Help:Getting Started

Welcome!

Thanks for your interest! We're delighted to have you here.

Here are a few things to get you going:

• Create an account for yourself here. It's very simple, all you need is a valid email address.

• If you are new to Wikipedia, it's a bit different than anything else you might be used to. We have some basic examples of Wikipedia markup at Wikitext Examples. There are links to more detailed, general Wikipedia help on the Help:Contents Help page.

• Even if you are familiar with Wiki, please take a moment to look over the Conventions page. It explains a bit about the format we've adopted for the Wiki (historical as opposed to literary) and some general style guidelines.

• If you aren't sure what articles need to be created or developed, look for two things: red links, which is a link to a page that doesn't yet exist, or check out Articles to be Expanded for some ideas.

• If you aren't sure if a subject has an article yet, check out the A-Z Index.

• If you are unsure, need help, or would like some ideas about the best way to spend your time, leave a note on the discussion page (either here, or on the main page), with your interests and thoughts, and we'll be happy to give you some ideas!

• In addition to working on articles, we need help developing the Help system, and in locating public domain maps and art that we might use. We could also definitely use a CSS/HTML designer and an artist! Leave a note if you can help in any of these areas.

Thank you so much for participating!