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FAQ: Wiki post / wikipost questions, discussion, issues (consolidated)

Old Dec 17, 2015, 7:50 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: JDiver
Wikipost FAQ

Wikipost / wikipost questions, issues, discussion


Q. What is a Wikipost?

A Wikipost contains content that appears at the top of a thread, usually used to summarize important information in multi-page threads: "This is a community-maintained wikipost containing the most important information from this thread. You may start orb edit a Wikipost once you have been on FT for 90 days and have made 90 posts." (Written at the top of every Wikipost.)


Q. Why are Wikiposts here? What is their purpose?

Threads that have high interest can grow very quickly, making it tiresome to sort through sometimes hundreds of posts to find information. A Wikipost is designed to contain a summary of relevant information, and may contain links to especially relevant posts, related threads and off-site resources. Any member with "90/90" can update obsolete information or update Wikipost information, and of course there's plenty of space to discuss or ask about more specific details.


Q. What display modes are offered for Wikiposts?

There are three modes of wiki post display: (c/o IBobi)
1. "Summary view" (default) -- this shows the top of the wikipost only.

2. Full display (when you click "Click here to display full Wiki") -- this shows the whole Wikipost.

3. Hidden (when you click the "-" sign at the top right) -- reduces this and ALL Wikiposts on FT to a narrow blue bar that says "Wikipost", until you click the "+" on one of them again, which will return them to default view.

(see more below)

Q. Why are so many threads with Wikiposts concentrated on the front pages of some fora?

The most popular / used threads are often those with complicated content - frequent flyer or guest program changes, securing awards, etc. These are the threads most likely to have Wikiposts summarizing key points.


Q. How / why did Wikiposts come about on FT?

Wikiposts came about after requests from members to Internet Brands and a lot of forethought, followed by Beta testing. They are considered a valuable asset to FlyerTalk, and a viable and "closer" alternative to maintaining an off site, separate wiki.


Q. What do "wiki" and "Wikipost" mean?

The word "wiki" (wee-kee) is Hawaiian Polynisian for "fast" or "quick". Here, a Wikipost offers a quick look at the topic covered by a thread.


Q. Can I see a listing of Wikiposts?

Yes. Up in the dark blue navigation bar, a little below the FlyerTalk logo, it says "Flyertalk [sic, should be a capital T] Wiki." Click that and then "Show all Wiki [sic, should be plural]" from the sub-menu.

(Thanks to jackal)


Q. What do I do if I just don't want to read the Wikiposts?

Just continue browsing normally. Only minimized Wikiposts (a few lines) will be revealed until you click on / touch the blue "Click here to display Full Wiki" line. The full Wikipost will only be displayed if you click the link to read it. Ignore the Wikipost if you don't want to read the information therein.


Q. What do I do if I feel there are too darn many Wikiposts?

You can go to the "Wikipost" blue menu bar at the top of a thread page and click on the "-" sign at the right end of the bar, which will minimize all wikis; you never have to see a Wikipost again. That information never has to intrude on your reading of FlyerTalk. And, of course you can turn wiki posts "on" by clicking the "+" in the same menu bar when you wish.)

Alternatively, you can go to your FT Profile, look at Your Control Panel, Edit Options. Toward the bottom of the page you'll see
Wikipost Hide All

Hide all Wiki Posts in Threads
[] Hide all wikiposts
Be sure that option is turned on to eliminate seeing wiki posts, off to reveal them once more.

Q. What are the alternatives to wikiposts in a large forum?
1) Multiple (dozens or even more) threads with members having to search them all for answers, or start a new one out of frustration, assuring information fragmentation and dispersion.

2) Mega threads with hundreds of posts to sort through for answers.

Thanks to wetrat0

Q. I can't open and edit a particular Wikipost! Why?

A few wiki posts may be locked by moderators to prevent making changes; these preferably should be clearly marked with an explanation.


