Archive:Monthly Write-a-Thon

What's a Write-a-Thon?

It's a bunch of people getting together on a wiki at a particular time to do a bunch of writing. It's like an online party! Heck no, it is an online party! It's also an excuse for infrequent wikiers to show up and party hardy; to exchange ideas with people we might not "meet" otherwise.

But hey, why not show up in between the write-ins, too!

When?

Write-a-Thons happen the first Wednesday of every month. The next Write-a-Thon is Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008. July 2nd starts on July 1st, 1200 UTC, in New Zealand, and ends on July 2nd, 1200 UTC, in Hawaii. Save The Date! Put it on your calendar! Set yourself a reminder!

Any new article you create, and any edit you make to somebody else's Write-a-Thon article during that time period will count, though to be a bona fide partier, you have to write your new articles when it's that day in your part of the world.

Our first Write-a-Thon took place Wednesday, August 1, 2007 and was considered a roaring good time--we had about 30 partiers creating something like 50 articles, and editing lots.

What are the rules?

Rules? This is a party! There are no rules!

Well, OK, maybe there are a couple rules:

• We'll have a Write-a-Thon the first Wednesday of every month.
• To participate, you only have to do two things: (1) start a new article (even just a stub will qualify, if not too short - and please remember to include the subpages template!), and (2) make a substantive edit (not just a copyedit) to somebody else's new article. Then you can list your name here as a partier. Until then, sign in as a porch-sitter, party-crasher, or total party poop.

This month's Party Theme

Biographies

Bonus points this month for combining this month's theme with last month's "The Olympics". But you'll have to do a super good job, because after all, that's an easy ask.

(You can also be inspired by some of the theme suggestions, below. Or propose one yourself--just scroll down. Or write about something that takes your fancy--or the first thing that comes into your head--JUST DO IT!)

Create an article, already!

Check it out: Start an article!

Now (this time anyway) easier than ever! Stubs are not only permitted they are encouraged!

The Partiers

• Supten was greatly surprised to see that Aleta is yet to arrive! Larry has promised ten stubs this month and that sounds good! Anthony had sent a mail to check the color of links. From there Supten took the cue of starting a biography of William Osler. Then he peeked at Computers people needing biographies and started Joseph Fourier. As usual, he filled up at least one entry in each of the subpages linked to each of these articles. After that he thought of breaking for lunch and to give time to the others so that he can come back to edit some other new articles.

Still no one around (4 hours since he had taken a break)! Utmost surprising!!! Supten 05:04, 2 July 2008 (CDT)

Thanks to John Supten could edit Nara, Nara at 05:17, 2 July 2008 (CDT)!

• No rest for the wicked! Larry gave us lampoons of philosophers, which was crying out for expansion. And I managed to summon up an article on the late, great Stephen Jay Gould. Huzzah. Celebratory drink! Lemonade and a cookie! Don't you worry, though, like a bad smell, I will be back to raise my stubbly game! ;) --Tom Morris 07:33, 2 July 2008 (CDT)

• Derek Harkness joins the moaning about how it's difficult to edit when your in the far east and there's no articles on the board yet. But doing as he always does, he just edited one of the articles form a previous write-a-thon while he waits for the others. He started off this month with Qianshan National Park and is mulling over wither to suggest a National Park theme for a future a-thon. Then he had to edit Anshan to point to the new page. Next, in keeping with the theme, he started a new article on Mao Zedong. Just a stub for now, there's loads more that co-write-a-thoners can add to this one.

• Larry Sanger decided to start his personal stub marathon with Leibniz (1a) and lampoons of philosophers (2a)... Then edited biographies (1b)...then I gave you all knowledge (3a) and folk music (4a) (just to make sure you're well-rounded)! Now to edit some other people's articles, bwa-ha-ha...OK, edited lemonade‎ (2b, good idea for a drink of the month--but it might need information about alcoholic methods of preparation), Joseph Fourier‎ (3b, tiny edit), and Stephen Jay Gould‎ (4b, linkifying). OK, came back and started argument (logic) only to realize that it had already been started...so edited argument (5b). Then started Ludwig Wittgenstein (5a) and existence (6a). Well, folks, I gave it the college try...I could have done ten if I were more comfortable doing very short articles, but I guess I ain't!

• Combining Olympics with Biography, Chris brought across an old original article from wikipedia (Marlies_Göhr). It was almost unchanged showing that some articles in wikipedia are so obscure as to remain undiscovered by vandals.

