more ideas about how to attract more fans to edit

[ratcreature]

I commented in that discussion linked here earlier with some thoughts I had about what would make contributing more attractive: I think that maybe a "focus on" feature would be nice. I think it is more fun to contribute when others are working on related articles at the same time (for example "focus on fandom X" or a genre or a fanactivity, like "focus on conventions" or costuming, even recurring popular kerfuffles that could be tracked through fandoms or whatever), because then there is more opportunity for discussion and feedback, talk about what article structure would best, and you learn interesting stuff from other fans in the process or can reminiscence about how kerfuffle such and so was on mailing list X, so then there is less of that feeling of toiling in the wilderness full of frustration. Also newbies wouldn't have such a steep learning curve because they'd co-edit with more familiar people, so they wouldn't have to know or find the code for templates or advanced formatting on their own, but would just have to say "it would be cool to have this as a table/have a gallery here/get an infobox/..." And even if you didn't know anyone personally you'd be still in a group. It would be easier for people familiar with the fanlore to remember to talk to newbies too, because there'd be a common topic.

Comments

[ratcreature]

I think it would be good to plan the list of topics a bit in advance, so that there is a certain variety. Like for example I think that focus on particular fandoms should be followed by multifandom topics. Like a concerted effort to expand the Star Wars related stuff, shouldn't be followed by another single fandom right away, but by something that reaches across fandoms like holiday exchanges or whatever. At the start we could collect possible topics people would like to see featured, and then a good mix is planned. I don't think a mod should just come up with things, it should be more transparent.

[cesperanza]

Well, flashfic works by asking for suggestions from people and then alternating them; as mod, I don't invent the challenges myself, I slicit them. In fact, my role is just what you say--like, you don't want a challenge thatlends itself more toward slash followed by another and another; you want gen-friendly challenges in there, etc.

But anyway; tl: dr: yes, I totally agree!

[ratcreature]

Yeah, but in the flashfic comm you never see the selection process and don't know in advance, it's just announced from one challenge to the next, and people suggest stuff whereever (comments to the mod? I never bothered to suggest anything as I don't write, so I don't know where people drop off suggestions). And that makes sense for a fic challenge where you maybe don't want people writing or planning for the topic that will come in two months, but I think for a wiki having a loose "schedule" of upcoming things would be better.

Like I imagine if we were to organize that here, there could be first a brainstorming post to collect possible topics and discuss what would work, and then if there are really a lot there could even be a poll to rank topics (or just check whether you'd want to join editing in that field) to gauge which would evoke the most interest in the community as it is now, and then with that data a mod would make a somewhat schedule the next ten topics or whatever seems a sensible number to plan in advance, that hopefully reflects the interest of people.

[cesperanza]

OIC--yes, agreed!

[sophinisba]

I like that idea of coming up with a schedule that goes for at least a few weeks, which would give us some more time to spread the word around different comms and forums, as people are discussing below.