WikiIslam:Message to New Users
This page is to instruct new users at WikiIslam who may not immediately understand how to make appropriate contributions to the site. If you have been directed to this page by a site administrator, this is not optional, but a requirement. So please ensure that you read the entire page and follow instructions accordingly.
Contents
New Users Should:
Visit the "Required Reading" Page
The first thing any user should do at the wiki is visit the "WikiIslam:Required Reading for Editors" page. This page lists several sets of pages users must read before taking part in major discussions or editing. Doing so will help them better understand the site's general approach, what is expected from them as contributors, and will also ensure that discussions do not retread issues that have already been covered or waste additional time by arguing points based on false assumptions. Following the instructions on the "WikiIslam:Required Reading for Editors" page is a must for anyone who is seriously considering becoming an editor or contributing to the site in any meaningful way.
Limit Early Contributions to Sandboxes
In order to become a regular editor, you should understand what the site is all about and the approach that is taken for criticism of Islam. Content added directly to WikiIslam main spaces must be of very high quality, and reviewing these additions can be very time-consuming for established editors. Therefore (excluding minor edits and corrections), new users should not edit or create main space articles until they demonstrate good judgement and the ability to make positive contributions, upon which they will receive the Editor or Reviewer user right. Until then, they should restrict any significant edits and page creations to user spaces and sandboxes. Articles in these spaces are not indexed by search engines and do not necessarily have to abide by guidelines (unless there are serious issues involved, such as clear examples of bigotry). Thus, they allow new users the freedom to work on content in any way they like. Even unfinished content or vague ideas contained within these pages can be of use to the site and is very much appreciated (e.g. other editors may use the material in the future and incorporate it into the main content of the site).
Additional Notes
With the exceptions of translations, "completed" content written by new editors should not exceed 30KB (page history shows the size). This helps existing editors to review your content and make sure it complies with guidelines before any more new work is done. And, naturally, new users are always welcome to ask for feedback, related to any temporary or sandbox content they have created, on the relevant Discussions page.
