Why a Wiki?
A Wiki is all about collaboration. A glossary is all about speaking the same language. If there is one thing that is needed (and missing) in the "green", "sustainable", "eco" sphere is a common, shared set of terms to ensure that we are properly communicating to each other, and ultimately the end consumer.
How to contribute to this Glossary Wiki
Wikis are web pages that can be edited by the masses, enabling and facilitating collaboration. There are two basic ways that you can participate:
- Add a new term for which you have a proposed definition. Whether it is a term with a legal definition (cite the juristiction), one which is associated with a particular organization or company, or a particularly good rendition of a term which has been bantered about.
- Edit a term which has already been entered, defined or proposed. Please only edit when you have a materially better or clearer or technically accurate change--but don't be afraid to edit.
The history of who edited what, is readily apparent in the Wiki so edit away--but be mindful of the fact that you are not anonymous. To view the most recent edit, click History on the top right of the page. To view the complete history, when in this History mode, click Complete History.
Editing wiki pages
This wiki library provides what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) editing. To edit a page, click Edit at the top of the page. There is a big area for free form text (where the main definition occurs) as well as form fields. Add, delete, modify test as you see fit. Fill out all applicable fields for this particular definition. In the free form field you can insert tables and pictures with the click of a button.
When you are happy with your changes you can click OK to update the page. A "version" is then created and you are identified as the "last edited by".
You can always jump to edit mode quickly by clicking on the edit icon ( 
) in the main view .
Beyond the basics...
Restoring a page
If you need to restore a previous version of a page, click History at the top of the page. You can then click on any of the dates to view the page as it existed on that date. When you find the version that you want to restore, click Restore this version on the toolbar.
Creating links to pages
You can link to another term (page) in this Glossary Wiki library by enclosing the name of the page in double brackets [[ ]] on the edit form. For example, type [[ Sustainable]] to create a link to the term (page) named Sustainable. Here is what it looks like: Sustainable .
To create a link to a page and have the link display different text than the page name, type a pipe character (|) after the page name, and then type the display text. For example, type [[ Sustainable|Is anything really sustainable?]] to create the link labeled "Is anything really systainable?" that points to the page named "Sustainable". It looks like this when displayed: Is anything really sustainable .
To display double opening or closing brackets without making a link, type a backslash before the two brackets. For example, \[[ or \]].
Creating pages
There are two main ways to create a new page in your wiki library:
- Create a forward link to another page and then click on it to create the page:
This is the recommended way to create a page because it is easier for people to find the page when another page links to it.
Forward links to pages that do not exist have a dashed underline. Start by adding the link (follow the Creating links to pages process earlier on this page). Click the link to go to the Create Page form where you can start typing your content.
- Create a page that is not linked to any other:
In the Recent Changes section, click View All Pages. Then, on the New menu, click New Wiki Page. This takes you to the Create Page form where you can start typing your content.
Managing your wiki library
You can manage the pages in your wiki library by clicking View All Pages in the Recent Changes section.
Viewing incoming links
You can see which pages link to the current page by clicking Incoming Links at the top of the page.