Help:Article elements

The golden rule

First of all, we'd like you to toss aside any principles you learned about copying in kindergarten. When it comes to formatting wiki articles the mantra should be "copy, paste. copy, paste." The best way to perfect your article is to find one similar to yours and copy everything in it. Then fill in the appropriate topical information. Now that we've established this golden rule, let's go into elements should be included in every wiki article.

Introduction

The first thing you do after creating a new page is write the introduction. It is important to note that introduction on wikis should be...well boring. You are not writing a lead for a newspaper, but laying out all the neutral, factual, and background information on your chosen subject. Try to answer the "who, what, why, where, how" without taking any side.

• Tip: Always bold your subject as it will help your readers know exactly what you intended to write about.

The good stuff

The "good stuff," otherwise known as all the stuff not in the introduction, is information that tends to be very specific and sometimes time sensitive. For example, if your article is about a Mayor in Louisville, Kentucky then you'll want to report on what a Mayor does, his terms and so on in introduction. However, a section would need to be created to discuss the 2008 election. Don't be afraid of creating a news section. They make articles easy to read and keep them organized.

Deletion tends to be a bad idea

Some wiki, or edit, wars have earned even the attention of the press. This is not outright vandalism, which can be deleted, but rather a conflict of opinions on what should or shouldn't be in article. It is a wiki policy to not delete this type of information. Rather always look to expand on it and cover both view points. Believe me, wikis aren't going to run out of room any time soon.

Source everything

As we discussed in the registration process, wikis do not rely solely on bylines for credibility. Rather wiki articles should reference all possible sources. Wikipedia has established strict standards on what is original research and what is not. Sunshine Review has taken a more accepting stance of reputable blogs as we view them as the new newspapers of America, but otherwise abides by Wikipedia's standard. You should check these guidelines to know the quality of your resource.

Categories

Categories are a lot like blogging tags. They help us organize and maintain a quality wiki. Every article should contain at least one category.

• Tip: Remember the golden rule. Copy categories from similar articles and specify them to your subject.

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