How to Contribute to Wikipedia

Wikipedia is the most democratic Web site of the information age. This unique source of user- generated and user-edited content stands out because of the way it allows all members of the online community to contribute. Here's how to add your own knowledge to Wikipedia.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer with Internet connection
• Wikipedia account

Contribute to Existing Content on Wikipedia

1. Log on to the Wikipedia home page (see the Resources section below). Select the language you wish to view the site in and click on the arrow button.
2. Find the 'Navigation' box on the main page and select the 'About Wikipedia' link.
3. Scroll down to the 'Contents' menu and select the link to 'Contributing to Wikipedia.' You will find useful information about Wikipedia's policies and procedures for dealing with user contributions.
4. Learn more about editing Wikipedia pages by clicking on the 'Wikipedia: How to Edit a Page' link.
5. Find ongoing projects requiring work from the Wikipedia community by typing 'WikiProjects' into the 'Search' field and hitting the 'Go' button.

Create New Content

6. Start the process at the Wikipedia home page and select 'English' as your language option.
7. Click the 'Help' link in the 'Navigation' menu.
8. Review the categories in the 'Help' section, and click on the 'Contributing to Wikipedia' link.
9. Review the 'Contributing to Wikipedia' article and click on 'Wikipedia:Your First Article' if you've never written an article for Wikipedia before.
10. Read this article to review information about Wikipedia's policies and simple guidelines for creating content on this Web site.
11. Peruse the examples of questionable and relevant articles to help you shape your content.

Donate to Wikipedia

12. Select the 'Make A Donation' link from the 'Navigation' menu.
13. Choose the payment method. You can contribute via PayPal, Moneybookers, by mail with a check or by direct deposit. Donations to Wikipedia in the United States are considered tax-deductible.

Tips & Warnings

• When adding content or comments to Wikipedia pages, you should never include your contact information, such as phone numbers or email addresses. Wikipedia has a large, worldwide audience and your contact information may be used in an unsuitable manner, such as spam emails.
• Wikipedia appreciates the good-faith efforts of the online community to improve the content of its pages, but frowns on vandalism. If you have questions about whether the content you wish to add or delete is considered inappropriate, review Wikipedia's 'Vandalism' Web page for more information.