User talk:Douglas Rakestraw

Welcome to Wikipedia


Listed below are some brief introductions containing all the basics needed to use, comment on, and contribute to Wikipedia.


 * Main Introduction — What is Wikipedia?
 * A Primer for newcomers — A good starting point.
 * The Five Pillars — What are the principles behind Wikipedia?
 * Quick Introductions to:
 * Policies and guidelines — How does Wikipedia actually work?
 * Talk pages — How do I communicate in Wikipedia?
 * Referencing — How do I add sources to articles?
 * Uploading images — How do I add and use images?
 * Navigating Wikipedia — How do I find my way around?


 * What Wikipedia is not - even though everyone can edit it, Wikipedia is still an encyclopedia.

If you want to know more about a specific subject, Help:Help explains how to navigate the many help pages.
 * Google: Wikipedia is very well indexed by Google. Searching for a term, even about an editing question, followed by "wiki" or "wikipedia" usually pulls up what you need.

Where next?

 * Check out Help:Watching pages. Your own Watchlist can become your favorite place to visit.
 * If you wish to express an opinion or make a comment, Where to ask questions will point you in the correct direction.
 * If you would like to edit an article, the Basic tutorial will show you how, and How to help will give you some ideas for things to edit.
 * If you would like to create a new article, Starting an article will explain how to create a new page, with tips for success and a link to Wikipedia's Article Wizard, which can guide you through the process of submitting a new article to Wikipedia.
 * For more support and some friendly contacts to get you started, the Editors' Welcome page or the Teahouse page could be your next stop!