Help:Contributor Help

Getting Started as a New Contributor
Welcome! Thank you for your willingness to come and contribute your knowledge to help genealogists everywhere find their ancestors.

The following will help you get started (click the links to learn more about each item):


 * Register for an account (you may already have one if you use other FamilySearch.org or LDS.org web sites)
 * Select your e-mail settings in the Wiki preferences so other community members can collaborate with you.
 * Edit your User page to tell others a little about yourself.
 * Take the Wiki Tour or visit a Live Community Meeting to learn more about how the Wiki works
 * Review the links below to learn to share what you know, or join an ongoing project

The Family Search Wiki is a collaborative community effort. Your contributions are welcome on every page.

Editing

 * Basic editing (see demo)
 * Basic: Copy and paste into a wiki page
 * Help: The Editing Tool
 * Simple edits you can make
 * Advanced editing
 * Advanced editing with Wikitext
 * Advanced: Copy documents into the wiki

Images

 * Basic: Submit images (see demo)
 * Basic: Add images to a page
 * Upload images

Linking

 * Adding Links (see demo)
 * Advanced linking

Creating and Naming Pages

 * Basic page naming
 * Renaming a page
 * Adding a page to the correct namespace
 * Creating a page (see demo)
 * Creating a new linked page
 * Creating an un-portal page
 * Redirecting a page
 * Splitting articles

Watching Pages

 * Watch page changes

Categorization

 * How to categorize pages
 * Guided practice for adding categories
 * Advanced categorization
 * Browse existing categories

Citing Sources

 * How to add citations
 * Sources consulted but not referenced

Templates

 * A quick guide to templates
 * Help: Templates
 * Maintenance templates
 * Contributor userboxes

Tables

 * Basic tables
 * Advanced tables
 * Copy spreadsheets into the wiki

Community Projects

 * Projects Seeking Contributors

Community Meetings

 * Community Meetings -  Learn about all the meetings currently going on around the Wiki.


 * Genealogists Helping Newbies
 * Genealogists Helping Genealogists
 * Wiki Contributors Meeting
 * Technical Meeting

Forums

 * Research -  Ask your general or specific research questions of Family Search genealogists.
 * Contributor's Corner  -  Participate in Wiki decision making, vote in polls concerning policy, format and other issues, and discuss relevant topics.
 * Feedback and Suggestions -  Have a great suggestion to help make the Wiki better ?  Want to give feedback on the Wiki operation, governance or design ?   This is the place to do it.
 * Technical Support -  This is where you ask those "why did this happen" or "why didn't this work" type questions.

Avoiding Disputes

 * How to discuss page changes

Languages

 * Languages

Wiki Governance

 * Contributor Guidelines
 * Volunteer as a Wiki moderator
 * Wiki Teaching Aids