User:Bellerophon/Adoption/Roborule
Pre-Assignment: Wikipedia basics - Completed: Grade A
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Initial Assignment: Wikipedia basics[edit]Welcome to my adoption program. This is your initial assignment, new editors are required to complete this before receiving their first 'proper' assignment. This assignment covers the basics of editing Wikipedia. Please read the information below and then answer the questions at the bottom. How to edit[edit]At the top of every Wikipedia page is an 'edit' button/tab. Clicking on this will place the page in 'edit mode', towards the bottom of the page you will see an 'edit box', that contains all of the 'code', that makes the page look the way it does. This code is known as Wiki markup it is essentially a simplified form of HTML. See the cheatsheet for a list of the most common Wiki markup. If you haven't already done so, I would encourage you to enable 'editing by section' in your account preferences. The reason for this is that the 'source code' of your adoption page is going to start getting very long, as we move through the assignments. Editing by section will make it easier to edit the correct bit of the adoption page. To enable it: first, make sure you are logged in to your account, then goto 'my preferences' (top right corner of any Wikipedia page), once in 'my preferences' click on the 'editing' tab and put a tick in the box by 'Enable section editing via [edit] links'. Now click the 'save' button (bottom left corner of the page). Once you have done this, you will see an [edit] link on each section of a Wikipedia page. Clicking on it will open the edit box for that section only, which means you won't have to click the 'edit' button at the top of the page and scroll through the entire page's Wiki markup to find the bit you want to edit. If you already see the edit links on each section of a page, ignore everything I've just said! Wikilinks[edit]You will notice that some words or phrases appear as 'blue links', these are known as 'Wikilinks'; they are internal links to other Wikipedia pages. If you see a Wikilink in some text you should click on it and find out more about a particular subject. During your adoption program, always follow the Wikilinks... You have been given them for a reason! Pages and talkpages[edit]Every page in Wikipedia has an accompanying talk page. Talk pages are the place to have a discussion about the related page. Please have a read of the talk page guidelines, so that you know what a talk page is, and what it isn't! Your userpage and user talk page[edit]Every user on Wikipedia has a 'user page'. Mine is at User:Bellerophon, click here to visit your userpage. As a new editor, you may have to 'create' your userpage, if one was not created for you. Your userpage is place where you can post information about yourself and what you like to do on Wikipedia. Be careful though, anyone can see it, so it may be wise not to disclose too much information about yourself. Similarly, user pages cannot be used for advertising anything or for commercial gain. Any such pages will be deleted by administrators. Each user also has a user talk page, this is a place where other editors can leave you messages. When you have been left a new message, you will see a yellow banner at the top of any Wikipedia page you happen to be viewing, telling you that you have a new message at your user talk page. Please read the user page guidelines to find out more about how user and user talk pages work, and what is acceptable and what is not! Edit summary[edit]When you are editing a page, you will notice a single line box below the 'edit box'; it says 'edit summary' above it. You should always leave an edit summary when you edit a page on Wikipedia. Doing so helps other editors see what changes you have made. Just type a brief explanation of the changes in the edit summary box. Discussions[edit]You should try to keep discussions in one place. If someone leaves a message on your talk page, you should reply on your talk page — not their talk page! If you are having a discussion on a talk page, it makes the conversation easier to follow if you 'indent' your posts, so that the text cascades down the page and makes the conversation more readable. To do this, just place a colon (:) at the beginning of the line of text. The first post of a conversation does not need a colon, but the person replying should use one colon at the beginning of their reply. The reply to the reply, should use two colons, and the third reply should use three, and so on... Similarly, at the end of you post (during a discussion) you should leave your signature and a timestamp. This is easily done by placing four tildes (~~~~) at the end of your post. Manual of Style[edit]Wikipedia has a Manual of Style, which governs how we format things that we write on Wikipedia. The Manual of Style (or MOS) is a very lengthy document made up of many pages and sub-pages that Leo Tolstoy would have been proud of! You are not excepted to become an expert in the MOS during this course, but it will be reffered to. So, please take some time to familiarize yourself with some of it. Discussion[edit]Questions[edit]The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion. Please note that short yes/no answers are not acceptable. 1. Turn the word Water into a Wikilink.
