CZ:Getting Started

If this is your very first visit to this wiki, please read this. It's not just about how to get started, it has some do's and don'ts.

If you've never used a wiki before, you should finish reading this page first for an orientation, then make the help page your next stop.

What do you want to do here? You should do precisely what you want to do. Since this is a bottom-up project, there is no one telling you what to work on, when. But here are some ideas:

• Look at the pages that others have been working on, and help out.
• Spruce up the discipline gateway articles found on the front page.
• Some people have been working on a list of articles that are high priority articles for the pilot project. Please have a look.
• Have you seen a Wikipedia article that you always wanted to improve, but couldn't? Well, have at it; the article's here, and the Wikipedians you fought with probably aren't.
• A lot of people work outside of their areas of expertise on Wikipedia. You might actually be more comfortable working within your area in the Citizendium project.

How to make articles live: do's and don'ts. Note: The articles on this wiki are taken from Wikipedia. Some (a very few) we've edited; most we haven't. The ones that we have worked on are called "live." The articles that we haven't worked on are called "refreshable" because we might be refreshing them from time to time with the latest from Wikipedia.

• Do look at the bottom of an article for the "[[Category:CZ live]]" tag to see if it is "live." You can double-check in the page history.
• Don't make changes to a refreshable (non-live) article unless they're significant changes. Don't make an article "live" by making minor edits. Make minor edits only to articles that are already live. (The reason for this is that we want to help ourselves to the latest major edits that Wikipedia might have made to an article.)
• If you change an article, do add "[[Category:CZ live]]" to the bottom of the article. That makes it show up on the list of articles we've changed. That way we keep track of what we've done. (Later, that list will be constructed automatically.)

Make your user page. We think it's only polite to let other people know who they're dealing with. So, when you get a chance, edit your user page (a link to it will be up at the top of the page) and say a little about yourself. User pages should be limited to only the following sorts of information:

• Biographical information (your education, interests, etc.).
• Articles you have started or are watching.
• "To do" lists.
• Other helpful notes directly of personal use to you in your work on the Citizendium.
• Editors require further information--a link to CV-type information and a list of your areas of expertise. See User:Gareth Leng for an example (sorry to put on the spot there Dr. Leng :-) ).

Here are a few hints.

• This is an "alpha" pilot project, which means that things might break occasionally. Don't let that freak you out. Just ask questions if you're curious.
• Be bold in updating pages! Don't be shy!
• Want to discuss general policy, get help, etc.? Don't do that here on the wiki except about particular articles (use the "discussion" tab). Instead, join Citizendium-L and, if you're an editor, Citizendium-Editors (you should already be subscribed, actually, if you accepted our invitation).

Policy See CZ:Citizendium Policy Outline

Mailing lists and forums

Why we're doing this (inspirational)

Next stop?

If you've never used a wiki before, then make the help page your next stop.

If you have, dive in! Right now!