User Page - Terminology and Page Locations

Terminology and Page Locations

Note: "Your" in this context means associated with you, not belonging to you.

User page

Your user page has a name like this: User:Example. (This link is to yours.) Its normal use is to give basic information if you wish, about yourself or your Wikimedia-related activities. You don't have to say anything about yourself. If you prefer to put nothing here then you can redirect it to your user talk page for the convenience of other editors.

User talk page

Your user talk page (sometimes abbreviated to "your talk page" or "your user talk") has a name like this: User talk:Example. (This link is to yours.) Its normal use is for messages from, and discussion with, other editors. For more information see Help:Using talk pages.

Subpages

You can create subpages of these, such as User:Example/draft article on violins or User:Example/test and their related talk pages, by navigating to the red-linked (non-existent) page and clicking on the Start the ___ page link. A list of existing subpages can be seen using Special:Prefixindex (for example, Special:Prefixindex/User talk:Example/). You can usually have anything on a subpage that you might have on a user or user talk page, except for a few items (see below) that must be visible to other users if posted. Hierarchies of subpages are also possible. You can have as many subpages as you want but keep in mind that Wikipedia is not a free web host, please use subpages within reason. (See: Wikipedia:Subpages for more information)

User pages or user space

All of these pages are your user pages or user space. While you do not "own" them, by custom if used reasonably and within these guidelines, you will mostly be left to manage and set them up entirely as you wish.

You also have subpages ending in .js and .css to store any user scripts and skin customizations that you may wish to have when you edit Wikipedia. Only you and administrators can edit such pages, although anyone can view them.

Other useful pages: username policy, user page design center, archiving your talk page, and Wikipedia community information