Wikiality talk:Wikia Blog Posts
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[edit] Wikia Blogs: What Works and What Doesn't
What you can and can't use: When editing the snippets, you can use normal wiki markup. For example, you can just [[Main Page|Wikiality.com]] to link to the Main Page ([[Wikiality.com]] works, too, since it is a redirect for us. It is recommended that you do not use templates since these often do not work. You can include an image by using the full image URL, but not using wiki markup like [[Image:Imagename.png]]. You can not use apostrophes in the title. The <option> feature can not be used.
more on using the blog feature at Wikia Central's Wikia Blogs page (see the talk page, too) and the Inside Wikia Features forum.
[edit] Some other things I've noticed
I've had a couple of posts that didn't post, and for reasons I haven't completely ascertained. I think there is something a bit screwy about the placement of the <blog> tags sometimes - they like to be right next to the text, or to have some space between them and the text. Sometimes lists get a little weird. The blog seems to do well with bulleted lists, but may not do as well with : and :: indentions. Numbered lists I'm not as sure of - I'll update when/if I use those more. One other note: I have posted pics using regular wiki [[Image:Imagename.png]] formatting. The only problem with using this rather than url linking is that it will not "float", so the image takes up a lot of space and will sit above the text only. It just doesn't look as pretty.
More about blog posting:
- You CAN NOT EDIT a post once you have hit "save" (at least for now). Any additional edits/saves will produce additional posts. This means you will need to use preview and/or the sandbox and/or another page for practicing. You have to have the post in "final draft" form before posting.
- If you fuck it up anyway (I have, several times), you can always ask Angela to remove a post for you. :) Even 10 posts, which is how we know that "the <option> feature cannot be used.
- If the post date matters to you, post early in the day, or late the night before - I'm still not sure what the blog's "time zone" is, because the time stamps on my posts do not match up at all with the times when they were posted. But I post on many different computers, so this creates an added complication for me. Just know that if you post in the "late evening" in anything Greenwich+4 or beyond, the post is likely to show up with the next day's date.
- I am going to make a "cheat sheet" soon with more formatting tips, and probably a sub-page of this page for a blog sandbox so that we can play around with formatting the posts before putting them up to post. In the meantime, if you want to see the backlogs of posting mess, I have been doing my own experiments at user:thisniss/mess.
- The idea of a regular posting schedule still appeals to me, and seems like something we should work toward as we get back on a regular schedule for the wiki as a whole. So far this summer, we have not had enough predictability across the site for me to really establish a "weekly schedule" of blog posts. I have a few ideas for rotating posts that could lend themselves to a schedule and not be dependent on the fluctuation's of the site quite so much, but I will post about that later (I start a new semester myself tomorrow, and need to tend to it right now => ).
As always, if you have ideas for the blog or things you would like to see, please join in the discussion! Thanks, --thisniss 01:13, 20 June 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Wikia Blog: Getting Started
So, I am copying the info from the admin board over here so we can talk about the new Wikia Humor Blog and how we want to post on it, etc. So far, I have learned that
- there is a big difference between what you see in your MediaWiki edit window and what you see on the blog (I'm not sure why this surprised me, but I have just proven I'm an idiot. See below).
- unlike either the wiki or a traditional blog, you cannot edit a post once you've made it. Hence, our second post (my first) is on the blog three times. Oopsie!
[edit] Proposed Posting Rotation
A potential rotation, based on conversation with Watch:
- Monday: Featured Article
- Tuesday: DYK
- Wednesday: Featured Pic/Caption
- Thurday: Featured Word
- Friday: Breaking News piece
- Weekend: Game/Current Event
What does everyone think about this? Obviously, we also will want to alter this for timely stuff, post things like "Mother" for Mother's Day, put up Stephen's Birthday cards the day before his Bday, etc. Be sure to post if you have suggestions for other "special occassions," or other things we should be doing, too! (Besides, you know, only posting a story once) --thisniss 06:41, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
Anyway, here's the talk from Admin Board: to be followed by conversation about a potential "regular rotation" for blog posts (we get one a day, I believe. I may have wasted one. The blog seems to run on EST, but so do I).
[edit] New Wikia "Blog" Feature
Wikia has started a new "blog" feature. I am not exactly sure how it works, but Angela will send a note along on how it should be used. It is linked through Mediawiki, so only admins will be able to use it to highlight our very best stuff on a blog of some sort.
Please see this page again for more info.--WatchTVEatDonutDrinkBeer 20:48, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
- Angela has posted an explanation of the new feature here--WatchTVEatDonutDrinkBeer 20:54, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
- The "humor" blog (ours) seems to be down right now, though. But this will be cool when it gets going! I've also been wondering about posting occassional links at the Comedy Central blog (when we have something especially relevant or awesome). I'll have to read theirs more to see if it's a good fit, but maybe others here have looked at it and have better info? There's also a new Daily Show blog (I found it through the always wonderful No Fact Zone) that seems pretty good, and I thought we might get in touch with them about news, cross-postings, etc. --thisniss 21:10, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
- I want to offer some suggestions for what should go on the blog:
- new games
- DYK's
- Featured Word or Article
--WatchTVEatDonutDrinkBeer 22:34, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
- Yes, I second these suggestions. I would also add
- particularly good "Breaking News" stories, Captions, etc. (we can post pics, based on what I've seen on the other Wikia blogs)
- we can use the "title line" to highlight particular achievements, along the lines of "Here's our 6500th article" or "We're celebrating our First Anniversary this week with a retrospective of our favorite Featured Articles..."
- "old Features"/Truthie winners (since the above made me remember them)
- Yes, I second these suggestions. I would also add
- We want to put our very best stuff on the blog, obviously. And since we get to put something up everyday, I feel that it's okay to revisit "old stuff," especially if we ever find that we're facing the choice between better "old" material and mediocre "new" material. Just my personal opinion, though, and hopefully this will not be much of an issue!--thisniss 01:52, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
[edit] more to come
Very soon: a potential "regular rotation" for blog posts (we get one a day, I believe. I may have wasted one. The blog seems to run on EST, but so do I).
