Minnesota Local History Workshops

Wiki Uff da! - Editing Wikipedia for Absolute Beginners

Wikipedia for absolute beginners.

Oh, you know, if it isn't just the most basic workshop ever needed, "Wikipedia Editing for Absolute Beginners" for those who haven't had the pleasure of diving into that simple process quite yet. Bless their hearts, they're just starting out, so we thought, why not put something together? Because, you know, it's not like it's rocket science or anything, but hey, we're always happy to lend a hand where we can. And just a little bit of Minnesota Nice to help along the way. 'Uff da!' you say? Well editing the Wikipedia is not hard at all!

Whether you're curious about how information gets added to Wikipedia or want to find new ways to share your community's history, this workshop will boost your confidence in editing the world's largest encyclopedia.

In the workshop, you'll learn how to edit Wikipedia, use its editing tools, understand its rules and culture, and learn about Wikipedia's sister sites, Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata.

If you're already good at editing Wikipedia, you're welcome to come and improve your skills by working on Wikipedia articles alongside others.

Learn how to edit Wikipedia, share your community's local history, show relevancy, and promote your museum/organization!

Fee: Cost is Free, and lunch is provided. Registration is required.
Questions? Email Joe Hoover at joe.hoover@mnhs.org.

Workshop Agenda:

  • 11 am to 12:30 pm - Presentation
  • 12:30 to 1 pm - Lunch
  • 1 to 4 pm - Editing Wikipedia articles - (Leave after lunch or stay on to edit)

Date and location

Register

Details

While laptops can be provided, we encourage you to bring your own laptop and power cord. You can request a laptop for use in your registration. Attendees will be asked to pick a Wikipedia article on a local community place, such as a township or a city, to edit and add information on its history.

The Library and other resources will be on hand for research; however, consider bringing your own local history books and news articles relevant to the Wikipedia article you are interested in editing to use as sources for research.

Library resources will be on hand for research; however, consider bringing books and news articles relevant to the article you are interested in editing to use as sources.

These workshops are part of the Minnesota Historical Society's commitment to the Minnesota local history community and are led by Local History Services.

The workshop will be led by Joe Hoover, Digital Technology Outreach Specialist for the Minnesota Historical Society and an editor on Wikipedia for over 17 years. Hoover will guide everyone through the process, and demonstrate how easy it is to edit and share information.