Iampartha
Welcome to Wiki!
When adding anything to an article, these are the most basic rules: Look, Read, Look again.
- Look. Before you start adding information, or a picture, take an overview of the whole article.
- You may see a small article that is seriously lacking in both information and illustration. Go ahead and do what you can to improve it.
- You may see a larger and more complete article which is a bit of a jumble, with information badly arranged, and lots of pictures jammed in, without relating to the adjacent text, or pictures down the right side that have been pushed out of position, by someone who had added too many pictures, or a large text box. When you see this, don't add to the confusion.
- You may see an article that appears to be very well laid out, both in terms of material and illustration. When this is the case, unless the information is vital to the article, and has a proper citation, the best strategy is to go the the talk page and leave your contribution there with a note. It will be found by the main editors within two or three days.
- Read. Don't add written information, particularly to the introduction of an article, without reading it thoroughly.
- Firstly, you may find that the info you are about to add is already there, but not in an early paragraph.
- Secondly, when adding info, you need to be sensitive as to where you put the information. Meaningful information that has been jammed in the wrong place can have the same effect as vandalism, because it turns sense into nonsense, and can sometimes stay for months or years before it is found.
- e.g. Since the 1870s the cathedral's organ has been powered by small horizontal steam engine, similar to those used in fairgrounds. There is a weekly organ recital on Tuesday at lunchtime. It is located in a purpose-built shed beside the south transept.
- What is wrong with this paragraph? It is the cathedral's steam engine that is in the purpose-built shed, of course, not the Lunch-time organ recital on Tuesdays. This sort of problem is easily avoided if the person reads the context properly before adding.
- Look again. After you have added something always use the Show preview option before saving.
In the case of your addition, you will notice that the Silhouette article is very carefully laid out. The pics have been selected from hundreds that are available, as almost every person who takes photos has a few that are good examples of silhouette. Many people do as you have done, and jam in their favourite picture. They all get promptly removed and a few of the very best find their way into the gallery at the foot of the page. You'll notice that they are carefully arranged, like a Gallery should be. (A gallery ought to make every component look good). This means that if you consider adding your pic, look first, using the Show preview option before saving. Does it look good in the gallery? Does it add something? Is the information relevant?
Remember that this is about making a really good encyclopedia. Don't be discouraged by my comments! There are many ways to contribute.