Contents 1 What is this site 2 What is a wiki 3 Who can use it 4 How can it be used 5 What content isn't allowed 6 Why is a login required to make edits 7 What is the difference between a blog and a wiki 8 Can content be locked to prevent future changes 9 Can I receive article update notifications 10 When is this wiki the solution 11 When is this wiki not the solution 12 Can you create a wiki for me

Case Wiki Help
Category	Articles
General	FAQ | Terminology | Common Mistakes | Creating Articles
Basic Editing	Links | Categories | Organizing | Discussion | Redirects
Advanced	Images | Moving/Renaming | Templates | Footnotes Watching | Reverting | Math formula | Extensions | Semantics
Tutorials	Beginner | Basic editing | Advanced editing

[edit] What is this site

This site is a wiki for Case Western Reserve University. The service is provided by ITS. All content is provided by individuals at Case. Read CaseWiki:About for more information.

[edit] What is a wiki

A wiki is a collaborative website with content that is provided and edited by the community. See WikiPedia:Wiki for more info.

[edit] Who can use it

Any page on this wiki can be viewed by anyone in the world. Only persons with a Case ID may edit articles. Talk namespaces (discussion pages) can be edited by anyone. To log in, simply follow the login link in the top right of any page. If you are not logged in to the SSO service, you will be brought to https://login.case.edu. Enter your username and password there. You will be redirected to the page on the wiki from which you left. If you are already logged in to the SSO service, you might be magically logged in to this site when you are browsing it.

[edit] How can it be used

Please see CaseWiki:Usage for examples on ways which this wiki can be used. Consult the Help Section for instructions on how to actually use the wiki.

[edit] What content isn't allowed

Content on this site is governed by the university's terms of use, as defined in the following documents:

• General legal information (always the most up to date)
• ITS Acceptable Use Policy
• Forum Rules and Policies

This information is present in the footer of every page on this wiki via the legal notice link.

In general, editors are responsible for what they post. If posted material is found to be vulgar, it can be removed. People can file complaints about what you say on this site and you can face punishment from both the university and external legal entities.

When posting, also consider that all article changes are archived forever. Even though the current version of an article may not have unapproved content, the history is still there to implicate you.

[edit] Why is a login required to make edits

The WikiPedia definition of wiki says that a wiki is a site that allows anonymous edits. Therefore, one could argue that this site is not a true wiki. If you insist on having anonymous edits, we insist that you leave a comment on CaseWiki Talk:ToDo.

There are quite a few reasons why we require users to login to edit pages.

• Preventing spam and vandalism
  • For an example, check out WikiPedia's history for a featured article of the day. You will usually find numerous vandalisms. Some automatic bots even crawl the internet looking for and preying on open wikis. Correcting vandalism requires time that few are willing commit.

• Promoting accuracy in content
  • If a name is tied to an article or modification, you are more likely to make a proactive and accurate change. Anonymous users who don't stand by their words can populate the wiki with unjustifiable content. This isn't very helpful to someone using the wiki for legitimate information gathering.

As of July 26, the talk namespaces allow anonymous edits.

[edit] What is the difference between a blog and a wiki

The university operates both an official blog service and a wiki (this site). Although both provide ways to easily publish content to the world, they are different in intent and purpose.

The Blog@Case service provides a platform for individuals to publish personal accounts, stories, or whatever one desires. When content is created, only the author can change it. Once it is published, anybody in the world can comment on your article. In general, your blog becomes a component of your digital identity.

This wiki provides a platform for individuals to collaboratively create content. The content is intended to be as factual as possible, like an encyclopedia. Unlike blogs, content on the wiki can be edited by any user. Like blogs, the content within can be as limitless as one's imagination. The wiki also has a sense of community attached to it. By contributing to the wiki, you are contributing to the combined work of hundreds of your colleagues.

[edit] Can content be locked to prevent future changes

You just spent countless hours editing a page and now it is the best page in the universe. You would be heartbroken if it were changed. Can you protect the page from further editing? The simple answer is no. Only administrators of the Case Wiki have the ability to protect pages (see the guidelines for doing so). The protection of pages requires extra effort by the administrators and goes against the intention of this wiki.

Your primary reason for wanting to protect content is most likely the concern that the article will be defaced or changed without your permission. While we cannot guarantee that pages you edit will never be negatively changed, there is some reassurance. First, changes on articles can only be performed by registered users (discussion pages can be edited anonymously). The wiki keeps a full history of changes for every page. If someone vandalizes a page, you will know exactly who and could contact them and/or report them to the appropriate authorities. In addition, you can receive e-mail notifications every time a page is changed.

The spirit of the Case Wiki is community involvement. Protecting pages reduces the role the community can play, so the practice of protecting pages is discouraged.

[edit] Can I receive article update notifications

See Help:Watching content.

[edit] When is this wiki the solution

See CaseWiki:Usage for a list of common ways in which the Case Wiki can be used.

[edit] When is this wiki not the solution

At its most basic form, a wiki is a means to publish information. Since, from a technological standpoint, it imposes no limits on what information may be presented, it is possible to use this wiki to publish almost any type of information. This is the appeal of wikis. It is also the biggest trap for potential users.

The Case Wiki was designed to be an information repository -- an encyclopedia -- about Case Western Reserve University and closely-related topics. Although it is possible to use this wiki for other purposes, it is important to realize important limitations.

Limitations of the Case Wiki

• All information is public and editable
  • Once something is entered in the Case Wiki, anybody can see it. Only a handful of users have the ability to delete content.
  • Almost all articles can be edited by anyone. See CaseWiki:Protected page for more info.

Sometimes there are other services that can fulfill your need. Before selecting the Case Wiki, you might want to research these to see if there isn't a better fit for your requirements.

Alternative services

• Blackboard
  • Used for coordinating classroom activities
• Case Blog - general use blog system

The Case Wiki administrators are well aware that wikis are very useful technology and it is inconvenient that the Case Wiki does not provide the desired wiki functionality for everyone. This holds especially true for instructors wishing to use wikis in the classroom, but do not wish for content to be viewable by everyone in the world. Until Case establishes a wiki farm, people will have to install and maintain wikis with their own resources. If you really want a wiki farm at Case, blog about the issue, or, if you are well-connected, e-mail your favorite university administrator or higher-up manager in ITS and ask for the service.

[edit] Can you create a wiki for me

The scope of this wiki is currently Case Western Reserve University and related topics. Unfortunately, the wiki software currently does not allow us to create sub-sections of the wiki for private use (classroom environment, workplace documentation, etc). The ability to create wikis for groups is commonly requested on the service administrators e-mail list. There has been talk of establishing a wiki farm, which will allow people to create small wikis. Unfortunately, this service does not yet exist.