In the past, writing for Wikipedia was a bit of a gray area. However, as this video from TED-Ed explains, that’s not necessarily true anymore. In fact, contributing to Wikipedia is now more important than ever before.
Wikipedia recently announced an initiative to create one million new articles focusing on women and African Americans – subjects who have been historically underrepresented on the site – by 2020. The project is called Miniprojector 1000 and it aims to “increase coverage of topics relevant to women and African Americans” using a cadre of over 1,000 volunteer contributors from around the world.
In the past, writing for Wikipedia was a bit of a gray area. However, as this TED-Ed video about content writing for Wikipedia explains, that’s not necessarily true anymore. In fact, contributing to Wikipedia is now more important than ever before.
The reason for this is twofold. First, Wikipedia is one of the most popular websites in the world. According to Alexa rankings, it’s currently the fifth most visited site on the internet. That means that if your content isn’t on Wikipedia, there’s a good chance it won’t be seen by many people.
Second, and perhaps even more importantly, Wikipedia is often one of the first sources of information that people turn to when they want to learn about a topic. This is especially true for younger generations who are increasingly getting their information from online sources rather than from traditional publishers.
If you want your content to be read and distributed, writing for Wikipedia is a great way to make sure that happens. With the recent emphasis on increasing diversity in historical and cultural topics. There’s an even greater need for more information about women and minorities. That means that when someone wants to learn about a woman or person of color who isn’t often talked about, they’re going to turn to Wikipedia first.
What tips to follow while writing Wikipedia page?
Now that it’s clear why Wikipedia is important, you may be wondering how to actually get your content on the site. Luckily, there are a few guidelines to follow when creating wiki page.
1. Focus on topics that aren’t already well written
One of the best ways to get your article into Wikipedia is to find something that isn’t being covered comprehensively and then provide more information about it. This could mean writing about a woman who was often left out of mainstream history lessons or compiling several books by people of color who never appeared in major bookstore sections.
2. Be sure it’s not too promotional
While all content should be educational, some writers go so far as to create pages for themselves or their companies. If you’re going to do this. It’s important to be as unbiased as possible and only include facts that are from reputable sources. This means not including anything that could be considered advertising or promotional.
3. Check for copyright violations
Sometimes people create pages for themselves but don’t follow the other rules laid out in this article. If a company decides to take a similar approach, they may also include copyrighted images or information from another source without permission. To avoid being accused of plagiarism. Make sure all images come from the public domain or have been uploaded by Wikimedia Commons users who have given their permission for others to use them.
4. Learn how to format your page correctly
When you’re done writing your article, there are a few different ways that you can format it. You can start by creating your page in either HTML or markdown. From there, you can add different formatting elements, such as images and tables.
Finally, you should check to see if the article has been categorized correctly. This ensures that people looking for related content are able to find yours more easily. To do this, type {{Categorize}} at the bottom of the page after you’ve finished writing it. Then go to Wikipedia’s category section and put the full URL into the search bar.
If your article doesn’t have a category already associated with it. Click on one that seems appropriate and then hit “Add”. After doing so, be sure to save your changes before moving on to another article.
Now that you know the basics of how to write for Wikipedia, it’s time to get started! Remember to focus on topics that haven’t been well written about before and make sure all of your information is accurate and from reliable sources. And be sure to check back in the future for more articles about how to improve your writing skills.
