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User:Heheman3000

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Stand-in for user page

Tip of the moment...
How to transclude a page into the page you are editing

Including the contents of one page ("the template") into a host page is called transclusion. This allows the host page to automatically be updated whenever the template page is updated. It is accomplished on Wikipedia by surrounding the name of the page from which the contents are being transcluded with two pairs of curly brackets and leaving out the "Template:" prefix. In addition, pages in the following namespaces can also be transcluded: Category:, Help:, Portal:, User:, and Wikipedia:. The only difference is that you must include the prefix (followed by a colon) with the page's name inside the double curly brackets. Images can also be transcluded, but this is done using double square brackets instead of curly ones. Here are some examples of templates that will transclude if you paste them, save them, and then refresh or purge the page:

{{Pic of the day}} · {{Tip of the day}} · {{Help:Contents}} · [[File:Wikipedia-logo.png]]

To add this auto-randomizing template to your user page, use {{totd-random}}
How reliable is Wikipedia?

It is pretty good, and getting better. But...

...it is inappropriate to cite Wikipedia as a source, because it is updated in real time. So from the time you cite a Wikipedia page to the time another person looks up your citation, the page may have changed. Citations are usually only applicable to static publications that do not change once they are published. Wikipedia is not a static publication, it is dynamic!‍—‌it changes every minute. In this sense, Wikipedia is not a reliable citable source.

How reliable is Wikipedia as a general resource? Very reliable. Most of the content on Wikipedia is accurate, and many subjects are updated faster than the news. But, Wikipedia is subject to being edited by almost anyone and any time, and the edits may be biased, out of date, incorrect, or malicious (vandalism). Therefore, it is advisable to double-check what you learn in Wikipedia against other sources.

Keep in mind that many volunteers monitor Wikipedia for errors. Since there are so many people reading the articles and monitoring contributions using the Recent Changes page, and using watchlists, incorrect information is usually spotted and corrected quickly.

Some argue that new errors are also introduced all the time, so that the overall accuracy rate is not really improving. Nevertheless, by encouraging people to help with correcting articles, validating content, and providing useful references, errors will eventually be greatly reduced.

The more accurate Wikipedia becomes, the more it attracts additional contributors. It is a self-reinforcing cycle!

To add this auto-updating template to your user page, use {{totd}}