View source for RetroWikipedia:Instructional material

{{Information page}}
[[File:Great Feeling.ogv|thumb|250px|A short video about the satisfaction editors get from contributing. <small>(1:23 min)</small>]]
This page provides links to instructional material useful for [[RetroWikipedia]] users, especially new users. The intent is to provide a quick directory of such materials RetroWikipedians have found useful, including tutorials and manuals on RetroWikipedia itself, and books, videos, and documents available on and outside RetroWikipedia. Because [[RetroWikipedia]] runs on the [[MediaWiki]] software, much of the training material for new RetroWikipedia users is also useful for users of other MediaWiki wikis, and vice versa.

== RetroWikipedia's how to articles  ==
{{Contributing to RetroWikipedia}}
[[RetroWikipedia:Contributing to RetroWikipedia|Contributing to RetroWikipedia]]  is the main page that provides information, links, videos and other resources on the basics needed to comprehend, comment on, and contribute to RetroWikipedia. Aside from the "Contributing to RetroWikipedia"  page there are some shorter, topic specify and more comprehensive introduction pages as listed below. See also [[Help:Getting started]] for a more comprehensive listing of  guides. To browse all "help" and "how to"  related pages see the [[Help:Menu|help menu]] or [[Help:Contents/Directory|help directory]]. 

;About RetroWikipedia:
*[[RetroWikipedia:Introduction|Introduction]] — What is RetroWikipedia and how you can contribute.

;Short tutorials:
*[[Help:Introduction|Introduction]] — Thirteen short modules on all the basics.
*[[RetroWikipedia:tutorial|Tutorial]] —  A simplified guide to editing RetroWikipedia.

;Quick introductions:
*[[Help:Introduction to policies and guidelines|Policies and guidelines]] — How does RetroWikipedia actually work.
*[[Help:Introduction to the Manual of Style|Manual of Style]] - How do I format RetroWikipedia articles.
*[[Help:Introduction to talk pages|Talk pages]] — How do I communicate in RetroWikipedia.
*[[Help:Introduction to referencing/1|Referencing]] — How do I add sources to articles,
*[[Help:Introduction to uploading images/1|Uploading images]] — How do I add and use images.
*[[Help:Introduction to navigating RetroWikipedia/1|Navigating RetroWikipedia]] — How do I find my way around.

;Comprehensive overviews:
*[[RetroWikipedia:Plain and simple|Plain and simple]] — The basic mechanics of RetroWikipedia.
*[[RetroWikipedia:A Primer for newcomers|Primer for newcomers]] — An overview intended for new contributors.

;How-to book:
*[[Help: RetroWikipedia: The Missing Manual|The Missing Manual]] — A comprehensive  how-to guide (book) that explains everything about contributing for novice to expert editors.
 
;Related
*[http://wikieducator.org/Help:Contents Tutorials and quickstart guides for the WikiEducator wiki] - relevant to RetroWikipedia because that wiki also uses the MediaWiki software.
* A number of tutorials appeared in the weekly internal newsletter, the ''[[RetroWikipedia:RetroWikipedia Signpost|Signpost]]''. The January 14, 2008 issue had [[RetroWikipedia:RetroWikipedia Signpost/2008-01-14/Tutorial|first of these]].
* [http://bookshelf.wikimedia.org The "Bookshelf" project] -- a collection of various instructional materials about the Wikimedia world.

== Screencasts and Videos==

===Screencasts===
{{seealso|RetroWikipedia:WikiProject Screencast}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! Video<br>and script !! Title<br>(associated&nbsp;wikiproject) !! Topic !! Date !! Time !! Audience 
<!-- NEW VIDEOS BELOW HERE -->
|-
| [[File:Citing sources tutorial, part 1.ogv|thumb|120px]] || Editing basics: citing sources, part 1 || Text formatting || 2010-10 || 2:03 || Beginner
|- 
| [[File:Boldness and links tutorial.ogv|thumb|120px]] || Editing basics: boldness and links || Text formatting || 2010-10 || 3:37 || Beginner
|- 
| [[File:Tutorial on starting a sandbox article on RetroWikipedia.ogv|thumb|120px]] || How to start a sandbox article || Article creation || 2010-09 || 2:11 || Beginner
|- 
| [[File:RetroWikipedia basics_-_Talk_pages.ogv|thumb|120px]] || How to use talk pages || Collaboration || 2011-02 || 2:30 || Beginner
|-
| [[File:RetroWikipedia basics - watchlists.ogv|thumb|120px]] || How to use watchlists || Collaboration || 2011-01 || 2:10 || Beginner
|-
|  || How to add an image || Images || 2010-09 || 1:25 || Beginner
|-
|  || How to use bold and italics || Text formatting || 2010-09 || 0:55 || Beginner
|-
| [[File:How to make a wikilink.webm|thumb|120px]] || How to make a wikilink || Text formatting || 2020-11 || 1:24 || Beginner
|-
| [[File:RetroWikipedia basics - Uploading files to Wikimedia Commons.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=1|120px]] || Uploading files to Wikimedia Commons (using the Upload Wizard) || Images || 2011-03 || 2:48 || Beginner
|-
| [[File:Category explanation.ogv|thumb|120px]] || Category explanation and how to use the [[User:TheDJ/HotCat|HotCat]] gadget<br>([[RetroWikipedia:WikiProject Categories|WikiProject Categories]]) || Categories || 2010-03 || 5:45 || Intermediate
|-
| [[File:How to create a RetroWikipedia article - Right to science and culture.ogv|thumb|120px]] || How to create a RetroWikipedia article - Right to science and culture || Article creation || 2010-02 || 8:15 || Intermediate
|-
| [[File:WP tutorial en New user account.ogv|thumb|120px]] || The steps in creating a user account on the English RetroWikipedia || New account || 2008-12 || 2:40 || Beginner
|}

