The Void Armada Wiki Instruction Manual

Thank you for participating in the Void Armada Wiki. The purpose of this project is to provide a centralized location for members of the Void Armada and each of its constituent fleets to tell the stories of their characters, ships, and locations, as well as share information on builds and other things that make a game like STAR TREK ONLINE fun.

## A Massive Multiverse of Stories to Tell

First things first, however, and that is storytelling style. STO is a Massively Multiplayer Online Game, but also features robust single-player campaigns. As a result, literally every player who has gone through the requisite missions are the heroes of the Iconian War. Every one of us faced down J'Ula and travelled to Gre'thor at her side. All of us were present at the signing of the Temporal Accords and the Battle of Procyon V. So, in short, think of this Wiki like the Void Multiverse. Because I might claim in my entry to have been present for the destruction of Omicron Kappa II, it doesn't mean that you weren't too. Tell your story the way you want to, and don't stress about what anyone else writes.

That said, of course, that if you choose to name check other players in your stories, be sure to get their permission before publishing. S'allright? S'allright.

## Writing Style

The desired style of writing is an informational method. So, think of it like you're writing an encyclopedia entry. For example:

* Instead of "I fought the Hur'q at Empersa with Odo and Kira".
* Use "Admiral Beebot participated in the engagement with the Hur'q at Empersa in 2411, alongside Dominion Ambassador Odo and Starfleet Captain Kira Nerys."

We recommend that you read this entry for a good example of a style guide.

While you do have the ability to "sandbox" your entries, you are not able to save them in draft state. Therefore, we strongly recommend that unless you intend to sit and write, review, and edit your drafts into final form in one sitting that you do it outside of the wiki. Microsoft Word or any other type of word processing software will work. The idea is to not leave half-finished articles laying around that you may or may not ever get back to. When you have the final draft of your entry done, you can copy, paste, and format the document easily within the wiki.

## How Do I Write An Article?

### Logging In

The first thing you will need to do before you can begin writing and editing articles is to sign up for a FANDOM account. This will prevent random visitors from creating and adding irrelevant materials and provide a safeguard against vandalism. (Basically, if you're not a member you can't post, and if you deface someone else's article, we'll know who did it. LOL)

As of November 2022, sign-in and create account links are located to the left of the screen in desktop, and at the top of the screen in mobile. This can potentially be variable depending on your display settings so be sure to search completely.

### Ok, So I Wrote My Article. Now What?

The first thing to do is find the "Add New Page" link. Please note that this will only be presented when you are logged in to FANDOM. Clicking this will open a new pop-up asking you to create a page title. Style requirements are as follows:

* For a character: First name, Middle name or initial, last name. If the character has only a single name, that is acceptable.
	+ If someone else has already published an article on a character with the same name (e.g. Tarsi, Elisa Flores, Tovan Khev), add a bracket with the name of the player captain. For example, "Evelyn Savea (Bowerman)". We will create a disambiguation page to redirect to all the different versions of the character.
	+ Please do not create a listing for a canon character who is already covered in Memory Alpha, Memory Beta, or the STO Wiki. If you want to write 5 pages about your wild academy romance with Sylvia Tilly (and I'm getting jealous just writing that), do it in the context of your own character's entry.
* For a ship: Prefix (e.g. USS, NX, RRW), Ship name, comma, registry number in brackets. For example "USS Excelsior (NCC-2000)"
	+ While it is entirely possible that multiple members may have ships of the same name or registry number, it's extremely unlikely that you will match both. However, in the case that this does occur, add another set of brackets with the name of the player captain and a disambiguation page will be created.
	+ If you want to create an article for a ship that already exists in alpha or beta canon, go for it. Feel free to mention the events in alpha or beta canon but please don't just copy and paste entries out of other sources. Re-write it yourself to tell your story. We would also recommend that you add a note and link to the ship's listing in Memory Alpha or Memory Beta at the bottom of your entry, much like how those two wikis refer to each other.
* For a location or place: Common name of the location. For example, "Earth" as opposed to "Sol III, Vulcan Sector, Beta Quadrant".
	+ Ideally, location or place entries will only be made for fleet assets, such as K-13 or the Fleet Starbase. This allows us to be able to tell the stories that we wish to tell about them. Places that are already fleshed out like Nimbus III do not need an article here. References to that location should include links to Memory Beta or the STO Wiki as appropriate.
	+ Also, this is an ARMADA wiki, not just a fleet one. So, if someone from Singularity Void writes about the Dranuur Colony, then someone from Void Academy wants to write about their version of the colony, that's great. Add a bracket with the name of the fleet and we will create a disambiguation page.
* For a fleet: Fleet pages for all current constituent Void Armada fleets have been created. Please edit the existing pages.
* For a build: Write the article as if you are creating a technical manual. List every facet of the build you are creating, and explain why you chose that console/trait/bridge officer, etc. Be sure to break out and index each section appropriately so that individual sections of your build document can be located easily.

