User:Theonesean/sandbox/AfC Mentoring/Introduction/Welcome to Wikipedia! (for newbies)

Welcome to Wikipedia! This page will introduce you, briefly, to Wikipedia and the culture of awesome Wikipedians who will help you out.

Some Reading for You

By now, you've probably been welcomed to Wikipedia, and you've probably read a number of guides on Wikipedia for new editors.

Mentor: check if the student has been welcomed to Wikipedia, and if not, please do so.

If not, here's some articles for your perusal. Take some time and read through them, then come back here and pick up where you left off. If you've already read them, feel free to buzz on by to the next section. This list is partially from Help:Getting started.

• Welcome to Wikipedia!

About Wikipedia

• Main Introduction (What is Wikipedia?)
• How to log in (How do I get in here?)
• Where to ask questions (Need anything clarified, or have a query?)

Quick introductions

• Navigating Wikipedia (basics about the site)
• Talk pages (where to communicate)
• Manual of Style (Wikipedia's formatting standards)
• Policies and guidelines (the rules)
• Uploading images (to enhance articles)
• Referencing (adding citations to articles to make them verifiable)

Wikipedia in more depth

• 8 simple rules (Confused by all the policies? This simplifies everything.)
• Here to build an encyclopedia (the fundamental reason we are all here)
• Articles must be written (before everything else, people have to write the article)
• Nothing is in stone (Wikipedia is bound to change)
• Don't hope the house will build itself (A little planning and a little effort is all that is needed to write an article.)
• Give an article a chance (Don't be too hasty in jumping on a new article or AfC draft. Sometimes, all that is needed is time.)
• Put a little effort into it (Try to do more than the absolute minimum.)
• What an article should not include (Some things that rarely, if ever, should occur in a final article draft.)
• Wikipedia is a volunteer service (The editors on Wikipedia are mainly volunteers. Editors can contribute as much as they want, and however long they desire.)
• Wikipedia is a work in progress (Wikipedia is constantly being improved and expanded, and it will never be finished.)
• Encourage the newcomers (You're going to meet a lot of newbies at AfC. Be nice to them, they're here to help.)

For more help, see the help menu

Wikipedia Culture

Okay, done reading? Awesome, so now you have a basic understanding of how Wikipedia works. However, that's only half of what Wikipedia is. Wikipedia culture is equally as important as the official rules and regulations, and understanding Wikipedia culture will help you be a more productive member of Wikipedia without stepping on any toes. Here's some essays for you to read about Wikipedia culture.

• Wikipedians (the people here)
• Wikipedia contributors (how big is the community, what motivates us, and who are we?)
• Wikipediholic (Are you addicted?)
• Observations on Wikipedia behavior (a collection some of the most accurate observations of Wikipedians, worth multiple readings)
• Conflicting Wikipedia philosophies (Differing ideas about Wikipedia are some of the major causes of conflict. Know what they are and why they fight.)
• Who writes Wikipedia? (You!)
• Wikipedia Users and Editors (statistics on Wikipedia editors)
• Wikipedia success stories (good stories of Wikipedians who love it here, worth a reread if you're ever disillusioned)

Discussion

Have any questions for your mentor? Ask them here!

Ready?

When you're done with this page, click here to learn about the Articles for Creation WikiProject.