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.

• Once you've created an account, click here to activate it. This page also has instructions on checking how to see if you've been activated. You should be activated in no more than 24 hours (generally, it will be much more quickly).

• 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're looking for help in a few specific areas. Visit Help Wanted for more information.

One thing we want to emphasize is that it's not necessary to be an "expert" on the books to contribute here. If you are willing to look things up if you don't know them, that's all it really takes. It might help to have digital versions of the books, if you don't mind the cost (available here - search for Novik.) All of the available eBook formats are full-text searchable, and being able to search makes finding things easier. They also support notetaking. Adobe Reader is probably the simplest to use and the most familiar.

Thank you so much for participating!