Reviewing and Rewriting a Biased Survey

Bias happens. We see it every day in our news, our social media, and among our friends. I feel we should all strive to be more aware of our biases, especially when gathering and presenting data.

The following documents are my comments on a biased survey, and my proposed rewrite. I have worked as a textbook editor for more than a decade, and I believe that every call for correction should incorporate a solution.

This survey was originally published at https://surveys.eastkingdom.org/index.php/313648?lang=en, and was taken down after an overwhelming number of complaints.

Biased Survey With Notes.PDF

Rewritten Survey.PDF

When this survey was first published, I responded to it on this blog, and those posts are Reviewing a Survey for the SCA and Rewriting a Survey for the SCA.

Reviewing a Survey for the SCA

In 2015, the Society for Creative Anachronism created a Peerage (the highest award) for Fencing. Previously, the Peerages had been for Armored Combat, Knowledge, Service, and Royalty. Four years later, a Peerage is being discussed for Archery, Equestrian, Siege Engines, and Target Throwing.

This post is a question-by-question breakdown of a survey shared with every person involved with the Society for Creative Anachronism, which has over 30,000 members around the globe. This survey was at https://surveys.eastkingdom.org/index.php/313648?lang=en I have listed each question as it appears, with my comments in blue text.

0. Are you a member?
Asking this question sets a negative tone for the entire survey, implying the Society of Creative Anachronism only wishes to hear from its paid members. This is not a good way to approach new members and people who participate infrequently.
A better way to approach this is to include a follow-up question for non-members, asking how long they have been involved with the Society, and why they are not paid members, due to constrains such as lack of money or lack of time due to education or multiple jobs.
o Yes, I am a member.
o No, I am NOT a member.
If yes, please tell us your member number and enter your expiration date: ________

1. Do you believe that the addition of the Order of Defense has been a good thing for the Society?
This survey is focused on the creation of a new Peerage. Opening with a question about a different Peerage suggests this survey does not care about the creation of a new Peerage, and is only going through the motions of asking for Populace feedback. Asking if the creation of the Order of Defense is “good” for the Society is vague. Asking specific questions about participation and membership would be better.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

2. Have you seen an overall increase in activity since the Order of Defense ‘s Creation?
This is an impractical question to ask the Populace. Sending a request to each Barony’s Seneschals and Armored Combat and Fencing Marshalls would be the best way to find information about each group’s membership, practice, and event attendance from the past five years.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

3. Did you become a member of the SCA to participate in fencing activities since the creation of the Order of Defense?
This question’s audience is members who have joined the Society after the Order of Defense was created in February 2015. That information should be included in the question.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

4. Have you seen a notable increase in the crossing over of Rattan Fighters into the Fencing arena?
This is a very complex question. Many crossover fighters focus on one martial art for years, only changing to another once they have mastered the first or need to change their martial participation due to illness, injury, or age. The creation of the Order of Defense does not impact those life changes.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

5. Do you believe that any other areas of the Society suffered due to the attention that the Order of Defense has placed on fencing in the last two years?
The phrase “other areas have suffered” implies a negative response to the creation of the Order of Defense. An unbiased way to phrase this question would be, “Has the creation of the Order of Defense taken time and focus away from other activities?”
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

6. Do you believe there has been a notable crossing over from other medieval groups, such as HEMA, since the Order of Defense’s creation?
Unlike event and practice attendance, there is no metric to measure group crossover. It will be interesting to see if the Armored Combat League’s Knight Fights television show will lead to an increase in Armored Combat fighters and overall Society membership.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

7. Do you agree with this Statement?: “Persons who were fencers before the Order of Defense’s creation are taking a more serious approach to the Society now that there’s a Peerage for their focus’ activity.”?
How can “seriousness” be measured? By the historical accuracy of arms and armor? By the study of period manuals? Or does this question about how people feel fencers impact the Society?
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

8. Has membership has gone up in your local group since the Order of Defense’s inception?
Just like Question 2, this is an impractical to ask the Populace. Sending a request to each Barony’s Seneschals and Armored Combat and Fencing Marshalls would be the best way to find information about each group’s membership, practice, and event attendance from since 2015, when the Order of Defense was created.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

9. Do you agree with the following: “Superior martial skill at a martial art, such as archery, thrown weapons, siege, and equestrian, deserves recognition with a Peerage.”
Asking agreement puts implies there will be a positive response to the creation of a Peerage for Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing. An unbiased way to phrase this question would be, “Does superior martial skill in Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing deserve a Peerage?”
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

