Hi! Welcome to Wikipedia! First and foremost, we are an encyclopedia. You should begin contributing by reading these pages:
- Start at Wikipedia:Introduction. But if you're too busy to click through a few screens, try this basic table of how to write Wikipedia's links, headings, etc.
- You want to make sure you know the Five Pillars of Wikipedia. I've summarized them here (although you still should read the full page):
- Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. Try for accuracy and verifiability, and don't try to create articles about yourself, your friends, dog, school, or company... not, at least, until you have read the criteria for notability and know that what you're writing about meets those criteria.
- Wikipedia has a neutral point of view policy. Give reasonable weight to all sides of an issue, without overemphasizing any one view, and without inflating fringe views.
- Wikipedia is free content (licensed under the GFDL) and can be edited by anyone. No one is a webmaster (except maybe Jimmy Wales) and anyone can change any article that you make with certain exceptions.
- Wikipedia does have a code of conduct. Do not attack anyone, and be civil, avoid making personal attacks, find consensus for your changes, avoid edit wars, follow the three-revert rule, and remember that there are about 2 million articles out there and you don't have to get into any disputes about any one article.
- Wikipedia does not have any firm rules. Be bold, because nobody is perfect and you don't have to have a perfect encyclopedia article the first time around. Don't worry about messing up, either, because all previous versions are kept (check the "History" tab at the top of the page for all those previous versions!) and can be accessed.
- There is a help page for new contributors.
And above all, this is an encyclopedia! Happy editing! ~user:orngjce223 how am I typing? 01:19, 26 August 2007 (UTC)