The term editing means fixing and correcting mistakes in writing. In terms of Wikipedia, the job of editing expands to major responsibility. It is a significant part of Wikipedia writing and no article gets published before going through the copyediting and proofreading process. It is a time taking and exhausting process of keeping a sharp eye on every single line of a sentence to make it readable for the audience.
It is everyone’s dream of becoming a Wikipedia editor, however, it is not an easy task and requires a lot of focus and concentration on work. An editor should have to be a writer before. They should be competent in their writing skills and deliver flawless content to the customers. Wikipedia editing is a complete field of profession. It is a full-time job for editors that demands attention and dedication. Editors have to go through many hardships and face challenges to become a master of their field. In Wikipedia, it is even not acceptable to make a minor mistake. Editing is a continuous process and does not work at one time. Editors have to constantly and repeatedly make changes in their Wikipedia articles to add more value to the content.
Below are steps to become a Wikipedia editor
1. Create Your Account
Although it is possible to edit Wikipedia without registering, it is not recommended. Given the enormous amount of spam, it is obvious why the site frequently forbids editing from all known public IPs, including VPN users. Because of this, the quickest way to edit an article is to first create your own Wikipedia account. Providing an email address is optional, but it will save you a ton of time in the long run.
You can begin editing right away after registering. To become a “auto-confirmed” user, however, one must wait at least four days and make ten edits. It takes time and persistence to advance in Wikipedia.
You must modify your choices from the top-right corner of the window shortly after registration. This entails controlling the look of your page, watch lists, general settings, and notifications.
Do not forget to sign the document. When you are leaving comments on other people’s chat pages, this is really helpful. Since it distinguishes you from common spammers, your signature is important for registered users to protect their identity. Additionally, because email access might be grating, you might wish to disable it. Add the articles to a “Watch List” if you wish to review edit feedback at your own leisure.
2. Take Practice On Sandbox
You can improve your editing abilities in this area while you wait for auto-confirmation of your account. Since Wikipedia does not adhere to the WYSIWYG (“What You See Is What You Get”) model, you might also need to learn some really helpful “Wiki tags,” as they call their commands.
Before uploading or amending a genuine article, this service was made available for practice.
3. Choose A Subject Area You Are Knowledgeable About
Most people are knowledgeable or interested in a certain field. There are project pages on Wikipedia where people with related interests can discuss writing. They’re an excellent resource for figuring out what topics you can contribute to, and they frequently make suggestions for work that needs to be done in their specialty.
4. Ask For Guidance From Others In The Community
In addition to a message board for asking problems and a help chatroom, Wikipedia includes a help section with instructions on how to get started. If you’re very awesome, there are also IRC channels and Facebook groups.
There are social meetups for the Wikimedia community every month in London, Oxford, and Cambridge, as well as occasionally in Manchester and Edinburgh, if you’re one of those types of individuals that enjoys engaging with real people in person as well as online. There are numerous events regarding certain topics that you can attend, many of which are organized by our Wikimedians-in-Residence.
5. Start Editing Articles
It is preferable to start editing an article that no one will read because some of them will still be about you. For example, the word “protected” indicates that editing on this article can only be done within the next twenty-four hours. After amending, don’t forget to include a summary of the changes you made. Simply publish your page after you’re finished and add “watch it” again. Prior you creating a new Wikipedia article, you should already have a respectable quantity of revisions associated with your name.
6. Altercate With Other Editors
After you upload, other editors with higher standings will eventually wish to correct your edits. There may be heated disagreements even if some of these revisions offer valuable criticism and are beneficial for learning. Even though they are dismissive of your comments, the editors must be treated with respect.
A reversed alteration to your article can always be contested on the “discussion page.” It’s crucial to refrain from making personal attacks and to assume honesty. Follow article policies like “neutral point of view,” “verifiability,” and “no original research” to the letter. Every assertion you make needs to be supported by data. With a few modifications, you can adopt the tone used in all of Wikipedia’s articles.
In the worst case scenario, you can use the Wikipedia arbitration committee to settle any disputes you have with other editors. Ensure that you have all the evidence on your side.
7. Upload Some Photos To Commons
Wikimedia Commons is among the most significant Wikimedia projects, along with Wikipedia. Your pictures can be beneficial as illustrations for Wikipedia articles if you prefer to create visual material rather than written content.
By uploading to Commons, you consent to people using your content without your permission and for free as long as they attribute it to you as the author. A Creative Commons license, often known as an Open License or CC BY-SA 4.0, is what this agreement is officially known as.
Monthly photo contests are held; the current contests focus on drone photography, rail travel, and home appliances.
Using the WikiShootMe tool, you may also find out what Wikidata elements and Wikipedia articles are nearby your current position.
8. Cite References
If you have factual books at home, find a good fact and add a reference to it on a page about that subject. Wikipedia is the best source of information available on any topic. The medical sections in particular have stricter referencing requirements, so if you’re not an expert in a sophisticated field like medicine, start with a simpler subject.
9. Try To Identify Content Gaps
There are currently about 5.3 million entries in the English Wikipedia, but they tend to reflect the interests of the groups of people who are most likely to edit it. There are several entries about WWE wrestling and Pokemon, but few on prominent women, non-European history, and other subjects.
You can use a tool to look for content gaps by comparing two Wikipedias to identify whether articles are available in, say, Spanish but not English.