So you are looking at a page, and thinking to yourself, "This needs some work. I know the subject, I have the time. Oh wait... that page belongs to someone else. I can't change it."

Bollocks. Look at the last word in the site name. Wiki, see? This site is a collaborative enterprise that only works if the users work together. We need people to edit other people's pages. With everyone checking, editing and correcting the information, the quality of the content on the ZSDW will only get better.

But, there are a few rules and guidelines that will make life more pleasant for everyone.

Formatting Edits

First, if all you are looking to do is correct the spelling and/or grammar on the page, then go ahead. Same with resizing pictures so they sit inside this frame. The frame was a recent implementation by Wetpaint, and some of the older pages may still have pictures that are too wide to fit. So if all you want to do is a formatting edit, go right ahead. This applies to any section of the site.

Stylistic Edits

These are similar to formatting edits, but rather than correcting errors, they just make the page more readable. It might be breaking one long paragraph into four sections and moving pictures into the gaps. It could be consolidating fragments into a paragraph, or changing the order of the sentences.

A courtesy PM to say, "Just making this page more readable" to the author will do. If there are several, then pick the original author. You don't need to wait for a response.

You can do this on any section of the site EXCEPT for the "User Survival Plans", and pages in the "Dump."

Content Edits

Maybe you have new information, or are updating the old information as things progress. That's good. We need to make sure the pages don't get stale or become useless. But before you hit that 'Edit Page' button, there are a few things you need to do.

Use the search bar and make sure the new information doesn't appear somewhere else. If it does, tell the author about the conflict via PM and make a thread on the out of date page. State the new information on the page you want to edit. Use a thread title that tells us what to expect. If the information is about how to use empty soup cans as a radio antenna, the title "Soup Can Antenna" says exactly what the thread will contain. "Can" is ambiguous and useless.

PM the author. Again, you don't need to wait for a response, but as a courtesy wait a day or two, just in case they were planning an edit.

If you follow this basic set of guidelines, it gives everyone a chance to verify the intended edit, keeping errors to a minimum. You can do this on any section of the site EXCEPT for the "User Survival Plans", pages in the "Dump", "Administration and Moderation Articles" and "Rendezvous and Evacuation Points."

Page Re-writes

Yes, there are many pages that require this. But there is a right way to go about doing this.

First, make a new page in the Dump. Call it "[Page title] (rewrite)" So if you want to rewrite "The Panic" it would be "The Panic (rewrite)". This is the ONLY place you make edits. If you are starting from scratch, then you have a blank page. If you want to use some of the existing information from the old page, then copy it into the rewrite page.

Once you have finished, make a thread announcing the rewritten page, PM "All Moderators," and the original author of the old page. If the rewrite is deemed to be better than the old page, then it will replace it. If it needs work, then you can keep editing until it is better.

Under no circumstances should a finished page (one that is outside "The Dump") be replaced with an unfinished one, or a notice that says "Work In Progress" or "Under Construction". Writer status can and will be revoked for doing so.

Creating New Pages

First, check the topic isn't covered already. If not, create a new page in "The Dump" and get writing. When it's done, announce it, and it will be moved to the relevant section.