Riordan Wiki:Administrators' noticeboard/Archive 1

Adding in the blog policy to new users in the welcome points and words from the admins.
Ermm hello admins, i was wondering if you guys could like add in the blog policy to the stuff that you post on the new users' talk page and stuff, like welcoming them...etc...(I really dunno what's that called though. Hope you guys can understand me). You see, many people want and post blogs introducing themselves and post other stuff regarding Camp Half Blood, but then it results in their blogs getting deleted, much to their shock and dismay and sometimes anger too because they don't conform to the blog policy... Many of these outcomes are due to the fact that they actually don't know about it, and that sometimes, people tend to post stuff without browsing other links here to check if it's fine first. An example, would be me. Like my blog posts were being deleted twice. I mean at first i was shocked and pissed off, but yeah, after that, i kinda understood, albeit still angry. So you know, i'm bringing this matter up so that with the blog policy being posted on the welcome message, more users will be able to understand before hastily posting. Also, i dunno about you admins, but i guess it also saves your time and energy to delete blog posts and stuff. Like what you guys said, its important for one to have fun here, but it's also equally important for others to have fun. Anyways, i dunno if here is the right place to post my feedback, but my target audiences are you guys... so yep. Thank you for being pretty cool but also really really really strict admins, and making sure this wiki goes well. I hope that with luck and effort, i can one day become an admin and a bureaucrat here. Thanks. Kudos :)

The notorious user, who got warnings from admins 5 times on the first day joining here,

Childofrighteousness (talk &bull; contribs) 12:54, October 18, 2013 (UTC)
 * Turns out the blog post rules were in the Welcome Template and not in the MediaWiki Welcome message. I fixed it as of yesterday. The reason we have a blog request system is because our wiki was overruled by tons of blogs that were just... Moronic and repetitive. Anyway, it's in there now. SayuriDarling   ~ “And like the sea, I'm constantly changing from calm to hell.”  14:28, October 18, 2013 (UTC)

Admin Meeting - Background
I don't exactly know how this works, but I think this is where it would go? Borean and I discussed that since it has literally been months since our last meeting that we need to have one to discuss many things such as changing the main page, the background, link color etc. SayuriDarling   ~ “But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more.”  04:45, June 16, 2013 (UTC)


 * Someone really does need to update it before the book comes out... SayuriDarling   ~ “I'm all broken. They've broken me.”  18:38, August 1, 2013 (UTC)

New User Workshop
This is more of a suggestion, but I don't know where to put it, and this seems a good enough place as any for everyone to see it. Some new users find it hard to learn how to use the wiki, and I thought that we could have a workshop type thing once a month. Basically, one or two people would volunteer every month (so it rotates between people; someone one month, a different person next month, etc) to spend a day/afternoon to hold a "workshop" for new users, basically teaching them how to get started, how to differentiate between good edits and bad edits, etc. Its just an idea, and I wanted to see what you guys thought of it. Albus Chase ~Potato King 16:04, July 3, 2013 (UTC)


 * The idea sounds nice enough to begin with or at least have a meeting over it. My problem is actually executing it and then having enough users to do it. Also, I think we we need to have a testing period with this feature like we did with the blog posts limit. SayuriDarling   ~ “But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more.”  18:12, July 3, 2013 (UTC)
 * I like it. But I agree with Sayu, there needs to be a meeting over it. However, i'm not sure if users would even do it... GreekFreak1333   ~Never trust a pretty girl with an ugly secret  20:19, July 3, 2013 (UTC)
 * Just an idea in the same realm as this one, but a more User Friendly Help Guide wouldn't be a bad idea. We focus on the mistakes that most new users make (categories, linking, and even adding Userboxes) and create a step-by-step guide explaining how to do things and giving examples. I mean with categories, there are so many different ways to add the wrong one, but the "Category" template doesn't explain why it is wrong and rarely do the people leaving the warning. Darkcloud1111  umbreon1111.gif God of Dark Clouds  21:09, July 3, 2013 (UTC)
 * I agree with that because its basically the same thing but with my one people would have to spend an hour explaining. Albus Chase  ~Potato King 21:15, July 3, 2013 (UTC)
 * I like this idea, Al, but my only question is how do we physically get ths to work? (Talk Here) HC (Stalk Here)


 * It's a good idea, in theory. However, I don't really think most new users would want to attend the workshop, and there are some more execution roadblocks that have already been mentioned. I like Dark's idea of a new help guide that is more basic. Also, one thing I've seen on other wikis is they have weekly blogs that explain how to do simple things. This is a good idea since its will be more active and will therefore engage users who come after it is written. Frodo the 9 fingered   The Desolation of Smaug  21:34, July 3, 2013 (UTC)


