Dkmarshall

Welcome to Wikinews

Getting started as a contributor How to write an article Pick something current? Use two independent sources? Read your sources before writing the story in your own words?. Do choose a unique title? before you start. Follow Wikinews' structure? for articles, answering as many of who what when where why and how? as you can; summarised in a short, two- or three-sentence opening paragraph. Once complete, your article must be three or more paragraphs. If you need help, you can add {{helpme}} to your talkpage, along with a question, or alternatively, just ask? Use this tab to enter your title and get a basic article template. [RECOMMENDED. Starts your article through the semi-automated {{develop}}—>{{review}}—>{{publish}} collaboration process.]

Welcome! Thank you for joining Wikinews; we'd love for you to stick around and get more involved. To help you get started we have an essay that will guide you through the process of writing your first full article. There are many other things you can do on the project, but its lifeblood is new, current, stories written neutrally. As you get more involved, you will need to look into key project policies and other discussions you can participate in; so, keep this message on this page and refer to the other links in it when you want to learn more, or have any problems. Wikipedia's puzzle-globe logo, © Wikimedia Foundation   Used to contributing to Wikipedia? See here.

All Wikimedia projects have rules. Here are ours. Listed here are the official policies of the project, you may be referred to some of them if your early attempts at writing articles don't follow them. Don't let this discourage you, we all had to start somewhere. The rules and guides laid out here are intended to keep content to high standards and meet certain rules the Wikimedia Foundation applies to all projects. It may seem like a lot to read, but you do not have to go through it all in one sitting, or know them all before you can start contributing. Remember, you should enjoy contributing to the project. If you're really stuck come chat with the regulars. There's usually someone in chat who will be happy to help, but they may not respond instantly.

The core policies Neutral point of view Cite sources Writing an article Content guide Style guide Reviewing articles

Places to go, people to meet Wiki projects work because a sense of community forms around the project. Although writing news is far more individualistic than contributing to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, people often need minor help with things like spelling and copyediting. If a story isn't too old you might be able to expand it, or if it is disputed you may be able to find some more sources and rescue it before it is listed for deletion. There are always discussions going on about how the site could be improved, and your input is of value. Check the links here to see where you can give input to the running of the Wikinews project.

Find help and get involved The Water Cooler The Latest News The Newsroom Articles for deletion Audio Wikinews Recent Changes

Write your first article for Wikinews! Use the following box to help you create your first article. Simply type in a title to your story and press "Create page". Then start typing text to your story into the new box that will come up. When you're done, press "save page". That's all there is to it! It is recommended you read the article guide before starting. Also make sure to check the list of recently created articles to see if your story hasn't already been reported upon.

-- Wikinews Welcome (talk) 16:04, 29 October 2013 (UTC) {{helpme}} I need help making wikinews shorts. Dkmarshall (talk) 01:07, 12 February 2014 (UTC)

Hi, Dkmarshall. (I set the {{helpme}} template up as a transclusion rather than subst'ing it in, btw; much more compact this way, and when the item is taken care of we can easily disable it by inserting "tl|" into the front of the template call.)

Shorts are an unusual form of article, nowadays. The usual basic format is illustrated by UK Wikinews Shorts: July 8, 2013, which looks like it's probably the only example from 2013.

There should really be at least three items for a shorts article, though occasionally a shorts article has ended up published with just two because it was possible for two to pass review while a third got cut in order not to hold up the others. Each of the individual items is one or two paragraphs, which is shorter than the minimum length for a standalone article (a standalone article has to be at least three paragraphs, and its total content equivalent to at least three medium-sized paragraphs though it doesn't have to be distributed that way). One might think this would make a shorts article easier to write, but no. It's really a rather difficult form, which is why it's not often used.

Each item has to have two independent sources, just as a standalone article about that item would. There should be a lede; and the section heading for the item is its headline. The amount of effort it takes to collect two sources, and write a headline, lede, and perhaps one more paragraph, for a news item is actually not all that much less than what it takes to write a minimal standalone article for the item; nor is it all that much less effort to review the item than it would be to review a minimal standalone article. So, multiply that by three and it's a good deal of work to write and a good deal to review. --Pi zero (talk) 01:47, 12 February 2014 (UTC)

I started a page earlier and now I can't edit find it. How do I find work that I have edited? Dkmarshall (talk) 06:27, 12 February 2014 (UTC)

Hi. See Special:MyContributions, linked as 'contributions' next to your username at the right top of the page; you may be looking for User:Dkmarshall/Wikinews Shorts: Febuary 11, 2014. --Gryllida 08:39, 12 February 2014 (UTC)

Thanks, I made a wikinews short for February 11, 2014. Is there anyway someone could take a look at it and offer me some suggestions? Dkmarshall (talk) 20:59, 12 February 2014 (UTC)