On Wikipedia’s birthday, you ought to be aware that it is the masses like you who can write a Wikipedia article, and it is completely free. Many people around the world use Wikipedia every day, and many of its pages are written by volunteers just like us.

With millions of articles in many languages, people use it to learn almost everything, from history, science, and culture to famous people and random stuff. This wonderful website was created in 2001 as a place where anyone could share knowledge. It quickly became one of the biggest sources of information on the internet, as it is open to everyone.

However, before you start writing for Wikipedia, you need to be aware of a few simple facts.

People from all over the world volunteer to write for this website. This means there is no cost for writing or publishing an article on this site.

How to make your mark

Anyone can start learning how to write an article by reading the guide called Help: Your First Article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Your_first_article). This guide explains how to write and prepare your first Wikipedia page.

Now, the rules Wikipedia has for you are pretty simple. Firstly, make sure that the topic you want to write about does not already exist on the site.

You must search and see if a page with the same subject exists. Second, you must find reliable sources about your topic. These sources can be anything from books, newspaper articles, trustworthy publications, or official websites.

This is because Wikipedia wants articles based on real, independent sources and not personal opinions.

You can use the Articles for Creation Process section (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_creation). This is a special system where you write your article as a draft and then submit it for review.

Wikipedia volunteers will look at your draft and decide if it is good enough to be published on the main page. This review process helps new writers learn what Wikipedia expects from articles. The terms of rejection and declined submissions can also be found on this page, so I suggest you go through them as well.

What you, as a reader, should know

There are, however, perils that stem from this freedom to write. As a reader, you should be aware that anyone can write, meaning both credible and not-so-credible people, including those with malicious intent.

The referencing mechanism applied for cross-checking facts is not something that is impenetrable. Wikipedia has been criticised heavily in the past for keeping outdated misinformation, and if you are an independent researcher looking for the latest facts and figures to aid your work, Wikipedia, sadly, is not something you can rely on.

Overall, Wikipedia is a free and open encyclopaedia. By reading the help pages and using the Articles for Creation system, you can write your own Wikipedia article for free and share knowledge with readers everywhere. One should consider this a privilege and not take it lightly.

Therefore, before putting pen to paper or fingertips on keyboards, please take into account the sense of responsibility you have in providing accurate and trustworthy information.

If you really have the knack for it, this can be your fun little contribution to the World Wide Web.