Q. I can't even see Wikiposts! Why?

If you can not see the wiki posts:

Assuming you are signed in, have been on FT 90 or more days and have made 90 or more posts:

In your FT Profile, look at Your Control Panel, Edit Options. Toward the bottom of the page you'll see

Wikipost Hide All

Hide all Wiki Posts in Threads
[] Hide all wikiposts
Be sure that option is turned off.


Q. How do I open and start a wikipost myself?

To create a wiki, go to the Thread Tools menu on the right of the thread menu bar, click / touch Create a Wikipost


Q. I've got "90/90"; how do I edit a wikipost?

To edit a wiki, expand by clicking / touching the "Click here to display full wiki" message, then see the Edit button in the lower right of the wiki.


Q. What formatting can I use to make a wikipost more "eye-tractive" and readable?

Wikis accepts a lot of common BBCode formatting, some of which is shown below - but not all.

Bold and colors work! strikeouts work, as does highlighting.

Sizes work as well, from larger than this to this.

However, names of threads like http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/techn...-problems.html are not being normalized. (URL links to FlyerTalk in posts will render such: "Wikipost" / wiki post questions, issues, discussion.

In Wikiposts, they will render as full URL: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/techn...olidated.html; look at the above URL to see how you can adjust that.

See Calchas' post #122 to read about the wiki history rendering.


Q. Can I embed or add illustrations or photos in Wikiposts?

Links to photographs and graphic images can be embedded in wikiposts; framed video links can not be, nor can images be attached as in posts.


Revised 9 June 2016 - JDiver
Print Wikipost

FAQ: Wiki post / wikipost questions, discussion, issues (consolidated)

Old Nov 20, 2015, 11:51 am
  #1  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Matre-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948

Wikipost FAQ

Some members have expressed concerns about Wikiposts, their purpose and how to "turn them off" so they won't see them. The FAQ in the Wikipost above has been written to inform about their purpose, provide instructions on how to start, edit and eliminate them from viewing. This extract has been privided in post form forbthose using the mobile skin or who have Wikiposts turned off.

Q. What display modes are offered for Wikiposts?

There are three modes of wiki post display: (c/o IBobi)
1. "Summary view" (default) -- this shows the top of the wikipost only.

2. Full display (when you click "Click here to display full Wiki") -- this shows the whole Wikipost.

3. Hidden (when you click the "-" sign at the top right) -- reduces this and ALL Wikiposts on FT to a narrow blue bar that says "Wikipost", until you click the "+" on one of them again, which will return them to default view.
Wikipost FAQs (EXTRACT, for those turning off wiki post function)

Q. What is a Wikipost?

It is content that appears at the top of a thread, usually used to summarize important information in multi-page threads: "This is a community-maintained wikipost containing the most important information from this thread. You may edit the Wikipost once you have been on FT for 90 days and have made 90 posts." (Written at the top of every wiki post.)


Q. Why are so many threads with Wikiposts concentrated on the front pages?

The threads with the most in-demand information are often those with complicated content - AAdvantage changes, MileSAAver awards, etc. These are the threads most likely to have wiki posts summarizing key points.


Q. How / why did they come about?

Wiki posts came about after many (members and TalkBoard) requests to Internet Brands and a lot of forethought and initial Beta testing. They are considered a valuable asset to FlyerTalk, a viable and "closer" alternative to maintaining an off site, separate wiki.


Q. Can I see a listing of Wikiposts?

Yes. Up in the dark blue navigation bar, a little below the FlyerTalk logo, it says "Flyertalk [sic, should be a capital T] Wiki." Click that and then "Show all Wiki [sic, should be plural]" from the sub-menu. (Thanks to jackal.)


Q. What do I do if I don't want to see / read the Wikiposts?

Just continue browsing normally. The full Wikipost will only be displayed if you click the link to read it. Ignore Wikiposts if you don't want to read the information therein.


