Contributing to The It Girl Wiki: A Guide & A Tutorial

Hello there!!! :D

So you have decided that you want to help us contribute to the Wiki? Excellent! Then you have come to the right place...or article so to say.

You do not need prior experience, but it is welcome. This article is meant to guide completely new contributors. Even if you have some experience already, you might want to check it out anyway. You may pick up a few good pointers.

Anyway, let us start!!! :)

1.) What is the It Girl Wiki?
It Girl Wiki or Wikia is one of many fan-created databases and information centres on Wikia.com It aims to provide information and content to everyone on the Web about a topic of interest. In our case, we provide info and content about a game we like, i.e. Facebook It Girl.

Over time, any Wikia can become a huge information website having thousands of images and articles. Their direct contribution is that they allow anyone with an interest in a given topic to come and check a fact, dates, view images, view related videos and check many other things!!! The positive impact of any Wikia becomes clear. This what we aim to do at our Wiki. The goal is to be the biggest, the most easily accessible and most informative database about It Girl.

The core of any Wikia is that, much like Wikipedia, it can be edited by anyone. The fastest way to set things into motion is to have several contributors to help out. Starting a Wikia on your own is a daunting task. However, there will always be fans out there who are willing to contribute and lend a helping hand. You just gotta advertise the Wiki or find them. A Wikia will have a hard time developing unless a lot of people contribute!

2.) How can I contribute?
You can contribute in several ways: ''' IMPORTANT! '''Please, remember that before you contribute, check 3 pages first, i.e. List of Shops By Location, It Girl and Incomplete Article sections. Chance is, the page has been created a long time ago. Never create a new page from scratch without checking first whether it exists or not!!! We, non-admins, cannot just delete a page easily when we see one. We do not have admin rights. We can rename a double page and use it for some other topics, but topics are harder to come by the more complete our Wiki becomes! Plus, with so many contributions, such pages can easily get lost in the fray and escape the notice of other contributors who can corrent them.
 * Share images that you have. Images of rare items, It Girl promotions, events, etc. Anything is welcome
 * Capture images of some stuff in It Girl and share those on the Wikia
 * Share videos
 * Share information
 * Share tips
 * Share guides, etc.

And having multiple pages with the same name will just lower the usefulness of our Wiki. Imagine a fan, who wishes to check a particular page on the Wiki, for example: Hollywood in New York. What if they search our Wiki and get an empty page? Imagine many empty/incomplete pages with the same name. Some people would not bother to check if the right version of this page exists or not, even if it does. This is especially true if the page "Hollywood in New York" is googled. Result? A fan leaves the It Girl Wiki empty-handed, our Wiki is seen as a waste of time in their eyes and our reputation suffers. It just makes our Wiki more difficult to browse for people. This is just many of scenarios how such actions can hurt a Wiki.

' The bottomline: Always check whether a page exists or not. It will only take a minute. It really does! '

3.) Do I need to register to contribute?
Essentially, it is much desired. You contribute in two ways. You can be a registered user or you can contribute as an anonymous user without signing in, but in this case your name will appear always as A Wikia Contributor.

Ideally, it is better for you to register. Then you will have a unique name (plus you can customize and add images in your own Wiki contributor page) and your contributions will be easily seen, plus you will get credit for the content you submit. E.g. The images you submit will be associated with you. You can sign in with your Facebook! :) From there the process is easy.

4.) What is editing the It Girl Wiki like?
Well, editing and contributing to a Wiki is much like wiritng and keeping a blog, or anything of that sort. Any Wiki Editor has the following structure if you are unfamiliar with it. Just check the image to the right.

THE BASIC STEPS OF EDITING ARE:
 * 1) You find/create an article of interest. N.B. Just remember to check these 3 links (List of Shops By Location, It Girl and Incomplete Article sections) whether the page exists already or not. If it does not exist, then feel free to create it.
 * 2) Click the pink "Edit" button next to the article title. It will take you to the Wiki Editor, where you can edit the article in question.
 * 3) There you add text, correct any mistakes and add pictures and other content. 
 * 4) Once ready, you should double-check the section in the Editor called "Categories". If the article is new, add the appropriate categories. If the article is not new, it is not need, but if you feel it needs a new category, feel free to add. Just remember, categories are like compehensive lists. They are general categories. There should not be too many of them to confuse the reader. Usually, an article just needs around 3-5. You can check the current full list here (List pending).
 * 5) Before you preview and publish, it is recommended to write a short Summary of your edit, so that other contributors can see what you have contributed to the article if they wish. Do not write essays, just a short sentences or phrase what you did will do. Any contributor can compare the versions of an article if they wish to see precise changes, so do not write long descriptions. The "Edit Summary" section can be found in the right panel at the top above the "Preview" and "Publish" buttons.
 * 6) If you are satisfied with changes, click "Preview" in the right top corner to see how the page looks like before you publish it. If you are satisfied, then...
 * 7) Feel free to click "Publish" the article. Your work is done. :)

5.) What are articles?
A Wiki is essentially made of many articles (pages) which contain info + images, vids, etc. Any article can be added to one or more categories. Categories define a particular article and if any is clicked it will take you to a list with other articles under the same category. Categories can be found in any article at the bottom. This page is an article actually as well. ;)

6.) What is the process and principle of adding categories to articles?
On this Wiki, we have the following examples of categories:

It Girl, Districts, Regular Stores, Premium Stores, VIP Stores, Cash-Locked Stores,New York, Aspen, Soho, Tokyo (and other geographical locations), Incomplete Article, Non-Store Clothes and other various categories. (Full List Pending)

We do not have too many categories but enough to define and categorize content.