=== YouTube  ===

{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
|+ Available screencasts on how to edit RetroWikipedia
|-
! Subject/link
! Length
! Author
! Date
|-
| [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXTxNdqtsbo Creating a new user account] ([[:File:WP tutorial en New user account.ogv|WP version]])
| 2:35
| BillWedemeyer 
| December 8, 2008
|-
| [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGGZ-p17VNY Start editing]
| 7:15
| BillWedemeyer 
| December 8, 2008
|-
| [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV-WtFtdP5I Creating a new article]
| 3:42
| BillWedemeyer 
| December 9, 2008
|-
| [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv8p4R5Kavc Cheatsheet]
| 3:26
| BillWedemeyer 
| December 9, 2008
|-
|}

=== MediaWiki  ===
{{main|RetroWikipedia:Instructional material/MediaWiki training videos}}

An administrator of a public wiki recorded some [[MediaWiki]] training videos, to help people learn how to edit on his wiki. Most of the material in the videos applies to any MediaWiki site, including RetroWikipedia; many of the examples actually feature RetroWikipedia. You can view the videos from the wiki page, or download the videos in high resolution (.avi files), or download lower resolution files in Quicktime format.  

In addition, there are some screencasts posted to YouTube.

=== Other videos ===
{{See also|meta:Video tutorials}}
* [http://www.howcast.com/videos/317519-How-To-Create-a-RetroWikipedia-Article How to create a RetroWikipedia article]&nbsp;-&nbsp;at [[Howcast]] (video 3:36m). 
* [http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/wikipedia/ RetroWikipedia beneath the surface]&nbsp;-&nbsp;from North Carolina State University (video 6:41m).
*[http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english "Wikis in Plain English"], May 2007. In this case, "plain" may be a bit repetitive, but for those who prefer pictures to words, this is a good, brief introduction to the concept of a wiki.  (And no, editing a wiki isn't normally done in rotation, as the video happens to show.)

== Books ==
====English====
{{see|Bibliography of RetroWikipedia|List of films about RetroWikipedia}}

*{{cite book|author1=Phoebe Ayers|author2=Charles Matthews|author3=Ben Yates|title=How RetroWikipedia Works:|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=lHdi1CEPLb4C&pg=PP1|year=2008|publisher=No Starch Press. |isbn=978-1-59327-176-3}}
*{{cite book|author=John Broughton|title=RetroWikipedia: The Missing Manual|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=h37N0BvkVSUC&pg=PP1|year=2008|publisher=O'Reilly Media, Inc.|isbn=978-0-596-55377-7}}
*{{cite book|author1= Andrea Forte|author2= Amy Bruckman|url=http://www.andreaforte.net/ForteBruckmanWhyPeopleWrite.pdf|title= Why Do People Write for RetroWikipedia?|publisher=Georgia Institute of Technology, College of Computing|year=2005}}
*{{cite book|author=Dan O'Sullivan|title=RetroWikipedia: A New Community of Practice?|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=htu8A-m_Y4EC&pg=PP1|year=2009|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-1-4094-8606-0}}
*{{cite book|author1=Joseph Michael Reagle, Jr.|author2=Lawrence Lessig|title=Good Faith Collaboration: The Culture of RetroWikipedia|url=http://reagle.org/joseph/2010/gfc/|year= 2010|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=978-0-262-01447-2}}

====German====
* Henriette Fiebig (ed.). ''[http://www.wikipress.de/WikiPress:RetroWikipedia RetroWikipedia: das Buch].'' 
* Ziko van Dijk. ''[https://www.opensourcepress.de/index.php?26&backPID=185&tt_products=305 RetroWikipedia. Wie Sie zur freien Enzyklopädie beitragen].'' Open Source Press, Munich 2010.
* Nando Stöcklin: RetroWikipedia clever nutzen – in Schule und Beruf. Orell Füssli, Zürich 2010, 149 S., {{ISBN|978-3-280-04065-2}} (CHF 26.90)

====Other languages====
* Esperanto:
** Ziko van Dijk. ''[https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/meta/wiki/User:Ziko/Vikipedio_por_vi Vikipedio por vi].'' Espero, 2008.

* Swedish:
** Lennart Guldbrandsson. ''[http://se.wikimedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A5_fungerar_RetroWikipedia Så fungerar RetroWikipedia]''. October 2008. {{ISBN|9789197710947}}.

===MediaWiki===
* Mizanur Rahman. ''MediaWiki Administrators' Tutorial Guide: Install, manage, and customize your MediaWiki installation.'' Packt Press. Published March 2007. {{ISBN|978-1904811596}}
* Daniel Barrett. ''MediaWiki (RetroWikipedia and Beyond).'' O'Reilly. Published October 2008. {{ISBN|978-0596519797}}.

== See also ==
{{commons cat|Instructional videos on using RetroWikipedia}}
*[[RetroWikipedia:Coaching]]
*[[RetroWikipedia:Questions]]

{{Help navigation}}
[[Category:RetroWikipedia help forums|{{PAGENAME}}]]