You Only Need to Do This Once...

In order to be credentialed as what Google Sites calls a "Collaborator" (and what we call a "Fellow Worker"), you must join the free Google Group called WikiPreacher. 

Then you need to come back and access this site through this URL:

      https://sites.google.com/site/wikipreacher/

That's all.  Just join the Google Group.  (Click HERE to do so.)  You don't need a special invitation.

(The WikiPreacher Google Group functions as our one-time, automated registration process for contributors.  Signing up is free.  Once you do, as long as you access the site through the Google Sites URL above, the "Create Page" and "Edit Page" buttons you'll need will become visible.)

OK, have you done that?  You're in!  Now, after you return to this site via the Google Groups URL (above), look to the upper right-hand corner.  Do you notice that a couple of buttons, "Create Page" and "Edit Page," have now appeared?  Remember where they are, because you're gonna need them...


Create All the Pages You Want - Electrons Are Cheap and Plentiful!

Generally speaking, when you post material to WikiPreacher, you'll first need to create a new page.  Actually, it's called a subpage, because it's listed in the directory tree as branched from another page above it.

Please CREATE A BRAND NEW SUBPAGE for each quotation, illustration or set of exegetical notes you'd like to post.  Don't worry, you're not being wasteful.  This is the internet - you don't need to fret about saving trees.  (Greenpeace just loves this stuff!)

Or, think of it this way.  It's like when you're eating at the Chinese buffet, and you go back for seconds.  You know what the rule is, there - Always start with a clean plate!

Clean, new subpages for Quotations and Illustrations are branched from topic-word pages.

Clean, new subpages for Bible Notes and Commentary are branched from Bible-passage pages, or from the general "Background" page at the start of each biblical book's section.

Please don't paste your stuff directly into an existing page, unless you're revising or updating something that's already there.  (A-ooga!  A-ooga!  Dirty Plate Alert!) 

If you can't find a relevant topic-word or Bible-passage page to branch from, don't let that stop you.  Just create a new one!  Branch it from either the main "Quotations and Illustrations" page, or the appropriate book-of-the-Bible subpage below the main "Bible Notes and Commentary" page (Note: larger biblical books are divided into 10-chapter subdivisions, so you should branch from one of those).

But STOP!  If you're creating a new topic or Bible-passage page because you didn't find the right one on the site already, think twice.  Don't paste your material directly into that page you've just created!  That page needs to function more as a place-holder, pointing others to where the good stuff really is.  Instead, create a clean, NEW subpage branched from that one, dedicated to your material.

Remember, electrons are cheap. Always create a new subpage, branching it from a topic-word or Bible-passage page.   Give your new page a snappy title that will help grazing preachers know at a glance exactly what they'll find there if they click on the link.

Always take a clean plate.  (And, oh - while you're there - would you pass me an egg roll?)


How to Create a New Subpage

This is the one new skill you'll have to master, in order to share stuff on WikiPreacher.  The procedure may sound a little kludgy based on these instructions, but once you do it a few times, take our word for it: it's highly intuitive, and will become second nature to you.

1) From just about any WikiPreacher page, click on the button at the upper right that says, "Create page."  This will take you to a page where you'll be asked to name your new page and specify where it's going to be branched from.

2) Give your page a distinctive title - something to help other users know at a glance what it is, so they'll want to pick it out from a list and go there.  Try to avoid really generic identifiers like "Illustration on Forgiveness."

3) If you started from the page you want to branch from, you'll see that page listed right there as an option.  If so, the wiki elves are smiling on you, Grasshopper!  Just click on it, key in a title and click on the "Create page" button.  You'll be transported to another page, with your title already displayed.  Just key or paste your stuff into the big box below the title, then click on the "Save" button at the upper right.  You're done!

3) If you didn't start from the page you want to branch from, you won't see that page listed there.  Do not (I say, DO NOT) select the option to "Put page at the top level."  That will slap your contribution up on the sidebar menu that appears on every page.  Instead, click on "Choose a different location."

4) This takes you to the directory tree.  Find the section of the tree where you think the page you'd like to branch from is located, then keep clicking on the little plus signs, opening up new sub-levels, until you find it.  Click on the name of the page you want, highlighting it.  Then, click the "Select" button.

5) This takes you back to the previous page, but this time you'll notice the wiki elves have figured out what you're doing, and have now selected the proper option for you.  (Good wiki elves!  Have some elf treats!)  Click on the "Create Page" button at the bottom, and you'll be transported to your new page.

6) Choose a title, then key in - or, cut and paste from your word processor - whatever it is you'd like to post.

7) When you've done that, click the "Save" button.

Congratulations!  You've created a WikiPreacher page!

If you make a mistake, don't worry - you can always open that page up again by clicking on the "Edit page" button at the top right, and make whatever changes you want.

You'll also see a "More actions" button, located just to the right of the "Create page" and "Edit page" buttons.  You probably won't need to use anything from that button's pull-down menu, but be aware that it contains "Move page" and "Delete page" options, among other things.  Use these with caution.


How To Display a List of Subpages

If you're starting a new topic word or scripture passage section from which materials will be branched, you'll need to make sure a list of subpages displays on that page.  Setting up such a list couldn't be easier.  All you do is, from an edit page, click on "Insert" at the upper left.  In the pull-down menu, click on "Subpage list," then on "Enter" in the next window.

As new materials are branched from the new topic-word or scripture-passage page you've just created, their subject lines will appear in the Subpage list as clickable links.


The Quirky Number-Sorting Workaround

Here's one final tip - if you're posting any exegetical material in the "Bible Notes and Commentary" section, where entries are sorted by chapter and verse numbers.  Google Sites sorts material into the subpage lists by title, using simple alphabetical order.  That means numbers are treated the same as letters.  Although the numbers do come first before the letters, the computer is unable to deal with numbers in combination - it treats them as though they were sequential letters in a word.  That means it treats "11" as two ones, resulting in a sort order that will list "11" ahead of "2."

Sometimes, computers are really, really smart.  Other times, they're really, really dumb.  This is one of those times.

We've tried to minimize that problem by setting up 10-chapter sub-sections of the larger biblical books, but occasionally you may have to list "1" as "01" or "2" as "02," etc., in order to get chapter-and-verse citations to sort correctly.  You can also try adding one of the symbols from the top row of your keyboard, like a tilde (~), just ahead of your chapter number.  Please check the sub-page list after posting, and if your item's appearing further down the list than it should be, just modify the numbers in its title field, in this fashion, until it lands in the right place.

Give It a Try!

Now, you've learned how to create a WikiPreacher subpage!  That means you can start using this site to give back to the homiletical universe by posting some really useful stuff.  As long as you remember the following two rules, you should be OK:

1) Always start with a clean plate (a clean, new subpage).

2) Don't ever locate your new page "at the top level."

If you make a mistake, you can always move your item, or delete it completely, by accessing the pull-down menu available by clicking on the "More actions" button.

So, go ahead - TRY IT!