For example: Hollywood In New York Store falls under the following categories from General to Specific >>

It Girl > New York > Fifth Avenue > Premium Stores

Categories can be added in the article of interest below (but the cannot be edited or removed if you do so), and by clicking "Edit" at the top of the article and going to the Category section in the right corner where you can both add, edit a catgory and remove them.

7.) What is the difference between Source and Visual Views?
Choose an article and click "Edit" at the top. This will take us to the page where we can edit all content. In fact, this is what I was doing when I was typing this article. I typed it completely in the Wiki Editor. An Editor looks a lot like a simple version of Microsoft Word. Here is a pic again for guidance.

There are two ways how to edit: Visual view is the home view and I recommend you use it if you are just starting out. It is even quite convenient for experienced contributors also. It is much less fuss this way, personally, but it is up for any particular user to decide which view to use.
 * 1) Source (works with code and text)
 * 2) Visual (the easiest and most convenient way)ScreenHunter_100_Jul._25_20.25.jpg

Source view is basically working with code and text. You do not have to write all of it yourself, though. The functions are also provided. Here is what a part of this page looks like in Source View.

8.) How do I start out with a new article? Do I have to write it all out at once?
No, completing an article immediately is not a requirement. Start with some basic sentences and topics and expand on them a bit. Basically, create a simple outline.This will allow you to brainstorm ideas to include now or later. You can lay down the basics for first edit and always return later.

If an article is going to be quite long, consider adding sections or perhans adding some content to a new article and linking them together.

Add images, videos, etc. It will give your article more weight and it will be engaging, plus informative.

9.) I want to share some images from It Girl, but do not know how. What do I do?
Well, it relatively easy. All you need is a good screen-capturing software.

I recommend for everyone a very good screen-capturing software called ScreenHunter 6.0 Free. It can be downloaded here.

I use this software personally and can say with confidence it is easy, convenient and does not take too much space on the computer.

You can use another software if you like. It makes no difference. However, if you ever need a simple and easy-to-use one, check out ScreenHunter Free.

10.) How do I use the ScreenHunter 6.0 to capture images?
First download the software and install it to your computer.

Just when you are downloading it, before you click ACCEPT, scroll the terms quickly down (no need to read 'em). Otherwise, funny thing, the button is locked.

The software is really easy to use. You just set to capture in Settings>>> FROM: Set to Rectangular area. (This will allow you to define what section to capture.) This is it! You are ready to go!

Just return to FROM section and click CAPTURE NOW. You just go to it Girl and click F6 button and define the section you want to capture! To define a section of your choosing, you just have to draw a rectangle with your mouse! It is that easy. Choose a starting point and click the left button and, very important, holding it down move to the end point of what you want to capture. Once satisfied with the area, release the left button. The capture is done. Enjoy your picture!

Also, if you are unhappy with an area, but you have not released the left button yet, you can click "Esc" button. This will cancel the screenshot. Click F6 and capture again what you need!

Here is what you should set in your settings once you download and open the program itself:

11.) Are there any specific guidelines to image quality and size?
Until now, it has been left unspoken of on this Wikia, but with so many coming contributing users, we must address the topic, so that there is no confusion in the future.

Ideally, when it comes to images, the bigger the image the better. Also, it should be clear and big enough to be viewed conveniently. Try not to include non-relevant information and sections. E.g. Users do not need to see the facebook background, and other sections, etc. Capture only areas of It Girl game, please. Below, please view an example of what kind of basic captures are expected and what must be avoided. Each image contains a short note. Kindly read it, too.

12.) What file types are accepted?
JPEG & PNG are the accepted file types.

Wikia does not accept BMP files and it seems other types are a no-no as well.

13. How do I make 1 image out of 3 for the "Complete List of Boyfriends and Their 5 Gifts" ongoing project?
Easy. View the newest tutorial here.

14. I am a little afraid to make a mess out of things on my first try editing the Wiki. Is there a page I can edit just for practice before I move to other articles?
Yes, you can. :) The following page is just for that exact reason. You can edit it for practice & do whatever you like with it. To view the page, click here.

15. What Are Templates & Which Ones Can I Use On The Wikia?
Templates are bits of an already existing code you can use to spruce up articles on the Wikia. You can even create one yourself. They afford neatness, ease of use & do not need the box with any unnecessary details, when you just want to use the image only.

For example, the folowing image is actually a template

You can find the full list of custom templates here + how to use them.

N.B. If you have anything that cannot be explained in this article, feel free to ask either of our Admins.