Wikia - creating communities

[edit] Introductions

Hi there! My name is Uberfuzzy. I'm one of Wikia's new Helpers. I've been asked to write articles on a semi-regular basis to pass on my knowledge, tips, and general wiki experiences. I'm aiming for about once a week, give or take.

My role as a helper is mostly on the Gaming wikis. I can be asked to do anything from seeding content for wikis about games not yet released to more advanced things like help make changes to complex templates or run bot scripts to help out wikis with massive changes.

[edit] Background

Now for a brief look into my wiki history. I'm one of the admins at EQ2i (eq2.wikia.com), the EverQuest 2 wiki. Together with Kodia, we try to maintain some order and level of quality over the constant inflow of data that comes from an based on an MMORPG.

I've been active there for about a year now, and Sysop for about last 9 months. During that time, we moved from a small private host to Wikia. That was a large (but welcome) change, mostly so we could once again focus on the content, and not about things like spam and databases.

I've learned quite a bit about wikis since I started, moving up from a lowly clueless newbie who couldn't understand wiki table syntax, to taking over the role of Template designer/maintainer at EQ2i, caring for some of the larger and more complex templates you'll see in the wild.

This last fall, after looking for information on BioShock, and finding the wiki in need of help, I decided to step up and take an admin roll, to help clean it up and improve it. This was my first real step outside EQ2i and into the general Wikia world. From there I began getting more involved in the Wiki community at large, (both in wikis and on irc). Helping where I could. Learning more as went. I tended to hang around the gaming areas, as thats where I have the most personal experience. And just look where it lead me! I moved from asking for help, to being one of the people that gives the help.

[edit] Future

I had planned on doing this first article as a brief intro to me, and then jumping into some basic tips, but EQ2 just launched a very large content update with more new quests then we expected, and we're all busy trying to keep on top of that because so many people will be searching for that info online, and we want them to find it at Wikia! So means my first real article will come early next week.

Stay tuned to this area for insights on all the neat template magic we use at eq2i, some of my experiences as a gaming helper, plus general wiki maintenance tips (for everyone, not just admins).

-fzy