User talk:Ingridcc

Greetings

Hi! I wanted to start up your own talk page since it's the best place for people to get back to you on something. And per your comment being the first time on a talk page, you seem to have followed the protocols correctly, and stated your point on the subject in question well (not saying I agree or disagree, just that it was well stated). Welcome to the talk pages. =) CycloneGU (talk) 02:46, 22 January 2012 (UTC)

Hi and thanks. I don't totally get it about my own talk page! Re my original question/ suggestion, if someone chooses to answer or comment on it, do they do that here on my talk page or on the original page where I commented? And was it correct to hit "new section" here to ask this or should i have typed this response in as an "edit" on your welcome mssg??? 3rd question how do I indent for a response, read about this on an info page but cant figure it out, sorry. Using a space doesn't indent the whole(overly long) question. Ingridcc (talk) 06:20, 22 January 2012 (UTC)

I'll answer the later two first. "New section" is correct when posting a new chain of conversation; you can do it manually in two ways (editing the entire page, or editing and adding a title and message to an existing section), but using the proper link makes it easier to add your title, etc. without wondering how to format it. You'll also note I've added a colon to your reply; that indents it so a reader can follow the chain of conversation (which answers that question).

Anyone answering, meanwhile, will answer at the talk page you've posted on. If someone has a comment on your question at that talk page, most likely a new reply will appear with a colon appended (like I did to your reply here, and two to mine to further indent it). You can then continue answering there in much the same fashion, but one thing I would suggest is that if you see several replies and want to reply to one specific post, find how far it's indented and add one extra colon when adding your reply at the BOTTOM; that way it appears to a reader that you're replying to the earlier post, but keeping the chain in order. However, if you want to reply to one conversation and someone has already created a side conversation below, just add on to the first conversation like normal. It's a learning process that I make sound complicated, but you'll get the hang of it. =)

Let me give you a brief (hopefully) idea of what you'll find on your own talk page over time. Take a look at my talk page for examples of some of these. Warnings are a normal function of talk pages (if you do something wrong, someone will be by to tell you, and some can be less pleasant than others), and these can appear to let you know that you've made inappropriate edits, been involved in flame wars, or offended somebody (for instance). Being blocked for repeated offenses also merits a block note that stays on your talk page until it expires. Obviously, I would not wish that on you. =) You can also subscribe to periodic feeds. My page for example has the Wikipedia Signpost, and you can subscribe to that. If you eventually join one of the many Wikiprojects (for instance, here is one such project about military history), you could as a member perhaps receive a periodic update from the Wikiproject. The most common use, however, is just for someone wanting to thank you for your help in something without doing so on the other pages. For instance, you could make some edits to an article and someone wants to give you a kudos for the edits, or thinks that maybe there's something questionable about your edits, or just wants to inquire about more information behind them; these comments come to your talk page in much the same fashion as my comments above starting this chain of chat. You may even get requests for help from someone; if you make substantial edits to a page and someone wants help with a similar page, the person will post on your talk page for help. Occasionally, someone might even give you a barnstar; these signify that someone was impressed with something you did, or could in some cases even just be to tell you you made them laugh (see the Barnstar of Good Humor, which I myself gave to a user on one occasion). I've acquired a few of these myself, which I have copied to my user page (I think I forgot a recent one, I'll find that sometime). Speaking of that, you can build up your own personal user page over time as you learn how to format things; there, you can talk about yourself, but don't post things that should be private (like your street address or phone number). On this page, you'll see the link "User page" in the top left; it's not blue, meaning it doesn't exist yet. When ready, click it; you'll get the edit box, and you can put something there and people can learn about you. =D (See the history of my page to see, again, how I built it over time and see how simple it used to look.)

That's just some of it; I can't possibly tell you everything that shows up here. It's basically like private messaging, but in a place where everyone can see it, so treat it like your own public message board like a bulletin board in your office. This page is your chat board, the other is your "About Me" section that people should not post messages in (and you can freely remove anything you don't want on either). =) CycloneGU (talk) 07:06, 22 January 2012 (UTC)

Wow thanks for all the good info, hope I can absorb it all. I had been wondering a while back how this all worked just because the wikipedia entry on my area of expertise has a fair amt of misinformation and missing information, I would really like to improve it. Wondering do citations all have to be to printed info, ie books? One of the main sources of info on this topic (an obscure ancient craft with a long worldwide history and few current practitioners) is an online "journal" put out yearly by an expert in the field. The journal is a horribly-constructed website that is very hard to navigate, but the editor, Masako Kinoshita, really is an incredible source of info on the world-wide practice of this craft (loop braiding, also known as fingerloop braiding), publishes reports from all over and reports herself on current historical research and reconstruction of ancient methods. Can that website be cited as an "authority"? (say on a question of how far back in time the craft has been practiced/ world locations etc?) The main printed authority on the subject is a series of books i have by the acknowledged world expert on textile braiding in general and loop braiding in particular (who herself refers to M.Kinoshita as an authority on historical research in the Japanese variation of this craft), but some of the more recently brought-to-light research is only accessible on the website I mentioned. I teach this craft, and my blog probably has the easiest-to-read and navigate info pages on its history, and variations in technique worldwide, but it is all stuff I have learned from the major sources--the series of books and Masako Kinoshita's online journal. It's a lot more accurate than what is currently in the wikipedia article, I have to say...In fact my edit of that entry could pretty much amount to a whole new entry, which is what I'm a little nervous about!Ingridcc (talk) 18:49, 22 January 2012 (UTC)

The best place to go with that question is to that article's talk page (for instance, if you were thinking of editing God, you'd go to its talk page here). Sources can be online - in fact, many articles have mainly, even only online sources depending on the topic. I'd suggest WP:CITE for info on how to source your additions properly. CycloneGU (talk) 21:31, 22 January 2012 (UTC)