View source for Help:Introduction to Wikipedia

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|title = '''Introduction to contributing to Wikipedia'''
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Wikipedia is a [[free content|free]] [[encyclopedia]], written [[wiki|collaboratively]] by the [[Wikipedia:Who writes Wikipedia?|people who use it]]. Since 2001, it has grown rapidly to become the world's largest reference website, with {{#expr:{{formatnum:{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}|R}}/10^6 round1}}{{nbsp}}million articles in English attracting <span class="plainlinks">[https://stats.wikimedia.org/#/en.wikipedia.org billions]</span> of views every month. For a more detailed account of the project, see '''[[WP:About|About Wikipedia]]'''.</div>

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===How you can contribute===
[[File:10 sharing book cover background.jpg|290px|alt=A 3D-printed Wikipedia globe being held in someone's hands|right]]

'''[[WP:Be bold|Don't be afraid to edit]]''' – <em>Anyone</em> can edit [[Wikipedia:Protection policy|almost]] every page; just find something that can be improved and make it better! You can add [[Help:Introduction to editing with VisualEditor/1|content]] (using [[Help:Introduction to referencing with VisualEditor/1|references]] to support your claims), upload free-to-use [[Help:Introduction to images with VisualEditor/1|images]], correct spelling and grammar mistakes, improve prose to make it more readable, or help with [[WP:Task Center|any number of other tasks]]. It's normal for new contributors to feel a little overwhelmed by all of our [[Help:Introduction to policies and guidelines/1|policies]], but don't worry if you don't understand everything at first; it's fine to use common sense as you edit, and if you accidentally mess something up, another editor can always fix or improve it later. So go ahead, edit an article and help make Wikipedia the world's best information source!

'''[[WP:Talk page guidelines|Suggest improvements]]''' – Each article also has a [[Help:Introduction_to_talk_pages/1|"Talk" page]], where you can suggest improvements and corrections to the article.

'''[[wmf:Donate|Donate]]''' – Wikipedia is free to use and edited entirely by [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia is a volunteer service|volunteers]], but it relies on donations to keep the servers running. Please consider donating to help fund the project's maintenance and development costs.

[[File:The Impact Of Wikipedia.webm|thumb|thumbtime=0:14|280px|right|Get to know some members of Wikipedia's diverse, enthusiastic community.]]

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===Sign up for an account===
You're welcome to edit anonymously, but there are many [[WP:Why create an account?|benefits of registering an account]]. It's quick and free.

{{clickable button 2|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Help%3AIntroduction+to+Wikipedia|Sign up}}

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===Why not try out the editor right now?===
You can test out how editing feels by editing one of the "sandbox" test pages below:

{{If IP
|{{Clickable button 2|Help:Introduction/IP sandbox|Edit page visually}} or {{Clickable button 2|Help:Introduction/IP sandbox|Edit using wiki markup}}
|{{Clickable button 2|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:MyPage/Sample_page&veaction=edit&preload=Help:Introduction/main_sandbox&summary=Creating%20sandbox|Edit page visually}} or {{Clickable button 2|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:MyPage/Sample_page&action=edit&preload=Help:Introduction/main_sandbox/preload&summary=Creating%20sandbox&editintro=Help:Introduction/main_sandbox/preload/editintro|Edit using wiki markup}}
}}

Just type some text and click {{Button|{{int:Publishpage}}|bgcolor2=#BBE}} when you're happy with the way it looks. Don't worry about breaking anything; these pages are open areas for experimentation.

===There's plenty more behind the scenes===
Wikipedia has many community pages in addition to its articles.

'''[[WP:Task Center|Task Center]]'''&nbsp;– List of tasks with which you can help<br>
'''[[Help:Contents|Help pages]]'''&nbsp;– Support and advice<br>
'''[[WP:Community portal|Community portal]]'''&nbsp;– The hub for editors<br>
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[[Category:Wikipedia basic information]]
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