10. Do you participate in the following?
This is a useful question!
Select all that apply:
o Archery
o Armored Combat
o Combat Archery
o Equestrian Activities
o Fencing
o Siege Engines
o Thrown Weapons
o None of the above
o Prefer Not to Answer

11. Do you think there are enough peerages?
This is a vague question. Many people only care about a thing if impacts them. For people who are not involved in Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing, the only time other peerages would impact them is during Court. Specifically, when a new Peer is Elevated, a member of every other Peerage speaks for them. Noting a significantly longer court for multiple new peerages is critical, and has not been addressed anywhere in this survey.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

12. How do you believe displaying skills in equestrian/archery/etc. should be recognized?
This question asks about the creation of an all-in-one Peerage, individual Peerages, and if non-martial Peerages should cover martial actives. This should be three separate questions.
Check all that apply
o Within a shared peerage (all in one peerage)
o Within their own individual peerage (several peerages)
o Within the Laurel
o Within the Pelican
o Within the Chivalry
o Within the Order of Defense
o Do not recognize
o No Opinion/Prefer Not to Answer

13. Do you agree that a Peerage for a specific skill will increase participation in that activity?
I would like to see how Peers answer this question in comparison to non-Peers.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

14. Do you agree that a peerage path for Archery/Equestrian/Thrown Weapons/Siege will encourage cross-over from other SCA martial disciplines?
This question asks for agreement. It should be worded, “Do you feel that a peerage path for Archery/Equestrian/Thrown Weapons/Siege will encourage cross-over from other SCA martial disciplines?”
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

15. Do you perceive that participation in Archery/Equestrian/Thrown Weapons/Siege has suffered in recent years because of increased focus on other martial pursuits?
I am interested to see how these responses correlate to each Barony or Shire’s membership, practice, and event attendance numbers.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

16. Do you believe that a Peerage path for Archery/Equestrian/Thrown Weapons/Siege will attract membership from other recreation groups?
If the Society wants to grow larger, we must focus on encouraging new members to join and have fun.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

17. Do you believe that a peerage path for an Archer/Equestrian/ Thrown Weapons /Siege will make those persons take their participation in the Society more seriously?
Is the goal of the Society to be serious, or to encourage existing members to participate while incorporate new members? Also, how can “seriousness” be measured? By the historical accuracy of arms and armor? By the study of period manuals? By the study of how period materials and tools were created and used?
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

18. Do you believe that Additional Peerage(s) will increase membership?
Membership will be increased if people are enjoying themselves and having fun. I am interested to see the comparison between how long people have been members of the Society and how they answer this question.
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

19. Were you a member of the SCA when the Order of Defense Peerage was created?
The Order of Defense was created in February 2015. Its first two responses should be, “I was a member before 2015” and “I joined the Society during or after 2015.”
o Yes
o No
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

20. Did the creation of the Order of Defense make YOU more or less likely to participate?
This question would be an excellent follow-up to Question 3. Another good follow up question is: “If you were not fencing before the Order of Defense, did the creation of a Peerage make you interested in fencing?”
o More
o Less
o No opinion/Prefer not to answer

21 What is your current Kingdom?
This question is useful for gathering data across Kingdoms.

22. What is your level of recognition within the SCA?
This question is limited because it lists four non-Peer ranks and nine Peer ranks. This list should include the Peer-in-training ranks: Squire, Cadet, Protegee, and Apprentice. If the number of Cadets has increased from before 2015, the is a strong argument that the Order of Defense has encouraged fencers to become formal students.
Check all that apply
o Member
o Award/Grant of Arms
o Court Baronage
o Knight
o Laurel
o Pelican
o Master of Defense
o Landed Baronage
o Viscount/Viscountess
o Count/Countess
o Duke/Duchess
o Prince/Princess (current)
o King/Queen (current)
o Prefer Not to Answer

23. What is your age?
This is useful information to compare responses.
o Under 20
o 21-30
o 31-40
o 41-50
o 51-60
o Over 60
o Prefer not to answer

24. How long have you been in the SCA?
There should be an added option for people who have been in the Society their entire lives.
o Less than 2 years
o 2-5 years
o 5-10 years
o 10-20 years
o 20-30 years
o 30-40 years
o Over 40 years
o Prefer Not to Answer

25. How many family members participate in the SCA?
o I am the only one
o My spouse/significant other and I
o Family with children
o The whole family
o Prefer not to answer
o Other:

26. If a new peerage is considered for any endeavor, how would you like to hear about it?
This question should a short write-in option.
Check all that apply
o Email to all members
o Kingdom Chroniclers
o Kingdom newsletters
o Kingdom website
o SCA Website
o Social Media
o Mailings to members
o Prefer Not to Answer

27. How can this process be made more transparent?
This question should be broken into several questions about concerns for the creation of a new Peerage, how people can support or not support a new Peerage, and if there should be a single Peerage or four separate Peerages.

