Here are some words of guidance for those new to the fedwiki environment.
# UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY
A word of encouragement and caution. The FedWiki is not like other websites--it is a computing platform. It can do an amazing number of things. Therein lies the challenge. How to get started without getting lost or getting too frustrated. Below I suggest an approach for simply getting started.
**You are started.** You are reading from a FedWiki site now.
# The Lineup
* [ ] Blue internal Hyperlinks add Panels to the right
* [ ] The browsers "go back" function works. Use it. It is your friend. Try it now to get rid of the page Hyperlinks panel just added.
* [ ] You can Rearrange the Panels by dragging them right or left over other open panels. Mouse over the top of the panel above the title and use the "hand" to drag and drop.
* [ ] You Remove Panels from lineup with the hand at the top of the panel--flick the page up and out of the panel.
* [ ] Remove All But One of the lineup by clicking on a panel's colored square flag. (Welcome page remains)
* [ ] With More Than One Panel in the lineup, add next panel to the Far Right by holding "shift" key while clicking on a internal (blue) hyperlink. (if you click on a hyperlink within the line up without holding the shift key down, it will replace everything to the right with the new panel--which is very often just what you want.)
* [ ] Many graphics and Diagrams are "clickable", meaning that their text is an internal hyperlink (not blue in this case) and opens a new panel to the right.
# The Neighborhood
* [ ] This is a "federated" wiki because each wiki site can be aware of many other sites. The scope of the awareness is called "The Neighborhood" The indication of your current neighborhood is the colored square flags at the bottom far right of the webpage in the bottom dark strip. You can mouse over any of these to see: the URL, the number of pages with hyperlinks in that site, and when the search was last updated.
> FEDERATION: Any society or organisation formed from separate groups or bodies. (computing, telecommunications) A collection of network or telecommunication providers that offer interoperability.
* [ ] The scope of your neighborhood is expanded whenever a panel is added that contains hyperlinks to other fedwiki sites. Copied pages also expand the neighborhood. The history of copying from other sites is indicated at the top of the panel and in the journal at the bottom of each panel.
* [ ] People with their own FedWiki site can create rosters of other sites that allow the neighborhood to be expanded to include the sites in the roster. Rosters display a set of square colored site flags. Click on the chevron to add those sites to the active neighborhood and thus to the searchable panels (pages).
* [ ] Neighborhoods provide the scope for the search function located in the dark strip bottom left.
* [ ] For the most functionality, be sure there is a check mark just right of the word "wiki" in the dark strip toward the left. Click on "wiki" to add or remove wiki functionality. _Wiki functionality includes writing in a fedwiki. Even without your own FedWiki site, you can do this but it will not be saved. There is a way to save your work done on someone else's site. See Save from Foreign Site._
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If you have made it this far I recommend that you go read a few fedwiki panels in various sites. Try looking at sites in the Rosters. Then if you want to know more explore How To Wiki.
If you end up wanting your own FedWiki site... Install a Private FedWiki Site on you computer. Or ask some one who is running a FedWiki farm on the internet to create a site for you.