Help:Tips for Browsing Fanlore
Here are some tips for browsing the wiki when you either don't know what you're looking for or aren't looking for anything in particular. You can also search the site if you're looking for something specific. See Help:Searching for more.
Random: use special pages
The wiki software provides a number of special pages that you can use to browse Fanlore articles:
- Special:Random - directs you to a page chosen at random
- Special:RecentChanges - shows you all the recent edits, including new pages
- Special:NewPages - just the new pages
- Special:MostLinkedPages - pages that other pages link to a lot
Hierarchical: use categories
Fanlore's content is organized by category, and the categories themselves are organized hierarchically, with each category page displaying both its "children" and "parents" (if any). The "children" appear under the "Subcategories" heading. The "parents" appear at the very bottom of the page. If you click on a parent or child category, you will be taken to that category page; in the same way, if you click on one of the articles listed in the category, you will be taken to that article.
This lets you pick an area of interest and then drill down to more specific topics, or conversely, find a specific topic and then move up to broader concepts.
Fanlore:Sitemap displays how categories are organized on the site. In addition, the top-level (most broad) categories are listed in the sidebar, and you can also see them here.
You can also browse the categories by starting from a page that you already know you are interested in. Example:
- Open the page Library of Moria, a Lord of the Rings fanfic archive.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page. You see the following categories: Archives | Lord of the Rings Archives | 2000s | 2010s
- If you want to see more LOTR archives, click on Category:Lord of the Rings Archives
- From the Lord of the Rings Archives category page, you can check out the article on Amon Sul or scroll to the bottom of the page to move up to the next level: Category:Lord of the Rings.
Probably the most popular way to browse is to click on wikilinks like this one. Check the infobox template (upper right corner) for links that may be especially relevant to your interests, but the main text may hold surprising discoveries for you as well. A good wiki page links to lots of other wiki pages, so if you're not careful, you could end up clicking on links forever and never leaving the site.
You can also navigate in reverse by clicking on "What links here" under the Toolbox on the sidebar. It will show you every page that links to the current page.
Finding other Fanlore editors
If you'd like to connect with other active editors on Fanlore, you can consult the Active users list, which provides a list of registered Fanlore users who have had any kind of activity within the last 30 days. To find a friendly helper, talk to a Gardener, or add Template:AttentionGardeners to a page or its Talk page to request assistance with a specific page. Moreover, if you need a site administrator, contact a Policy & Admin volunteer.
Other useful links
- Orphaned pages: Existing pages that aren't linked to from anywhere else on Fanlore
- Fanlore:Wish List: Ideas for pages that have been requested by other Fanlore users
- Special:WantedPages: Pages that don't exist yet on Fanlore, but have been linked to (redlinked) already on other Fanlore pages
- Category:Fanlore Featured Articles: Articles that were previously featured on Fanlore's front page
- Links for Getting Started: A collection of useful links for new editors
For any other questions, you can use the Talk page or contact the Fanlore Committee.