Q. What do I do if I feel there are too darn many Wikiposts?

You can go to the "Wikipost" blue menu bar at the top of a thread page and click on the "-" sign at the right end of the bar, which will minimize all Wikiposts; you never have to see a Wikipost again. Wikiposts never have to intrude on your reading of FlyerTalk. (You can turn Wikiposts "on" by clicking the "+" in the same menu bar when you wish.)

Alternately, In your FT Profile, look at Your Control Panel, Edit Options. Toward the bottom of the page you'll see
Wikipost Hide All

Hide all Wiki Posts in Threads
[] Hide all Wikiposts
Be sure that option is turned on to eliminate seeing Wikiposts, off to reveal them once more.

Q. What are the alternatives to wiki posts in a large forum?
1) Multiple (dozens or even more) threads with members having to search them all for answers, or start a new one out of frustration, assuring information fragmentation and dispersion.

2) Mega threads with hundreds of posts to sort through for answers.

With thanks to wetrat0.

Last edited by JDiver; Jun 17, 2016 at 8:12 am Reason: Add extract from Wikipost for those with Wikiposts suppressed
JDiver is offline  
Old Nov 30, 2015, 9:18 pm
  #2  
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: YYZ/MGA
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Posts: 7,607
Forum Question: Can the 200 Wiki Stickies Be Put Somewhere Else?

Like a link to Wikies? Wiki sub-forum?

There's almost nothing but WIKI buttons on page 1 and 2 now.

Last edited by JDiver; Dec 17, 2015 at 8:04 am Reason: Restore original post title
ricktoronto is offline  
Old Nov 30, 2015, 9:25 pm
  #3  
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: AS MVPG
Posts: 2,202
There are a grand total of 5 stickies with 4 of them having wikis. Popular posts tend to have wikis to make it easier to find information, and they tend to be commented on so they get bumped to the top.

If the wiki icon is really bothering you, you could <see answer in wiki>.

Last edited by JDiver; Dec 17, 2015 at 8:09 am Reason: Replace with FT built in wiki post suppression feature
alphaeagle is offline  
Old Nov 30, 2015, 9:26 pm
  #4  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Matre-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Originally Posted by ricktoronto
Like a link to Wikies? Wiki sub-forum?

There's almost nothing but WIKI buttons on page 1 and 2 now.
I'm not sure what you're suggesting here. This is how it's supposed to work.

The wiki "buttons" merely indicate a thread with a wiki post. Other than that, it's a normal thread; it's on the front page because it's a very active thread.

The most active threads have wiki posts to distill relevant data into a wikipost, so members don't have to read a gazillion posts to find the basic information. They can then narrow their questions down when they do post.

To read the thread, do what you do normally.

To read a wiki post, you must click on it to expand it.

Please let us know if you're experiencing difficulty or have further questions.

/Moderator
JDiver is offline  
Old Dec 1, 2015, 12:13 am
  #5  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: AMS
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, Asiana Club Silver, Flying Blue Ivory
Posts: 368
One thing that contributes is that the moderators of this forum have a policy (as far as I can tell), of being pretty pro-active in merging a new thread into old or existing threads and making "big" resource threads out of them.

A consequence is that the AA/AAdvantage front page is chock-a-block with wiki-threads. Everytime somebody asks a question where there's already a thread, one of the consolidated resource threads gets bumped.
AtlanticX is offline  
Old Dec 1, 2015, 8:09 am
  #6  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
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Posts: 30,959
I only see 5 sticky threads that permanently take up space. Wiki is just a tag and those threads are listed in last updated order just like any other thread. I need to deal with Marriott consuming the entire page with 10 stickies, so maybe AA isn't as bad just by comparison, but I don't find 5 to be a problem.

I'm assuming the links to the old, closed forums will go away before long - they're a bit useless now, IMHO.