### Templates

When looking at articles in Memory Alpha, Beta, or STO Wiki, you'll notice those cool infoboxes which give you short pieces of information on your topic. This is done through the use of templates. We have created three templates (as of 11/7/22) for use in building articles on characters (both player captains and BOFFs), ships, and places.

After you have designated the title of your page, the visual editor should load. From the taskbar at the top of the editor, click "Insert". One of the options presented to you will be "Template". Click on it. You will be asked to enter the name of the template you wish to use:

* Player characters and BOFFs: Use CHARACTERS
* Starships: Use STARSHIP CLASS
* Places/Locations: Use PLACES
* Builds: Use BUILDS

An editor will open and prompt you to fill in the pieces of information requested in each of the boxes. You do not need to complete all of them if they are not relevant to your entry, as the page coding will cause any infoboxes with a null entry value to be hidden from view. So, if your ship was never destroyed, don't bother putting anything in the DESTROYED DATE field as it won't appear.

The only piece of infobox editing that's not entirely intuitive is adding an image within the infobox. All you need do is key the filename under which your image or video was uploaded. We'll come to that shortly. Also, if you screw up an entry, just click on the infobox in the Visual Editor and you'll be asked if you want to edit the infobox. Say yes, and you're back in the editor. Fix your mistake and then re-save.

If there is a piece of information that you wish to add to your infobox that is not part of the current template, you do have an option to "add information" from the infobox editor. Click the link, fill out the information you wish to add, and save. We would also recommend alerting a moderator to your addition as we might wish to consider adding it to the template in future.

### Setting The Article in Wiki Style

So, like any good wiki (and several bad ones) your article should contain an introductory paragraph giving a very short synopsis of what your article is about, and then several sections detailing various other details about your subject. Ideally, you should also include a "table of contents" if you will, at the start of the article which will allow the reader to jump to the specific detail they are interested in.

The division of sections and creation of the table is accomplished by use of the headings tool, found in the upper left of the visual editor toolbar. By default, it appears as the word "Paragraph" followed by a downward facing arrow. It's set up as Heading, Sub-Heading 1-4, and paragraph. (There are other options, but we discourage their use unless you're familiar with writing for wikis.)

Look at this very article for example. "Paragraph" is just generalized text and is not considered as a heading or subheading. As a result, it does not appear in the table of contents and is perfect for your opening synopsis and article body text.

"Heading" is used for major ideas. For example, in this article we used "Writing Style" and "How Do I Write An Article" as headings as they are two entirely separate topics within the scope of this page. They are enumerated as such in the table. Then, as a heading may need to be sub-divided into different topics but are all still relevant to the main idea of the heading, "Sub-heading" may be used. In this article, we have used "How Do I Write An Article" as a heading, and have listed "Logging In", "Templates", and "Ok, I Wrote My Article, Now What?" as sub-headings. Since these are the first level of sub-headings, "Sub-heading 1" was used. If you need to subdivide a particular topic even further, then use the next one in the hierarchy, "Sub-heading 2", and then so on and so forth as needed.

### Linking Articles

If, over the course of your article you make a reference to another person, place or thing, then it is best practice to in-line link the reference to an associated article. This allows the reader of the wiki to be able to easily read up on topics referenced so as to increase both their understanding of the topic and appreciation of the article.

Let's say, for example, that you want to reference Paul Stamets in your article. As mentioned before, we do not want to create a new article here for this character as they are canon and already have a multitude of things written about them. So instead, we're going to link. Since STO is a licensed work based on the STAR TREK property, we feel that it is best practice to link to articles within Memory Beta, or the STAR TREK ONLINE wiki itself. This way, the information presented in the linked article may go into detail on the character's actions or status in the game, whereas Memory Alpha deals only with film and television appearances and in-game activities do not exist.

So first, I'm going to go to Memory Beta and find the article on Paul Stamets. Then, I'm going to copy the link, which happens to be https://memory-beta.fandom.com/wiki/Paul\_Stamets. You'll notice that just writing the full address created a link on its own, but our purpose here is to create an in-line link. So, the hyperlink will just appear as Paul Stamets and not all that http crap.

Once I have the article web address copied, I'm going to use my mouse or shift and arrow keys to highlight the particular piece of text that I want to use as the link. Best practice is when a person, place, or thing is namechecked multiple times within an article to only link the first instance. So I'll find the first time a reference to Paul appears in my article, and highlight his name.

Within the visual editor, you'll see an icon that looks like two links of a chain. Click that. This will cause the "Add a Link" window to appear, and to start you'll have two options: "The Void Armada Wiki" and "External Site". So because we're linking to Memory Beta and not a page within our own wiki, I'm going to select "External Site". After clicking, the page will next ask you for the URL of the item you wish to link. So I'll paste the address to the Beta Paul Stamets article and click ok. And we're done. The end result will look like this:

Paul Stamets

If you messed something up and the link was keyed wrong, the text will show in red after you save. If this occurs, check your link and edit the hyperlink accordingly.