• The gale-force wind has died down, and Aleta battles both it and the oil crisis to stagger belatedly into the party room. She was here earlier, though, and points out that she had both attempted to define this month's theme and introduced Madeleine L'Engle to the crew before being blown back across the ocean. Will give anyone from Oz dispensation to keep partying, because this was ridiculous!! Aleta Curry 17:20, 2 July 2008 (CDT). Later, as an apology for being less than my scintillating self, brought back sherry for everyone, despite knowing little about it. Aleta Curry 20:45, 2 July 2008 (CDT)

• Daniel warmed up with online encyclopedia, talked about Gottfried Leibniz and started William Gardiner.

• Anthony.Sebastian, the wiki-link font-color troublemaker, started developing an article on Andreas Vesalius, who published his revolutionary anatomy book the same year Copernicus published his revolutionary astronomy book. Ptolemy and Galen bite the dust. He also did small edits to Derek Hodges' Voltaire, and added a wikicommons image.

• Derek dozed off in the corner for a while, but he did come up with Voltaire. More to come, but technically after midnight EST.

Keen-as-mustard and jumped the gun

• No way am I going to have time for the Write-A-Thon in July ("Biographies"), so I've gone ahead and started the article on Claude Shannon right now.Pat Palmer 11:00, 9 May 2008 (CDT)

Good on ya, girl! Accepted with pleasure. (Someone remind me to copy this to the July W-a-T! Aleta Curry 03:41, 11 May 2008 (CDT)

Edited to add: I remembered! Aleta Curry 17:31, 2 July 2008 (CDT)

• Aleta was among the gun jumpers with John Akii-Bua last month--purposely done as a theme combination. Aleta Curry 17:31, 2 July 2008 (CDT)

Porch sitters--article creators who didn't edit a new article

John couldn't make it back in time from Nara, Nara, Nara, Nara... (help!) John Stephenson 05:08, 2 July 2008 (CDT)

And now I know where Nara, Nara is! Aleta Curry 20:43, 2 July 2008 (CDT)

The other Anthony started Body mass index as a stub before midnight local time, but it was wednesday somewhere. He also started square, on Wednesday, local time. Anthony Argyriou 16:13, 2 July 2008 (CDT)

It was Wednesday in New Zealand! That counts--enough to get you on the gun jumpers list, anyway! I see you've done plenty since then! Aleta Curry 20:43, 2 July 2008 (CDT)

Ian decided that we may not need another hero. But we could sure do with an article on the Australian 'Little Lucifers' legend Frank Thring. --Ian Johnson 16:36, 2 July 2008 (CDT)

After an intro like that, you'd think someone'd start Mel Gibson Aleta Curry 20:43, 2 July 2008 (CDT)

To celebrate her rescue from FARC, User:Anthony Argyriou created a stub article on Ingrid Betancourt. Anthony Argyriou 17:12, 2 July 2008 (CDT)

Michael Yates Campaigned with Chuck Baldwin and got bored half-way through. Michael Yates 21:56, 2 July 2008 (CDT)

Gar managed to squeeze in William Robertson in a busy day. Sorry not to have been able to join in more.Gareth Leng 03:00, 3 July 2008 (CDT)

Party crashers--contributors who didn't create a new article

Had a bit of a late one last night. If Larry is going to give us ten stubs, then jolly good. I need about three hours more sleep, but managed to chuck together Hegel. Might pop back later to the party once I've woken up properly. --Tom Morris 06:31, 2 July 2008 (CDT)

Dave added the John P. Mcgovern Academy of Olserian Medicine to the William Osler article, but was too busy/depressed to party the whole way. David E. Volk 10:42, 3 July 2008 (CDT)

The shy ones, absent-minded profs, and other modest creatures

• Richard went West and met an Earl
• Howard was stormin’ about.
• Pierre-Alain’s latest offering felt heavy as lead.
• As befits a legal eagle, William found a gray area.
• Milt was late, but bravely took the heat for it!

The total party poops

Alas, where were...?

• What?! Where's Hayford???
• Matt
• Steve
• the other Steve
• Joe
• Den's travelling, so he's forgiven
• Robert's got a hurt hand
• Noel
• Nereo
• Regina
• Deepsea Dawn
• Meg has problems making Wednesdays, so she's forgiven too
• Pat sent apolgies for this month and jumped the gun
• Chuck
• Roger
• Jitse
• Paul - hmmm...thought I saw Paul somewhere?
• J.F.
• Another Michael
• Bruce Tindall was sleeping off his jet lag and then enjoying a visit with his kinfolk, while trying to ignore the fact that he'd just received email messages giving him 3 new copyediting jobs just as he thought he was starting his "vacation."
• Todd Coles
• Yet Another David (Green)
• Lou's MIA? I don't believe it!
• You!???