 * At first I was thinking another chat room (like chatango,) but I decided against it. Maybe we incorporate the blog thing into it? For example, each month a blog is made on the 1st and for the whole month new users/any user can leave their questions if they don't understand a certain thing, etc etc. Then at the end of the month each question asked is answered? Albus Chase  ~Potato King 21:49, July 3, 2013 (UTC)
 * Well if we did do that, I don't think we should wait until the end of the month to answer the questions. I mean, especially if users ask at the beginning of the month, I don't think they should have to wait until the end of the month for their question to be answered. But I do like the blog idea, though not a new blog every month maybe. GreekFreak1333   ~Never trust a pretty girl with an ugly secret  21:55, July 3, 2013 (UTC)
 * Well, like Darkcloud, I think our best bet would be to make a comprehensive, step-by-step guide that would cover the basics of Wikia communities in general. That would include everything from categorizing pages to replying to blog comments. The problem with traditional tutorial pages is that they can be very long and confusing, and are also seldom updated which means they might contain obsolete information. We would basically have to write a sort of a "Wikia for Dummies" page.
 * And as to what Frodo suggested, I think short help blogs would be a brilliant way to shorten the tutorial page because there is a lot of stuff that we need to cover, and we don't want to throw too much wiki jargon at new users at once. Small doses of information are more easily swallowed and that also gives new users more choice on what to read and what not to.
 * Yeah I agree. They're all basically the same idea, just different methods of doing it. Isn't there already a guide-like thing? Albus Chase  ~Potato King 22:03, July 3, 2013 (UTC)


 * There are guides, but no one ever reads them, which is why I like the blog idea simply because more people would read it. Frodo the 9 fingered~  The Desolation of Smaug  22:05, July 3, 2013 (UTC)
 * There could always be a type of beginners guide that covers the basics like I suggested, then maybe a type of General Questions blog for more advanced questions or things that aren't covered. Darkcloud1111  umbreon1111.gif God of Dark Clouds  22:07, July 3, 2013 (UTC)
 * Yeah there's this. We could update this page/advertise it so they know where to go. We could also make the weekly blogs. So we could do both. Albus Chase  ~Potato King 22:09, July 3, 2013 (UTC)
 * The thing about making a user guide, is that it just gets lost on the wiki. For example, the one I linked above, I'm pretty sure no new user reads it, because they don't find it. Albus Chase  ~Potato King 16:49, July 4, 2013 (UTC)
 * We could always add a link in the welcome message, as well as adding links to any kind of warning we send people (have the guide for images on the image template, category guide for category, ect). If they won't look it up themselves, we will have to direct them to it. We can't do everything for them, so they will have to learn how themselves. Darkcloud1111  umbreon1111.gif God of Dark Clouds  17:10, July 4, 2013 (UTC)


 * Except having a lovely advice column doesn't exactly sound appealing though, especially to someone who's just discovering Wikia, or at least that's how I perceive it. It's a neat idea, and I think we should go for it, but I feel like it may be used seldom often. Blogs only really work when people are interested and decide to comment, but because we usually have more interesting blogs that are noted and commented on, these "helper" blogs could easily be overshadowed and forgotten. Exploring a wiki, figuring out how to edit, trying a bit of coding, it's all a learning experience that requires the new users to be proactive. 01:19, July 6, 2013 (UTC)
 * In conclusion, I think we should have the User Guides. We could give links on any warnings, welcome messages, etc. Albus Chase  ~Potato King 12:55, July 6, 2013 (UTC)

Okay so I fainted today (calm down, I'm alright) so I haven't been to the wiki all day, and the coverage where I'm at the moment is terrible anyway, but I just thought about videos. Basically, we could record our screens and make the needed tutorials that way. That would save us from having to write long essays on how to do various things on a wiki. I get that figuring stuff out on your own is, for some, part of the Wikia experience, but not everyone is like us. Not everyone wants to have to put in the effort and figure out what a template is or what categories are used for. Let me know what you think. And avoid saunas.
 * They do something like that on Community Central, and it works, so I agree. Also, glad to hear you're okay. ~never been to a sauna~ Albus Chase  ~Potato King 18:25, July 6, 2013 (UTC)
 * That sounds like a good idea. If anyone has a Mac, the best video recorder is ScreenFlow. It's beautiful. Basically. Also, saunas are hot and it's already 100 degrees outside. Will remember to avoid. SayuriDarling   ~ “But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more.”  18:34, July 6, 2013 (UTC)
 * Okay, going with the video idea, what needs to be covered within the videos, i.e. what topics do the new members need help with? 17:32, July 29, 2013 (UTC)
 * Mainly I think they should know what sort of edits to make. Sometimes the edits are of really poor quality (grammar/spelling wise) and sometimes they are factually incorrect. Helping them see the difference between "good edits" and "bad edits" would I think be the first step. albuschasesig.png.png 18:32, July 29, 2013 (UTC)
 * So are we definitely doing the videos? albuschasesig.png.png 18:59, August 10, 2013 (UTC)