2. Explain how to quickly insert your user signature and time stamp?
3. Explain briefly what a user page is for and list two things that a user page should never be used for?
4. Explain how to indent a line of text and when this is most commonly done?
Roborule (talk) 20:58, 16 October 2013 (UTC)
The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
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First Assignment: The Five Pillars
[edit]Are the fundamental principles by which Wikipedia operates. They are summarized in the form of five "pillars":
Wikipedia is an encyclopedia.- It incorporates elements of general and specialized encyclopedias, almanacs, and gazetteers. Wikipedia is not a soapbox, an advertising platform, a vanity press, an experiment in anarchy or democracy, an indiscriminate collection of information, or a web directory. It is not a dictionary, a newspaper, or a collection of source documents; that kind of content should be contributed instead to the Wikimedia sister projects.
Wikipedia is written from a neutral point of view.- We strive for articles that document and explain the major points of view in a balanced and impartial manner. We avoid advocacy and we characterize information and issues rather than debate them. In some areas there may be just one well-recognized point of view; in other areas we describe multiple points of view, presenting each accurately and in context, and not presenting any point of view as "the truth" or "the best view". All articles must strive for verifiable accuracy: unreferenced material may be removed, so please provide references. Editors' personal experiences, interpretations, or opinions do not belong here. That means citing verifiable, authoritative sources, especially on controversial topics and when the subject is a living person.
Wikipedia is free content that anyone can edit, use, modify, and distribute.- Respect copyright laws, and do not plagiarize sources. Non-free content is allowed under fair use, but strive to find free alternatives to any media or content that you wish to add to Wikipedia. Since all your contributions are freely licensed to the public, no editor owns any article; all of your contributions can and will be mercilessly edited and redistributed.
Editors should interact with each other in a respectful and civil manner.- Respect and be polite to your fellow Wikipedians, even when you disagree with them. Apply Wikipedia etiquette, and avoid personal attacks. Find consensus, avoid edit wars, and remember that there are 6,915,272 articles on the English Wikipedia to work on and discuss. Act in good faith, and never disrupt Wikipedia to illustrate a point. Be open and welcoming, and assume good faith on the part of others. When conflict arises, discuss details on the talk page, and follow dispute resolution.
Wikipedia does not have firm rules.- Rules in Wikipedia are not carved in stone, as their wording and interpretation are likely to change over time. The principles and spirit of Wikipedia's rules matter more than their literal wording, and sometimes improving Wikipedia requires making an exception to a rule. Be bold (but not reckless) in updating articles and do not worry about making mistakes. Prior versions of pages are saved, so any mistakes can be corrected.
Discussion
[edit]Questions
[edit]Please note that short yes/no answers are not acceptable.
1. Imagine a new editor wants to create an article about the shop they own. The shop is a general store in a small town in the USA. They really want to write a good article that complies with Wikipedia policy, but they are struggling to find sources to support the article. So far, they have only been able to use their own shop website as a source of information. What advice would you give to the new editor and which policies might need to be explained to them and why?
- Answer: Unfortunately, if they are unable to find any sources, other then you're own, it most likely does not conform to the Notability guidelines. (WP:NN)
2. Explain what 'weasel words' are and why we don't want to see them in articles?
- Answer: Weasel words are meant to provide a specific impression, however Wikipedia is not based on opinions, but on facts.
3. A new editor creates an article about about their local martial arts school. When you check the sources you notice that the whole article has been copied and pasted from a website. Is this a problem? Explain your answer.
- Answer: Yes there is. First and foremost, the article may be infringing on copyrights. Secondly, if the article has no other sources it may not meet Wikipedia's notability policies.
4 What does 'notability' mean and why is it important on Wikipedia?
- Answer: Notability is very important, Wikipedia is not a place for people to introduce new phrases to the internet, or too introduce new artists to the internet. Things that have never been heard of or used before have no place on Wikipedia. Some people, most likely use Wikipedia as a method of promotion of their organization, phrase, or make other contributions that no one is interested in.
5 If two editors disagree over the content of a particular article, how should they try and resolve it in the first instance and what behaviour should they avoid?
- Answer: Editors should always assume good faith. In the first instance, the editors should try and work out their dispute on the article's talk page. They should avoid unnecessary criticism.
6 What is meant by 'ignore all rules'? Can an editor ignore rules if that rule is getting in the way of what they want to do?
- Answer: It means, if there is a rule that prevents a editor from improving or maintaing wikipedia, they should ignore it. Yes, if what they want to do is going to improve or will help maintain wikipedia.