View source for VRCWiki:How to Contribute

== Our welcome! ==
Welcome to the VRChat Wiki, and we're glad you're interested in helping with our knowledge base.

Here, we cover things like:

* How do I use VRChat?
* What are the VRChat controls?
* How do I do X in VRChat?
* How do I get started creating Worlds or Avatars in VRChat?

Not everything is about worlds and avatars! We also allow community contributions in the [[Special:MyLanguage/VRCWiki:Community Hub|Community Hub]]! There, you can find guides and information of all kinds. Head over to the Hub to get exploring! If you are a creator or interested in using VRChat's Creator Companion or SDK, you may also be interested in our {{VRC link|https://creators.vrchat.com/|Creator Documentation}}. That webpage covers the technical documentation for creating content in VRChat.

== Contributing to the Wiki ==
If you log in with a VRChat account, you can contribute to this Wiki as long as your account is in good standing! Please make sure you read our [[Special:MyLanguage/VRCWiki:Guidelines|Guidelines]] first and understand what it means to write from a [[Special:MyLanguage/VRCWiki:Neutral_point_of_view|neutral point of view]]. If you intend on creating or editing an article about <u>your own content</u>, or on the behalf of a company or organization, it is required to read over the VRCWiki's [[Special:MyLanguage/VRCWiki:Conflicts of interest|Conflicts of Interest policy]] before publishing.

== Namespaces ==
While MediaWiki doesn't use namespaces as part of its infrastructure, some places on the VRChat Wiki may have them, and you should be on the lookout for these when creating articles!

* '''VRChat''' - No Prefix - Official VRChat Wiki pages. Only members on the VRChat Wiki Team can make changes to these pages directly. Changes made by other Editors will be sent to a moderation queue and will appear after being reviewed. They’re primarily content pages, and guides about VRChat itself - topics include 'how to get started', user manuals, and references to reliable and up-to-date user guides. This also covers official applications and software, such as VRChat Creator Companion, and the VRChat SDK.

* '''Community''' - Prefix: <code>Community:</code> - The community namespace. Pages here should be focused on community pages, hubs, and creations. Check out the Community Hub for more information! This also covers community applications and software, such as Unity, Blender, and prefabs. Everyone can edit these pages directly. [[Special:MyLanguage/:Category:Worlds|World pages]], [[Special:MyLanguage/:Category:Avatars|Avatar pages]], [[Special:MyLanguage/:Category:Guides|Guides]] and [[Special:MyLanguage/:Category:Resources|Resources]] belong here.

* '''Category''' - Prefix: <code>Category:</code> - These namespaces are for classifications and arranging ambiguations into organized lists, such as <nowiki>''Category:Community Content''</nowiki>

* '''VRCWiki''' - Prefix: <code>VRCWiki:</code> - Namespace for pages in relation to the VRChat Wiki.

* '''Special''' - Prefix: <code>Special:</code> - Namespace for special pages.

== Creating a new page ==
To create a new page, ensure you are logged in and [https://wiki.vrchat.com/index.php?search= search] for what you would like to have as a Title of that page. Should a page with that title not exist yet, an option appears to create it.<blockquote>Create the page "<span style="color:red">Your Search Query</span>" on this wiki!</blockquote>
Clicking this red link will direct you to creating a new page.

Please note that to create pages in the Community namespace requires to have <code>Community:</code> as a prefix of the page title. For Example: <code>Community:World Name</code>. Read more about when to use which Namespace [[Special:MyLanguage/VRCWiki:How_to_Contribute#Namespaces|above]].

== Uploading images ==
When uploading images to the VRChat Wiki, you can go to the [[Special:Upload|Upload file]] page to do so. These images can be then embedded to any article that you edit. Please be sure to give a brief description or caption of the image in "Summary", but more importantly, please select the proper Licensing! While the supported file types include "png, gif, jpg, jpeg," and "webp", it is commonly best practice to upload still images using the .webp format, since it retains quality while being very optimized, compared to the .png format which takes lots of space. Keep in mind that the maximum file size to upload to the Wiki is only 20 megabytes per image, so please try converting your pictures to .webp format.

== Do not write articles about yourself or other users ==
VRChat Wiki is a knowledgebase to write about VRChat content such as features, prefabs, and worlds. This Wiki is not a place to post personal information about yourself, or other users. Feel free to create and add onto your personal User: page, or interact with another editor using the Talk/Discussion page on another User: page.

==VRChat has Content Gating==
VRChat is a platform for users 13 and over, per the {{VRC link|https://hello.vrchat.com/legal | Terms of Service}}. So is this Wiki! Please refrain from referencing explicit adult or violent content. Be considerate on what you are writing about.

==Discussion Page==
[[File:DiscussionPageHighlighted.webp|thumb|A link to the Discussion Tab is present on the top left of every page.]]
Each page has a discussion page which is used to talk about contents of a page.
Please make a New Header for each subject with a Title and with what you would like to discuss.
When you finish writing a post, add <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> right after it . This will automatically add your username and timestamp at the end of a paragraph.

Example:<br>
<code>==New Discussion Topic==</code><br>
<code>Text discussing  something. --Another User (talk) 00:00, 22 June 2024 (UTC)</code><br>
<code>: your reply to the Discussion Topic. <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code>