We have all been to those websites that once the page loads you don’t know where to click or where to go next. When creating your wiki spend some time thinking about the navigation system you want. Spend some time away from the computer with paper and pencil thinking about how you want pages to be connected, where do you want people to go? What information is most important and what is the hierarchy of the site.

Luckily Wetpaint makes it easy for you to create the navigation system that is right for you and your site.

Built in Page Hierarchy

Wetpaint has a built in paging system that allows you to place pages in a hierarchy of needs and organization.

This month’s Wiki Pick UoL PLE Project uses the Site Pages navigation system in Wetpaint to layout an easy to follow page system for the site visitors.

Moving pages in Wetpaint is a piece of cake

Moving a page changes the navigation of the site, so this function should be used with care. However, moving pages is a good idea if it helps users navigate the site more easily.

1. To move a page, select 'Move page' from the 'More Tools' menu at the top of the page you want to move.
2. The 'Move Page' dialog will appear. Click on the page that you want to move the page to. This will insert the page as a sub-page of the location you select.

3. Then click on the "Set Page Location" button.
4. You can now edit the page order by using the up and down arrows to indicate what order the pages are shown on the navigation menu. This step is only necessary if there is more than one page on the same navigation tier.

http://www.wetpaintcentral.com/page/Move+Page

Build your own Navigation

Your wiki’s home page can also be used as a way to help visitors to your wiki find their way around your site. Use your wikis home page to create a navigation system that will take your viewers to the most important pages on your wiki.

UoL PLE Project wiki simply lists the major categories of the site. Allowing a simple and easy way of knowing where to click and what you are going to find once you do click on the link.

On the U Tech Tips wiki that I run, I use a table with links to the different pages. I wanted people to be able to go to a specific page from the home page and decided to make the home page of this wiki more of an index of the entire site. These are just two ways you can use your home page to build your own site navigation for viewers and users of your wiki.

Find what works for you and your purpose

Find what works for you and your site. Each wiki is different and each wiki can have a different page navigation system. As the creator it is up to you to find what works for your site and for your readers and users. Come up with a system that is easy and allows people to find the information they want with as few clicks as possible.