The following is my personal response to Question 27:
The word “transparent” is used to show how visible the process of creating a new peerage is. This survey has shown many things, including bias, poor planning, and poor editing. It heavily implies that the of the Order of Defense took away from the seriousness and enjoyment of non-fencers in order to acknowledge Fencing as a Per-worthy Path just as the Order of Chivalry is the Peer-worthy Path of Armored Combat.

Of the twenty-six previous questions, 10 concern the Order of Defense, 9 concern Peerages, 8 concern Activity, 4 concern new members, and 2 concern the seriousness of the SCA. This survey claims to concern the creation of a new Peerage, but the repeated references to the Order of Defense make this survey less transparent.

For this process to be transparent, this survey must be completely re-written to remove any and all negative biases regarding the Order of Defense.

My opinion is: the addition of the Order of Defense Peerage has not taken away focus from the other Peerages. Instead, it has allowed Fencers to be recognized for their deeds and skill. The creation of the Order of Defense has allowed fencers to be made equal to the Orders of Chivalry, the Laurel, and the Pelican. Creating a new Peerage to empower people who are archers, throwers, equestrians and siege engineers will not take away from the other Peerages. The Society is a volunteer-run organization. We recognize one another’s deeds with Awards and in Courts. Providing a new way to empower our members will not weaken us. Any person who thinks the addition of a new Peerage will take away from theirs needs to ask themselves if they are peers or peers-in-training because they want to support the Society, or if they only want the prestige of new awards.

With this breakdown complete, I have also created My Rewrite of the New Peerage Survey. I have spent over a decade editing textbooks, and I feel that if you have a problem with how something is done, you should note it, and propose a solution to the problem!

In closing, I would like to say I did not realize how much work goes into creating surveys! I thought this would be an hour or two of work. Instead it has turned into several days’ worth of work as I analyzed the original survey and re-wrote it. I also want to thank Schwarzer Turm Herald Ulric von der Insel, who proofread my original analysis and gave excellent feedback.

I also rewrote this survey, removing question bias and grouping personal information and actual survey data separately: Rewriting a Survey for the SCA.

Rewriting a Survey for the SCA

In 2015, the Society for Creative Anachronism created a Peerage (the highest award) for Fencing. Previously, the Peerages had been for Armored Combat combat, Knowledge, Service, and Royalty. Four years later, a Peerage is being discussed for Archery, Equestrian, Siege Engines, and Target Throwing.

This post is my re-write of the Society for Creative Anachronisms Peerage Survey that was at https://surveys.eastkingdom.org/index.php/313648?lang=en

I have a breakdown of each question on this survey on my post Reviewing a Survey for the SCA.

Part 1: Peerages

This survey asks questions about the creation of a new Peerage or Peerages to cover the martial arts of Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing. Some of the questions in this survey cover the Order of Defense, the Fencing Peerage that was created in 2015. These questions are included as points of reference.

1. Do you participate in any of these activities?
Select all that apply:
o Archery
o Combat Archery
o Equestrian Activities
o Fencing
o Armored Combat
o Siege Engines
o Thrown Weapons
o None of the above
o I prefer Not to Answer

2. Do you feel superior martial skill in Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, or Throwing deserves a Peerage?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

3. Currently, the Peerages in the Society are Chivalry (Knights), Laurel, Pelican, Masters of Defense (Fencers), and Royal Peers (Companions of the Rose, Duke/Duchess, Count/Countess). Do you feel these five Peerages are enough, or should more be added?
o The existing Peerages are enough.
o One more Peerage should be added.
o More than one Peerage should be added.
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

4. Instead of creating a new Peerage for Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing, should these martial activities be covered under an existing Peerage?
o Yes, include them within the Laurel.
o Yes, include them within the Pelican.
o Yes, include them within the Chivalry.
o Yes, include them within the Order of Defense.
o No, they should not be recognized.
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

