User talk:Matthew Dale

Welcome!
Congratulations on starting Dinosaur Wiki! It's a brand new project, so it needs a lot of love. Here are five tips to make your wiki great.


 * It's all yours right now -- enjoy it! Once your wiki takes off, lots of people will read what you write. Right now, nobody's looking over your shoulder yet, so feel free to try things out and make mistakes.


 * Make lots of short pages! The hardest thing about writing is looking at a blank page and not knowing where to start. It's a lot easier once you write down your first couple sentences. So take a deep breath, and jump in -- make ten really short pages, one right after another. Once you've started, you can build the pages up slowly, adding a little bit at a time.


 * Link your pages together! Links help you and your readers get from one page to another, so whenever you mention the subject of another page, use the "Add a Link" button to make a link to that page. You should also use the front page to link to all of the most important pages on your wiki. Describe what your wiki is about on the main page, and include links to help your readers find their way around.


 * Add pictures! A well-chosen picture can make a bland wiki page come to life. When you're writing a page, use the "Add a Picture" button to upload a picture from your computer onto the page.


 * When you're ready -- tell your friends! Once you've started a bunch of pages, linked them together and added some pictures, you'll be ready to start showing off your wiki to the world. You probably know people who are interested in the same thing that you are, so tell your friends to check out your new site. Those are your first readers and potential contributors, so give them lots of encouragement.

If you get stuck, write to us through our contact form -- we're happy to help!

Have fun!

-- Catherine Munro