User:Persian Poet Gal/"How-To" Guide to Wikipedia

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 This user subpage serves as a "How-to" guide to Wikipedia tasks.

"How-To" Guide to Wikipedia
The following is a helpful "How-To" guide to Wikipedia.

Q. How do I create an account and what is allowed to use as a username?
Creating an account is simple, just click this link to be taken to the create an account screen. Before choosing a username it is recommended to read Username, to understand what is allowed as a Wikipedia username.

Q. Where can I find the Help Pages?
For links to find Help Pages that answer usage questions, formatting questions, or editing questions on Wikipedia as well as tutorials go to the Help:Contents page (link also found on Wikipedia navigation bar at the left).

Q. Where can I have my questions answered directly?
The Help Desk is the perfect place to submit your questions about Wikipedia directly and have other users answer them for you. If you have a question about a particular topic other than Wikipedia try the Reference Desk.

Q. How do I edit a Wikipedia page?
Editing pages on Wikipedia is quite simple and easy to get the hang of. To learn some of the basics of editing see How to edit a page. Before clicking Save page, it is always good to remember to leave an informative edit summary describing the changes you made.

Q. How do I look up a Wikipedia article?
To look up articles besides clicking on wiki-links or accessing those displayed on the main page, type the name of the subject in the search box to the left and select Go to be taken directly to the article or a disambig page (if they exist) or select Search to search for articles which may mention the subject you are looking for.

Q. How do I create my user page and what is allowed on it?
To create your user page simply click your username displayed above any Wikipedia page or type:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Insert your name here  in the address bar. Simply place any content you want in the edit box and click the Save page button and you're done! It is recommended to take the time to read User page, to understand what is allowed on a Wikipedia user page.

Q. What are those boxes I see on user pages and how do I put one on my page?
Those are called user boxes. They simply give little tidbits of information about a user as far as their likes, dislikes, personality, philosophy, etc. To learn how to put one or a group of them on your page click this link.

Q. What are Barnstars and all those awards that I see on user pages?
Barnstars are user created awards based on some form of Wiki-merit and are a part of the Kindness Campaign to show Wikipedians their appreciation for their contributions to Wikipedia. Its always polite when someone rewards you with a barnstar or personal user award to thank them by leaving a message on their user talk page.

Q. How do I use talk pages or user talk pages and how do you archive them?
Contributing to talk pages is similar to editing a Wikipedia page, simply press the Edit this page tab at the top of the screen to add to an existing topic or press the plus sign (+) next to the tab to add a new topic to the page. When contributing to talk pages it is always good to remember to sign your posts by inserting four tildes  ~  after your comment. To learn about how to archive talk page content see How to archive a talk page.

Q. How do I change my signature's looks, appearance, links, etc. and what is allowed to be customized?
You can do this by clicking on My Preferences and editing the signature box. For instructions on how to customize your signature and what kind of customization is allowed, see the Customizing Your Signature section first. If you want to know how to make your signature appear in different fonts/colors, it takes a little html training ;). For basic HTML codes try this link and this link for font color codes(remember to refer to the help page above and check the "Raw Signature" option before inputting any HTML in your signature).

Q. How do I report vandalism?
If you notice a user vandalizing any page on Wikipedia follow the two steps listed below:

Step One
First revert the vandalism and leave a message on the user's talk page. To warn vandals fast and effectively use the following template codes when leaving a message on their talk page-


 *   (for first time vandalism, the user could have been trying a test edit)
 *   (for second time vandalism, the user could be headed on their way to being a nuisance)
 *   (for third time vandalism, the user is possibly vandalizing intentionally at this point)
 *   (for blatant vandalism, the message is a last warning to an obvious blatant vandal)

Step Two
If the user continues to vandalize after you issue a   warning report them on the AIV Page. Follow the instructions on the page very carefully before you report any user.

If you are at all interested in joining the fight against Wikipedia vandalism check out the Cleaning Up Vandalism Page.

Q. Where can I participate in policy discussions or view proposed policy changes?
To participate in Wikipedia policy discussion or view proposed policy changes refer to the Village Pump.

Q. How do I nominate a page for speedy deletion or the deletion process?
Normally a long standing Wikipedia page would rarely need to be nominated for speedy deletion however, new page contributions found at the new page logs may lack the notability or verifiability to merit a Wikipedia page. To understand the criteria for speedy deletion and to learn how to tag a page for speedy deletion see Criteria for speedy deletion. Articles which do indicate some notability but have content which does not meet the requirements for inclusion can be nominated through Articles for deletion, before doing so read Deletion policy and the instructions on the AfD page.

Q. Who are administrators and how do you become one?
Administrators or sysops are members choosen by the community that act as moderators on Wikipedia. They have the ability to protect pages from editing, edit protected content, delete/undelete pages created on Wikipedia, enact blocks/bans, and other administrative or what are considered janitorial tasks (hence their symbol being a mop). To nominate a user for adminship visit the Request for adminship page, follow the instructions carefully in order to submit a properly formatted request.

Q. Where are the locations of certain pages like recent changes, create a page, upload a file, the sandbox, etc.?
Most of them can be found at the Special Pages. However some pages such as the list below can be found at: Sandbox- Sandbox

Create a New Page- Help:Starting a new page

Recent Changes to Wikipedia Articles- Special:Recentchanges

New Users List- Special:Log/Newusers

Administrator List- List of administrators

WikiProjects List- Wikiproject

Most Vandalized Pages List- Most vandalized pages

Test Template List- Template messages/User talk namespace

Request Page Protection- Requests for page protection

Peer Review Page- Peer review

Editor Review Page- Editor review

Request for Comment- Requests for comment

What Wikipedia is not- What Wikipedia is not