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== What's a Write-a-Thon? ==
__NOTOC__
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.
<center><big><big><big><big>Wednesday August 10th, 2011<br /><br />
<font color="red">
'''Food, history of food, we are all food experts'''<br />
</font color></big></big></big></big>


But hey, why not show up in between the write-ins, too!
'''Please enter your suggestions for the August topic [[CZ:Monthly_Write-a-Thon#New_Suggestions_and_Discussion|here]].'''</center>
----
The next '''Write-a-Thon''' will take place on Wednesday Aug 10, 2011!


== When? ==
We know that not everybody has Wednesday at the same time though, so to make it fair '''our''' Wednesday lasts 48 hours! Therefore, '''Write-a-Thon''' starts on  
Write-a-Thons happen the first Wednesday of every month.  The next Write-a-Thon is '''Wednesday, August 6th, 2008'''.  August 6th starts on August 5th, 1200 UTC, in New Zealand, and ends on August 6th, 1200 UTC, in Hawaii. Save The Date!  Put it on your calendar!  Set yourself a reminder!
[http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?month=7&day=5&year=2011&hour=12&min=0&sec=0&p1=0 Aug 10th, 1200 UTC], when it starts being Wednesday in New Zealand, and ends on  
[http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?month=7&day=7&year=2011&hour=12&min=0&sec=0&p1=0 Aug 11th, 1200 UTC], when it finishes being Wednesday in Hawaii.


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.
== 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 hearty; to exchange ideas with people we might not "meet" otherwise.


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.
But hey, why not show up in between the write-ins, too!
 
== 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 [[CZ:Subpages|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==
 
Wednesday, August 6, 2008 --
<center><font color="red"><big><big><big><big>'''Attractions'''</big></big></big></big></font></center>
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!!!
 
''(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!)''
 
== The Big Collaboration topic: [[Sports]] ==
'''All--I want to do a little experiment and I ask your help.'''  Write-a-Thon participants (and all Citizens) are asked, please, to make at least one edit to the [[Sports]] article.  Let's see how much the article improves when everybody knows that a lot of other people will be converging on that one page.  Thanks in advance! --[[User:Larry Sanger|Larry Sanger]]
:lent my 2 cents! [[User:Supten Sarbadhikari|Supten Sarbadhikari]] 05:30, 6 August 2008 (CDT)
:Woohoo, video gaming sports! We're like a Zerg Rush! [[User:Yuval Langer|Yuval Langer]] 11:38, 6 August 2008 (CDT)
 
== The Partiers ==
*[[user:Aleta Curry|Aleta]] had pressing business first thing in the morning, and stumbled into the party room at 10:15 Aussie time to find it empty!  Aaaarrrgh!  Began an article on the [[Bronx Zoo]], one of my favourite attractions, although I have not visited it in many years. [[User:Aleta Curry|Aleta Curry]] 19:35, 5 August 2008 (CDT)
::Came back to join the Americans, and oooh, [[user:Tom Morris|Tom]], ''yes, we have no [[pineapple|ananas]]!'', so I fixed that quick smart.  Also edited the [[international Olympic Committee|IOC]] because [[User:Supten Sarbadhikari|Supten's]] right, no article, this close to Beijing, was just ridiculous! [[User:Aleta Curry|Aleta Curry]] 20:28, 6 August 2008 (CDT)
* [[User:Daniel Mietchen|Daniel]] started [[Gosu cave]] and added an external link to the [[Bronx Zoo]]'s entry. -- [[User:Daniel Mietchen|Daniel Mietchen]] 20:38, 5 August 2008 (CDT)
*[[User:Charles Sandberg|Charles]] enters the room and begins by putting on some cool [[jazz fusion]] music. He also makes a small edit to the [[Bronx Zoo]]. --[[User:Charles Sandberg|Charles Sandberg]] 22:30, 5 August 2008 (CDT)
*[[User:Hayford Peirce|Hayford]], first drinking a 5/1 martini made with Plymouth gin and Noilly Prat, and then a [[Samuel Adams Boston Lager]], began an article about the great [[Richard Condon]], who is primarily known as being the author of [[The Manchurian Candidate]], about which I will eventually write an article. But, on the side, wouldn't you say that this phrase has entered the English language?  I see it all the time: "So-and-so is the Manchurian Candidate of the Democratic/Republican Party".... Will do at least one major edit of a new article tomorrow to ensure my status as a partier.... [[User:Hayford Peirce|Hayford Peirce]] 23:31, 5 August 2008 (CDT)
::The next day, still Wednesday here in Tucson, did some editing on the [[Rideau Canal]], thereby confirming my full Partier status. In between time, I've been making some [[Coq au vin]] to accompany all the various beverages being drunk here. (Although I've never heard of ''Coq au pineapple juice''.) I could have used some of Howard's Remy Martin XO when it was time to flame the bird, but that would be a waste of that good stuff -- I woulda drunk it and used the Christian Brothers Brandy anyhow.... [[User:Hayford Peirce|Hayford Peirce]] 15:34, 6 August 2008 (CDT)
*[[User:Supten Sarbadhikari|Supten]] thought of writing on [[Digha]] - a sea beach he had visited many times, and also thought of showing fondness for [[Sports]]. Then he added another external link to [[Gosu cave]]. He thought whether the [[Virtual olympic congress]] was worth any effort, and was shocked to find that in the month of [[Olympics]], there is practically no entry on [[International Olympic Committee]]!
*[[User:Catherine Woodgold|Cathy]] started an article on the [[Rideau Canal]] and hopes to expand it later today; meanwhile others are welcome to pitch in. She also added her $0.02 to Larry's Sports article, and perusing the edit history was intrigued to see that a couple of other articles seem to have been created as spin-offs, for a very successful experiment! Fun. <br/>Cathy later added material to Daniel's Gosu cave article, thereby (arguably) officially qualifying as a participant in the write-a-thon. <br/>By the way, last month Cathy found out about the write-a-thon after it closed and decided to particpate belatedly by proofreading the articles. Hampered by the absence of a list on this page of the articles contributed, she didn't get further than copyediting Supten's [[William Osler]] before she got sidetracked on writing [[Ibn Sina]], inspired by the mention of Avicenna in the aforementioned article, and considers it (the Ibn Sina article) to be her belated contribution to the July write-a-thon (as a porch-sitter, since adding a missing letter "t" to "the" can hardly count as a major contribution to an article!).<br/>(Cranberry-Raspberry "real juice blend", and two chocolate-chip pancakes prepared by her daughter.)
 
