How to Decide Whether to Write for a Wiki

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Think about your personality.

   What type of things interest you.
   
   What do you like to do? There are wikis for many ability levels and topics.
2. 2

   Step 2: Introspect.

   Are there things that you like to do? That you need to do? Some people feel the need to help others, to teach others, to share knowledge, etc. , Wikimediais a good place to start, but there are wikis for many special-interest topics.
   
   For example, if you're a big star wars fan, Wookiepedia might be for you.
   
   If gardening is your passion, search for a garden wiki.
   
   If possible, choose a subject that you can both contribute to and learn from. , As DIY (do it yourself) becomes more popular, so do wikis., Make sure that it's a good 'fit'.
   
   Does it seem like there are things you could contribute? Did the community notice and appreciate your presence, if you tried editing? Does it seem like there is a thriving community and the wiki is active? , Most wikis publish under some sort of a free license, meaning that the material there is copyrighted but published under a license that permits sharing, usually with certain conditions.
   
   If you want your writing to be truly "yours"
   
   a wiki may not be the right place to publish it.
   
   On the other hand, if you don't mind having others share and improve your writing, you can learn many things by posting your writing to a wiki and watching how it changes and expands. , the markup language, the simple code that makes formatting work inside a wiki) and the editing conventions. , All active wikis will have a bit of politics, simply because a diverse group of contributors typically brings a diverse set of opinions.
   
   Policies on a wiki are not static.
   
   They may evolve as needs evolve.
   
   While you shouldn't join a wiki planning to make sweeping changes to the policies, you may be able to suggest improvements as you become a respected and established member of the community.
3. 3

   Step 3: Look online for wikis.

4. 4

   Step 4: Use a search engine for further searches.

5. 5

   Step 5: Look around the wiki once you have found it.

6. 6

   Step 6: Understand how the materials you publish to the wiki are licensed.

7. 7

   Step 7: Learn about the editing process

8. 8

   Step 8: both the methods (e.g.

9. 9

   Step 9: Take a look at the policies of the wiki

10. 10

    Step 10: and decide whether you can work within them.

Detailed Guide

About the Author