Q. When should I create Links between Wiki Pages?

A. Whenever two pages refer to each other.

Such linking enriches our Wiki.     This FAQ looks specifically at when to link Person Pages and Place Pages and extends this basic guidance.

Q. When Should I Link Person Pages?

A. Always when the Target page exists or will shortly exist.

Individuals should be linked in all circumstances where the target Wiki Page already exists. Additionally, it is perfectly acceptable to create references to pages which do not yet exist, but which you fully intent to create in the short term (say within the next week).

However, it is undesirable that there should be large numbers of Wanted Pages for individuals. If you don't create the page shortly after creating the reference to it, there is a risk that another community member will create a Wiki Page for the same individual. But they may, quite independently, choose a slightly different form of name and are highly likely to choose a different random number suffix.

Potential Wiki Links on a Person Page may be found in the Summary section references to parents and spouses.     Additionally offspring, siblings and other relatives may be named in the Narrative section and should be Wiki Linked in line with the above guidance.

Q. When Should I Link Place Pages?

A. Always.

The format of Wiki Page Names for US States and Counties and for UK Counties and Parishes is totally predictable. See the FAQ - Adding a US State or UK County and also FAQ - US County Naming. This means references to target pages which do not yet exist can be created secure in the knowledge of what the target page name will be when it is created.

So when creating place pages and listing adjacent Counties, Parishes, States and Counties, please ensure ALL such places are listed using a Wiki Link, regardless of whether the target page already exists or not.

Doing so when creating a page is relatively easy and has the advantage that the link will function as and when the target place page is eventually created.

If we don't do it this way, every time a new place is created, we'll need to go back and individually edit each place page the new page references. This will be much slower to do and it is inevitable some of the links will never get created, devaluing the content in our Wiki.

What is a Wanted Page?

Wanted pages are pages which have yet to be created, but where a Wiki Link embedded in another page (the source or "referenced by" page) names the non-existent target Wiki Page (or "wanted page"). You would see this as a blue question mark on the source wiki page.