View source for Wikisimpsons:Talk pages

{{policy}}
Info for talk pages: There are two types of '''talk pages''' - the first one is standard talk pages which are used to discuss an article, while user talk pages are used to communicate with other users or leave them messages. Every page has an associated talk page, except pages in the ''Special:'' namespace. If there is no discussion of a 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.

== Accessing a talk page ==
To access a talk page 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'').

A talk page adds ''Talk:'' to the beginning of the main page's title. If the main page has a prefix then talk is added after this prefix. For example, a talk page associated with the main 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 ''Wikiksimpsons:'' namespace, so the talk page for this article is [[Wikisimpsons talk:Talk pages]]. The [[Main Page]] is in the main namespace (because it has no prefix), so its talk page is simply [[Talk:Main Page]].

After someone else edits your user talk page, the alert "You have new messages" is automatically displayed on all pages you view, until you view your user page.

== Using talk pages ==
Use [[#Formatting|indenting]] to format your discussion. Standard practice is to indent your reply one level deeper than the comment you are replying to.

Experiment by editing the [[Wikisimpsons talk:Sandbox|talk page of the sandbox]]. 

You should sign your contributions by typing three or four tildes <nowiki>(~~~ = {{USERNAME}})</nowiki>
<br>(<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> = {{USERNAME}} {{#expr:{{CURRENTHOUR}} - 5}}:{{#sub:{{CURRENTTIME}}|-2|}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (EST)).

When discussing the name of the page or discussing merging it with another page, always mention the current page name: after renaming (moving) a page, references to "this page name" would not make sense.

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".

The "Post a comment" feature allows convenient appending of a section with the section header the same as the edit summary, and typed only once.

This also works on other pages as well, though there is no link displayed, so you will need to use the URL, e.g. http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Sandbox&action=edit&section=new

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 depth of a message is determined by the number of colons (':') in front of the message. Each colon represents a tab, and are commonly
used in discussions on user and article talk pages. 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 easier to read.

Example:
{| border="1" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" 
|
<nowiki>How's the milk? --[[Bart]]</nowiki><br>
<nowiki>:It's great!! --[[Lisa]]</nowiki><br>
<nowiki>:Not too bad.. --[[Homer]]</nowiki><br>
<nowiki>::I made it myself! --[[Bart]]</nowiki><br>
<nowiki>I think the milk-discussion should be moved to Talk:Milk.. --[[Lisa]]</nowiki><br>
<nowiki>:I tend to disagree. --[[Homer]]</nowiki><br>
|}

The above will produce this:
{| border="1" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" 
|
How's the milk? --[[Bart]]<br>
:It's great!! --[[Lisa]]<br>
:Not too bad.. --[[Homer]]<br>
::I made it myself! --[[Bart]]<br>
I think the milk-discussion should be moved to Talk:Milk.. --[[Lisa]]<br>
:I tend to disagree. --[[Homer]]<br>
|}

== User Talk Pages ==
Even though a user talk page has your name on it, it is not yours. It is a way of contacting you. You can make it look fancy but you can not make it into a second user page. You can not even remove comments from here as it is not '''yours''' but a way of contacting you. The archive comments are also a good way for admins to decide whether a bad user should be blocked if the user has been warned multiple times and removing the comments may make it harder to decide.

Those leaving comments on talk pages just saying stuff like "Hi, I'm new" etc. will be warned for spam. These are useless comments that are not acceptable or wanted here.

== Rules ==
#Comments on an article's talk page MUST be related to improving the article. Any other discussion about the topic must be taken to the [http://s4.zetaboards.com/Wikisimpsons_Forums/index/ forums].
#Comments MUST NOT be removed from any page, even if you left it there. If you want a comment you wrote removed, use the strike through command <nowiki><s></s></nowiki> to put a line through it. If the comment was vandalism or spam, it can be removed and/or the talk page deleted.
#Swearing is ALLOWED in talk pages in small doses. If you are constantly swearing, you will received a warning and maybe a block.
#No personal attacks. This means no insulting users if you know they will act badly towards it.
#You MUST NOT edit another user's comment, not even to change spelling. The user can change spelling of it if they feel the need.
#All unsigned comments MUST have either the [[Template:Unsigned|unsigned user template]] or [[Template:UnsignedIP|unsigned IP template]] placed after it with the user or IP and the time and date (Wikisimpsons time).
#Talking about anything not related to the wiki must be taken to [[Wikisimpsons:IRC|IRC]] or [http://simpsonswiki.net/forum/ the forum].

=== User talk pages ===
#All rules for a normal talk page apply for user talk pages.
#Even though it is your talk page and has your name in the title, it is not yours to go removing comments from or adding personal info to. You have a user page for that. You are, however, allowed to customize the page if you wish to give it a more personal feel.
#If someone left you a message on your talk page, you reply on your talk page, not the talk page of the user who left it. Conversations should be kept in one place.

==== Warnings to users ====
#The [[Template:Vandalism|Vandalism Warning]] and [[Template:Blocked|Blocked User Notice]] ARE NOT to be removed at all. If this happens, you will be warned about removing these. The templates can help admins to know if you are a serial offender or not.

=== Failure to comply ===
If you fail to comply with any of these rules, you will receive a warning. Receiving a second warning will result in a short block.

== Archiving ==
{{Main|Help:Archiving}}

{{Wikisimpsons Policies}}
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