Wikipedia:Tutorial (Registration)
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Welcome to the Wikipedia Tutorial. This is intended for users who have already learned about Wikipedia through the Introduction and are ready to get started. After reading this series of pages you will gain the basic skills and knowledge you'll need as you become a Wikipedian. For a hands-on tutorial, you can also attend one of our Wikipedia Bootcamps.
Each page will discuss a useful feature of the wiki software, a piece of style and content guidance, information about the Wikipedia community, or important Wikipedia policies and conventions.
Keep in mind that this is a tutorial, not a definitive policy page or an extensive manual. If you want more details, throughout the tutorial there are wiki links to other Wikipedia pages. Those pages have more information on the topics here. If you want to read them as you go along, you might want to open them in a separate window.
There will be links to "sandbox" pages where you can practice what you're learning. Try things out and play around. Nobody will get upset if you mess up an experiment in these practice areas, so play around and see what you can do.
Note: This Tutorial assumes you are using the default page layout. If you are logged in and have changed your preferences, the location of links on the screen may be different.
Ready? OK, let's begin!
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Registration is optional, but encouraged!
Contents |
Registration is optional
Everyone is welcome to contribute to Wikipedia, regardless of whether they choose to register a username or not. However, you must have a registered username in order to create new articles.
There are two main reasons people are encouraged to register:
General benefits
The free account gives you many benefits, including more editing options and user preferences. One handy feature is the watchlist, which makes it easier for you to track changes to pages you are interested in. Another is the ability to move or rename a page. (Do not move pages simply through copying and pasting as the edit history is not preserved that way. Instead, ask at the Village pump for a registered user's help.)
An unregistered user is identified by his or her machine's IP address, which is used as his public identifier when he makes contributions (and signs comments on talk pages). Your computer's IP address can sometimes be used to find information about you, so registering increases your privacy by hiding it. Also, because IP addresses are often non-permanently allocated by DHCP or PPP, unregistered users sometimes find it more difficult to gain respect and recognition from other editors through building a good track record. It can also be more difficult to carry on conversations with such non-registered users since they lack a unique talk page.
Finally, only registered users are allowed to become administrators (AKA sysops). If you register, do not forget your password or your user name.
Perceived benefits
Many Wikipedians consider registering to indicate a greater willingness by you to stand behind your edits, and your comments on discussion pages. This means your contributions to articles and discussion pages will generally be given more weight, at least when you make the entries while logged in.
How to register
To register, or to see more detailed information regarding the benefits of registering, you can click the Log in link at the top right corner of any page.
Continue with the tutorial.
