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Introduction edit
Welcome, and hello to Wikipedia! I mean, hello, and welcome to Wikipedia! (cue fanfare music.) At one time, everybody was a new user, but everybody learns how to use Wikipedia at some time or another. I made this page to help you, the newest user of Wikipedia, start editing and learning the ins and outs of the best encyclopedia in the world. Before continuing, you may want to sign the New User Log and read the getting started part of the help contents. But you don't have too! If you want, you can keep reading. It's up to you! It's your pick! I don't have to tell you to do everything!
Beginning to edit edit
OK, you made it through my introduction, and you want to edit, and edit BAD! Hold on, partner. Whenever you want to edit a page, just click on "Edit This Page" on the top of the page. You will be taken to a page that contains the edit box where you type in stuff. But just not any stuff. Underneath the edit box, you can see the edit summary box, which is where you should type in what you did to the page. Underneath that, you have the save page, show preview, and show changes buttons. They're mostly self explanatory, so I won't explain them here.
Linking to articles edit
Editing Wikipedia (or any online wiki) is easy, but it's not like using Microsoft Word. Hey, did you see that blue link? You can make links like that by putting the article's name inside of two brackets, like this: [[Microsoft Word]]. However, if you use the brackets to link to an article that doesn't exist, it will show up in red like this: not an article. If you click on the red link, you go to that nonexistent article's edit page to create it! Also, if you want to link to an article, but don't want to use that article's name, you can link to it [[Microsoft Word|like this]], which shows up like this.
Headings and titles edit
See that big black text like Introduction and Linking to articles? YOU can make headers by putting two or more equal signs before and after the words that you want in your heading. For example:
==Section== ===Subsection=== ====Sub-subsection====
Formatting Text edit
Formatting text to be bold, italic, or other things like that is pretty easy. Just read this table:
| What you type | What it looks like |
|---|---|
''Look at this italic text!'' '''Look at this bold text!''' '''''Look at this bold and italic text!''''' Four apostrophes doesn't do anything. |
Look at this italic text! Look at this bold text! Look at this bold and italic text! Four apostrophes doesn't do anything. |
<strike>Strike out the text</strike> <u>Wow, this seems pretty important</u> |
Wow, this seems pretty important |
*You can make bulleted lists *With asterisks **I'm starting to rhyme ***I'm hungry for limes *Back to business |
|
#Do you need a numbered list? #Just add a number sign before it! ##Blah Blah blah... ###Yada Yada.... |
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Rules and policies edit
Oh my, I totally forgot about the rules, policies, and guidelines of Wikipedia! We just don't run wild here, you know. To read up on the rules, policies, and guidelines of Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Civility, Wikipedia:Consensus, Wikipedia:Etiquette, and Wikipedia:Five pillars. If you don't want to read all of those, you should definitely read the simplified ruleset.
I'm lost! Help Me! edit
Oh dear. You're lost/in need of help/totally confused. No problem! There's lots of ways to get help on Wikipedia:
- Wikipedia:Help desk - The place to ask questions about how to use Wikipedia, and a great place to read the answers to questions asked by others.
- New contributors' help page - The perfect place for new users to post a question.
- VFAQ - the questions asked the most often about Wikipedia, and their answers.
- FAQ - If you have a general or fairly basic question about how to do something on Wikipedia, the chances are that your question is asked and answered here.
- Wikipedia:Adopt-a-User - if you are new, you can get "adopted" by a more experienced editor, who will help teach you the ropes.
- You can also place the template {{helpme}} on your talk page and ask a question under it.
In conclusion edit
Well, there you have it. My quick and simple welcome page. Don't worry if everything is a little over your head, I was like that when I started out too. Just remember to sign you posts on talk pages will four tildes(~~~~), and read through the help pages. I may make another page like this for more advanced uses of Wikipedia. Thank you for reading my quick-start guide, and good luck editing. --Lando5 (sign/talk)