# Writing for the Knowledge Base

This knowledge base (https://docs.waukeshamakers.com) is where Waukesha Makerspace keeps its finished reference knowledge. This page explains what belongs here, what does not, who can read what, and how to write a page.

## What belongs here

**Finished reference knowledge only:**

- Equipment SOPs and maintenance procedures
- Safety information
- Training and certification
- Volunteer runbooks (how to run an orientation, an open house, and so on)
- Shop rules and facility information
- Board-adopted policies
- Class outlines and handouts that are ready to reuse

If a member could follow it tomorrow and it would still be right next month, it probably belongs here.

## What does not belong here, and where it goes instead

| If it is... | It goes to... |
|---|---|
| A draft, a proposal under review, or committee working notes | Google Docs, or the board's governance-scribe repository. Publish here only when it is finished. |
| A policy that has not been adopted yet | Stays a draft. A policy gets its own page only after the board adopts it. The **Policy Register** (in the **Policies** book) lists every policy's status. |
| Technical documentation for WMI software | The project's git repository. |
| Marketing: about us, mission, history, pricing, how to join, events, partners, donations | The public website, waukeshamakers.com (Makers CMS). Link to it from here. |
| Event announcements and one-time notices | The website, Discord or member email. |

BookStack keeps page revisions but does not support two people editing the same page at once, which is another reason drafts belong in Google Docs.

## One home per fact

Do not copy lists that live in another system. Link to the system instead:

- **Equipment inventory:** Atlas (https://atlas.waukeshamakers.com)
- **Who is certified on what:** Journeyman (https://journeyman.waukeshamakers.com)
- **Joining, membership rates and events:** https://waukeshamakers.com

**Never write membership prices or fees** in the knowledge base. They change; link to the website.

When you mention another page in this knowledge base, use its name in bold, for example "see **Shop Safety: Incident and Near-Miss Reporting**", and add a link.

## Who can read what

**Public by default.** Almost everything here is readable by anyone on the internet, without signing in. That is on purpose: new and prospective members should be able to see how the space works before they join.

Only two books are restricted:

| Book | Who can read it | What goes in it |
|---|---|---|
| **Member Access** | Members | Security-related information members need (opening and closing, Wi-Fi and shop computers). |
| **Board Handbook** | Board | Personal information, finances, admin runbooks and full meeting minutes. |

Content is restricted only when it holds **personal information** or is **security-related**. On any public page:

- Board members' names and the role email addresses (chairman@, vicechairman@, secretary@, treasurer@, info@, admin@waukeshamakers.com) are fine.
- No other names tied to finances, donations or discipline.
- No personal phone numbers, personal email addresses or home addresses.
- No member lists.

**Never write door, alarm, lockbox or Wi-Fi codes anywhere in the knowledge base, not even in the restricted books.** Codes are given in person.

## Equipment SOPs

Every equipment SOP starts from the **SOP Page Template** and begins with this banner:

<p class="callout warning">Reading this page does not replace training. You must be checked off on this tool before using it.</p>

Each shop area has its own book (Wood Shop, Metal Shop, Digital Fabrication, Electronics Lab, Fiber Arts, Flex Space) with three chapters: **Overview**, **Equipment SOPs** and **Maintenance**. Area overviews start from the **Area Overview Template**.

## How to write a page

- **Plain, friendly and direct.** Write to the member as "you".
- **Short sections and bullets.** People read these at the machine.
- **No headings above level 2.** BookStack shows the page name as the title, so start at "##".
- **Never guess.** If you do not know a fact (a location, a setting, a contact), say so with a warning callout ("To be confirmed: ...") instead of making it up.
- **No em-dashes or en-dashes,** and no spaced hyphen used as punctuation. Use a period, comma, colon, semicolon or parentheses instead. Hyphens inside words (one-time, 3D-printed) are fine.
- **No emoji.**
- **Use current names.** The **Flex Space** (formerly the Automotive area, renamed in July 2026) includes the paint and spray booth. Textiles, sewing and leather are the **Fiber Arts** area. WMI is at 2111 S West Ave, Unit 58, Waukesha, WI 53189.
- **Strip working notes.** Do not paste event-specific dates, to-do checklists or internal notes into a reference page.

## Getting edit access

Everyone signs in with **Login with Keymaster**; there is no separate knowledge base account. Your permissions come from your roles in Roster and update each time you sign in. Editors have the `kb-editor` role and can create and edit pages in every book except the Board Handbook, which board members maintain.

<p class="callout warning">To be confirmed: who to ask for the kb-editor role.</p>