another entity is not permitted. Unsourced negative information, especially in articles about living people, is quickly removed, and attack pages may be deleted immediately. | |||
; Personal essays or original research : Chalo Chatu surveys ''existing'' human knowledge; it is not a place to publish new work. Do not write articles that present your own original theories, opinions, or insights,''even if'' you can support them by reference to accepted work. A common mistake is to present a novel synthesis of ideas in an article. Remember, just because both Fact A and Fact B are true does not mean that A caused B, or vice versa (fallacies). If the synthesis or causation is true, locate and cite reliable sources that report the connection. | |||
; Non-notable topics : People frequently add pages to Chalo Chatu without considering [[Notability in the Chalo Chatu |whether the topic is really notable enough]] to go into the Zambian encyclopedia. Because Chalo Chatu does not have the space limitations of paper-based encyclopedias, our [[Notability in the Chalo Chatu|notability]] policies and guidelines allow a wide range of articles – however, they do not allow ''every'' topic to be included. A particularly common special case of this is pages about people, companies, or groups of people, that do not substantiate the notability or importance of their subject with reliable sources, so we have decided that such pages may be deleted. This can offend – so ''please'' consider whether your chosen topic is notable enough for Chalo Chatu, and then substantiate the notability or importance of your subject by citing those reliable sources in the process of creating your article. Chalo Chatu is not a directory of everything in Zambia. | |||
; A single sentence or only a website link: Articles need to have real content of their own. | |||
==Are you closely connected to the article topic?== | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|- | |||
! Things to avoid !! Things to be careful about !! Great ways to contribute | |||
|- | |||
| width="30%" style="vertical-align:top;" | | |||
* Don't add promotional language | |||
* Don't remove negative/critical text from an article | |||
* Don't make a "group" account for multiple people to share | |||
* Don't neglect to disclose your affiliation on the article's talk page | |||
| width="30%" style="vertical-align:top;" | | |||
* Maintain a neutral, objective tone in any content you add or edit | |||
* Cite secondary sources (e.g., a major media article) for any new statements you add – even if you are confident a statement is true (e.g., it is about your work), only say it if it has been restated already in a secondary source. | |||
| width="40%" style="vertical-align:top;" | | |||
* Make minor edits/corrections to articles (e.g., typos, fixing links, adding references to new secondary sources) | |||
* If you are biased, suggest new article text or edits on the ''article talk page'' (not on the main article page). | |||
* Disclose your relationship to the client/topic. | |||
* Edit using personal accounts. | |||
* Recruit help: Seek out a sponsor (volunteer editor) who has worked on similar articles, or submit ideas for article topics via contribute@chalochatu.org. | |||
|} | |||
==Donations== | ==Donations== | ||
| Line 139: | Line 208: | ||
==Contact us== | ==Contact us== | ||
{{main| Chalo Chatu:Contact us}} | |||
For general enquiries and information, you can reach us by e-mail on <big>bwanji@chalochatu.org</big> | For general enquiries and information, you can reach us by e-mail on <big>bwanji@chalochatu.org</big> | ||
| Line 151: | Line 221: | ||
====Notes==== | ====Notes==== | ||
{{reflist|group="note"}} | {{reflist|group="note"}} | ||
{{Template:Chalo Chatu}} | |||
