User:Panic/Newbie Guide

Welcome to PvXwiki!

If you've been linked to this page, then you're probably a new user. This guide is designed to prevent common mistakes and help you to improve the quality of contributions to the Wiki.

Minor Edits and Show Preview
Regular users use the "Recent Changes" link on the side of the page to review the changes that have happened on the Wiki. They do this so they can monitor the state of the wiki, review new builds, and to see new comments on existing builds.

This can become very clogged if a user makes lots of small changes to pages. The solution to this is to use Minor Edits and Show Preview.

Minor Edits

When making a small change to a build page, a talk page, or a user page, it's considered polite to check the "This is a minor edit." box which can be found above the Save Page button. Like this:



When creating a new page, making a major change to a page, or marking pages for deletion then it's generally good practice to not use Minor Edit.

Show Preview

Right beside the Save Changes button is Show Preview. Before saving a page, click on Show Preview. It will then display what the page would look like if it was saved. The edit box with all the options (Save page, Show preview, etc) will appear at the bottom of the preview page so you can make any appropriate adjustments. This also helps keep Recent Changes clear since previewing the page prevents more saved edits.

Build Ownership, Delete Tags, and PvX:WELL Tags
Why was my build deleted?! Who put that delete tag on my build?! Why is there a PvX:WELL tag on my build?!

Build Ownership

In the spirit of a wiki, everything that is posted on the wiki is considered to be the property of the community and the public. If you don't want your writing to be edited mercilessly and redistributed at will, then don't submit it here. Once you've posted a build, you should try to make an emotional detachment from it.
 * Avoid referring to it as "mine" or "my build".
 * Avoid using "I" in the build article.
 * Do not get defensive if the build you've posted receives negative criticism.
 * Do not remove Delete or WELL tags from builds you have authored.

Delete Tags

Delete tags are added to builds for numerous reasons. Once a delete tag has been added to a page, DO NOT REMOVE IT. This is especially true if you are the original author of the page. There should be a reason for the deletion in the tag. If there isn't, it should refer to the discussion underway on the build's talk page. As the tag says if you disagree with the deletion, discuss it on the talk page.

If a build has been marked for deletion, do not worry this is only the first step in the community's policy. Once a discussion has taken place and an administrator has taken notice of the delete tag, they will decide if the reason is valid. It is entirely possible that they will disagree with the deletion.

PvX:WELL Tags

The WELL policy, in it's simplest form, says that a build should not be retained if it is clearly inferior to similar builds.

As with Delete Tags, discuss any objections to the PvX:WELL tag on the build's talk page. Only if an admin agrees with the tag will the page be deleted.

Talk Page Etiquette
There are three simple rules for talk pages. This includes ALL Talk pages (User, Build, Etc.)

1. Sign all your comments.
 * Whenever you put a comment on a talk page, be sure to sign it. This will leave your User name or your IP as well as the time and date the comment was made. To do this, simply put ~ after your message when you're editing the talk page. The Wiki will automatically change the ~ to your identity and the date as if by magic.
 * Neglecting to do this does not mean you are anonymous. Anyone can look at the history for the page and see what your username/IP is, when you made the change, and what you changed. They don't need to be admin; in fact, they don't even need a username.

2. Do not delete or edit comments (Even yours!).
 * The policy of most wikis is to retain all information. PvXwiki is one of those wikis. Do not delete comments made on a talk page. Ever. Minor edits such as spelling corrections, additional comments, etc. are normally allowed on your own comments, however you should NEVER edit the comments or others.

3. No Personal Attacks.
 * This is a simple policy, but more information can be found here. In short, do not insult other people.