====== Welcome to the Scribbly Gum Forum Wiki ======

<sub>Established by [[:regulars:drzax|Dr. ZAx]] and maintained by [[:regulars:index|forum regulars]]</sub>

^New to the wiki? Click on the [[table_of_contents|Table of Contents]] for a complete list of every wiki page. Or try the [[table_of_contents_themed|Table of related topics]].^

===== What is Scribblygum? =====

"//[[http://www2b.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/|Scribbly Gum Forum]] is dedicated to people who find joy in observing events in the natural world//. 

//It's the companion forum to our [[http://www.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/|Scribbly Gum Website]] which celebrates seasonal events in nature.//" ((Scribbly Gum Forum Welcome page))
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**History**

The [[http://www2b.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/|Scribbly Gum Forum]] is a government funded public internet [[forum_format|forum]]. **Scribbly**, as it is commonly referred to, is a spin-off forum begun after the advent of the original [[http://www2b.abc.net.au/science/k2/stn/|Dr Karl's Self Service Science Forum]] which is another similar, though science-oriented, forum set up around 1999 by the Australian government-funded media outlet: the [[http://www.abc.net.au/|ABC]]. The third forum in this "set" is the [[http://www2b.abc.net.au/science/techtalk/|Tech Talk]] forum where all things technological are discussed and computer hiccups are often solved.

See also the  [[http://sisyphus.pbwiki.com/|SSSF Wiki]] and the [[http://www.techtalkwiki.net/|Tech Talk wiki]].

**Forum Participation**

Anyone can read and post in the [[http://www2b.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/|Scribbly Gum Forum]], however, unregistered posters will find their posts have to be pre-moderated (approved by a human) so their posts may take some time to appear. [[http://www2b.abc.net.au/forumcentral/help.asp?forum=19&itemexternalid=19&itemtype=1/|Registration]] is painless and free. After an initial email providing your forum password you will not be contacted or receive any junk mail. So why not [[http://www2b.abc.net.au/forumcentral/register.asp?forum=19&itemexternalid=19&itemtype=1&proceed=y&gobacktitle=Registration|register]]?

Registered posters can post in real time. They're the ones with a little red ''R'' beside their handle (posting name).

Scribbly has many helpful users (Scribblers) who will do their best to assist you or listen to your nature anecdotes. They're a friendly crowd, so pop on in and say Hi.

There are a number of topics that come up very frequently, some as often as weekly and daily. This is the main reason for the Wiki. Over time they will be included in the [[faq|FAQ]].

See also [[enhancing_scribblygum|Enhancing Scribblygum]] thanks to [[http://techtalkwiki.net/regulars/dd32|DD32]] and [[regulars/drzax|Dr. ZAx]] :-)

===== Why use a Wiki? =====

A Wiki is a convenient way to do this for a number of reasons, including:
  * It spreads the load - maintenance responsibility does not rest with one person alone
  * Everyone can participate
  * Flexible and adaptable format
  * The quality of the content is constantly improved through revision by others.

===== Contributing =====

To start contributing you should first have a look at the [[wiki:syntax|syntax]] used to write the pages. Once you feel familiar with the syntax have a play in the [[wiki:playground|playground]] to get a feel for how it all works. After you have become familiar with the syntax and had a play in the playground you can start editing and creating pages. Finally, you should remember that the [[http://www2b.abc.net.au/science/k2/stn/statement.htm|rules]] and [[:forum_etiquette|etiquette]] that apply to the forum also apply here.

==== Registration and Login ====

It's really really simple. Just go to the [[http://www.scribblygumwiki.net/?do=register|registration page]], fill in your details and then [[http://www.scribblygumwiki.net/?do=login|login]].


==== Editing ====

If you come across a page in this wiki that you feel is incomplete, inaccurate or in need of some tidying you can edit it simply by clicking on the ''**Edit this page**'' button. Please only edit pages if you feel you can **improve** them. \\
However, //IF// you update a page, Please add a comment in the **'Edit Summary'** to keep track of changes made. 

You can also create or access a [[http://www.scribblygumwiki.net/talk_page_guidelines|talk page]] for that topic by clicking on the "discuss" button on the top of each page, but you should still use the edit summary box as well.   




==== Creating ====

To have a go at creating your first page, I suggest you try creating a page about yourself in the regulars namespace. To do this type the following into your browser's address bar:

''http://www.scribblygumwiki.net/doku.php?id=regulars:yournick''

OR

''http://www.scribblygumwiki.net/regulars/yournick''

Obviously you will need to replace "yournick" with the nickname/handle you use on Scribblygum. You can view [[regulars:drzax|mine]] as an example.

Before you create any other pages please first check the index or do a search (both in the header of each page) to ensure a page on your topic doesn't already exist. Please refrain from creating new namespaces unless you consider it essential.

===== Browsing =====

There are various ways to view content in this wiki. You can use the **search** function or look at the **index** (both in the top right-hand corner of each page).

In the **sidebar** (top left) there is a brief list of the main pages. These have further pages linked from within and you can keep track of the structure via the drop-down **Table of contents** that appears in the top right corner of pages with many headings. 

A summary of //all// the pages of the wiki appears in the main [[:table_of_contents|Table of contents]] listed in the sidebar.

===== Content Licensing =====

Please be aware that anything you contribute to this wiki will be licensed under the [[http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/|Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License]] Version 2.0.

===== Administrator Contact =====

There are no restrictions at all on who can edit the information in this wiki, however if you wish to contact the administrator you should contact <admin@scribblygumwiki.net>.