How to contribute to the Wikipedia by allogenes

"Wikipedians can be annoying tedious jerks, but it is about the end users, not the natives."

How I did it:

I made many small changes.  You don't have to do anything big, just little bits.  It all adds up.

Editing and writing is an important part of the process.  If you feel weak in content, re-writing is useful if you can do it and you have the writing and language skills.  If you can translate from one language to another, that is a great contribution.

If you like reading the articles, you can check references or look for relevant materials to add.

If you are uncomfortable with actually changing the text of the article, the discussion page is much looser and a good place to participate.  Just tell the people there what you found/are concerned about/etc., and that will help the next writer or editor when they show up.  And eventually someone shows up.

Lessons & tips: Don't let the Wikipedian natives put you off.  They can be pretentious jerks.  Really nasty sometimes.  There are two Wikipedia communities: the natives who take it as the most serious thing in the world, and the massive user community that uses it as a basic reference.  Focus on the latter people.  And when the Wikipedians hassle you (and they will) just let it roll off of you.


1 person found this helpful
 

Feb 01, 2011, 12:06PM PST | 0 comments | 3 cheers


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