Help:Start a new community

Anyone can create a wiki on Wikia at anytime through the create a wiki form'''. Below we walk through what to do and how to go about creating a wiki.'''

Before you start

 * Check to see if a wiki already exists on the topic you want to cover by searching for it. It's better to work within a community of others than alone.
 * Read Wikia's terms of use &mdash; become familiar with what is ok and what isn't.
 * Read Wikia's Wiki creation policy &mdash; wikis must be freely licensed, publicly editable, and free of abuse.

Making your wiki
You can personalize the following now or later:
 * 1) Click on the Start a wiki button in the toolbar at the top of the page.
 * 2) The button brings you to the the creation form. Fill in the following information:
 * 3) Decide on a name for the wiki. &mdash; To help users find you in search engines, it's best to use the most common keywords for your topic. (Hint: don't use -pedia, or obscure names). The word "Wiki" will be added to the end, because this is also important to help your rankings.
 * 4) Choose the URL or address for your site &mdash; Similar to the name, the URL or web address you choose for your site will affect how easy it is for people to find your site and understand what it is about.
 * 5) Describe your wiki's topic
 * 6) Choose a category that best describes the subject of your wiki.
 * 7) Choose a theme (you can skip this and choose or make a personalized one later)
 * 8) Congratulations! You've now created a wiki!
 * Decide on a theme: (link, buttons, header, page colors)
 * Choose a skin: see Help:ThemeDesigner.
 * Upload a logo: take a look at Help:ThemeDesigner.
 * Create a favicon: check out Help:Favicon.

All of these things can be changed later if you or your community decide.

Plan your project
Decide what the aims of your wiki will be. Draft a mission statement, and place it on your wiki's Project:About page.

You should also find interested participants who will be able to help with the creation of content on the wiki. Invite a few friends to help you meet a modest goal -- 20 to 50 simple pages in your first few weeks. You'll be amazed at how quickly an hour or two of work every day or two can start to build on itself!

Create your home page
The main page is the page everyone sees. The default text is the description you wrote in step 3, plus some other helpful blurbs that are found there on most wikis.

The default location of your main page is at the name of the wiki to improve search engine optimization. For these reasons, it is recommended that leave it like that, but at any time, you may move (rename) it. When you have renamed your home page, you also have to change the page title MediaWiki:Mainpage, automatically done when the main page gets moved, so make sure to protect it!

Further improvement
Please see Help:Improving your Wikia wiki for details beyond these first few steps. Improving your Wikia wiki includes changing your logo and favicon.


 * Advice:Wiki tips
 * Help:Attracting contributors
 * Advice:Raising your wiki's Google ranking

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