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This screencast is about communicating with other Wikipedia editors using Talk Pages.
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It covers what Talk Pages are for, how to use them effectively, and some of the conventions and etiquette to follow when using them.
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Talk Pages, also known as Discussion Pages, are the main way editors communicate with each other on Wikipedia.
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Every page on Wikipedia, whether an article, or a Wikiproject,
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a user page, or something else, has a corresponding Talk Page, wich you can get to by clicking the Discussion Tab.
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The Talk Page for an article is where editors discuss proposed changes,
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editing disagreements, and other topics related to improving the article.
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Other kinds of Talk Pages are for discussing Wikipedia's policies and processes and the like.
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User Talk Pages are for communicating with individual editors.
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When you leave a message on someone's User Talk Page,
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they will get a notification about the message the next time they're on Wikipedia.
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To post a new message on a Talk Page, you can click the 'New Section' tab,
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and then add your message and a title for the new section.
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At the end of your message, you should sign it. Adding four tildes in the edit window will add a signature when you save it,
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with your username and a timestamp showing when you left the message.
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You can respond to someone else's comments by posting beneath them within the same section.
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Wikipedia discussions use indentation to create threaded discussions.
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Each subsequent reply has a different level of indentation.
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The Wiki markup for indentation is to start a line with one or more colons.
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Each colon creates another level of indentation, so replies should begin with one more colon than the previous comment.
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The keys to effective Talk Page discussions on Wikipedia are to be civil and address the article or topic at hand, rather than making it personal,
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and to assume good faith on the part of other editors.
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Even if you think someone is doing something silly or wrong, they almost always have the same goal you do: to make Wikipedia better.
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And don't forget to sign your posts, and leave an edit summary each time you add to a discussion.
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The easiest way to keep up with discussions you want to watch is to put the pages on your watchlist.
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There are several other ways of following Talk Page activity: check out 'Wikipedia:Syndication' for details.
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Happy editing!