EDIT: Perhaps a bad assumption - United still has the long-closed UA/CO forums.
CPRich is offline  
Old Dec 1, 2015, 9:54 am
  #7  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Matre-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
We do try to minimize "stickies" because they can take up too much "landscape". We've merged the lounge dashboard thread into the WELCOME GUIDE thread (which has a growing wiki of resource links) so new members can find the forum guide and index to most frequently asked or bumped threads useful to booking, flying, earning and spending, lounges, airport hub master threads, etc.

In a mega forum of this type, we're trying to contain information fragmentation (we don't surface dozens of threads when we're looking for an answer, forcing us to pore through those threads) and to honor the many members who have taken the time and effort to post answers and valuable information.

Ergo, threads with wikis and that are curated to archive off older and obsolete posts.

The "wiki" appearing by a thread title is just a label.

JDiver, Moderator (enjoying my release after four years of Senior Moderator status - aaah, nice to not get mod notifications and post reports from every forum without an appointed moderator as well as my own!)
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Old Dec 1, 2015, 11:11 am
  #8  
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Originally Posted by JDiver
JDiver, Moderator (enjoying my release after four years of Senior Moderator status - aaah, nice to not get mod notifications and post reports from every forum without an appointed moderator as well as my own!)
Congrats!! Who is the new senior moderator who gets our condolences, um I mean our congratulations?
wrp96 is online now  
Old Dec 1, 2015, 11:16 am
  #9  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
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Posts: 44,436
Originally Posted by CPRich

I'm assuming the links to the old, closed forums will go away before long - they're a bit useless now, IMHO.

EDIT: Perhaps a bad assumption - United still has the long-closed UA/CO forums.
I was hoping that the forum will be tidied up and the 2 closed fora will be moved to the discontinued section - there is a USDM pre 2005 merger forum there, it would seem sensible and tidy to relocate the fora there
Dave Noble is offline  
Old Dec 1, 2015, 11:25 am
  #10  
Senior Moderator and Moderator: American AAdvantage & TravelBuzz
 
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Originally Posted by wrp96
Congrats!! Who is the new senior moderator who gets our condolences, um I mean our congratulations?
(Ocn Vw 1K is FT's new senior moderator. )
JY1024 is offline  
Old Dec 16, 2015, 11:01 pm
  #11  
 
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WiKi for all the WiKi's?

As i try to read this forum lately ever page is nearly solid with WiKis, seriously!

Shouldn't there be one WiKi for all the WiKis?

Maybe some other threads can be seen then.
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Old Dec 16, 2015, 11:08 pm
  #12  
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similar WIKI-RAGE on display here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...l#post25793842
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Old Dec 16, 2015, 11:28 pm
  #13  
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There are not that many wikis cluttering - most are not sticky so are only there when active

I think that the forum area is overly cluttered with 2 dead fora ( which would seem to be logical to me to move to discontinued programmes ) , 2 announcements and 6 sticky threads

Would be nice to reduce the sticky thread count and relocate the dead fora imo, but the wikis themselves are no more obtrusive than other threads imo
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Old Dec 17, 2015, 6:25 am
  #14  
 
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You realize this is a feature, not a bug, right? The threads with labels that say "wiki" are regular threads that happen to have a wiki attached to them. Many of these threads have dozens of pages of posts. Attaching a wiki allows the collective wisdom of the posters to be distilled into useful information. Not everyone reads FT every day and even those who do don't read every thread. A lot of traffic to FT is people looking for the answer to a question. The wikis at the top of popular threads help them find that information more efficiently.

Just as an example, one of the threads with a wiki near the top of the page today is http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...ilability.html, which has 272 pages as of this post. I don't think I've ever been in that thread, so if I wanted to book a F award on CX I would be very happy that the wiki is there, so I don't have to look through 272 pages to try to find where to start.
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Old Dec 17, 2015, 6:34 am
  #15  
 
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Originally Posted by JonNYC
Wiki-Rage - that made my morning.

Last edited by Microwave; Dec 21, 2015 at 12:54 am Reason: Corrected invalid quote syntax
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