Blog
This blog wasn't requested. This is where we put stuff like that now, right? Ohana2.png 14:13, July 22, 2013 (UTC)

Yep.
 * Another blog that wasn't requested. albuschasesig.png.png  14:32, July 29, 2013          (UTC)
 * Blog that wasn't requested.  Albus  Chase  14:49, August 29, 2013 (UTC)
 * Done.  SayuriDarling   ~ "What you must understand about me is that I’m a                  deeply unhappy person." 15:24, August 29, 2013 (UTC)
 * Unrequested blog.  Albus  Chase  16:07, September 9, 2013 (UTC)
 * Another one.  Albus  Chase  12:17, September 15, 2013 (UTC)
 * Another blog.  Albus  Chase  12:58, October 12, 2013 (UTC)
 * Blog that wasn't requested.  Albus  Chase  14:41, October 16, 2013 (UTC)

Hey, I wasn't aware of the blog requesting thing so I ended up making this one. Sorry about that. But I was wondering whether one of you could delete it or remove it so I can put up an official request. Thanks. Ipaintedafish (talk &bull; contribs) 12:01, October 19, 2013 (UTC)
 * 



Page
This page has nothing to do with the series. ohana.png 00:17, August 10, 2013 (UTC)


 * Done.

Some fanfiction Page. e.e GreekFreak1333   ~Never trust a pretty girl with an ugly secret  03:06, September 9, 2013 (UTC)

We already have a merpeople page, so this one should be deleted, again, because they remade it. Albus  Chase  19:15, September 9, 2013 (UTC)

This page isn't needed, is it? Albus  Chase  22:15, September 27, 2013 (UTC)

Another page. Albus  Chase  16:35, October 2, 2013 (UTC)

Another one. Albus  Chase  20:14, October 10, 2013 (UTC)

Unrequested Blog
This blog was unrequested. -- ✿Brittney ~ Fata Della Natura✿  07:59, September 3, 2013 (UTC)
 * Deleted. SayuriDarling   ~ "What you must understand about me is that I’m a deeply unhappy person."  13:44, September 3, 2013 (UTC)
 * Another one. Albus   Chase  19:50, October 17, 2013 (UTC)

Another Unrequested Blog
This blog was also unrequested. -- ✿Brittney ~ Fata Della Natura✿  12:46, September 13, 2013 (UTC)


 * Unrequested blog. -- ✿Brittney ~ Fata Della Natura✿  06:51, September 15, 2013 (UTC)


 * Done.

Unrequested blog. -- ✿Brittney ~ Fata Della Natura✿  08:09, September 28, 2013 (UTC)
 * Un-requested blog. Albus   Chase  19:50, September 21, 2013 (UTC)
 * Another one. Albus   Chase  15:46, September 22, 2013 (UTC)
 * Deleted it. Thanks Albus.
 * Anytime. There have been a lot more un-requested blogs; don't we include the blog policies in the welcome messages? Albus   Chase  15:57, September 22, 2013 (UTC)
 * That sounds like a good idea. SayuriDarling   ~ “I felt that I breathed an atmosphere of sorrow.”  16:08, September 22, 2013 (UTC)
 * Another unrequested one. -- ✿Brittney ~ Fata Della Natura✿  09:41, October 3, 2013 (UTC)
 * Un-requested blog. Albus   Chase  17:55, October 6, 2013 (UTC)

Page and Blog
This page, this blog and this blog should be deleted. -- ✿Brittney ~ Fata Della Natura✿  10:56, October 19, 2013 (UTC)

Page
Was this page created with the permission of an admin? It was created almost one hour ago. DanyYB ~Daughter of Wisdom  16:36, October 19, 2013 (UTC)

Blog
Was this blog authorized by an admin? DanyYB ~Daughter of Wisdom  23:27, October 19, 2013 (UTC)