Wiki Newbie To Beginners

There is a difference between what a Newbie wishes someone had told them, and what a veteran thinks Newbies should be told. This page is intended to address the first question. It is a page of NewbieThinksUseful tips for other Newbies (and touched by a veteran), meaning someone who has not been around for more than a few weeks. This page is linked to TipsForBeginners.

What you find here is probably redundant, but you have to read a lot of pages and watch a lot of cross-firing between pros to get the hang of it.

Wiki veterans who want to make remarks, please go to the end where there is a section for you to do so.

-- created by DavidLiu when he was a newbie, and in anger he responded by creating this page, to hit back at the injustice perceived by Newbies (especially pages that GotDeleted). Further editing done by same person over six months later, still alive and kicking at the same wiki, whereas other more capable newbies have come and gone.

First, you can change or add anything. But there exist a fair number of people who will delete your changes if they do not conform to the rules (CommunityExpectations). See DisagreeByDeleting, DisagreeByDistorting, RefactorMercilessly, etc.

Second, the group rules. The group meaning the current batch of Wiki active participants. This means CommunityExpectations can and do change, so GoWithTheFlow.

Third, as Wiki is a community you will find lots of contradictions(rough consensus and outdated pages). So all advice, including this page, is not without people who take exception to information within. A suggestion is to accommodate opposing views, sometimes these are kept in separate pages and linked together.

Fourth, make sure you arm yourself with the knowledge on how to undo the deletes (but see the principle of DeleteOnceRestoreOnce) if necessary. There are still people knowledgeable in Wiki matters to help you in a positive manner. Newbies are advised to stay out of conflicts, and accept the fact that they can get caught in unfortunate cross-fires, just like in a real-life night out at the local pub.

Fifth. Once in a great while there is a bout of impersonation and use of SockPuppets. And the identification of people making changes or distortion of existing material sometimes only serves to mislead. At other times, things can get confusing that even veterans here can mis-interpret both the message and its context.

Sixth. All is not lost. The concept is reasonable. And there is even sometimes good advice from controversial figures. An example I got from one such person being: if you see something good, copy it somewhere off the net, since it may not last till your next visit.

Seventh. Have a better life. Get off Wiki to do something that keeps your family happy. But do come back.

Remarks by Other self confessed Newbies

I'm a newbie here, and I like it here just fine, and I don't see why you dislike the way things are done here. You'd do better if you'd just settle down and stop fighting the system. Or if you dislike the system here so much, go create one of your own that you like better; many people have.

Creating this page is just another example of fighting the system, and comes across as something highly, highly negative, by the way, not as something positive and helpful.

-- DougMerritt

Doug, thanks for your named comment. The next newbie who take over this page (neither of us would qualify as Newbie then) from me, can change it to whatever he /she feels, including trash it. Meanwhile I have already seen good contribution by Wiki Veteran in the main page which I think is fair.

I am quite happy to participate in matters related to DesignPatterns, but in the week or so I have been here there are lots of create vs delete debates, and hardly any new computer material. I am probably wrong here, and I will change my position.

Someone above mentioned CommunityExpectations, which leads to a sister site page with some discussion about history of this wiki (WikiWiki/WardsWiki) which may interest you...some people there are of the opinion that WikiWiki is in decline and has become unfocused.

Maybe, maybe not, but I personally have found a lot of interesting technical material and discussions here, both old and new. Perhaps it depends on one's particular interests; mine are unusually broad, which probably helps. -- DougMerritt

There are a lot of worthwhile things being added. The activity of current members, rather than the worth of the content, is what characterizes the decline stage of the CommunityLifeCycle. However, new content will probably suffer as a wiki goes further along the decline. As to whether or not Wiki is in decline; read the description, consider RecentChanges, and form an opinion.

Remarks by Wiki Veterans

Links to jokes and poems on this wike site

I've seen a few by accident, but lost the links.

Are there any that aren't already listed on the PoemsParodyAndFilkRoadMap ?

How about TriteSayingsComeInPairs - it's a good primer for why every nugget of information needs context.

I have discovered DeleteJunkie to be quite humorous. And I hope in future most regulars will see it that way without having to experience things first hand. Do people think DeletedUnlessDefended is a good approach?

"If programmers were forced to write ... descriptions in HaiKu ..." -- ss, in FileHeaders

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