Wiki Help
How do I write a postition statement?
Kevin- I promise I am not stupid but I need some clarification on how the new pages work. Is the position section an additional page for discussion? I see a bullet point for the original study. But when I write something, it just puts it into an editable box. I would love to have a way to put my proposed plank under a bullet that would say something like "alternative plank" etc. I am happy to cede the "offical plank" page to freetrader (or anyone else for that matter). I just want a place to put my alternative plank and it would be nice to put it under a bullet so that other people would know it was there. Anyway things are looking good! Paul Choate
- No worries. I'm at the end of a long process or writing papers, making posters and preparing presentations (my capstone is one week from today!), so I haven't had the time I wanted to finish filling out the content. It is understandable that you are confused.
- The idea is that, rather than have one page for each topic that we all work on (as was the case for the 6-month study), we will divide up each topic into sections intended to make the process more accessible and productive. The first part is the Issue itself. This page should be short and as objective as possible, describing the problem space without specifying a solution or position. The Positions then become a way to flush out ideas as individuals or small groups. For example, you don't have to give up your opinion of a Gas Tax to help Freetrader refine his position. Each view can find a place on this site before the larger platform plank is determined. In fact, the development of positions should help inform consensus.
- To create a position, navigate to the topic about which you want to make a statement. At the top of those pages should be a "Position" link (the one you clicked on is a category link to all pages, but let's save that discussion for another day). Simply edit that page, trying to follow the conventions of the pages that exist now, and add a link to the new page you wish to create. You may want to start by copying an existing position and using that as a template.
- I plan to continue shaping the content, structure and functionality of this site, even after my presentation next week. There are many questions you still have, I'm sure. I view this as participatory design: we are all helping to create a better forum for political discussion. --Kevin 14:12, 13 April 2006 (Mountain Daylight Time)
Can I overwrite other people's work?
I am afraid that when I made a post (edit) as it appeared I seemed to have trumpped or overiden the original authors post . I did not intend to do this .What format should I use to avoid this . I would like to contribute only while not editing someone elses work . Thank you , Art
- Art - The nature of a Wiki is that when you work on a posting you are ALWAYS editing what was there before. You can either over-write something entirely or you can add to the end of it or rework just a portion. That is the beauty of it. We have a history function, so there is always the option of going back to a previous post if necessary. However, if no one feels that the old post is better than the revised one, the revised one will stay. The trick to this process is diligence and always revisiting portions you have worked on. Because we all should be working from a place of respect for one another, we should be striving to find commonality wherever possible, and working for concensus. Thank you for your concern about overwriting someone else's work, but don't feel bad about doing it. You can always compare versions using the history link at the top of the page next to the edit link! -Jeffrey Poehlmann