How to Contribute to the Family Wiki

Welcome. This page explains the basics of adding to Our Family Wiki.

You do not need to be a computer expert. If you can write an email, you can help build the wiki.

Good things to add include:

• Family stories
• Old photographs
• Recipes
• Memories of parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles
• Family traditions
• Information about births, marriages, military service, moves, jobs, schools, or churches
• Obituaries or memorial notes
• Corrections to information already on the wiki

Small contributions are welcome. Even one paragraph, one photo, or one recipe is useful.

To change a page:

1. Go to the page you want to edit.
2. Click the Edit button.
3. Type your changes.
4. Click Preview if you want to check how it looks.
5. Click Save when you are done.

Do not worry about making it perfect. Others can help clean up formatting later.

The easiest way to create a new page is to make a link first.

For example, if you want to create a page for Jane Adams, type this on an existing page:

[[Jane Adams]]

After saving the page, the link will appear. Click the link, then choose Create this page.

Here are the most useful formatting tools.

Use equal signs for section titles:

====== Main Page Title ======
===== Large Section =====
==== Smaller Section ====

**This text is bold**

//This text is italic//

For a simple bullet list, leave two spaces before the star:

  * First item
  * Second item
  * Third item

For a numbered list, use a dash:

  - First step
  - Second step
  - Third step

To link to another page in the family wiki, put the page name inside double brackets:

[[Family Recipes]]

[[John Adams]]

[[Adams Family Reunion]]

A recipe page can be simple:

====== Grandma's Cornbread ======

===== About This Recipe =====

This recipe was often made for family gatherings.

===== Ingredients =====

  * 1 cup cornmeal
  * 1 cup flour
  * 1 egg
  * 1 cup milk

===== Directions =====

  - Mix the dry ingredients.
  - Add the egg and milk.
  - Bake until golden brown.

===== Notes =====

Add memories, variations, or who usually made this recipe.

A family story does not need to be long. A good format is:

====== Story Title ======

===== Who This Story Is About =====

Name the person or people involved.

===== The Story =====

Write the story here.

===== Shared By =====

Your name, and the date if you want to include it.

To add a photo:

1. Edit the page.
2. Click the image or media button in the editor.
3. Upload the photo.
4. Insert it into the page.
5. Add a short description if possible.

Helpful details to include with photos:

• Who is in the photo
• Approximate year
• Location, if known
• Who provided the photo

If you do not know all the details, that is okay. Add what you know.

• Be kind when editing someone else's work.
• Do not delete family stories unless there is a clear reason.
• If you correct something, add a short note explaining the correction.
• Include dates and names when you know them.
• Use “about” or “approximately” when you are unsure.
• Respect private or sensitive information about living people.

If you are unsure how to add something, just write it as plainly as you can. The most important thing is preserving the memory, story, recipe, or photograph. Formatting can always be improved later.