Writing a wikiHow page can be very enjoyable and
fulfilling, but at the same time it can be difficult and tedious. There are
many different ways in which people can use different types of communication in
order to make their wiki. People use photos, information from another wiki,
personal experience and step by step instructions. It is very important that
the appropriate forms of communication are used while making a wiki page
because if the information is hard to understand or not clearly expressed, the
whole point of the wiki page is lost.
As with anything in life, it seems to be easier with
step by step instructions. A good example of step by step instructions making
things easier is when people buy furniture or decorations. Chairs, Christmas
trees, ping pong tables and TV stands are all examples of things that come with
step by step instructions to help people assemble them. Whether the wiki is
about how to make a recipe, perform a task or navigate through life; a step by
step list is always the simplest way to get someone to do something right. When
people are trying to do something, a lot of the difficulty comes from simply
not knowing the steps that they have to do in order to get the task done. The
difficulty isn’t in doing the steps, it is identifying what the steps are. So
when a wiki gives the person the steps, it is often very easy for that person
to accomplish whatever it is that they are trying to do. Even wiki pages such
as “how to survive four years of college” have steps in them. A topic as broad
as that doesn’t really have set steps, and there are a lot of variables present
considering everyone’s life and school is different. However, it is useful to
have a step by step instruction because someone who wants to learn how to
survive college will most likely have no idea where to start! So steps, even if
they apply specifically to that person or not, will help them. It is vitally
important that the steps are very organized and clear so anyone reading them
can do that. Using simple language and short, concise steps is a must.
Personal Experience is even more important that
writing a step by step list about how to do something. Steps are much more
effective if the person who has written them has experienced the task first
hand. In order to teach someone something effectively, the person who is
teaching and making the wiki page must have a background in the topic before
teaching it to someone else! If someone wants to write a wiki on how to take
care of a puppy, it would help a lot if that person has taken care of a puppy
at some point in the past. In terms of actually writing a wiki page, it is a
dangerous slope. The coding that is required for the wiki environment is very
tedious and attention to detail is a must. One misplaced hashtag or comma can
really throw off the presentation of the wiki page. Coding an internet page is
like trying to learn a new language only by listening to natives speak it.
Speaking from experience, choosing a thing that you have had previous
experience doing is a very smart move. If you don’t know anything about Indian
food, then it probably would not be a good idea to make a wiki page about how
to make a spicy curry dish. Think about how hard it would be for a 12 year old
to teach someone how to drive a car correctly, it probably would not go too
well. In order for someone to teach somebody else how to do something, the
teacher will be much better off if they have done it a few times before. It’s
just a fact.
Another thing that is extremely important
when making a wiki page is photographs. Wikihow obviously is an internet
website that allows people to learn things. This means that there is not any
face to face communication between the person who is consuming the information,
and the author of the Wikihow article. So, a Wikihow article without pictures
is like trying to do an oil painting with blackout glasses on. It just isn’t
going to go the way it should. People can follow words on a screen very well,
but not everyone can read a paragraph or bullet points and create an accurate
image in their heads of what they are reading. Imagine trying to do a 1,000
piece jigsaw puzzle. All the pieces fit together, and they make a perfect
rectangle, but all the pieces are black with no images or patterns on them. So
the person knows that the pieces do fit together in some way, but they cannot
match up the colors or patterns on the pieces. It would be much more difficult
than having a regular puzzle where people can see what pieces might fit
together. Having a photo or two with each step on a Wikihow page makes it so
easy for the consumer to put the steps together and ultimately do the thing
they are trying to do! This is one reason that Youtube is often the “go to” for
people to find out how to do something. Instead of still images, Youtube offers
video which allows the consumer to see the process in full. With photos, there
is still some grey area between the steps. Use tying a tie as an example. With
photos, people are able to show the end result of each step. But with video,
the consumer is able to actually see each step being done in full. Photos are
great, but videos are even better when it comes to learning how to do
something.
The experience of writing a wiki page is
both educational and enjoyable, but it can also be long and difficult if the
producer of the page doesn’t know what they are doing! No matter what you do,
DO NOT hit publish before you are one hundred percent confident that the wiki
page is done! Be sure to use various types of communication, it will only make
the wiki page more effective.
