Wikipedia:Rice University/Human Development in Global and Local Communities, Section 2 (Spring 2014)/WikiProject & Talk Contributions

Assignment 4: Contributing to Wiki Talk and Project Pages

Due Date: 9 pm Thursday, February 27

In this assignment you will contribute either to a Wiki Project or to an Article Talk page. For extra credit, you may contribute to both.

A. Contributing to an Article Talk Page

If you plan to revise or expand an existing Wikipedia article, you should post a description of your planned changes and the rationale for them on the Talk page of the article. Talk pages are for discussing changes to the Wikipedia articles. (If you are creating a new article, but would still like to contribute to a Talk page, you may select a page that is closely related to your topic and contribute to the discussion on that page and seek advice from editors interested in similar topics.)

1. First review the handout on Talk pages: http://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UsingTalkPages.pdf

2. Click on the “Talk” tab in the upper-left hand corner of the Wiki interface. Read what other users have already said concerning content on that page and note any concerns and comments they have expressed.

3. Click “Edit” to add your Talk contribution, following Talk guidelines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Talk_page_guidelines).

To add a new discussion post you will need to create a heading of the form:

==Your Heading Here==

Place your post at the bottom of the discussion page and be sure to sign it by typing 4 tildes ~~~~ and click “Save page”

Your posting should contain information taken from your submitted proposal so that other Wikipedia editors will understand your aim for the page. Your posting should respond to other editors’ existing comments on the Talk page, and ask for advice regarding a specific aspect of your topic. You should also include an update to any previous comments you made to the Talk page when you proposed your topic, and respond to any feedback provided by other Wikipedians. Additionally, be sure to note in your comment that your proposed contribution is a part of a class assignment.

4. Add the course banner to the top of the Talk page. (For those contributing to Talk pages they do not plan on revising, do not add the course banner.)

For Section 1 (10:50 am) add:

{{ course assignment | course = Education Program:Rice University/Human Development in Global and Local Communities, Section 1 (Spring 2014) | term = Spring 2014 }}

For Section 2 (2:30 pm) add:

{{ course assignment | course = Education Program:Rice University/ Human Development in Global and Local Communities, Section 2 (Spring 2014) | term = Spring 2014 }}

5. Note your proposed contribution on your Wikipedia user page. Keep in mind that other Wikipedia editors may access your user page to better understand your contributions. Other Wikipedia editors may also offer you suggestions on your user page.

6. Once you submit your Article Talk contribution to Wikipedia, take screenshots that show your contributions compiled together in one document, including your contribution, username, as well as information at the top of the page showing the title of the Talk page and the course banner. Check your work by printing your contribution to make sure that the printed version is the equivalent size as the print in this handout. The zoom feature on your computer and/or browser can solve this problem if the font is too small. Screenshots with too small print will lose points. (See assignment 6 for details on taking screenshots.)

7. Do not save the entire page as a pdf, especially if the Talk page is exceptionally long. Submit these files to the relevant assignment tab on OWL-Space and for full credit be sure your name appears on your document and save the file as follows: <LastName>WikiTalk.pdf (or .docx/.doc or .jpeg)

8. Submit to OWL-Space by 9pm Thursday, February 27.

B. Contributing to a Wiki Project Page

A WikiProject is a group of contributors that collaborate together and discuss the overall organization of knowledge on a family of topics within Wikipedia. It is not a place to write or discuss the details of specific articles, but a place to help coordinate, organize, and share ideas about areas of knowledge that should be better covered in Wikipedia. If you plan to create a new article or restructure an existing article or articles into differently named or reclassified formats, you should post a description of your planned work and your rationale to the relevant Wiki Project pages for your article.

If you are contributing to an existing article, but would still like to contribute to a Project page, you may join one or more Project groups connected with your topic and contribute to those Project Groups. Note, however, that this is not the place to discuss details of specific changes you will make to an existing page if the overall categorization of the knowledge makes sense.

1. To begin, find two or more WikiProjects that are relevant to your contribution (you may find these on the Talk pages of articles related to your proposed article). You may also wish to browse http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Council).

2. Review the goals and guidelines of the Projects you are considering joining and make sure that your proposed contribution is consistent with the group’s guidelines.

3. Add your username to the list of participants for the WikiProjects you wish to join. All WikiProjects are different, but instructions for adding yourself to the project list of participants can usually be located by looking through the WikiProject page's outline. To add yourself to the list, either follow the instructions given or simply edit the participant list and add your username at the bottom.

4. Once you are a member of the Project, notify the community of your planned work by contributing to the Project discussion. Include an update to any previous comments you made to the Project page when you proposed your topic, and respond to any feedback provided by other Wikipedians. Your posting should provide a basic overview of your proposed work as well as a description of the sources you plan to draw from and cite. Ask for feedback from other users and use any peer comments to further improve the plan for your revised or new entry.

Note your proposed contribution on your Wikipedia user page. Keep in mind that other Wikipedia editors may access your user page to better understand your contributions. Other Wikipedia editors may also offer you suggestions on your user page.

5. Other editors may or may not respond, depending on the activity level of the Project group. These levels vary greatly group to group. You will not be graded on the responses of other editors, simply on the quality of the comments you leave. If another editor replies to your comments, you will be expected to consider their feedback. Such feedback can be very useful in helping you make your contribution more successful. If the feedback is hostile, contact the course online ambassador for advice.

6. Once you submit your Project Group contributions to Wikipedia, take screenshots that show your contributions compiled together in one document, including your contribution, username, as well as information at the top of each page showing the title of the Project page. Check your work by printing your contribution to make sure that the printed version is the equivalent size as the print in this handout. The zoom feature on your computer and/or browser can solve this problem if the font is too small. Screenshots with too small print will lose points.

Do not save the entire page as a pdf, especially if the Project pages are exceptionally long.

7. Submit these files to the relevant assignment tab on OWL-Space and for full credit be sure your name appears on your document and save the file as follows: <LastName>WikiProject.pdf (or .docx/.doc or .jpeg)

Submit to OWL-Space by 9 pm Thursday, February 27.