Brickwiki talk:Promotion

Awareness Campaign 2009

I am back baby! So anyway, some of the suggestions I made last year (see below) I did implement. Time to review and see what would be most effective going forward.

1. Establishment of a BrickWiki Blog - Done. Now the trick is to make it relevant and timely.
2. Promotional images - I created one new image for people to use. Surely there are better graphic designers than me?
3. Welcome Team - A bit of a problem perhaps? Is anyone doing this now? Are there guidelines or do I just start "welcoming" people?
4. How to BrickWiki? - I did not get far on this one.
5. Media - No progress but still worth doing.
6. Timing - Depends on what people can contribute in time and effort.

Anyone else care to chime in? Tedward 13:56, 24 March 2009 (EDT)

for #3 I say just start welcoming people. But what is important? We should develop a list of what you need to know here. A template used to welcome is a good approach (with some follow on personal words) and makes it easy for anyone to welcome whenever they think about it. It can be updated over time. ++Lar: t/c 15:58, 1 April 2009 (EDT)

I took a cut at the existing {{welcome}} template. Make it better, Ted! :) ++Lar: t/c 16:19, 1 April 2009 (EDT)

Awareness Campaign 2008

As ++Lar mentions in this conversation BrickWiki is currently operating with a very small community. I happen to think BW is the best format and structure (and logo!) of all the various LEGO-related wikis but it is hard to see how the long-term viability is achieved with a community so small. I think we need to plan and implement an awareness campaign that raises the profile of BW in the LEGO community and recruits more editors. Not just advertising but a concerted effort to show the LEGO community what a cool resource we have in this shared environment. To this end I propose the following:

1. Establishment of a BrickWiki Blog- this would allow for faster communication based on feeds and commenting and would allow for more networking via other blogs and feed-readers. I have reserved "brickwiki.blogspot.com" only to save the title (I can delete if it is not wanted) if we decide to proceed. It is also a way for non-wiki-aware folks to communicate without having to learn wiki markup.
2. Promotional images - The current images ( see here) are OK but a fresh new and expanded set of images for use in signatures and on web pages should be created for this campaign.
3. Welcome Team - We will need the Welcome Team to be ready to answer questions from any new recruits. Even if it is just a heads up so they know to keep an extra-close eye out for members during the campaign it would help.
4. How to BrickWiki? - I found our instructional materials and help files woefully unhelpful when I started. Maybe I'm just thick but I'd like to have a go at creating a more user-friendly guide to contributing to BW.
5. Media - I would like to see someone from BW contact LAML Radio and try to get a bit on the show. An article in BrickJournal and even a proposal for a regular column from BW content should be prepared. As well some contact should be made with popular LEGO blogs like Brothers-Brick and others during the campaign.
6. Timing - I propose we run this campaign from August 15-September 15 to catch the back-to-school rush of young computer buyers (and because I am going away for three weeks in July :) ). This gives us time to prepare materials and draw up plans. It will not catch the next BrickJournal magazine but there is some urgency so that item may simply have to be a follow-up to the current campaign.

I know this is asking a lot of so very few of us but, as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

All good thinking but I'll trot out (again) that perhaps the thing to do is merge forces with the other LEGO related wikis. That might more easily get the critical mass needed. ++Lar: t/c 23:06, 9 June 2008 (EDT)

A wonderful idea but I bet you cannot name a single LEGO related wiki willing to merge with BW. I have looked at the discussion on other wiki sites and I gave seen no evidence that they are interested. OK, I admit I have not gone back to any of them in a couple of months, so if you have seen some willingness, please let me know. I am a huge fan of one wiki as a goal. Tedward 01:39, 10 June 2008 (EDT)

I think maybe some would be willing to see BrickWiki merged into THEM, but none interested in seeing them merged into BrickWiki... (see also Brickwiki_talk:Open_Questions#More_on_mergers )++Lar: t/c 10:24, 10 June 2008 (EDT)

See, that's the problem. Merger should be about creating something new from disparate parts and I am willing to give up some of BW's distinctiveness to merge but I am not willing to simply be absorbed by another wiki. Since they feel the same the whole discussion seems rather pointless unless they are actually wiling to talk about mergers as opposed to acquisitions/takeovers. Tedward 12:16, 10 June 2008 (EDT)

Right. I suppose someone could make the rounds again. Because my concern is that just trying to drum up more people to participate is competing against these other wikis for the same limited pool of interested folk... so I dunno, that's why I brought it up. But maybe just try what you're suggesting. I have to admit that this wiki is not my primary focus. I help as I can but other LEGO projects take up more of my interest in the LEGO world, and other wikis take up more of my interest in the wiki world. Being a Steward at the WMF keeps me fairly busy. THAT said, if you want to try to drum up more folk I should not be standing in your way, your ideas include some very innovative things to try that might work... That was a long winded way of saying "I dunno" what to do... ++Lar: t/c 16:26, 10 June 2008 (EDT)

Why this is needful... A change to LEGO_designer_roles that alleged use of trained monkeys took a YEAR to revert! That's not a condemnation of anyone or anything, just saying that we need more eyes here, as this slipped by.