User blog:Cruzdbluz/How to Edit Vlog Days

Hello world! There's been a bit of a burst of activity on the wiki lately, and there have been a few people wondering how they can help out. As of now, our top priority is cataloging of all the vlog days, so here's a step-by-step tutorial on how I add new articles.

Please note that this tutorial is a work in progress, so if anything needs changing or if you have any questions, feel free to ask send me a message on the talk page or otherwise.

Also, there's already a summary on How to edit StephenWiki on the Wiki. Please read that article in addition to this tutorial to get the full picture.

Visual Mode

 * 1) First, pick a day that you want to edit. Open it up with a blank template and switch over to Source mode.
 * 2) Next, find a completed vlog day. Click "Edit", switch over to Source mode, and copy the entire body of text. Paste that into your new vlog day. Switch back to Visual mode, and close the tab of the previously completed vlog day.
 * 3) In a separate window, go on YouTube and find the video for vlog day that you're editing.  Pause the video.
 * 4) On the vlog day that you're editing, click "remove" on the top right-hand corner of the video thumbnail. This won't delete the video from the wiki, just the page you're working on.
 * 5) Between the links for previous/next vlogs and the "People" section, click "Add Video" on the right hand side of the editor, and paste the link to your video here.
 * 6) *In the description, remove all the text below the main description of the video (i.e. the section beginning with ==OTHER AWESOME STUFF==)
 * 7) *The caption is a little bit trickier.  You'll want three pieces of information here: the title, the date, and the running time.
 * 8) *To do this, you'll want to format the caption like this: [Title of Vlog (copied and pasted from the video)] Date: [date with format MMMM DDth, YYYY] Running Time: [running time in MM:SS].
 * 9) *Example of a caption: ICREMTUNA! (Day 1013 - 9/2/12)​ Date: September 2nd, 2012 Running Time: 15:26
 * 10) *The " " command will insert line breaks in between the three tidbits of information.  After you click "Add Video", you can hover over the thumbnail to confirm this.
 * 11) To change up the Previous/Next vlog day links, simply click on them, then click the hyperlink (chain) symbol right above the editor.  Copy and paste the names of the previous and next vlog days into their respective spaces, and be sure to change the text that is displayed.
 * Now, begin the video!  As you watch, jot down any major events in the "Summary" section of the editor, any places that are visited in the "Places" section, and any people (or cats) that appear in the "People" section.  Be sure to link anybody that you add.
 * 1) *If people, vlog days, Let's Plays, videos, etc. are mentioned, feel free to link them in the summary itself.  These may or may not be pages on the wiki.
 * 2) *For consistency, I like to put "Stephen and Mal's apartment" in the "Places" section.​
 * 3) *I like to have both the editor and the video going on two sides of my monitor so I can edit and watch simultaneously.
 * 4) Don't forget to add categories.  This box is found on the right-hand side of the editor.  More common categories include:
 * 5) *Myrtle Beach Vlogs
 * 6) *Columbia Vlogs
 * 7) *Savannah Vlogs
 * 8) *Traveling Vlogs
 * 9) If there are any memorable or funny quotes, feel free to add a "Quotes" section below the summary.  Personally, I like to format quotes like this:
 * 10) *Person 1: I AM DAN.
 * 11) **Person 2: Good for you.
 * 12) **Person 1: THANK YOU.  ALSO I LIKE TACO BELL.
 * 13) **Person 2: I suppose we're going to Taco Bell now.
 * 14) **etc.
 * 15) If there is anything notable (e.g. references to other vlog days, Let's Plays, important additional information that can't be incorporated into the summary), feel free to add a "Notes" section below the "Quotes" section, if there is one.
 * 16) Finally, proofread!  Look over anything for spelling mistakes, factual errors, errant/missing links, etc.
 * 17) *It's also a good idea to have as little space in between things as possible.  If you can, head into source mode and remove any blank paragraphs in between sections.
 * 18) *Source mode also has a built-in spellcheck.
 * 19) Click "Publish" and you're done!  Time to celebrate!

As a side note, I find that editing vlog days in Source mode is much quicker and much more efficient than editing in Visual mode (to switch between the two, you'll find tabs on the top right-hand corner of the editor). It might seem a bit daunting at first, but feel free to switch back and forth to see how your edits in Source change the overall look of the page. Eventually, you'll get a feel for how to edit in Source and you'll probably gravitate towards that as well. If I have time, I may write out an additional section on editing in Source.