Wikipedia:United States Education Program/Courses/Behavioral Ecology (Joan Strassmann)/2014 Creating Account
Behavioral Ecology
Wikipedia Assignment 1
Due 28 August 2014
Get back to course page
Getting Started: Creating your Wikipedia Account User Page and Sandbox
[edit]20 points
1. Register for Wikipedia
- Wikipedia allows for any user to create or edit an entry without registering, but registration is required for this assignment so that we can confirm that you created the entry. To create an account, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page.
- In the upper right corner is a link entitled Log In / create account. Click on the link and follow the directions listed to create your account. After you have created your username, you will be redirected to a page, where you should see “Login successful.”
2. Create a User Page
- You should also create a User Page, so people know who you are. Click on your newly created account name, which appears in red in the upper right hand corner of the Wikipedia page. You will then be redirected to your user page, which should have a header that reads “User:<Your Username>” In order to create your user page, click on the link towards the upper right hand corner where it says “Create.”
- After clicking on the “Create” link, you will be redirected to a page with a header that reads “Editing User:<Your Username>” with a large text box. In the large text box compose 2-3 sentences about yourself, indicating that you are a student, and highlight your interests and areas of Wikipedia you wish to contribute. You can say that you are a Wash U student working in particular on pages about social wasps. You can also tell something else about yourself to inspire others to start contributing, or mention any other areas you might contribute on in the future. This is your chance to show real people write for Wikipedia.
- Scroll below and click “Save Page.” At this point the link containing your account name will change in color from red to blue indicating that a linked page now exists. In general, anything written by editors with identities is more trustworthy than information in red, throughout Wikipedia. Here is an example of a user page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Agelaia.
3. Put a photo of yourself on your page (Optional)
- To put a photo of yourself on your page, when viewing your user page (by clicking on your account name at the upper right hand corner of the Wikipedia page) click on Edit near the top right of the page. Above the short description of yourself, input the following code surrounded by a set of "{{":
Infobox person
| name = <your name>
| image = <photo_file_name.jpg>
| nationality =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation =
| salary =
| networth =
| children =
| website =
| module =
| module3 =
- Put your name where it says <your name> and replace the <photo_file_name.jpg> with a file name you would like for your photo followed by a .jpg extension (e.g. CVern.jpg). Save your changes.
- When you view your user page, you will notice that the photo has not shown up yet. This is because you need to upload an (open source—e.g. a photo taken by yourself that you don’t mind sharing (see below)) image of yourself. To do so, click on the file name you just created in the infobox you just created. This will take you to a file creation page, where you can upload your photo. Before you submit, make sure to give some details on where the photo is from and provide licensing info through the licensing pull down menu below the “upload file” button (suggestion is Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0). If you do not do this, your file will be tagged for deletion. Save your changes.
4. Create a Sandbox (Click on “Sandbox” on the upper right corner of Wikipedia)
- The sandbox feature of Wikipedia is a place where you can start and edit your contribution until you are ready to fully release it on Wikipedia. You will create a sandbox inside your user space. This sandbox will allow you to practice Wikipedia syntax and editing without being fully held to the standards in Wikipedia:Manual of Style. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style. You can work on your article in this space at first, but when assignments are due, they must be uploaded to fully visible Wikipedia.
- Instructions:
- 1. Go to your user page (space you are in after you click on your Username) and click “Edit” (among the options on top right).
- 2. In the textbox go to the line after the sentences describing yourself and type My sandbox (surrounded by a set of "{{"). This will create a sandbox link with an illustrative picture.
- 3. Scroll below the box and click on "Save page" to save the changes.
- 4. Do what it takes so you show up on the course page: