Trains talk:Community Portal

Missing '+'

I think I asked this before. Any idea why there is no '+' tab to open a new section on the Community Portal page? Rather tricky for a page which is likely to attract a lot of traffic!

EdJogg 12:09, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

Well, it's not a talk page, is it...although that's how I've been using it...which is why it has no '+'... However, it does beg the question, "what is the page for?"

It also leads to ask...

Communal discussion area

"where is there a communal area at which general issues may be discussed?"

Many such discussions have taken place on the various user talk pages, but I'm sure it would be better if they were able to be located 'centrally' somewhere. Is this the page? If so, shouldn't we all start using (and watching) it instead of user pages? Or does no-one else have any issues with the way we're working at present?

EdJogg 21:17, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

Isn't that what the discussion about naming is about, or did I miss a lot? Tim Trent 21:28, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

Hmmm. Got a lot going on at present -- not always thinking clearly...

OK, having looked at the WP pages, I am right. Now I need to decode my scrambled brainwaves for you...

The WP 'Community Portal' is just that. It is a Portal for the Wikipedia community - ie it is a 'way-in' to the Wiki, in the same way that I created the Thomas Portal to be a 'way-in' to the wealth of Thomas articles here. The TSW Community Portal needs to be our way-in to the TSW wiki. Also I now think that renaming the Community Portal itself is actually not a very good idea -- I presume it is a default mediawiki page and hence will be recognisable to users used to other wikis.

In other words, the above renaming discussion is actually about renaming the TSW 'Village Pump' (which, presumably, doesn't yet exist). The Village Pump is the discussion area, and THAT is why I'm getting confused!

Now, if you look at a typical WP:VP page, such as Wikipedia:Village pump (assistance), you will notice that the actual VP page has a '+' tab and behaves like a talk page, but it also has its own talk page (to discuss the VP page itself). This behaviour must need the page to be setup differently 'behind the scenes', as i am not aware that users can create such pages themselves.

And so you can hopefully see why I started the previous thread!

EdJogg 12:07, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

Ah yes. Not entirely insane, then! Tim Trent 16:07, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

That elusive + sign is annoying me. Wikipedia:Village pump doesn't have one, but Wikipedia:Village pump (assistance) does. I'm looking at Mediawiki extensions and can;t find it. I'd appreciate you guys telling me where to find out how to do it! Tim Trent 17:51, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

Some clues for further research... Manual:Interface/Addsection defines the text of the '+'. WhileThis stylesheet includes the above text, in a section conataining: '#p-cactions '. (By which time I am completely out of my depth!)

EdJogg 01:44, 17 November 2007 (UTC)

Impossible search, isn't it? Tim Trent 08:55, 18 November 2007 (UTC)

Just looked at the editing history for this page...we had a very similar discussion on exactly the same topic back in March, although we didn't get as near a solution! EdJogg 14:33, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

What is the Community Portal for?

Let's get this nailed :) It must be for something! So let's make it a portal with design and stuff.

My thoughts:

It should lead in to

• articles
• help pages
• projects
• Sub-communities (like TtTE - a thriving sub-community)

Let he or she who has inspiration start and the rest will follow!

How pretty can we make it?

The floor, and the page, is open!

Tim Trent 18:40, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

Using the Wikipedia model, this page is intended for those who edit, maintain and administer the Wiki, rather than those who are merely browsing it. As such, it should give quick access to every significant area (since it is available from all pages) that such editors may want to access.

EdJogg 01:18, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

When I have completed the Help Pages, I will tackle it... but can you guys decide what to have? Cheers, Bluegoblin7 01:25, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

Is "Station Announcements" redundant?

we solve one problem and create another. What does a portal look like? Tim Trent ^{Talk to me} 07:24, 23 November 2007 (UTC)

The answer to the first question is "No", and to the second "?". :o)

Let me explain my edit comment.

At present, 'Station Announcements' contains a series of sections describing features available at TSW. This is useful information, but probably belongs somewhere else. The point is that they were announcements back in February, but they aren't now.

What 'Station Announcements' should be for is notification of new things, such as the Station Cafe and FAQ work, the shortcuts, consideration of RfA policy, that kind of thing. Notification of 'things that are going on', that those not watching the Recent Changes list may not otherwise see. Currently, this information is being placed on the Community Portal.

I suggest that the information SHOULD go in 'Station Announcements' (perhaps it needs a shortcut of 'News' to make it globally accessible?) Then, if we have a templated subsection, or a separate template, to place 'headlines' in, the headlines can be displayed on the Community Portal. That should sort out the relationship between the information and the page names and start to get the Community Portal nearer its real purpose!

Does that make sense?

EdJogg 08:43, 23 November 2007 (UTC)

I think so. I'd like to hear more views, too, of course :) Tim Trent ^{Talk to me} 14:53, 23 November 2007 (UTC)