Wikipedia has become the most important and trustworthy resource in human history. It is one of the most popular websites, according to Agrafs rating, and remains to be free. By making knowledge accessible and free to every person on earth, all you need is access to the World Wide Web.
Even though Wikipedia calls itself an encyclopedia that everyone can edit, learning the ropes is important. Here are some steps to become a good editor on Wikipedia:
1. Creating an account
While it is possible to edit articles on Wikipedia without registration, it is not a good idea. The server usually bans public IPs (or VPN users) from the resource, protecting itself from spam.
Creating an account provides you with a better and easier way to edit articles. Providing an email address is optional, but it saves you time in the future.
You can start making edits immediately after registration. However, if you wait for at least four days and create ten edits, you become an “auto-confirmed” user. As of May 2022, 124,404 active registered users have made edits during the last month.
Creating an account includes editing your preferences from the top-right part of the window. It includes managing your page appearance, watch list, global preferences, and notifications.
Do not forget about your signature sample. It will help when you leave messages on other talk pages. For ordinary registered users, your signature is valuable for your identity.
2. Practice on Sandbox
While you are waiting for your account to be auto-confirmed, you can practice your editing skills in Sandbox. This is a highly useful service for practicing before posting or editing a real article.
You may also need to learn highly useful “Wiki tags” they call their commands because Wikipedia does not follow the WYSIWYG (“What You See Is What You Get”) approach.
3. Start Editing Articles
It is better to start editing articles that nobody cares about because some of them are going to remain unedited. Some articles are “protected,” meaning that editing can only be done after twenty-four hours.
After editing, do not forget to add your edit summary that briefly describes the changes. Once done, simply publish your page and add “watch it.” You should have a decent number of edits and connections to your name before you create a brand-new Wikipedia page.
4. Tolerate With Other Editors
The first rule of the game is to be polite with the editors, even though they may be dismissive of your suggestions. The point will come when other well-ranked editors want to correct your edits.
Try to avoid personal attacks, and assuming good faith is important. Wikipedia has a specific tone in all its articles that you can follow with a few edits. You must not show the Wikipedia community your differences from other editors. You must be sure that the facts are on your side.
Conclusion
Collaborating with so many intelligent minds on Wikipedia has become a valuable experience. Despite the human factor on its platform, Wikipedia maintains extremely high standards for the quality of its articles.
It is satisfying to be a member of the Wikipedia community, knowing that the knowledge you share will be saved for posterity despite its creation cost in time.