MarinersWiki:About

From MarinersWiki

MarinersWiki is a web-based, free content project providing a dynamic resource for sharing information and building a knowledge base. Content is written collaboratively by volunteers with a shared passion for maritime topics and lore. Links guide the user to related pages with additional information and articles. MarinersWiki was created in 2008 to enhance the knowledge and community of boating enthusiasts.

Visitors do not need specialised qualifications to contribute, since their primary role is to write articles that cover existing knowledge; this means that people of all ages and cultural and social backgrounds can write articles. With rare exceptions, articles can be edited by anyone with access to the Internet, simply by clicking the edit this page link. Anyone is welcome to add information, cross-references or citations, as long as they do so within the editing policies and to an appropriate standard. For example, if you add information to an article, be sure to include your references, as unreferenced facts are subject to removal.

There is no need to worry about accidentally damaging MarinerWiki when adding or improving information, as other editors are able to revise or correct obvious errors, and the software is designed to allow easy reversal of editorial mistakes.

Because MarinersWiki is an ongoing work to which, in principle, anybody can contribute, it differs from books and other more traditional reference sources in important ways. For instance, older articles tend to be more comprehensive and balanced, while newer articles more frequently may contain misinformation, or vandalism. Users need to be aware of this to obtain useful information and avoid any misinformation that has been recently added and not yet removed. However, unlike a paper reference source, MarinersWiki may be continually updated, within seconds or hours, rather than months or years for printed media.