Categories are the basis for Wiki Readers to find information on this wiki arranged in a topical manner.

Anyone can help in this process by putting links to a category on a page. Pages in that category can then be found by a search which begins with the clicking on the title of the category page. The category is a ReverseIndex. For forward indices, see RoadMap.

To see all categories, go to CategoryCategory. For more information, check out FaqForCategories. Or add to the CategoriesDiscussion... 

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Note that a category is sometimes a forward index, and a RoadMap is also a ReverseIndex (though often incomplete). The difference between the two is mostly one of convention - categories have a conventional placement near the page bottom. RoadMaps are typically not named on the pages they reference. Category pages may have no hand-edited list, while RoadMaps always do. -- DeanElvy 

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'''What should be the content of a category page?''' (Draft)

It ''should'' contain:

	* something like "(See WikiCategories)" at the top
	* a short description which pages should be linked to this category
	* a reference to Category''''''Category at the bottom

It ''may'' contain:

	* references to any direct super-categories (parent categories, not other ancestor categories) at the bottom
	* a short statement why this category is needed
	* a short discussion whether this category really should exist
	* a short discussion on the contents of the category page

It ''should not'' contain:

	* any content which could as well be placed on a different page which is linked to this category

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Many category pages contain a sentence like "click on the title for a list of pages in this category". While this instruction should in theory be OnceAndOnlyOnce'''''' with WikiCategories, in practice its presence on each category page makes the introduction of the BackLink mechanism a little easier for those new to Wiki.

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Put a RoadMap on its own page. Someone might want to link to it without including the referring page into the category.

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'''Opinions existing on this wiki about Categorization'''
	* PleasePleaseDontCategorizeEveryPageOnWiki
	* PleasePleaseDoCategorizeEveryPageOnWiki
	* LinksAreContent

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I created HelpUsingCategories to make it easier for newbies to know how to work with categories. It may be a competitor to this tag.
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CategoryWikiNavigation CategoryOrganization CategoryWikiHelp CategoryWikiMaintenance