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From WikiStory

Every page (except for Special Pages and Reviews) has an associated talk page which can be used for discussion and communication with other users. Talk pages can be accessed by clicking the Discussion tab at the top of the page. Simply edit the page as you would any other to add your comment.

A talk page is actually very similar to any other wiki page, but it is in the 'talk' namespace, to keep it separate from the articles in the 'content' namespace (See Help:namespaces) As with any wiki page, you can edit it, link to it, and view the editing history.

Editing conventions on talk pages

When having discussions on Talk pages, it helps if everyone follows some simple editing conventions:

• Always sign your name after your comments. Use the four tildes '~~~~' wiki syntax (or the toolbar button)
• Start a new discussion with a ==level 2 heading== at the bottom of the page (or use the '+' tab)
• Indent replies with colons (:) at the beginning of the line.

Example

Here is an example discussion, following the talk page conventions:

Editing discussions

Having discussions on a free-form wiki page has some advantages over the conventional rigid forum format, but it can get a little messy. As with other wiki pages, anyone can help with tidying up discussions, in order to to conform to the editing conventions, such as adding signatures and headings where they are missing.

Clearly we also have the opportunity to edit other people's comments. Please keep in mind that it is generally bad etiquette to modify somebody else's wording. (Better just to add your own comment with your corrections.)

The following edits are considered acceptable:

Modify discussion headings

Change wording or append words to the discussion headings, to better describe the topic of discussion. Note that good descriptive headings become important when many discussions start to fill the page.

Move discussions to a different page

If discussions are put in the wrong place on WikiStory, and are better associated with a different talk page, then you could just move the discussion by cut & paste. (In this case, you might leave a link to alert participants that the discussion has moved, and where to find it.) This is potentially confusing, for the people posting, but can be important for keeping things tidy. You could leave the discussion in the wrong place for a few days/weeks grace before tidying it. You could leave a link behind explaining that a discussion was moved, or if not, you should link within the edit summary.

Delete discussions when they are out-of-date

Discussions can often get left on a talk page long after the issue is no longer relevant. It is usually a good idea to reply to such saying "I think this is now resolved". Sooner or later old finished discussions become clutter on the website and should be deleted (they are of course preserved in the editing history).

Split a post into several discussions

It may appropriate to do this, if somebody has raised several points which need to be answered separately. You should always be respectful of other people's words. Does their post still make sense if you split it up?

Building and Discussing stories, poems, plots, and character descriptions

It is usually best to keep focused on the task of building the story, poem, plot, or character description, and use discussion pages only to support this process. The topic of conversation should generally revolve around what needs to be done to make the associated page better. Remember that editing the story, poem, plot, or character description itself is often a more effective means of communicating. It can be more difficult, requiring you to balance your views alongside those of others, but it can also be more rewarding. This is how the community of wiki editors will make progress. Think about how to portray both sides of the argument (e.g. listing advantages and disadvantages) and you may find the debate evaporates.

Also, make sure to defer to the Guidelines for a particular story when writing, it may solve an argument for you (but Guidelines can be changed by consensus as well).

Talk Pages are not for reviews. They are for discussion or improving a story. If you wish to review a story as a reader and not an author, use the Reviews page.

Author Talk pages

An "Author Talk page" is a Talk page associated with somebody's "Author page" (See Help:Author page) This is a place to leave messages for a particular author or to comment on stories he has written on his page (or subpages).

This can function as a kind of messaging system. Authors receive a prominent notification when new messages have been left on their talk page. They may be notified by email as well, although this cannot always be relied upon (since the email notification feature must be activated by supplying a valid email address, and clicking a confirmation link). If you do not get a response to your user talk page message, try looking for other contact details which they may have supplied on their author page.

Note that the messages are not private, and others can join in the conversation.