How to Contribute to Wikipedia - Creating a Wikipedia Entry
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Now that you have an account, it’s time to also create your Wikipedia entry. Because the site is essentially an encyclopedia, it’s important that your entry reads as professionally as any other encyclopedic entry might read. All entries on the site have a similar tone and flavor, meaning any entry you create must also conform to these standards.
To create any Wikipedia entry, you must first return to the main page of the site. Make sure you’re signed in to your account! Now, type in the subject on which you want to create an entry in the search field. If you want to create an entry about yourself, type in your name. The same goes for your business’s name.
This page should not exist. You’ll be taken to a page which reads “No page with that title exists.” An itemized list will follow these words. Toward the bottom of this list, you’ll see an option reading “Create the page.” Click this link, and you’re ready to start creating your first Wikipedia entry.
Writing for Wikipedia
When you click the link to create an article, you’ll be taken immediately to Wikipedia’s text editor. This is where you will create the wonderful words which will soon (hopefully) grace Wikipedia for all to see. Before you begin to create, however, you want to have a good grasp of the kind of entries Wikipedia is actually looking for.
Spend a little time looking around Wikipedia at different entries before you try to write one of your own. Note the objective tone and impersonal voice of Wikipedia entries. Note that entries do not directly address the audience (words like “you” are not included), and that nothing is written in the first person (entries do not contain “I” or “me” unless there is a direct quote involved).
Once you have an idea of the way entries are written on Wikipedia, you can begin to write your own. It may take a few different drafts before you’re totally satisfied with your entry, but that’s okay. Write the first draft in an objective voice, making sure to include all the pertinent information. For this first draft, just worry about getting all the information written down. The hard part comes a little later.
Next: Formatting a Wikipedia Entry >>
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