Epicski Article Tutorial  

Contents

1. Why Create an Article?
2. What Makes A Good Article?
3. Create A New Article
4. Edit An Existing Article
5. Revert an Article To A Previous Version
6. Report an Article

Why Create an Article?

Articles can be thought of as collaborative works (wikis) which pull together the wisdom of the community and as individual works of our resident experts on a topic of interest.  Originators of wikis or articles can determine if anyone can add to it, or if only specific persons can edit it. Wiki articles are best used for:

• "How to" guides
• Introductory articles
• Lists or "Top 10" guides

Articles will have fewer authors, often only one, and will cover a topic on which the author has some expertise. We have articles on everything from Altitude Acclimation to The Perfect Turn by authorities on those subjects. Other than this distinction, the process o creating a wiki article or an expert article is exactly the same.

When considering whether to write an article or a forum post, think about whether your post is a list, a guide, or a factual discussion.  If it is, you will most likely want to write an Article.  If your content is a question, an opinion, or a piece of news, you will most likely want to write a forum post.

What Makes A Good Article?

Your Article title should be:

• Concise but descriptive
• An accurate reflection of the content in the article; for example, an Article titled "Avalanche Preparedness" should give the reader tips on how to be prepared in the case of an avalanche, rather than a first person account of the January 2005 avalanche in the Canyons, UT

Good Article Content:

• Is "How to" articles, introductory articles, buying guides, and other factually based or "common knowledge" subjects rather than subjective articles, like first-person accounts
• Is written in a neutral/third-person point of view
• Uses headers to separate sections of the article
• Uses bullet points and lists to make reading and contributions easier for other EpicSki members
• Includes relevant images

Your Article should NOT:

• Read like a forum thread.  That’s what the forums are for!  If you are looking to start an Article because you feel the content is important for us to have but do not yourself know all there is to know on the topic, feel free to start the Article and subdivide it with headers to cue other contributors to aspects that you feel are important to cover. Of course, you can always solicit input for your Article in the forums.

Create A New Article

Navigate to the Wiki home.  You will see tabs across the top that show the different categories for Articles. Click on the tab of your topic (for our example, we'll choose Travel)

1. Click the "+ Add a Travel Article" button.
    
2. A popover will open for you to title your article.  Enter a title using letters, numbers, and spaces.  Your title should be descriptive but concise, such as How To Select Womens Goggles or Introduction To Cross Country Skiing.
   
3. When you are satisfied with your title, click Add.
4. A blank wiki article with your title will be available for you to edit.  Keep in mind, until you click save on this page, your article will not be created.  In the body of the Wiki, feel free to add images or add YouTube and Vimeo videos.  You can edit your post similarly to a Word document, with bold, underlined, or italicized text, embedded links, bullet points, and tables.
   
5. When you are finished, scroll to the bottom of the Wiki and hit "Save."  Your Wiki will not be created until you click "Save."

Edit An Existing Wiki

The goal of the Wiki Articles is to pull together the collaborative knowledge of the community.  Feel free to contribute your knowledge to an existing Wiki.

1. Navigate to the Wiki article you would like to edit.
2. At the top of the article, you will see a few buttons.  The second button from the left is the "Edit" button.  Click this to open the Wiki editor.
   
3. Edit the body of the Wiki. 
4. At the bottom of the Wiki article, there is a blank field.  Feel free to enter a brief description of your changes to let others know of your specific contribution.
   
5. Click "Save" when you are finished editing.  Until you click "Save," your changes will not be made.

Revert A Wiki To A Previous Version

Occasionally another user may edit a wiki article in a way you disagree with.  At any time, you can revert the Wiki article back to a previous version.

1. Navigate to the Wiki article you would like to revert.
2. Click the "History" button to view the list of Wiki edits.
   
3. Find the version of the Wiki article you want to roll back to.  Click the "Revert" button above the version you prefer.
   
4. The previous version of the Wiki article will appear in the Wiki editor. 
   
5. Scroll down to the bottom of the Wiki and click "Save" to revert back.  Your changes will not be saved until you click "Save."

Report A Wiki

Occassionally, you may find a Wiki article that violates the community posting guidelines.  Feel free to report a Wiki to site administrators at any time.

1. Navigate to the Wiki you would like to report.
2. At the top of the article, you will see the "Report to Admin" button.  Click that and site administrators will review the content.

Note: We no longer have the ability to Export a Post to a Wiki Article with the click of a button. If you wish to make a post (or group of posts) into an Article, simply copy to your clipboard the content from the post, create a new Article in the subject section it belongs, and paste in the content from your clipboard. If you have any questions, contact nolo by PM.