A wikiHow Experience
Writing a wikiHow is not as easy as it looks. Conveying
steps or directions to someone who is learning something for the first time is
challenging. The challenge is what makes writing a wikiHow fun all while
learning things such as coding, delivering a message in a clear way, and paying
attention to detail.
The hardest part about writing a wikiHow article is paying
attention to detail. Doing something that is second nature to you, but not to someone
else makes it difficult to get all the steps out in a clear way. Repeating the
process is the best way to make sure that no details are missed. Creating the
wikiHow on making Greek yogurt dough pizza required the process to be repeated
3 times. Even after repeating it several times there were several tweaks that
had to be made to the steps and process to make it easily understandable for
someone who has never done it. It was easy to miss small details, such as not
stating to preheat the over to 400 degrees Fahrenheit as some people may be
using Celsius in other places of the world. Also sometimes it felt like certain
steps got a bit wordy, so dumbing it down can help get from point A to point B.
Using photographs of each step is also helpful with conveying a message or
direction. For creating the Greek yogurt dough pizza photos were taken of every
step. One step was to mix ingredients until a dough ball is formed. Some first-time
pizza makers may not know how the dough ball should look so having the picture
helps give readers a visual of what needs to be done for that step.
Coding a wikiHow article is not as hard as it seems.
Utilizing other wiki articles that have a similar outline can help save time
and frustration. Using copy and paste to easily place the outline into the code
that was used for another article made writing a wiki possible for anyone. There
are also articles located on wikiHow that can help guide writers through the
writing process. The wikiHow on preparing to write instructions has some good
tips and tricks that can come in handy. For instance, knowing your audience is
something that is important when writing a wiki and conveying your message.
Knowing the tools, ingredients, or materials needed is also important. Having
everything needed to perform the task makes the process smoother, opposed to starting
the steps then having to stop to find the other things needed. Most
importantly, keeping it simple is going to be the best way to deliver the
steps. Not being too wordy can make the wikiHow article easier to write and to
follow.
Having a tips and warnings section is also helpful when
creating the wikiHow. Having these tips at the end of the article helps keep
the article more organized. For example, at the end of a step a writer may give
advice on something that may be helpful but instead of having the step get
wordy and drawn out, it can be added to the tip section. Warnings are nice to
clear the air with anything that may be concerning related to the wiki. For
instance, don’t eat right away as it will be very hot is a warning that most
people should know, but it doesn’t hurt to say. Having a things you’ll need section
is also helpful. This will help the reader know everything that is needed
upfront before starting.
Including related wikis is a great way to give people
options when they are reviewing your article. For instance having a related
wiki on how to spread dough can help someone who is reviewing a “how to make pizza”
article. Another example is making homemade pizza sauce. Having this related
wiki may give people an option to not only make pizza but also how to make
pizza sauce. It can let people expand on the task at hand.
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There are many different ways to go about creating a wikiHow
article. Be prepared to write the steps several times as some steps may not be
needed or may be obvious. Re-writing steps helps get rid of useless information
or things that should not be there. Also have all the items needed to complete
the task from start to finish. It will make it easier to write the article if
you can do the steps in a precise order. Most importantly, have some fun
creating the wikiHow and do something that is meaningful or something
enjoyable. Having fun holds interest throughout the entire project.
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