Indroduction to the An Tir Culture Wiki v2

Introduction to the An Tir Culture Wiki (v.2)

Michelino di Gino Martini, GdS — An Tir May Crown LX/2025

1. What is the An Tir Culture Wiki?
   1. What is a Wiki?

      Wikipedia says: “A wiki (/ˈwɪki/ (listen) WIK-ee) is a hypertext publication collaboratively edited and managed by its own audience, using a web browser. A typical wiki contains multiple pages for the subjects or scope of the project, and could be either open to the public or limited to use within an organization for maintaining its internal knowledge base.”

      
      

      The name wiki is the Hawaiian word for “quick”.

      
      

   2. How to Wikis work in concept?
      • Anyone (with an account) can edit it. Nobody truly “owns” any page. That said, individuals are considered the primary expert on their own persona pages.
      • It’s not just for experts (computer or culture). Anyone can contribute, in meaningful ways.
      • The only tool needed to edit it is a web browser.
      • They are designed to be very collaborative.
      • They are designed to allow links to other pages to be created easily, to encourage easy access to further information.
      • There are different implementations (brands) of wikis. Ours is a MediaWiki, the same as the well known Wikipedia.
      • Text is the primary content, but pictures and other media can also be a part of a wiki.

      
      

   3. What is the purpose of the An Tir Culture Wiki?

      The An Tir Culture Wiki, as the name suggests, was created to be a repository for the history and culture of An Tir. This is a very broad subject, and it includes:

      • People's persona pages (describing their SCA persona)
      • Event pages (describing past, or even current and future, events)
      • Pages for locals (Baronies, Principalities, Shires, etc.)
      • Stories, songs, and memories
      • Definitions – newcomers guides, nuances of An Tir and SCA culture.
      • ...and more! Anything SCA/An Tir related, no matter how trivial or minute, is fair game.  

      
      

   4. What is the An Tir Culture Wiki NOT for?

      While the Wiki can be used for many things, there are still quite a few things that it’s not really for. These include:

      • Copyrighted materials you don’t have permission to use
      • Non-SCA, non-wiki topics
      • Storing your photos
      • Personal attacks or non-chivalrous behavior or content
      • Officer contact information (privacy issues)
      • Official forms (provide links to them)
      • Official SCA or An Tir Policies (provide links to the authority source)

      
      

   5. How did it come about?
      • It was created on July 18, 2005. The Honorable Lord Krenn von Salzburg (Kingdom Webminister) and Mistress Elizabeth Braidwood set it up and were the first admins.
      • It was inspired by the [West Kingdom’s Annotated History Project] (another wiki).
      • Many, many folks have contributed to it over time.

      
      

   6. Some statistics on the An Tir Culture Wiki (as of May 2025):
      • There are 1,671 user accounts created since 2005, after purging accounts with no edits.
      • Just 36 of those have been active in the last 30 days. We need contributors!
      • It contains 4,653 content pages (12,207 of all kinds of pages). That's up about 250 content pages since I last taught this class in 2023.
      • There have been over 74,989 page edits. In my time, I’ve made over 4,813 edits.

      
      

      
      

2. How do I start using it?
   1. Do I need an account, and how to I get one?
      • Main Page > Create Account
      • Filling out the Notes field is helpful.
      • Wait for an Admin to approve your account - usually within 24 hours.
      • Log in and get started

      
      

   2. What kind of things should I contribute?
      • Persona page for yourself (or others)
      • Add memories to event or people pages
      • Create event pages for past events that don’t have them
      • Create records of reigns
      • Update pages for shires/baronies/etc.
      • Add definitions of SCA jargon
      • Create pages for households – past or present
      • Clean up and organize old pages and add links
      • Update old links
      • Create categories or templates

      
      

   3. How do I make my own page?
      • Demo and/or handout on creating a page via making a link in the Sandbox
   4. How do I edit an existing page?
      • Demo and/or handout on editing existing pages
   5. How do I add images?
      • Demo and/or handout on adding images

      
      

   6. What if I mess up?
      • Don’t worry, there is version tracking and history
      • Pages/edits can be reverted if needed
      • Pages can be renamed and moved
      • Admins are happy to assist as needed

      
      

      
      

3. How to I learn more?
   1. Help pages in the Wiki
      • These pages can instruct you on formatting, editing, templates, and so on.

      
      

   2. Help pages on Wikipedia
      • Likewise, an [excellent resource] for help

      
      

   3. General help on the web
      • Just search for “mediawiki” and the topic you need help on
      • Ask in An Tir general forums, An Tir Discord Web-Help forum
      • Ask on FaceBook "Media Wiki One-on-One Help" group
      • [Media Wiki cheat sheet] used as handout for class

      
      

   4. Wiki Admins
      • Please feel free to ask the admins questions

      
      

   5. Other SCA Wikis
      • Many Kingdoms have their own wikis, and you can look to them for ideas. See SCA Kingdom wikis