Consumer Action Taskforce:Talk page guidelines
- Wiki Communication Guide
This guide explains how to effectively communicate on the wiki, particularly when using talk pages and user discussions.
Basic Communication Tools
Talk Pages
Every page on the wiki has an associated talk page for discussions about the content. You can access it by clicking the "Discussion" tab at the top of any page.
User Talk Pages
Each user has their own talk page at User talk:Username
where others can leave messages for them.
How to Reply to Messages
Basic Reply Format
When replying on a talk page, use this format:
:Your message here ~~~~
Key elements:
- The colon
:
indents your reply - Four tildes
~~~~
automatically add your signature and timestamp - Add one more colon than the message you're replying to for nested discussions
Notifying Users
MediaWiki doesn't automatically notify users of replies. To ensure your message is seen:
1. Use the ping syntax in your message:
:Hi [[User:Username|@Username]]! Your message here ~~~~
2. Leave a note on their user talk page:
== Re: Topic == [[User:Username|@Username]] I've replied at [[Talk:PageName]]. ~~~~
For maximum visibility, do both!
Example Full Conversation
== Original Topic == Initial message here. ~~~~ :Hi [[User:Username|@Username]]! Responding to your point... ~~~~ ::Thanks for the reply! Additional thoughts... ~~~~
Best Practices
Starting New Topics
- Use clear, descriptive section headers
- Start new sections with
== Section Title ==
- Always sign your messages
Maintaining Conversations
- Keep replies on the same page where the discussion started
- Use proper indentation to show reply hierarchy
- Update old discussions by adding to them rather than starting new ones
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Related Pages
⚠️ Article status notice: This article has been marked as incomplete
This article needs additional work to meet the wiki's Content Guidelines and be in line with our Mission Statement for comprehensive coverage of consumer protection issues.
This notice will be removed once sufficient documentation has been added to establish the systemic nature of these issues. Once you believe the article is ready to have its notice removed, visit the discord and post to the #appeals
channel.
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