Create and Submit Your First VisiHow.com Article
Edited by Rich, Michael J., Charmed, Maria Quinney and 1 other
Contributing to VisiHow is easy with the built-in editor and provided guidelines. This article teaches how to register for the site and guides you through the steps of creating and submitting your first article.
Instructions
- 1Visit the VisiHow.com web site and begin the sign up process by selecting Create account. Create account is located in the upper left section of the main page.Sign up.
- 2The account creation screen features a "captcha." Simply select the pictures of cats to prove you are a human and then create a user name and password. Supply an email address and your real name if you would like articles attributed personally. Select create account to finish the process.Create profile.
- 3Check the email you created the account with for the confirmation email.Check your email.
- 4Return to VisiHow through the confirmation email. Return to the main page once confirmed.Return to VisiHow.com.
- 5Provide the username and password you selected during account creation then log in to the web site.Provide login credentials.
- 6The article categories rest at the bottom of main page. Browse through the listings and select the main category which interests you.Browse and choose a category.
- 7Articles are easier to write and read when they are about a limited subject. "How to cook an omelet" is better than "How to cook eggs" as many ways to cook eggs exist. A good article provides the steps to perform a single or two very closely related tasks. Writing an article such as "How to tie your shoelaces" could be immense. Instead aim to write "How to tie your shoelaces with a traditional knot." This brings the subject down to a single task and opens the possibility of writing about other types of shoelace knots, e.g. "How to tie your shoelaces with a reef knot."What to write about.
- 8Important: "How to" is automatically amended to any article title by the system. The best article titles are direct and make a succinct point. For example, suppose you wish to write an article about how to bake a single layer chocolate cake. With an article named, "Bake a Single Layer Chocolate Cake" the reader knows exactly what to expect.Create a good article title.
- 9Type the name of your article into the field next to the "Create how to" button.Enter the article title.
- 10Left click the button to create the article and open the editor.Click "Create how to".
- 11As noted in the editor template, the introduction goes between the two single quotes at the top of the article. Two Single quotes, not double quotes.Write an introduction.
- 12If the article you are writing requires tools or ingredients then a list in the introduction may be necessary. You can create a list with the html codes and editor symbols.How to add a materials list.
- 13The html heading codes and formatting of <h#>Tools or Ingredients</h#> are accepted by the editor. Headings levels 4 and 5 look best for list headings. Remember to always begin the heading with <h#> and to end with the closing statement </h#>. The number signs should be replaced with the numbers 1 through 5 depending on which header you wish to use.Headings.
- 14In the editor, bullets are created with the asterisk symbol, "*". Each item in a list should begin with an asterisk. Insert the materials list above the instructions section.Bullets.
- 15Try to keep one instruction per line. Remember that the first sentence of each instruction is represented in bold. A good practice is to make a brief first sentence then to expand upon the concept as necessary after wards. Similar to this entire set of instructions!Write instructions.
- 16Save your work often. Either use the "save page" button at the bottom of the page or copy and paste the entire text into another text editor. Important: When you use "Save page" the wiki will be released to the main page. You can continue to edit the page as updates will be added when the article is refreshed.Save frequently.
- 17Always check grammar and spelling. Microsoft Word and online applications exist which will check your articles for basic spelling and grammar errors. Please use them frequently.Spell and grammar check.
- 18The "Drop files here" bar is useful for adding pictures to your article. Drag and drop files from your computer to the field and the editor will check names and file extensions. If the file is acceptable then select the upload option. The files are now saved on the server.How to add pictures.
- 19Pictures can be easily added to an article once the files have been uploaded.How to place pictures.
- 20Move the cursor to the place within the article where the picture should be.Cursor placement.
- 21The editor will now place the file within the document. The picture placement can be reviewed from the preview page.Select "Insert picture." Return to the uploaded files bar and select "Insert picture" with a left mouse click.
- 22The "Show preview" button offers a glimpse at the finished wiki with any pictures in place but without highlighting. Highlighting is visible only after saving.Always check the preview.
- 23The summary field, which is right below the editor body, should contain a short description of the article.Add a summary.
- 24In the upper right hand corner of every page are three tabs. The edit tab allows you to look at and change any text within the editor. Press the edit tab to open the editor.How to edit an article.
- 25If you make any changes to an article remember to press the "Save page" button. If no changes are made then select "Cancel" which is to the right of the bottom buttons.Save any changes or cancel.
- 26VisiHow.com site administrators reserve the right to remove any content deemed offensive or promoting illegal activities.
- Content that will be removed includes, but is not limited to:
Pornography, adult or mature content, Violent content, Content related to racial intolerance or advocacy against any individual, group or organisation, Excessive profanity, Hacking/cracking content, or any other illegal online or computer activities, Illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia content, Gambling or gambling promotion, Sales of beer or hard alcohol, Sales of tobacco or tobacco-related products, Sales of prescription drug, Sales of weapons or ammunition (e.g. firearms, firearm components, fighting knives, stun guns), Sales of products that are replicas or imitations of designer or other goods, Sales or distribution of coursework or student essays, Content regarding programs which compensate users for clicking ads or offers, performing searches, surfing websites or reading emails, Any other content that is illegal, promotes illegal activity or infringes on the legal rights of others.
Tips Tricks & Warnings
- Learn from other articles. The edit feature is useful for looking at other contributors works. Select the edit tab to see the coding within the editor. Use cancel to close the page without saving.
- Meaningful picture names. Name any uploaded files with meaningful names, e.g. "omelets.jpg" instead of "abg21123.jpg." Meaningful names help anyone else whom may need to edit your article.
- Recent changes. The recent changes page allows a glimpse at any changes taking place on the wiki. This page can help you figure out word counts, reasons for edits, and whom is editing any article on the site.
- Word count equation. An approximation of word count can be derived from the byte count listed on the recent changes page. This operation is performed by dividing the byte count by 6. 6000 bytes is approximately 1000 words.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.
Comments
Article Info
Categories : Author Help
Recent edits by: Maria Quinney, Charmed, Michael J.
