Wikipedia:Contribution Team/Welcome/Join us
We're writing the world's largest online encyclopedia.
And you can join in right now.
You don't need an account to edit most pages or contribute information to Wikipedia, but signing up means you can help out in even more ways. Your edits are linked to your user name, which allows you to build an identity in the community. Creating an account (it's free!) also gives you access to features like the ability to make articles, edit semi-protected pages, rename pages, upload images, send emails to other users, change the appearance and behavior of the website, keep a "watchlist" to track pages, and much more.
If you create an account, you can pick a user name if it is available and unique. Edits you make while logged in will be assigned to that name, which means you will get full credit for your contributions in the page history (when not logged in, the edits are just assigned to your IP address). You can also view all your contributions by clicking the "My contributions" link, which is visible only when you are logged in.
You will have your own permanent user page where you can write a bit about yourself. While Wikipedia is not a web site provider or social networking site, you can use this to display a few free pictures, write about your hobbies, etc. You will also have a permanent user talk page you can use to talk with other users. If you choose to give an e-mail address, other users will be able to contact you by e-mail (your address will be kept private to avoid unwanted emails).
Finally, Wikipedia provides several features to which only registered users have access:
- Registered users can customize their Wikipedia experience through their preferences page, which offers several options (see below). Even more customization and control is possible for advanced users through user scripts. Both of these features are available only to registered users.
- Only registered users can create new pages.
- Only registered autoconfirmed users may upload images or rename pages.
- An important feature that active contributors often make use of is called the watchlist. Upon logging in, you'll get a new link (or tab) on each page you view, called "watch". It lets you keep an eye on pages that interest you by saving them in your "watchlist" — your personal list stored on Wikipedia's servers. When you view your watchlist, you'll be able to see which of your "watched" pages have changed recently, along with their edit summaries, and quick links to view the specific changes that have occurred ("diff" links).
- Registered users may also mark their edits as "minor" (see link for more details).
