WikiHow

What is wikiHow?

wikiHow is a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest how-to manual. With contributions from users, they are able to create a free resource that helps people by offering clear, concise solutions to the problems of everyday life. wikiHow currently contains 30,000+ articles written, edited, and maintained primarily by volunteers.

Who are the administrators?

A full list of wikiHow administrators can be found here.

What do the administrators do?

The wikiHow administrators delete pages which violate policy, block disruptive users, and protect vandalized pages. They also vote in admin elections.

What kind of articles exist on wikiHow?

Articles exist on every subject from how to be popular, to how to open a clam, to how to do laundry. Articles are updated frequently as a user who has experience in a particular area visits.

Is everyone allowed to edit the articles?

Yes, that is the greatest thing about a wiki! You can edit articles anonymously, or sign up and get credit for your work. You can also create anonymously and request articles anonymously.

What is the difference between eHow and wikiHow?

At eHow, the writers are paid for their work. wikiHow is written by volunteers whose only payment is participation in a large and flourishing community.

How do I get started?

Visit here for a how-to on creating a how to article.

How do I contribute to wikiHow?

If you'd like to join the community of people helping build the world's largest how to manual, here are some fun and useful things you can do whenever you have some spare time.

1. Edit an existing page. We believe that every page could be improved, so feel free to edit any page you find. You don't need to ask anyone for permission. The list of new articles is a good place to start since most new articles need multiple contributors to reach their potential.
2. Patrol recent changes wikiHow changes every hour and not all the changes are helpful. You can delete vandalism and other malicious changes by comparing edits by pressing "diff" on all recent changes and then editing appropriately or adding {{stub}}, {{copyedit}}, {{format}}, or {{accuracy}} templates to the pages that need further help. For more information on these tags, visit this Attention page]. For more advanced tags visit the Templates page Mark any acceptable edit as "patrolled".
3. Remove vandalism and nonsense when you find it. Look in the page history of any page to find old, better versions of pages that have been vandalized.
4. Fix a stub. Stubs are incomplete articles that need a little more help to reach their full potential. If you know something about the topic, feel free to make a stub into a useful, full-length article.
5. Copyedit an article. "Copyediting" means fixing spelling and grammar errors, as well as improving the "tone" of an article. If you need to know more about the "how-to voice" and the preferred format for wikiHow articles, check out our Writer's Guide.
6. Answer a request. First check, though! The article might already have been written. Always search wikihow before writing a new article as duplicates are likely to be deleted. Every day, wikiHow members request articles on topics they need help with. If you know how to do anything that other users need to know more about, this is your chance to pitch in and help.
7. Save an article in trouble. Some articles with major problems are listed for deletion. Most of these articles are given a few days before being removed, just in case someone is able to improve them. If you can fix one of these articles, you can save it from being deleted.
8. Re-format an article. Many pages don't begin as clear, concise instructions in the Steps, Tips, Warnings format, but editing can help get them there.
9. Create a new page. Everyone is an expert at something. For example you might know how to make a great lasagna, snowboard through moguls, or make a baby laugh. Feel free to share your unique knowledge with other users by writing an article. Don't worry if your writing isn't perfect as other writers will be able to edit and improve your work.
10. Discuss articles. If you have a comment, concern, or suggestion about an article you read on wikiHow, just click the "Toolbox" and select "Discuss this Page" from the list of options. This takes you to a discussion page, where you can add your feedback.
11. Speak up at the Forums. Use the forums to chat about wikiHow, meet other wikiHow authors, or ask for help on how to use wikiHow.

Tips

• Having a strong community of contributors will help wikiHow succeed. If you believe in the goals of the project, consider doing some of the steps above whenever you can. For quick access to the list of tasks, you can bookmark this page.
• If you need additional help, check out the Help Pages.

Warnings

• It is impossible to stop after writing an article! Be prepared to spend hours on the computer at a time!

Related wikiHows

• How to Act as a wikiHow Admin
• How to Revert Vandalism in wikiHow
• How to Become a wikiHow Admin
• wikiHow Writer's Guide

How do I search wikiHow?

1. Type the KEYWORDS that you wish to find in the textbox provided near the Button saying Search wikiHow.
2. Click the Search wikiHow Button.

What is the history of ehow and wikiHow?

The history of ehow and wikiHow can be found here.

Is there any wikiHow merchandise?

wikiHow memorabilia can be found here. wikiHow wishes it to be known that they make nothing from this shop. It is there only for fun and entertainment.

Some things offered there are shirts, hats, mugs, mousepads, etc.

How is wikiHow related to wikiHowl?

http://www.wikihowl.com collects funny how to articles and makes them available to readers who missed them at original publication on wikiHow. wikiHow does not keep silly how-to articles and deletes them because they are not helpful to those looking for instruction and help.