Q&A for How to Become a Wikipedia Editor

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Why is the Wikipedia community harsh and unwelcoming?

Hello903hello

Community Answer

Some experienced Wikipedians might dislike new editors as many of them only vandalize Wikipedia and cause a huge workload for admins and other volunteers. Also, new users are unfamiliar with Wikipedia policies and usually make mistakes. Of course, there are welcoming, friendly, and helpful Wikipedians, and they won't mind pointing out mistakes of new editors. Some of them might be tired of such new editors and become unwelcoming though.

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Question

Are there other roles/positions for Wikipedia editors?

Community Answer

There are, but they require certain prerequisites. Check out Wikipedia:User_access_levels for more.

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Question

Would I get paid to be an editor?

Community Answer

No. Wikipedia is an open project that relies on volunteers, not paid staff editors.

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Question

How do I upload images in an individual Wikipedia page or when I'm trying to make a page?

Hello903hello

Community Answer

Case 1: If you searched a picture online (for example, using Google or Bing), you can upload it to the local Wikipedia. In English Wikipedia, go to the "Tools" section of the toolbar on the left side of the page. Then click "Upload file". Please note that you must first register an account on Wikipedia. Case 2: If you took a photo or drew a picture, you can upload it to the Wikimedia Commons at commons.wikimedia.org. Note that you need to register first. After you have uploaded your file, you can put the image in a Wikipedia page by adding . However, you should only put an image that is relevant to the page topic.

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Question

After I create a Wikipedia account, is it obligatory to start posting articles immediately?

Aasim

Top Answerer

No! You can create an account so you can customize your look with CSS/JS. In fact, you cannot post an article until your account is 4 days old and has made at least 10 edits.

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Question

What if I became an editor just to troll?

Freyr

Top Answerer

You can get warnings, then eventually a full block. They'll block your IP address if the trolling continues. Don't troll Wikipedia, lots of people volunteer their time to '''helping''' it grow and they won't take kindly to your misbehavior.

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Question

How do I deal with an editor who keeps misusing certain templates? They've used the templates correctly many times, but they have used them incorrectly, too.

Community Answer

Post a message on their talk page, explaining in specific detail what they are doing wrong. Templates can be copied and pasted easily, but a newbie can make mistakes if they don't know the guidelines. Show them the template's page (or policy page) with the guidelines on how to use the template. Encourage them to read Wikipedia's policies (Manual of Style), as well, so they will not make more mistakes.

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