Wiki Wiki What

         The Web is always evolving and changing, absorbing new users and booming with new creations. The Web today is all about the usage of social media; social interaction among users on websites is key to a success in the cyber world. Users being able to interact with other users worldwide is simply amazing. User interactment is very important in this high tech world. Web 2.0 can be accredited for the interactive Web. Web 2.0 was the start of computers being used as a tool to connect, not just as a tool for research. Web 2.0 was a remarkable shift from Web 1.0. Web 2.0 was the introduction to the power of collaboration, a prime example of that being Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia created and edited by users around the world. After Wikipedia came the creation of wikiHow, an up and coming website that is also used worldwide.

         For those who are unaware, wikiHow is an online community consisting of how-to guides, founded in 2005 by Internet entrepreneur Jack Herrick. The idea of the website is to create helpful how-to instructions to allow people worldwide to learn how to do just about everything imaginable. You can become a DIY (do it yourself) master of anything after reading one of wikiHows 180,000 published articles. Wiki users can bookmark articles to read and use later and can also browse through featured articles that are changed daily. The types of articles range from; learning first aid, learning how to cook, learning about fitness, learning how to do something as simple as walking your dog, and learning how to do something as wild as learning how to fly an airplane in an emergency. 

         Creating a wikiHow account is a rather simple process, you just hit “create account,” and it’s an easy step by step process from there. Within seconds after creating an account new users are greeted with a message from one of the many editors welcoming you to the site.

         The majority of wikiHow users design how-to guides for their own pleasure, but it is also possible for wikiHows to get assigned as an assignment for school. First students need to pick a topic, after doing such they need to make sure the topic isn’t taken and is available. After picking a topic, students should make a thorough outline with an intro, steps, warnings, tips, and pictures. The topic you decide to write your wikiHow about must be original and something you have a lot of knowledge on seeing that you are teaching readers about something they likely have never done before. Details must be very specific, pictures and links to other websites are very helpful, it all giving readers a clear image as to what they should be doing. Internal links within wikiHow are also helpful because they are step-by-step with informative details that also benefit other wikiHow users.

         Creating your first wikiHow article on the other hand is a bit of a stressful process. Creating a post greatly deals with coding, a skill learned and perfected at the completion of your first article. To code something means to use specific symbols and letters that break down the article into proper sections. There are certain codes for spacing, headings, steps, numbering, and bullets. Every website has different procedures to follow, wikiHow having their own. Coding can be difficult, but once one gets the hang of it, it becomes a repetitive breeze. Luckily there are wikiHows that teach users how to properly code an article. Another thing users must remember to do when writing their first wikiHow is to make sure all pictures are copyrighted, whether they are your own or someone else’s, they must be accredited for because images are heavily monitored for copyright by admins.
         It is seriously crucial that users are saving all of the work that they are doing on their wikiHows to Word documents because sometimes wikis don’t update properly even though you’re hitting that update button. This way users are ensured that the work they have been investing so much time into doesn’t get erased.  It is also important to be saving your work along the way because once you hit the publish button, admins can alter your work or in some cases remove it entirely, which is why it is important to back up your work.
         After completing your wikiHow and rereading it, making sure everything is perfect and up to wiki standards, comes the nerve wracking final step; hitting publish. Hitting publish can be rather nerve racking because admins attack your published page within seconds with comments, changes, and questions. The administrators are there to give users positive feedback that will only improve ones work and make the site easier to use in general. Wikihow users should appreciate the professional feedback and edit the suggested changes to fit the rules and regulations of the site in order for the article to get published. 

         Personally experiencing publishing a wikiHow page was indeed a learning experience, there were many stressful moments where confusion was felt. Being a Communication studies major, completing this assignment felt very fitting to what people in the degree that I am obtaining would have to do outside of school. Creating a wikiHow page would be a beneficial learning experience for anyone, especially people involved in majors that entail the use of social media and mass media.  When entering the workforce, one will be faced with tasks and projects that they know little to nothing on, which is why creating a wiki would indeed be a useful learning experience. 

         WikiHow is arguably the greatest how-to guide to everything. WikiHow enables users to become an expert on the topic of their choosing. After successfully completing a wikiHow, users will gain useful knowledge on coding and the use of internal links; useful skills they’ll likely use in their field of work. Although the creation of wikiHows requires a great deal of patience and trial runs, the feeling of accomplishment after the completion of your page is a great feeling.

Link to my wikiHow.