Questions

This month 2nd July doesn't seem to have started anywhere in the world till now! Should I come back tomorrow to edit someone Else's new article? Supten 05:07, 2 July 2008 (CDT)

Thanks to John Supten could edit Nara, Nara!

Reply to original comment: that's because we don't have any place for posting about 'puter problems, except for the Forums, where poor Aleta posted. And yes, when you can't edit within your time zone due to technical difficulties (including the lack of writers in your time zone!) you are perfectly welcome to return. Sooo, yes, you'd be a bona fide partier in any case, Supten! Aleta Curry 17:37, 2 July 2008 (CDT)

It's a wrap!

I guess 2nd July came up really fast, we had a lot of regulars missing. Still, enormous amounts of work anyway--wonder what would happen if we were ALL here AT ONCE?

Thanks for a great time everybody--see you next month to talk about Attractions and of course our continuing subtheme, The Olympics, which will be starting.

And don't forget, September will be a doozy with music, music, music when we all wax prolific on My favourite Band!

Aleta Curry 19:15, 3 July 2008 (CDT)

Previous shindigs

• June 4, 2008
• May 7, 2008
• April 2, 2008
• March 5, 2008
• February 6, 2008
• January 9,2008
• December 5, 2007
• November 7, 2007
• October 3, 2007
• September 5, 2007
• August 1, 2007

Official libations

• Inaugural - beer!
• September - champagne
• October - we were refurbishing the bar and only had coffee!
• November - made up for last month with more vodka than was good for us and plenty of rum.
• December - eggnog and wine
• January - Whisky and the Cocktail of the Month, a pharisee
• February - schnapps and the Cocktail of the Month, the caipirinha (considered the national drink of Brazil)
• March - port wine (which should probably live at port (wine), no? (Someone put that on their list, please....Oh, *someone* did--thanks, Ro) and the Cocktail of the Month, a Dead Aunt
• April - Akpeteshie hot and fresh from Ghana. And cool shandies and spritzers if that took your fancy. Lotsa staggering around the bar after this party!
• May - Was it champagne? No, we were dry, I think.
• June - Were we abstaining yet again?
• July - Sherry

Write-a-Thon Theme Suggestions

New Suggestions and Discussion

Go ahead and propose one!

• National Parks - most countries have them but Citizendium doesn't...yet.

• I had a thought the other day - why don't we have a Subpages day - either separate or as a Write-A-Thon theme? There's tons of them Bibliographies, Related Articles and Definitions that need writing. --Tom Morris 11:48, 4 July 2008 (CDT)

It's a good thought, Tom, and I can see where the subpages need doing. Trouble is, whenever the Write-a-Thon has been too narrowly restricted, particularly when the suggested 'theme' is really a codename for 'work', it doesn't go over well. The WaT's great success is the fun, write-what-you-want atmosphere.

Maybe a separate subpages initiative?

Aleta Curry 18:25, 4 July 2008 (CDT)

Edited to add: Actually, why don't I add this in to October's spring clean? The more options, the more likely people will find something they like doing. Aleta Curry 18:33, 4 July 2008 (CDT)

Future Theme Schedule

• July - Biographies! The Good, the bad, and the altogether ugly. Also: The Olympics, because I will well and truly have Olympic fever by then!
  • Computer authors please note the list of people needing biographies
• August - Attractions - Someplace you always wanted to go/something you always wanted to see. And/or a local attraction--go ahead and plug something wonderful about your city, county or village. AND...you guessed it...The Olympics!!!
• September - My Favorite Band! - Or your favourite Music Genre...your favourite orchestra...recording artist--their best song (I may shudder, but hey, it's up to you!) If it's musical, and it's your fave, write about it!
• October – Spring Cleaning (or “housekeeping”, for those of you for whom it’s not Spring) Let’s mass-attack some of our outstanding chores, particularly “lists”, such as: Common words with multiple uses (in need of disambiguation), e.g. as in CZ:List of words with multiple uses. * Further suggestion: Wanted pages * computer science biographies needed * Redirects * Write a subpage

(feel free to add in your own pet peeves)

• November - National Parks - most countries have them but Citizendium doesn't...yet.

See also

• Larry Sanger, Why the Write-a-Thon worked, Citizendium Blog, August 9, 2007
• Weekly Wiki
• Article of the Week
• New Article of the Week

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