Help:Talk page

Talk pages are those used for discussing the CreationWiki and its content. This page contains helpful information on how to use talk pages. Please note that the use of talk pages is restricted on CreationWiki. Editors are advised to read the discussion policy page for guidelines on using the CreationWiki talk pages.

There are two types of talk pages:
 * Article talk pages are used to discuss an article
 * User talk pages are used to communicate with other users or leave them messages.

Virtually every page on the CreationWiki has an associated talk page. If there has been no discussion for a particular page, the link to its talk page will be red. You can still discuss the page - you will just be the first person to do so.

Where can I talk?

 * The Coffeehouse - CreationWiki discussion.
 * Discussion category - Pages categorized as Talk pages.
 * [ List of all article talk pages] - may contain no content.
 * CreationTalk - email list for general creation discussion.

Nomenclature
The title of the talk pages is the same as the main page, but with Talk: added to the beginning of the main page's title. If the main page has a prefix (namespace) then talk is added after this prefix. For example, a talk page associated with the article namespace simply has the prefix Talk:, while a talk page associated with the user namespace has the prefix User talk:. This article is in the Help: namespace, so the talk page for this article is Help talk:Talk page. The Main Page is in the main namespace (because it has no prefix), so its talk page is Talk:Main Page.

Using a talk page
Users may install the comment entry box at right to an article talk page by placing the following code on the desired page (   ). Note this comment entry box is customized for use on standard "articles" and "article talk" pages only.

Clicking the "Post comment" link in the comment entry box will open a comment submission form. To comment on a talk page not equipped with the aforementioned comment entry box, look for a link labelled Talk, Discussion or Discuss this page. These links will be found either at the top of the page or on the left hand side (near Edit this page).

User Talk
The purpose of User Talk pages is for directly contacting particular users. Please note that the User Talk pages are publicly accessible. In addition, they also appear in the recent changes list when edited. If you want to communicate privately, use e-mail.

Users may install the comment entry box at right to their usertalk page by inserting the following code (   ). Note this comment entry box is customized for use on "user" and "usertalk" pages only.

To write in a user's talk page not equipped with the aforementioned comment entry box, simply click the Discussion link when viewing the user page, which is accessed clicking on a user's nickname. On the list of recent changes and on your watch-list, you can directly access a user's talk page by following the (Talk) link behind the user's name.

User contacts
To contact a user you may either edit a user talk page, or send the user an email using the E-mail this user link in the toolbox on the left menu. To do either, you must first find the user's biography page.

Places to locate users include:
 * the CreationWiki userlist
 * the list of recent changes
 * or your watchlist

You can access a user's talk page by using the (Talk) link associated with the user's name.

If edits are made to a users talk page, the text You have new messages will appear at the top of the CreationWiki when the user logs-in. An email will also be sent to the user if they have registered their email address with CreationWiki.

These pages can be used for personal communication among users; but please observe the discussion policy. Be advised that the User Talk pages are publically accessible. In addition, they also appear in the recent changes list when edited. If you want to communicate privately, use e-mail.

Signing talk pages
We request that you sign and date your comments by pressing the signature icon in the editing toolbar.

A signature may also be added manually by typing three tildes (   ) at the end of your message ( = Username), or four tildes to include the date (~ = Username 19:36, 10 January 2006 (UTC)).

If you see a comment that does not have a signature, please use to sign it for them.

Clarifying discussion
On a talk page, "this page" usually refers to the main page (i.e. the page the talk page is associated with). If the talk page itself is referred to, write "this talk page".

When debating the name of the page or discussing merging it with another page, always mention the current page name. Otherwise after renaming (moving) a page, references to "this page name" become ambiguous.

The "Post a comment" feature allows you to start a new section without needing to edit the whole page. The section header becomes the edit summary when you save the page, so it only needs to be typed once.

The practice of "spamming" - posting similar messages to more than a few users' talk pages, often for the purpose of soliciting a certain action - is discouraged.

Formatting
Because the wiki software platform provides for a wide range of formatting styles, proper or at least consistent formatting is essential to maintaining readable talk pages.

The reference of a comment is determined by the number of colons (':') in front of it. If a reply is made to a statement, one adds a colon to the number of colons used in the statement being replied to. This style of conversation is easy to read.

Example:

The above will produce this:

The above text is largely a copy of the help page at Wikimedia.

Offsite Discussion
For discussion unrelated to the CreationWiki and its content, please use an offsite discussion forum. Discussion forums can be a useful tool for those seeking to strengthen their understanding of the relevant issues in the creation vs. evolution debate. CreationWiki editors are encouraged to join the CreationTalk email discussion list. Noncreationists may debate these issues at OriginsTalk, or those wanting to debate creation vs. evolution topics in a civil forum.
 * Join CreationTalk - Creationist only discussion
 * Join OriginsTalk Creation vs. Evolution debate