So what if you wanted to link to a document that already exists in the Wiki? So let's say that Scar wants to write about their epic bromance with Doc Holliday. Scar will just highlight Doc's name as before, and click the link icon. If Doc has already created his own page, then Scar will be able to search for it under "The Void Armada Wiki", click to select, and then click ok. It will appear exactly the same way our link to Paul Stamets appears above.

### Hey, You Wanna See A Picture?

You can add images to your articles to help spice up the presentation. The first thing you need to do is upload the image, and there are a few ways to do it.

#### Upload New File

If you are not currently in the page editor and you want to add pictures or videos to use later, there is a function called "Upload New File", and is located in the same menu as "Add New Page". Click this link, and you will be taken to an upload page. Click "Choose File' to browse for your desired image on your computer, then click ok when found. Then you will see three fields below this:

* Destination Filename: This is what you want your file to be called. We recommend against using generic titles like "Uniform" or "Planet".
* Summary: A short explanation of what this picture is. (Optional, but encouraged)
* Licensing: This allows you to choose between various image license options, from Fair Use to Public Domain to Own Image. Please review the options and select the licensing that most closely matches the imaging you are uploading. The majority of images of game assets or screenshots from movies or shows will most likely fall under fair use. This is not administered by the moderators and we have no say in what your image should be licensed as or what to do if it is taken down. Just be smart with what you post and try not to get the rest of us in trouble.

#### Images and Media

If you are editing an article in Visual Editor and wish to add an image, find the "Images and Media" tool in the toolbar. The icon looks like a picture of some mountains. First, place the cursor about where in the article that you want the image to appear, then click on the tool. You will be presented with a visual list of the most recent files uploaded, the ability to search for files by name (which is why you don't want generic names) and the option to upload. (Uploading of images works exactly the same as in the previous section, except that you have drag and drop capability here and have to agree with a terms and conditions statement.)

When you find the image you want or have successfully uploaded it, click on it. You will be shown the image again along with the details you entered upon upload. If you wish to use it, then click "Use This Image". You will first be taken to a window that allows you to enter a caption which can be formatted like all other text. Clicking "Advanced" will allow you to change where the picture appears in your article (left, right or center) and the size of the image. Best practice is to allow text to wrap around the image, justify it to the right or left, and leave the size at default. Then save, and save your article. Then feel the magic!

#### Adding an Image to Infobox

So remember how we said that adding images here isn't that incredibly intuitive? Well, it's not as hard as all that. What you want to do first is upload your image via the "Upload New File" method listed above, and then make special note of the file name of your image. (Again, distinctive file names help!)

Next, begin the creation of your page as outlined all the way back in section 3, and then choose your template. When editing the infobox listings in your template, simply type the exact filename of the picture you wish to add into the infobox. So, if I were to be writing an article on Elisa Flores, I would go to the image field in the infobox and type Flores.png. (Case and punctuation matters, so be exact!) When I save the infobox, it should populate with the image where I put it. (See the infotype example above.)

## So this is great and all, but how do I find anything in this mess?

Categories is the answer to effective wiki navigation. After you finish and save your article, then it's time to start assigning categories. Anything you think might be relevant to the article at hand.

As an example, I have a human captain and a Caitian BOFF. Both are members of the Void Fleet, and are members of The Federation. So, when I finish one of their articles, I am going to scroll all the way to the bottom of the entry and find the area for Categories. If a category already exists, it will appear as you start typing. So, I'll put my Captain in the categories of "Player Characters", "Human", "Federation Characters" and "Void Fleet". This will create a list on a category page which will show every page included in that category. So, eventually, I'll be able to go to the "Human" category page and see a list of every human character that has an article. Same for BOFFs or ships or fleet members. Categories can also be gathered into larger categories. For example, we created a category called "Species", and tagged the category page for Humans and Caitians with it. So in the end, we will be able to generate a category page listing every different species of character that appears in the game, and then can click on the individual species type and see everyone who fits that description. See what I mean?

## Wrapping This Up....

If you're still here and awake, congratulations! Gold star!

Creating a wiki from scratch is not an easy feat, but it will continue to get easier as more articles are created and more and more categories and templates are created. So, we strongly encourage you not to run away if all of this appears really dense. Honestly, it's not. With practice and time, you'll soon learn exactly what to do and how to do it. We promise.

That said, if you run into any problems or issues, you will find an option on this page for "Talk". It creates a sort of subpage for this article that allows for discussion and conversation.

If you wish to use it, find the link and click "Talk". It will open the editor. Please type your question, adding any relevant details. Moderators will be reviewing this page and will answer any questions posed. Additionally, feel free to send an in-game message to the senior admin, Bowerman@kbowerman94 for assistance.

Thank you, and happy wikiing!