Outreach Wiki

Ten ways to contribute to Wikipedia (Bookshelf)

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This page needs your help!
This deliverable is in early stages of development and will gain a great deal if you lend your insights on the topic. Thanks for the visit, Aradhanar


Talking points

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  • Correcting a spelling mistake is a good first step.
  • Adding information you feel is missing is welcome, provided you can say where you got the information from.
  • If you spot information with [citation needed] by it, you can add a reference.
  • If there is something about the article that needs changing but you are not confident in changing it yourself, you can contribute to the article's discussion page.
  • You can donate money to the charitable Foundation that supports Wikipedia.
  • You can answer questions at the Reference Desk. {{Highlight|Would you help explain this role a little further. Thanks! Aradhanar 22:25, 27 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]
  • Once you are familiar with them, you can discuss changes to Wikipedia's policies.
  • This list is incomplete. Please reach out and help expand the list.

Content development

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Did you know that there are many different roles you can play on Wikipedia? Writing is just one of the many options. Here are some of the roles and what they do:

  1. Reader: Visits Wikipedia regularly to learn more about a topic. While readers do not make edits themselves, they influence others around them to use Wikipedia.
  2. WikiGnome: Makes minor edits, for example, spelling corrections. Suggests article improvements by leaving a message for the authors on the article's Talk page, which is accessed by clicking Discussion. If you are wondering how to get started, correcting a spelling mistake is a good first step. If some information in an article is inaccurate or outdated, you could draw the attention of the writers by leaving a message on the article Discussion page.
  3. Copyeditor: Improves the language and grammar in an article. When copyeditors come across a page that says, "This page needs clean up", they use their language skills to improve the article.
  4. Formatter: Structures or "wikifies" articles, using wiki markup, so they are easier to read. When Formatters come across a page that says, "This page needs clean up", they use their skills to improve the overall structure of the article.
  5. Maintainer: Monitors articles for biased edits and corrects them. A maintainer watches out for changes made by contributors with a personal agenda or political/philosophical point of view, and ensures that factual accuracy is maintained in the articles.
  6. Illustrator: Uploads images, photographs, maps, and visual aids relevant to the article.
  7. Author: Adds information to articles from books, websites, newspapers, and other credible sources. An author also initiates the creation of new articles.
  8. Reference checker: Evaluates references provided at the bottom of the article to check if they are verifiable sources. When reference checkers find a sentence with [citation needed] next to it, they add a reference if to a verifiable resource that validates that view.
  9. Mediator: Moderates discussion on controversial topics, helps resolve disputes, and provides guidance on contributor behavior.
  10. Donor: Donates money to the charitable Foundation that supports Wikipedia i.e. Wikimedia Foundation.

Most contributors play multiple roles a given time based on their interest and their access to resources.

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