#1
/ February 16, 2009 / 1:41 min.
Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia where anyone can be an author. Did you know that there are over 7,500 different varieties of tomatoes? Well someone did, and they added that fact to the Wikipedia page about tomatoes. There are thousands of Wikipedia pages written about any topic you can think of and they can be changed for correctness as well as updated to include up to date facts. Wikipedia is a place for you to share your knowledge and a place for you to learn something from all of the fascinating articles already published to the site.
#2
/ February 17, 2009 / 1:36 min.
So you really want to learn everything there is about the common honey bee? Well, thankfully there's an article all about it on Wikipedia. You can find articles on just about anything you can think of. You'll see photos, graphs, and links to external Websites, which leads you to even more information. Searching for articles on Wikipedia can turn into an adventure!
#3
/ February 18, 2009 / 2:06 min.
When you look at a Wikipedia article for the first time, it may seem like there is just too much information to take in. Besides the main article (which is probably what you were looking for to begin with) there is also a section for a discussion about the article, a section that shows all of the revisions that have been made to the page and, of course, a section where you can edit the page. It's not as confusing as it seems and in this episode I'll tell you what it all means.
#4
/ February 19, 2009 / 1:54 min.
Editing a Wikipedia article is not as simple as you may first think. When making changes to an article you may need to include sources of where you got your information, add links to other articles and be sure that your additions or changes are useful. This, of course, is to ensure that the information people are getting from Wikipedia is correct and balanced, and not just one person's opinion. Thankfully, there's an area on Wikipedia called the "sandbox" where you can practice writing and editing Wikipedia pages without worry of making a mistake that everyone will see.
#5
/ February 20, 2009 / 2:11 min.
Wikipedia has a lot of content, but it doesn't have it all. If there is a subject you're well versed in, or if you happen to know a person of importance, you can create a Wikipedia article that others can add to in the future. Just make sure your new Wikipedia page has a lot of content and references or sources, otherwise it's likely that it will be deleted as lacking research and therefore, being unreliable.
#6
/ February 23, 2009 / 2:11 min.
As a registered Wikipedia user, you can create your very own Wikipedia profile page. You can add information about yourself like what you do for fun, where you work, and even add links to your own blog or website. Creating a Wikipedia page for yourself works just like creating or editing a regular Wikipedia page, so it's great practice. Other Wikipedia users can add things to your page and you can do the same to theirs. It's a fun way to get used to using Wikipedia and share things about yourself with the community at the same time.
#7
/ February 24, 2009 / 2:04 min.
The Wikipedia homepage has a lot of interesting and useful information. You'll find current events, random facts and "on this day" articles. There is also a new featured article everyday, so you never know what to expect. The main page is also where you can navigate to various parts of Wikipedia. There are different languages available and links to Wikipedia's sister sites like Wiktionary, Wikinews, and Wikiquote.
#8
/ February 25, 2009 / 2:31 min.
If you've taken the time to set up your very own Wikipedia account, then you should probably dive right into your preferences and make Wikipedia look and work the way you want it to. Don't like the way the articles are displayed? Change the theme! Want more out of your Wikipedia account? Add gadgets! There's more than meets the eye here, so don't be afraid to poke around and change things up.
#9
/ February 26, 2009 / 1:33 min.
If you participate in the discussion portion of Wikipedia, then you'll love the "My Talk" section. Here, you'll see everything you've posted and if someone has replied to your posts. This section can also be edited just like any other Wikipedia page. There is also a section called your Watchlist where you can keep your eye on any Wikipedia page that you want. If you want to know if someone has added or changed something about an article, just add it to your watchlist and you'll see the changes on your Watchlist.
#10
/ February 27, 2009 / 3:00 min.
There's a lot to learn about Wikipedia, but thankfully, there's plenty of help right on the website, whenever you need it. Whether you forgot how to change your password or if you want to learn more about creating and editing Wikipedia articles, it's all right here. In fact, there are multiple ways to find the help you need. There's a help-desk, a cheat-sheet, advice, and lots of other users questions to look at. You just need to know where to look.
about Working with Wikipedia 101

The world's preeminent community encyclopedia and the site that brought the "wiki" to the main stage, Wikipedia needs no introduction.
While we've all happened upon the site in our surfing, there's much more to Wikipedia than just encyclopedia articles. Molly McDonald, AKA Demo Girl, explains.