A new Wikipedia editor orientation for the Tech LadyMafia Edit-a-thon, April 2015, in Washington, D.C.

1. #TechLadiesWiki
and you
can too!
Sara Snyder
@sosarasays

2. 1. Wikimedia DC is awesome
wikimediadc.org @WikimediaDC
2. #GLAMwiki community
is also awesome!
Shameless Plugs

3. 1. Your name
2. What is your level of experience
contributing to Wikipedia?
3. What are you hoping to get out
of your participation today?
Introductions

4. We all use Wikipedia, but what
do we really know about it?

5. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia
• MediaWiki software
• Freely licensed without restrictions
• All content created & maintained by volunteers
• Non-profit educational project, supported by
Wikimedia Foundation
• All edits/versions are recorded indefinitely
• 4,853,274+ articles in English, 35 million articles
in 288 different languages (see size of Wikipedia)

6. “A Wikipedia
article is a
process, not a
product.”
-Clay Shirky
Global community site:
https://meta.wikimedia.org

7. Biggest. Encyclopedia. Ever.

8. Who or what merits an
article in Wikipedia?
If a person or topic has received
significant coverage in reliable
sources that are independent of the
subject, then it is deemed
“notable.”
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Notability
Or type in search shortcut WP:N

9. Wikipedia Content Standards
• Neutral Point of View
• Verifiability
reliable sources, cited correctly
• No “original research”
i.e. unpublished data, opinions,
speculation
• Assume good faith towards
other editors
• Avoid conflict of interest (i.e.
editing page about self, boss) See Wikipedia: Policies
and guidelines

10. Can I edit the Wikipedia article
about my workplace? My boss?
My grandma?
Possibly, but only under the right conditions.
“When advancing outside interests is more important
to an editor than advancing the aims of Wikipedia,
that editor stands in a conflict of interest (CoI).”
Your #1 priority must be: making a
better, more useful encyclopedia article.

11. Avoid Conflict of Interest Editing
• Register a unique user account
• Disclose your affiliations (see sample CoI
Statement)
• Cite authoritative sources
• Don’t remove “controversies”
• Recognize that no one person can
“own” a Wikipedia article or control
its content

12. ANATOMY OF AN ARTICLE

16. LETS START EDITING!

17. Step 1 - Register a user account
1. Go to en.wikipedia.org, click “Create Account”
2. Choose a username and password
 There should be a 1:1 ratio between editors and accounts on
Wikipedia. Sharing an account is not allowed, so you should not
create an account in the name of your organization.
Advantages of registering an account:
– A record of your work builds credibility
– More privacy, since anonymous contributors’ IP address is recorded
– Ability to create/rename articles, upload images, edit preferences
– Signals membership in the community

18. Step 2 – Want a WYSIWYG? Turn on
“Visual Editor”
1. Click the Preferences link at the top of the page
2. Visit the Beta features tab, scroll down and check
the box “VisualEditor”

19. Edit Source Edit beta
MediaWiki software markup language
Type WP:CHEAT in the search box for
more information
a.k.a. “Visual Editor,” what you see is
what you get (WYSIWYG)
Type WP:VE/UG in the search box for
more information
Relatively simple to learn, especially if
you have any experience with HTML
Familiar symbols for formatting, similar
to word processing programs
Best for ultimate control and ability to
customize the page; working with wiki
“templates” {{ }}
Best for making straightforward textual
edits, adding links, headings, etc.
Not very good for people who dislike or
get confused by markup languages! Also
it is easy to lose your place, or make a
typo. Always click “Show Preview”
before saving!
Not very good for the more complex wiki
markup, such as “templates” {{ }}, still a
work in progress, so it can be buggy
and/or confusing at times.

20. Step 3 - Create a user page or sandbox
1. Click the red link at the top with your
username on it, or “sandbox”
2. Write something and click Show Preview.
3. Save.
It is good to get in the habit of leaving a
comment too!

21. Citing Sources

22. Creating a new article
1. Do some searching around to confirm the article
doesn’t exist under a different name.
2. Draft the article stub in your user Sandbox.
3. Search (unsuccessfully) for the exact name of the
article you want to create.
4. Click on the resulting redlink to create the page,
paste in code from your Sandbox, Save.
NOTE: “Submit for review” button is not required for
registered editors.

23. Images: Wikimedia Commons vs.
“Non-free Use” rationale
Wikimedia Commons image
commons.wikimedia.org
Example: Teton Range
Non-free image
en.wikipedia.org
Example: Look Mickey

24. Thank others
for their work!
Ways to bring a positive & collaborative
spirit to the community