5. Should there be an all-in-one Peerage created, or should Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing each have their own Peerage?
o Create an all-in-one Peerage.
o Create individual Peerages for each martial art.
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

6. Do you feel a Peerage for a specific skill will increase participation in that activity?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

7. Do you feel that a peerage path for Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing will encourage cross-over from other SCA martial disciplines?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

8. Do you feel that participation in Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing has suffered because of increased focus on other martial pursuits?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

9. Do you feel that a Peerage path for Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing will attract membership from other recreation groups?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

10. Do you feel that a Peerage path for Archery, Combat Archery, Equestrian, Siege, and Throwing will encourage more people to participate in these martial arts? Will it also encourage more studies of period practices, more classes, and more tournaments?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

11. Do you feel that additional Peerage(s) will increase membership?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

12. Since the Order of Defense was created in 2015, have you seen more crossover between the Armored Combat fighters and Fencers?
o Yes, I have seen more crossover.
o No, the crossover has remained about the same.
o I have seen crossover depending more on age and physical condition than on the creation of a Fencing Peerage.
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

13. Since the Order of Defense was created in 2015, have you seen notable crossing over from other medieval groups, such as HEMA, since the Order of Defense’s creation?
o Yes, I have seen more crossover.
o No, the crossover has remained about the same.
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

14. Has the creation of the Order of Defense taken time and focus away from other activities?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

15. Has membership has gone up in your local group since the Order of Defense was created in 2015?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

Part 2: Who are you?

This section gathers information about who you are and what you like to do in the Society.

16. Are you a member of the Society?
If yes, please tell us your member number and enter your expiration date.
________

17. If you are not a member, how long have you been a part of the Society?
________

18. What is your current Kingdom?
________

19. How long have you been in the SCA?
o Less than 2 years
o 2-5 years
o 5-10 years
o 10-20 years
o 20-30 years
o 30-40 years
o Over 40 years
o Lifetime member
o I prefer Not to Answer

20. The Order of Defense was created in February 2015. Did you become a member after that time?
o Yes
o No
o I prefer not to Answer

21. If you became a member after February 2015, did the creation of the Fencing Peerage called the Order of Defense effect your choice to become a member?
o Yes, a Fencing Peerage encouraged me to join the Society.
o No, a Fencing Peerage did not influence my choice to join the Society.
o I prefer not to Answer

22. Did the creation of the Order of Defense make YOU more or less likely to participate in the Society?
o Yes
o No
o I have no opinion
o I prefer not to answer

23. What is your level of recognition within the SCA?

Non-Peers	Peers Mentored	Peers	Royal Peers
o Member	o Squire	o Knight	o Count/Countess
o Award of Arms	o Apprentice	o Laurel	o Duke/Duchess
o Grant of Arms	o Protegee	o Pelican	o Pince/Princess (current)
o Baron/Baroness	o Cadet	o Master of Defense	o King/Queen (current)

24. What is your age?
o Under 20
o 21-30
o 31-40
o 41-50
o 51-60
o Over 60
o I prefer not to answer

25. How many family members participate in the SCA?
o I am the only one
o My spouse/significant other and I
o Family with children
o My extended family
o I prefer not to answer
o Other: ________

26. If a new peerage is considered for any endeavor, how would you like to hear about it?
Check all that apply
o Email to all members
o Kingdom Chroniclers
o Kingdom newsletters
o Kingdom website
o SCA Website
o Social Media
o Mailings to members
o I prefer Not to Answer
o Other: ________

27. How can this process be improved?
________

28. How can this process be more transparent?
________

In closing, I would like to say I did not realize how much work goes into creating surveys! I thought this would be an hour or two of work. Instead it has turned into several days’ worth of work as I analyzed the original survey and re-wrote it. I also want to thank Schwarzer Turm Herald Ulric von der Insel, who proofread my original analysis and gave excellent feedback. I have spent over a decade editing textbooks, and I can honestly say that everyone needs editors. This includes editors!

Explaining Fractions with Apples

Fractions occur everywhere in our society: in cookbooks, at grocery and hardware stores, and in the classroom. But what is a fraction? What do the numbers above and below the bar mean?

A fraction represents part of a number. The lower half of the fraction is the whole number, and the upper half is how many pieces of that whole are present.

