SmashWiki:Why create an account?

Creating an account is free and easy. It also has several other benefits over editing while logged out.

Anonymity under your chosen user name
Although logged-out editors are often called "anons" on wikis, they are actually identified by IP address. This is visible to the public in the edited page's history and recent changes each time they edit. For some editors, this doesn't give any information to others. But in some cases, for example if you are editing from a work computer, this may allow others to work out your location or other details. If you are worried about this, you should log in to edit. Your IP address will then not be visible to other contributors.

A way of joining the community
Becoming known under a user name means that you will be able to gain reputation and recognition in the community. It's difficult to remember whether or not you have met "88.108.20.19" before! You can also make a personal user page once you are logged in and autoconfirmed. The link to your user page will appear at the top right of the screen. You will also have a personal talk page, and will be notified with a banner each time someone adds a message. Being able to communicate easily makes it a lot easier to build a wiki.

You won't miss messages
Every IP has a talk page that users can leave messages on just like with any user's talk page, and you'll receive the aforementioned banner notification when someone edits your IP's talk page. However if you access SmashWiki from a different IP after a message was left, you'll miss this notification, and will not notice you got a talk page message under your old IP unless you directly check its talk page or notice it in the recent changes. Missing important talk page messages, such as a warning about a policy violation, can get one into unintended trouble with the administration. Creating an account to have your own personal talk page ensures you'll have a static place from which other users can contact you by, avoiding any potential mishaps from an inability to properly receive messages.

New features
Being logged in allows you to create articles, rename pages (with the "move" tab), and upload images. You can also easily view your contributions using the "contributions" link at the top of the screen, and make a personal watchlist to keep an eye on your favorite articles.

Customization
A lot of the look of the site can be changed with customization. Using the "preferences" link, you can change the overall look of the site, your time-zone preferences, search settings, and much more. If you know CSS, then you can change the look of the site even further with your personal style sheet.

Avoid unintended blocks
Since the people behind IPs can change, it is not uncommon that someone trying to edit without an account can find themselves blocked because a vandal edited from their IP before, or because their IP was caught in the crossfire of an IP range block. This is especially probable if one edits without an account from a public internet network, or when using a sort of proxy service that puts them behind an IP that has been in the hands of many different people. By creating an account and editing from there, you'll avoid the possibility of being inadvertently blocked this way, as well as avoid being mistaken for any malintent person that was previously behind your or a similar IP.

So please consider creating an account and logging in. It's free, and very easy. Click here to go to the create account page, and here to log in.