How to create a wiki for your Idealist meeting

category:idealistcategory:help
Step 1: Log in or create an account
You can read and edit pages without creating an account or logging in. To create an account (which is free), just click the "log in / create account" link at the top right corner of any page. You only need a single login for all Wikia.
Creating an account is the only way to clearly attribute your work. Without a username, edits you make on any Wikia will be attributed to the numerical IP address of your computer instead. Logging in therefore also increases your privacy, because your IP address will be hidden once you are logged in. There are many other benefits to registration, such as the ability to set user preferences, and to receive email without displaying your email address. 
If you create an account, we suggest you use your real name. Mine, for example, is LeoRomero.
Step 2: Create a page for your meeting
FROM A TEMPLATE
To create a wiki for your Idealist.org meeting using a template: in the box below, enter a description (e.g. Idealist.org Silicon Valley 2007-02-11 Meeting), then click on the button beneath it. This will take you to a page pre-filled with forms and information that you can edit.
 <createbox>
 buttonlabel=Create a Wiki for your Idealist.org Meeting
 preload=Template:IdealistMeeting
 </createbox>
FROM SCRATCH
To create a wiki from scratch, referring to the picture below: (1) In the Search box, type the title of the page you want to create, then press the Go button. (2) If the page does not already exist, you'll be prompted to create it. Click on the red "create this page" link. (3) Type away. Or copy what you like from our existing pages. Or both.</BIG>
Step 3: Edit the page
If you created a page using the template, edit or replace the sample text on your page. There are some instructions in the page <!-- IN CAPS WITHIN BRACKETS THAT LOOK LIKE THESE --> to give you some suggestions. 
After editing, click on the "Show preview" button, review and admire your work. In the "Summary" box, type a brief description of what your edit is all about, so other users may quickly see the reason for the edit. Then click on "Save page".
Step 4: Copy like crazy
We already have several pages in this site that you can copy and modify on your own pages. If you see a page that you like, click on the "edit" tab, copy what you want, paste it onto a page you created, then edit as you please. Just be careful not to accidentally modify the document that you're copying from.
Here are some pages from which you might pinch ideas:
The minimalist table of contents for the Silicon Valley group
The main page of our startup meeting
Our Organizers page
Notes from one of our prep meetings
The agenda we developed for our startup meeting
Notes some of us took from the meeting
Feedback from the startup meeting
Step 5: Learn more
*Take the Wikia tutorial
*Read the beginner's guide
*Browse our other help resources
*Read the Idealist Wiki Q&A
*Chat with the good people of the Wikia community support team
*Email your questions to Leo Romero
Have fun!