The most common fraction is 1/2, or one half. Having a half means there is one piece available out of two  pieces that make the whole. Here is an example of an apple cut in half.

If two friends want to share one apple, they can cut it in half, each taking one piece of the two pieces available.

If one friend leaves with their half of the apple, and another apple is bought, how many half apples remain? The key to solving this riddle is that whole things can be broken into pieces. If a whole apple is cut into two pieces, then there are two half apples that may be added to the original apple half.

To add two fractions, they must have the same whole number in the base. How can one whole apple be added to one half of an apple?

So one half of an apple plus two halves of an apple equals three halves of apple.

Mathematics can be frustrating because many textbooks assume students understand basic principles. I created this exercise because I did not understand how fractions worked until my senior year of High School. Once I fully understood the math, I was able to tutor classmates and went on to be a math textbook editor after I completed my undergraduate degree.

EKwiki Part 3: Adding Personal Information

This article covers what information can be posted on your East Kingdom Wiki page.

If you need to make a page, please refer to EKWiki Part 1: Why a Wiki?
If you need to add images to your page, please refer to EKwiki Part 2: Adding Photos and Images

This post covers:
1. An overview of what to add to your EKwiki.
2. How to add your personal information to the wiki.
3. An explanation of the wiki formatting tools.

The final part of your EKwiki page is adding your persona information. In some ways, this is the hardest part of creating your EKwiki. I can write technical instructions all day, but choosing what to share with the Society for Creative Anachronisms is less cut-and-dried.

Describing your persona is helpful for people who want to get to know you better. If you haven’t created a persona, you can list your favorite activities. If an artist is drawing a scroll for you, they can personalize the artwork. Even just listing your favorite colors is good.

There are Categories listed in the “edit” tab at the top of the page, which are noted with pairs of equals signs:  ==  == . You can create or delete any category you wish. If you’re a newcomer and haven’t worked as an officer or created any publications, you can simply delete those lines of text. I removed the ‘officer’ section from my EKwiki and replaced it with a section on my heraldry.

To link to another page in the EKwiki, you put that page name inside two sets of brackets. My consort’s page links to mine with the code “In Case of Court, please contact [[Thory Vedardottir]].” The link displayed on his wiki is this.

If you want to link to a different website from the EKwiki, put both the website text (called a URL) and a description of the website in a set of brackets. Be sure to leave a space between the URL and the first word of the description, or the description will look odd and the website will not load. This is what the typed text linking to my local group looks like:

To make a bulleted list, simply make each item on the list begin with an asterisk (*). This text is on the left and the result is on the right:
*Please do not surprise due to anxiety.
*Please summon to RP event in advance or use a writ.

Finally, there is the category called, In Case of Court. It is a new addition to the EKwiki created by Duke Brennan, and is very helpful. The problem with awards is that award presentation has several aspects.

Awards are bestowed upon people who volunteer for the society, and as such receiving an award is often a surprise. (Awards are not like elementary school trophies, and are not handed out for merely participating. Awards are intended to be given to people who are helping for the sake of helping, not merely chasing prizes.)

Surprise awards can be tricky because the people who recommend someone for an award may not know how to ensure that person will be at an event to receive it. By listing a friend, mentor, or partner in your In Case of Court, it is much easier to receive an award. The double brackets [[ ]] let you link to their page.

For people who do not like surprises, or have anxiety when they are called before a crowd, they can simply write, “Please do not surprise due to anxiety”

Thank you for reading my  post on what to put on your East Kingdom Wiki page. If you need to make a page, or are wondering why having an EKwiki page is useful, please refer to  EKWiki Part 1: Why a Wiki?

If you need to add images to your page, please refer to EKwiki Part 2: Adding Photos and Images.

EKwiki Part 2: Adding Photos and Images

This article covers how to post photographs and other images on your East Kingdom Wiki page. If you need to make a page, please refer to EKWiki Part 1: Why a Wiki? If you have photos and images uploaded and linked, you can go to EKwiki Part 3: Adding Personal Information.

This post explains:
1. How to upload a photo of yourself.
2. How to upload other images.
3. How to edit your EKwiki page to show these images.

The best thing you can do with your EKwiki page is to post a photo of yourself in garb. This will help both the people who are nominating you for an award, and the people who review the nomination.

