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There are some people who contribute regularly to Wikimedia projects without having an account themselves. They’re called special contributors.
There are two types of special contributors. Crowd contributors let other users write content in their name, so as not to lose articles or comments due to lack of authoring time. Secured collaborators enable more experienced editors to make contributions with greater security privileges.
Both types of special contributor can add edits to entries directly from the page they get when they log into the site. Some examples include prolific commenters who have lots of experience commenting but don’t want to create an account yet. Or anyone who has read an article thoroughly and made suggestions via edit or comment.
These individuals often provide links to helpful resources or explain weaknesses in arguments that others may have missed. Because of this, established authors prefer to work with them.
They also tend to come up with new ideas and contribute ways to creatively solve problems. This is why it’s important to recognize and encourage these contributors.
Wikipedia has different levels of editing rights, taking into account the reputation of the user as well as his or her past performance in maintaining quality on the website. These are called "levels" (also known as "grades") and are indicated by icons used together with the username.
Wikipedia articles can also be classified according to which category they fall under. Articles fall into one of these categories:
Public domain -- articles in this domain do not require any specific permissions to edit them but we grant temporary anonymity to those who have earned it through multiple contributions.
Article by author
In order to collaborate on content, users can join one of several language communities. Each community has its own standards and guidelines.
There are currently 18 wiki ecosystems, each with their own distinct culture that they have developed over time. By going into more detail, you’ll provide some background information which may help you understand how people edit pages, talk about rules etc.
Some of these communities have been around much longer than others, offering lots of experience in creating good workspaces and conversations. Others were created with the goal of improving certain areas of Wikimedia projects.
Although most wikis are English language versions, there are also dozens of other languages available including many non-Latin scripts. A few examples include Chinese, Bulgarian, Indian, Indonesian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, German and French.
These secondary languages are collectively known as Weblish! They are not officially recognized by Wikipedia, but significant sections of the international editing community use them to communicate. You’re likely to encounter both groups when you start editing articles recently\taken down
The idea for an online encyclopedia that anyone can edit is credited to Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikimedia Foundation (now WikiMedia). In 2004, Wikipeida was founded as a non-profit organization dedicated to allowing everyone to contribute content via the Internet.
In January 2005, it became the first website ever to be purchased by the user community. A year later in February 2006, it was announced that Wikipidia had become the most popular English language wiki website on the internet.
By 2008, with over 200 thousand articles, it surpassed Worldbook Encyclopedia and Bluehost Web Hosting. Today there are more than five million pages of information stored in over 40 languages.
Articles range in topic from science facts, history events, culture, sports, politics, economics, geography and literature to entertainment like music, movies, books, reviews, top 10 lists, and funny memes. There’s also extensive coverage of topics related to health and wellness, technology, and gaming.
Wikipedia users include students, teachers, university researchers, business professionals, homeowners, moms, dads, and people of all ages from across the globe.
