Who this book is for:
Anyone who wants to post a new entry on Wikipedia and shepard it through the process will find this book to be a valuable contribution to this open concept repository of knowledge. If you are a frequent user of Wikipedia and have a desire to know more about how the entries came to be, then this book will also give you insight and some technical tips to maximize your efforts. Finally, this book will also be of interest to those of you who wish to put their fist through their monitor after having come upon totally inappropriate pages or other entries with glaring errors and omissions and thus Wikipedia: The Missing Manual will also help you edit and/or flag problem pages.
Overall:
Wikipedia in fact has been missing a manual and if you have ever tried to muddle through their on line documentation you will quickly discover why a huge percentage of pages (according to many media stories about Wikipedia) appear to be largely maintained by a smallish group of users. While open to one and all, you may soon find that beyond some basic editing of existing entries, Wikipedia isn’t entirely a user-friendly experience. Wikipedia: The Missing Manual gives great step-by-step directions on the technical stuff and some insight into the duties, responsibilities and culture of being a Wikipedia editor.
You’re not alone. - Creating and editing an entry on Wikipedia does require one to be open to the input of others like the general public who will find your pages, and the other Wikipedia editors. If you are going to contribute to Wikipedia then you will be required to collaborate with others and it helps to know the ground rules and expectations of that process.
It’s not HTML - People with a smattering of basic HTML knowledge are surprised when they first try to make an edit or correction to a Wikipedia page they have stumbled upon. Wikipedia uses its own special markup text that you’ll have to get the hang of. It’s not rocket science but does require a bit of practice.
In for a penny, in for a pound - It’s one thing to be involved in topic pages that have a particular interest to you but the whole thing is a communal effort. Other entries and editors will benefit from your skills once you finish reading Wikipedia: The Missing Manual. Expect to become a collaborator and mentor to others, as reading this book will make you a pro in short order.
Wikipedia: The Missing Manual is a very useful book.
|
