Creating a gang page

Creating a gang page is as simple as creating a new page and naming it after your gang. An example of an appropriate name for a page would be "Marabunta Grande" or "510". When you do this, you will be prompted to start a new page, and see a text editor in front of you. There are two choices at this point: using a visual editor, or using a source editor. These options can be accessed on the top right of the editing page. The visual editor is the most friendly to new users, while the source editor offers more freedom for those among us that understand how to code a page. Once you have decided on which editor to use, you can move on to the next step.

## Infoboxes

On wiki's you'll generally find several standardized infoboxes. Infoboxes are summary overview of the topic being discussed on the page created through templates. In order to enter an infobox onto your page, you can click "insert" in the top bar of the text editor, and then select "infobox." A screen will popup and ask you to enter specific data: the gang name, the territory it controls, who the members are, what the leadership structure is, etcetera. The infobox is supposed to give out the most pertinent information about your gang in one view, and should be kept as short as possible while containing as much relevant information as possible.

It's important to remember that data that is *not entered* will also *not* show up in the infobox. If there is information that you don't know, or don't find relevant for your gang, then feel free to not enter that data and it will not show up. An example is the leadership structure: certain gangs may not have an official leadership structure and therefore may not find it relevant to enter this data. Try and be as accurate as possible in the data that you enter, but leave room for roleplay and storytelling. Do you exercise control over a certain area of Los Santos, but is it not part of your official territory? You may still wish to enter it into the infobox.

Once you have filled in all the information, you can click apply and the infobox will appear. You can check over the infobox once more to see if everything is according to your liking, and then you're ready for the next step.

## Layout

### Text

A gang page should follow a certain layout in order to remain cohesive. Most wiki pages in general will start with a short overview of the topic at hand, in this case a gang. A short introduction to who your gang is, what they're about and how they operate is often a good way to catch the readers attention and draw them into wanting to know more about the topic. On the contrary, a dull introduction simply stating that "this is a gang" will probably not lead to many people wanting to know more. Try and be creative, and exercise those same skills you use when roleplaying to write your story!

Following the introduction is generally the table of contents, allowing users to quickly jump to where they want to go and select what they want to read.

After that, a new heading will typically begin with a more in depth description of the gang. Consider this description more academical than storytelling. A first is typically the etymology, or in other words, an explanation of the name of the gang. The second sub-heading would often be the characteristics of the gang: what sets them apart, how are they recognized, and what are they known for?

After the academical background of the gang, we can move onto the next heading: the backstory or history of the gang. Here is where true creative writing can come to light, and where most sense of standardized layouts go to die. Anything of interest, or that you believe to be of interest, should be entered here. Try and work chronologically, start at the start, and explain how the gang was created, and then move on to the next step until you reach the end.

### Images

Sometimes it may be preferable to use an image for illustration purposes. Maybe you want to show off a specific type of car that the gang likes to use, or maybe you want to show off a group image (remember to block out the eyes!). In order to do so, you can use the same dropdown menu you used to create your page, and select ''upload new file''. Here you should fill in all relevant information, most importantly a name. Try and name the topic accurately. If you have a group image, naming the image "groupimage.png" is probably going to lead to confusion. Instead, try using a description of the images contents: "groupimagexyzgang.png".

Coming back to your page, you can now enter the image by using the image button, which is located two buttons over to the left from the insert menu. Entering the name of the topic you entered during the upload, you should be able to easily find the picture, from where you can use the visual editor to place the image in the place you want, add borders, and add a caption.