Wikimedia/Wikipedia/Getting Started

This Wikipedia guide will tell you all the basics on how to use Wikipedia.

Getting started

First things first: you will need to get an account to begin creating pages and to post on Wikipedia. After you have created your account, it would be a good idea to create a user homepage, which people can search out to find out about you. If you do make a user page, be careful not to reveal personal information you would not want to be known about you.

Editing

A great thing about Wikipedia is the freedom to edit any page you want at any time. Some downsides to Wikipedia and Wikibooks are that other editors can be a little picky when it comes to what you write, and nothing stops other people from editing what you've written. Vandals may even destroy the page; however, the fact that a page history is maintained means that such vandalism can be countermanded.

Creating a page

One of the more fun sides of Wikipedia is creating a user page or a wiki page — with several wikis to choose from, such as Wikibooks, Wikimedia, Wikinews and the well-known Wikipedia. If you are going to create a page, you must first make sure it hasn't already been made. If it hasn't, it is easy to make; just click on the create this page button.

Creating a book/guide

When it comes to making a book or guide on another wiki, you must keep a close eye out for copyrights. If you incorporate without permission something which is copyrighted, you can be blocked from Wikipedia for a short time or for good. Now, we don't want that.