Wikipedia has opened a vast and wide room of opportunities for their users. Whether it is reading, writing, or researching, the platform knows how to engage with their visitors. Did you know, every month Wikipedia encounters 1.7 Billion visitors, and that too the new ones!
What you see on Wikipedia is not just a hub of millions of articles that get edited at the rate of 1.9 per second; it is so much more than that. There are editors, volunteers, and administrators involved in the successful accomplishment of the platform. In this blog, the pivotal focus would be to see how billions of users are playing their part in uplifting Wikipedia as an entity. So keep reading and rejoice in the new learning.
How can a user contribute to Wikipedia?
There are countless reasons why a person would create a Wikipedia profile. But how could you do it in terms of a user to promote the Wikipedia community? If you have just started to work around the platform, then it’s time to acquire some knowledge; and let yourself know how it creates 595 articles regularly!
Create the Account
If you really want to add something unique and praiseworthy to the website, it is time to get yourself known as a registered user. This is why you will have to sign up. In case you don’t, you may not get all the features visible and that will lack your potential of being able to contribute fully. So, all you have to do is, sign up with an authentic email address, and perform the act of at least 10 edits that will help you grow. In addition, your account should be a few days old to fully explore what the information giant has to offer.
Policies and Regulations
If Wikipedia is allowing its users to give their fair share of contribution then it also expects them to abide by their rigid set of rules. If this is the case, you may question how come one would read thousands of guidelines provided by Wikipedia? Well, there is nothing to worry about because firstly, you would have a specific subject to read the criteria on and secondly, some of the elements are quite common. For example, usage of bias and promotional content is straight away rejected.
Contributing through Stub
Your next question would be how to help? What you can do is begin with the basics. Start expanding information in incomplete articles, these articles are known as stubs. Since these are not sorted yet, you will deliver the know-how on them before you move ahead. This is certainly beneficial for Wikipedia because the regular visitors keep on checking the pages for new updates. If you do so, they would be engaged by the enriching content that is now incomplete and may also add links to their research. Now imagine those thousands of documents mentioning Wikipedia in their references; isn’t it astounding? And guess what? You did boost the digital arena instantly.
Upload images
While this section is mostly skipped by people, uploading pictures is one of the best attempts you could perform. It is usually mentioned in the Wizard area. It is similar to what you could do with a stub. And why is that so? Without pictures, the article would still be counted as incomplete. Isn’t it better to get done with these areas before actually creating a wholesome article? But, at the same time you cannot just post everything on this encyclopedia. You have to provide a source before you do so.
Improve the page by eradicating spams
The greater the visitors, the more spams are created. So what could you do? To refrain from vandalism you can always work on rectifying turbulence on Wikipedia. You may have assessed a few blank pages, or addition of links that is totally irrelevant. To get rid of that, it is best to remove and wipe the errors. This is how you could also improvise the existing content and play a vital role in inducing quality content.
You could contribute articles too!
Yes, you read that right. Isn’t that a dream come true? Contributing an article written by you and seeing it appear on the search engine is just so captivating. So what’s the prerequisite? You should be wise and knowledgeable enough to write an article on a certain topic. Now that you have practice quite a lot, you would be aware of how the place functions. So, begin with the draft on the basis of your research. However, be mindful of the fact that your write-up could immediately be deleted if it conflicts, creates controversies and any disturbance of views on the page.
Help with the questions
There is a lot of curiosity on the web, especially because each of us is confined with a different perception and this creates a greater sense of ambiguity. What you can do is, be a robust part of the community and deliver the information you are confident about. You may also insert links that will further clarify how one aspect is overshadowed by another ideology.
Maintenance and updates
As you know, when an individual is uploading an article on Wikipedia, it is always considered ‘as of now’. This means the data is authentic but some information needs constant up gradation, just like breaking news or any additional song of a brand. There is so much that needs maintenance. Therefore, being a pivotal person you are helping the community to grow larger every day. This is how the visitors will not be misdirected and they would be reading the most appropriate content.
The Final Thought
In this blog, we have connected dots that let users contribute to Wikipedia. There are millions of pages there, and by allowing and permitting the users to edit, modify, and enhance the quality of content, Wikipedia is already being promoted. Without the helping hands of these users, there would still be incomplete and absurd articles. Upon consenting this to the users, the Wikipedia organization is flourishing every second.
