User:Chicagokevin2005
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Hi, Kevin! Let me be the first to welcome you to Wikipedia. One of Wikipedia's policies is to "be bold", so if you see a way to improve a Wikipedia article, don't be afraid to go ahead and edit the page. Another thing that's helpful to know is that you can put a signature at the end of your comments on talk pages by typing four tildes (~~~~). It will be automatically replaced with your username and a datestamp when you save the page.
There are lots of resources and guides for newcomers on Wikipedia, but in my opinion, these are the best ones:
- For a general overview of what Wikipedia is about, see the Five Pillars of Wikipedia. This is a very short summary of all of Wikipedia's policies and principles, and it will give you an idea of what to expect when editing.
- To get started editing, the Tutorial is pretty helpful. It will take you through editing a page, formatting, links and using talk pages to discuss changes to articles. Don't worry too much about being perfect. Very few of us are! Just in case you are not perfect, click here to see how you can avoid making common mistakes.
- If you have a question or problem, you might want to check Wikipedia's Frequently Asked Questions, especially the Very Frequently Asked Questions. This page answers questions like, "How do I create a new article?", "Why am I having trouble logging in?", and "How do I cite Wikipedia?". If you get stuck, there is a New contributors' help page, where experienced Wikipedians can help you out! You can also type
{{helpme}}on your talk page (just click the "edit" tab up top), and someone will show up shortly to answer your questions. - If you're looking for things to do, try the Community Portal. You can collaborate with other editors on topics that interest you, help with copyediting, fight vandalism, and a whole lot more.
I know that's a lot of information to absorb all at once. If you need any help, just let me know! - AdelaMae (t - c - wpn) 08:05, 19 February 2007 (UTC)
