Josephwaters

Welcome!

Hello, Josephwaters, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

• The five pillars of Wikipedia
• Tutorial
• How to edit a page and How to develop articles
• How to create your first article (using the Article Wizard if you wish)
• Manual of Style

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your messages on discussion pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically insert your username and the date. If you need help, check out Wikipedia:Questions, ask me on my talk page, or ask your question on this page and then place {{help me}} before the question. Again, welcome! B^e——C_ritical 21:35, 16 February 2012 (UTC)

You are welcome to edit the encyclopedia at your will!

Yes...that is not a lie or an exageration. Many new comers have a hard time because of the high level of complication Wikipedia presents. "University level" is what I call it, but it does not require a University education! NOT AT ALL! Common sense is key as well as staying neutral and having an understanding of encyclopedic value...but who am I kidding....many editors do not have that understanding at all. So don't feel intimidated, we don't bite....hard. =)--Amadscientist (talk) 06:36, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Redlink name! One suggestion is to type a single word onto your main userpage...unless you have a larger amount of text you wish to use. This is NOT a requirement. I repeat...this is not a requirement. However...(isn't there always a "However") redlink names tend to be seen as newbies and ...yes, weakness is assumed by that alone (just a small tip for ya!) and we do have many sharks in our little pool who smell the sent of redlinked names! LOL! ;) Also...when you post on a talk page remember to "indent" your post with  : for the first reply to any post directly below the original post. With each additional post adding an additional indent will continue to push the post slightly to the "screen right" under each consecutive reply! Happy editing.--Amadscientist (talk) 06:42, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

I forgot to mention the single biggest peice of advise I can give you! You may find that a policy or guideline is important to understand, but are not able to quickly find the proper page. The search function on Wikipedia is based on article titles. If there is no article or you did not use the correct term it will give suggestions that may not be within your needs. I discovered very early on that google (although when I first started I think I was using Ask Jeeves) searches can be, and often are much quicker to find the relevant guideline. I just type the word "Wikipedia:" (note the colon) in the google search along with the key words I am searching, such as "neutrality guideline" together they produce this [1] and can be a much faster way to find the exact policy, guideline or subsection using the "jump to" feature! Also, when a particular post makes use of an interesting "markup" you can hit the edit button to see how the markup was coded and simply use it yourself. Markups are the most confusing part of the site for me and have been able to learn a great deal with this method in the past...but you can find more relevant uses by googleing Wiki Markup and the subject you are concerned with, such as hidden text, color text or how to use images etc. Very informative and can make your time on Wikipedia a great joy...as it should be!--Amadscientist (talk) 07:01, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Thanks so much for your help! Josephwaters (talk) 20:04, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

As you can see there are editors that have a very agressive attitude. We all fall into this trap every so often ( I know I have), so please don't be put off by the critisism you may see hurled in my direction. Another editor has had disputes that he has taken to "Dispute resolution" that did not gain the outcome they had hoped for I guess and continue to make personal attacks against me as an editor and my character. I put up with this for a simple reason. Allowing an agressive editor to dig a deep enough hole always leaves them at the bottum of that hole. When and if this needs to be taken to the "Administrative Notice Boards" (a page where you can alert admin to incidents that may violate behavioral guidelines...but be aware...it's a rough and tumble page) it is always best to back up a complaint with multiple violations over a period of time. I have been hoping that one particular editor would work in "good faith" (another important part of the Wikipedia community) but they seem to be stuck on me in particular, but I can say this much....they don't have the policy pages to back up their assertions. That is essential to any discussion of policy or guideline. I will not speak ill of the other editor simply because they choose to speak ill of me.--Amadscientist (talk) 21:24, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

...and now for something completely different.

Wikipedia:How many Wikipedians does it take to screw in a lightbulb? They are rare and far between but some good amount of humor can be found on "project pages" that are not exactly essays and are not at all policy...just really funny!--Amadscientist (talk) 22:08, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Reference Errors on 20 March

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