To upload a picture, use the “upload file” button on the sidebar of the EKwiki page, or go directly to https://wiki.eastkingdom.org/index.php?title=Special:Upload

In the Upload page, select a file to load from your computer or phone onto the EKwiki. Click “Choose File” button to begin.

If you have a photo, you can choose it, and that photo will be uploaded (make it a part of the EKwiki until it is actively removed). This screenshot shows where the Downloads folder is in Windows:

If you do not have a photo ready, you can  download one (move it down from the internet and put it on to your device). On a computer, you can right click on a photo on FaceBook or another site, and choose the option “Save Image As”. This saves the picture to your Downloads folder, or whatever location you have set as the default. If you are working from a phone, the photos you take may be in a folder called Photos. After you have downloaded your photo, note its file name. In the example, that is “IMG_20171027-163334”

You should upload an image that includes your SCA name, so it is easy to find. You should not upload your image with the file name “Photo needed.jpg” or “Device needed.jpg” This will alter every filler image in the wiki, causing confusion.

FaceBook is an excellent place to ask for help if you have a hard time uploading photos. One thing that makes wikis easy to use is that anyone can upload photos and images to any page.

After the photo is uploaded, you can upload an image of your heraldry. Herald’s point provides submitters with a paper copy of their devices. If you have misplaced the paperwork, it is displayed on the Oscar database and your local herald should be able to send you the image file or upload it to the EKwiki. (If your local herald isn’t familiar with Oscar, you can ask for help from the baby heralds FaceBook group.)

After the images are uploaded to the wiki, link your page to the images. Click on the “edit” tab at the top of the page. This function allows you to edit the entire EKwiki page, including the images on the side bar that display your photo and heraldry.

If you only need to add a little information, such as describing your persona, you can click on the [edit] in brackets beside that topic.

Clicking the “edit” tab at the top of the page displays a text box, shown on the left.

Replace “Photo needed” with your file name, in this example “”IMG_20171027-163334”. Note that you will need to replace only the characters in “Photo needed” – if you replace even as much as the colon (:) after the word “Image” the EKwiki page will not load properly.

Do not upload an image with the file name “Photo needed.jpg” or “Device needed.jpg” This will alter every filler image in the wiki, causing confusion. Include your name in the file name.

If you use the Preview or Save Changes option and your photo takes up most of the page, you have an error in your code. Make sure you have listed “200px” “thumb” and “left” in your code, like this:
|photo = [[Image:IMG_20171027-163334.jpg|200px‎|thumb|left]]

If you have received awards or are working as an officer for your local barony or shire, you should include that information on your page. For complete list of these codes, go to the Awards & Templates List.

The awards and officer positions are encased in two sets of curly brackets {{ }} . These brackets act as a type of code for the EKwiki. Just like HTML bracket issues, if your EKwiki page looks visibly wrong, it is likely caused by a missing bracket.

After you have entered any Awards or Offices, click Save Page at the bottom. When your page displays, you can verify that the images are correct.

To add personal information in the body of your EKwiki,  please visit EKwiki Part 3: Adding Personal Information.

Thank you for reading my  post on what to put on your East Kingdom Wiki page. If you need to make a page, or are wondering why having an EKwiki page is useful, please refer to my post EKWiki Part 1: Why a Wiki? 

EKWiki Part 1: Why a Wiki?

This article covers what information can be posted on your East Kingdom Wiki page, and how to make your own page. If you need to upload and display photos and images, you can go to  EKwiki Part 2: Adding Photos and Images. If you are ready to add your information, please visit EKwiki Part 3: Adding Personal Information.

This post explains:
1. How to request an EKwiki account.
2. How to create an EKwiki page with your name.
3. How to add a boilerplate template to your EKwiki page.

The East Kingdom Wiki is a useful tool. It is a site dedicated to the populace of the East Kingdom–every member of the Society for Creative Anachronisms on the east coast from New Jersey to Newfoundland.  The EKwiki is a place to tell your story, share your photo, display your heraldry, and list any awards you have received. As a non-profit organization, the society runs on volunteer power. We grant awards to acknowledge the time and energy members put in, since we can’t award bonuses or raises.

I can wax poetic about the EKwiki, though it is mostly used as a reference page for awards, and for the people who will write and illustrate award scrolls. Any person can nominate anyone for an award, and one of the submissions questions asks for a photo of the person you are nominating for an award. The east kingdom maintains award database called the Order of Precedence, but it is far easier to look up someone on the EKwiki.

