Help:Starting this wiki

Welcome to Wikia!

'''We know starting a wiki can be a big job, but we are here help you along and make sure you have fun!

There are lots of things you will want to do to develop your wiki. Below are five things you should do right away to set your wiki up for success.'''

1. Giving the Wiki a new look with Theme Designer
Theme Designer is a easy way to change the skin colors to ones that relate to the subject matter of the wiki. Also, there is a option to upload a background for the wiki and a Wordmark (Wiki name logo).

Find out more on Help:Theme designer.

2. Dress up your Main Page
First impressions count. Your main page is what nearly everyone will see first when they come, so it's important it clearly communicates what your wiki is about and what type of content you have and want people to add.


 * Write a short introduction to what the wiki is about.
 * Link to new articles and categories as you create them so you can keep things organized.
 * Create a "to do" list so new visitors know how they can help out.

Here are a few main pages we like: Muppet Wiki, BioShock Wiki, Lost Wikia.

3. Add content!
The most valuable thing you can do when you start a wiki is to write some articles. We call this "seeding". This will give people an idea of what your wiki will be about and give them something to start from. The articles don't have to be long or perfect from the start -- remember it's a wiki and others can help build on what you start.

You may need to add dozens of articles before people start to join in. Don't get discouraged. The more content you add, the sooner the search engines and real people will find your site useful, and the quicker your small project will start to grow.

Make a goal of reaching 200 articles, because this makes you eligible for Wikia Spotlights which are displayed on all Wikia's other wikis, attracting more editors to work with you.

4. Create your User Page
Your user page is chance to tell people about yourself, and add a friendly face to the wiki. You can keep it as simple as you want or go all out, the important thing is to give people a way to see "who" is behind this wiki.

We suggest that you turn on email notification for your user talk page in your preferences -- that way if any visitors try to ask you a question while you're away from the wiki, you'll receive a reminder to come look at your talk page.

You can also choose to receive emails about edits to other articles on your watchlist, so watching the Main Page, Community Portal, or other important pages on your wiki can help you to be aware of new activity that you can get involved with.

5. Invite people
Once you have completed steps 1 and 2 and are well into step 3, you are ready to open your wiki up for business. Invite your friends. Reach out to communities you already belong to, or related wikis on Wikia. Special interest forums are also a great place to find people passionate and willing to contribute. Be careful not to spam, though! Think of the types of messages you would like to read and the types of messages you delete.

Keep an eye on Recent changes, and when you see someone new edit the wiki, add a nice welcome message to their Talk page as soon as you can! Wikis work when there is a community of people editing; try to keep in contact with the other people who show up to edit, as it will encourage them to stick around.

If you have many newcomers you can use a template to welcome them. We've provided a nice basic one at to get you started, but we encourage you to customize the text and links, and change the picture to one that is important (or funny!) to your community. Friendliness and humor can go a long way in making new visitors feel welcome.

Don't be scared to ask for help
The Wikia staff are here to help you succeed with this wiki. If you have problems at any time, are not sure how to make the changes you want to your wiki, or want help customizing your site, then please ask us.

You can email staff at any time using the form at Special:Contact.

More advice
If you are hungry for more, well - we have more! Building a wiki is an art, not a science, and lots of people have advice about the best ways to go about it. Don't be overwhelmed or discouraged. Remember this is supposed to be fun!


 * More Advice on starting a wiki
 * Administrators' how-to guide
 * Will Wikis Work? - the first in a set of essays by experienced Founders.
 * Main Wikia Help site

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