User talk:Roaddoggfl

Howdy.

Welcome to the english Wikipedia. I have noticed your recent contributions, and would like to help you get up to speed on editing here.


 * First and foremost, be aware of Ignore all Rules. At Wikipedia, many of us are fond of citing "rules" governing how a user should or shouldn't edit. There is always room for your own judgement, however. While we have rules, you are also expected to be bold in your editing. Try to be familiar with these rules, but do not let them get in the way of your contributing.


 * Wikipedia is more or less supported by five pillars. As a guideline, these pillars can help you understand what makes the Wikipedia a useful project for you, for me, and hopefully for the world at large.


 * While I see that you are already on your way to editing pages, there is a guide which may help. In my experience, knowing what templates and categories are out there will help a lot. As an example, if you find yourself editing Hickam Air Force Base, you may notice a couple things:
 * near the bottom of the article. This inserts a large table allowing the user to navigate to other airports in Hawaii more easily than finding the relevant links. Over time, you'll find that there are quite a few useful templates. Be on the lookout for them in articles.
 * and others, also at the bottom of the article. Categories help us categorize articles into groups so that we can find other articles like the one we're reading or editing. There are a lot of categories (almost 100,000!), so it may be tough to find useful ones at first. Try looking at articles related to the subject you're working on, and see what categories they are in.


 * You may get stuck. We all do. There are a bunch of places to look for help:
 * Tutorial
 * Help:Contents
 * How to write a great article


 * For interactive help, you can always ask another user. Doing so is easy. If you were to go to my page, you'd see at the top of the page, a tab for "discussion". Simply click that tab, edit the page, and insert a small header (== Subject of question ==), add your question (typically at the bottom), and save. When somebody leaves a message for a user, the user gets a notification that a message is waiting for them. In general most of us try to reply to messages on our talk pages. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. You may also wish to ask questions at Boot Camp. Lastly, you can add a tag to your own user page.
 * Remember, when you leave a message on a talk page or anywhere else, please sign your name with four tildes.


 * With respect to editing and style, please be aware that Wikipedia does have a Manual of Style, and some users treat this very seriously. The most important task is to add information. Closely following that is formatting, collating, and proofreading the information herein. If you aren't so great at spelling or style, you can be sure that somebody will come along and fix it for you. Sometimes these people can be a little harsh when editing, but don't take it personally. We're all on the same team here, and we value your contributions.


 * Lastly, some users are cranky, and will make rude comments to you. Sorry, but it happens. Please don't take offense. If you feel that somebody is nagging you unfairly, feel free to come to me and ask for assistance. I can either help you directly, or point you in the right direction. We have many ways of mediating disagreements. Remember, you can always take a break if things get heated.

Welcome, and I look forward to editing with you. ... aa:talk 03:48, 16 March 2006 (UTC)