You will need several things before you create your own EKwiki page. First, you will need to request an account. Accounts are usually approved in a day or so, and while they request your legal name, the site will never display it. The society uses only persona name on the internet and at events.

After you have an account, you can create a Wiki page under your persona name. (If you don’t have a name yet, I have a post explaining how to choose your SCA name.) If your name changes between when you create your wiki and when your name is registered with the college of heralds, you can ask an administrator to change the wiki.

The other things you will need are a photo of yourself in garb, and an image of your heraldry. (If you don’t have heraldry, I have a post explaining how to choose your heraldry.) Finally, I encourage both heavy list fighters and fencers to take a photo of yourself in your kit, holding your helm. This is useful because you might not recognize someone’s face from the other end of the kingdom, but you will remember that viking knight with the two longswords who hit you seven times before landing a killing blow.

To create a new page, log in to the EKwiki and then type your full persona name into the Search box on the left side of the screen, and click “Go”. This is a screen capture of the box.

The example below shows a Search for a page called “H”. To make an EKwiki page H, you would click on the red “H” in the Search Results. To make your page on the wiki, you will need to type your SCA first and last name into the box and click “Search.”

Using a from of your name in Roman characters is best, because searching non-ASCII characters is problematic. (My SCA name is Þórý Veðardóttir, but my wiki page is Thory Vedardottir.)

At this step, you choose which sort of page wiki page you want. This article focuses on creating an EKwiki page for your persona, which falls into the “Populace” category. Other types of pages are households and guilds.

Selecting a boilerplate is another way to say you are choosing the “Populace” template to be the base of your EKwiki page. Click the “Load” button  to load this template and wait for the information to fill into the text box.

Once you have clicked “Load,” the wiki text box will populate with code. This code is specific to wiki spaces and doesn’t work exactly like HTML.

(You don’t need to know HTML or other programming skills to make an EKwiki page. If you’d like to learn the basics and understand how tags work, I have a post explaining Basic HTML Commands.)

After the boilerplate text appears in the text box, save this template by clicking the “Save page” button at the bottom of the screen.

One of the interesting and useful features of wiki programs is that they will save every version of the pages, recording edits.

Users only see the most up-to-date information, but the wiki saves and records every change. (This is useful if the page is hacked, or your information is lost.)

A video game mantra is to “save early; save often,” and this applies to wikis. At this step, you want to save the boilerplate information by clicking “Save page.”  Then if you drop something on your keyboard, you can simply click on “Cancel” and any changes you made in the text box will be erased and your wiki page will revert to its last saved point.

EKwiki Part 2: Adding Photos and Images covers uploading images and information to your EKwiki page. If you have photos and images uploaded and linked, you can go to EKwiki Part 3: Adding Personal Information.

Basic HTML Commands

HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language and can be used to enhance a book’s description. The building blocks of HTML are its tags. Tags are instructions for the web browser, such as Firefox or Chrome, that describe how text should be displayed.

Almost all tags come in pairs. This allows the coder to specify where an instruction begins, and where it ends. A tag is contained within brackets, like this: < > . Anything typed within these brackets will not be displayed in the resulting HTML text.

The three most basic tags are for bold, italic, and underlined text. Here is what these tags look like when typed into the HTML box, with the results:

Note that each tag begins with a command in brackets, and ends with a command that contains a backslash. The backslash tells the HTML to stop applying that tag. When you are troubleshooting incorrect HTML, you will see most errors coming from unclosed tags.

More than one tag can be used at once, which is referred to as ‘nesting’ tags. Here are some examples of nested tags:

Bulleted lists require more complex tags: one to communicate that there will be a list, and one to describe each bullet. The <ul> tag begins and ends the list, and the <li> tag is used for every item.

If the list needs to have a secondary or tertiary indent, simply nest <ul> tags.

Some HTML input boxes will interpret carriage returns as a request for additional space. If the bulleted list requires sub-bullets, be sure to Preview the result before submitting it.
Finally, there are carriage returns. Many HTML input boxes will accept carriage returns as paragraph breaks. Adding the <p> tag errs on the side of caution and ensures a carriage return. The <p> tag is one of the few HTML tags that does not require an end command.

All these tags can be combined.
When adding HTML tags to a block of text, it is most efficient to add the tags for bold, underlined or italic text first. Lists will sometimes contain tagged text, and it is easy to overlook the text within a list item, so lists should be tagged after text. Finally, paragraph tags should be added.