*[[User:Tom Morris|Tom]] has a large glass of cool, [[pineapple]] juice, writes [[Death of God theology]], edits [[Sports]] and gets ready to work on some [[CZ:Media Workgroup|pop culture]]! He then props open a large book on metaphysics and starts reading about universals and particulars with the intention of creating an article on the subject.
* [[User:Larry Sanger|Larry Sanger]] started the day by writing about one of his favorite places on Earth, [[Prince William Sound]], Alaska, and then edited [[sports]] quite a bit.
* [[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard]], in reading about the libations, cannot help remembering an online incident, in a chatroom that included various kinds of role-playing. I was in a vaguely academic, vaguely James-Bondish mood, sipping Remy XO (why not get the good stuff if it's virtual), when a seven-foot tall Gorean warrior stormed in, waving his greatsword, and demanded my obeisance. In character, I said "I sigh, reach down to the floor, pick up a M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, and empty a 200 round magazine into the warrior." He screamed ''where did you get a machine gun?''  Howard sipped again, and replied "same place you got the sword." Anyway, I shall wander about. Cathy's comment about the Rideau Canal reminds me that I try to stay around Rideau Center whenever I'm in Ottawa, and makes some Canadians nervous with the trivia question "What was Ottawa called before it was called Ottawa?" Today, I've done some mundane fill-in-stubs on some weapons systems, tweaked a medical article, and am trying to some drawings that will explain anycasting.
* [[Humber bridge]] nearly missed the wednesday. [[User:Alexander Wiebel|Alexander Wiebel]] rescued it in the last two minutes.
* [[User:D. Matt Innis|Matt]] found out that [[User:Catherine Woodgold|Cathy]] was coming to the party and decided that, after meeting her at [[Ibn Sina]] earlier this week, she might need help with her American English.  He actually started an article on one of his favorite places in North Carolina to hike, [[DuPont State Forest]], where it felt good to reminisce while writing it!
 
==Keen-as-mustard and jumped the gun==
 
 
== Porch sitters--article creators who didn't edit a new article ==
 
== Party crashers--article contributors who didn't create a new article ==
 
[[User:Louise Valmoria|Louise Valmoria]] was wondering where this category went...! It's Thursday in Australia, so this may not count, but threw in her shotput for Larry's [[Sports]] experiment. [[User:Louise Valmoria|Louise Valmoria]] 20:13, 6 August 2008 (CDT)
:'Course it counts!  You'll be a bona fide partier next month, I'm sure.  Good to see you, I was getting worried! [[User:Aleta Curry|Aleta Curry]] 20:21, 6 August 2008 (CDT)
 
==The shy ones, absent-minded profs, and other modest creatures==
*Don’t [[Blink! The Power of Thinking Without Thinking|blink]], or you might miss [[User:Sean Plankey|Sean’s]] entry!
 
*[[user:Bruce M.Tindall|Bruce]] knows how many shopping days are left till [[The Twelve Days of Christmas|Christmas]]
 
*Did [[user:Robert Badgett|Robert]] really call us all ''[[incretin|cretins]]''???  No, my mistake! 
 
*[[user:Eric M Gearhart|Eric]] tries ye olde [[Cryptographic snake oil|snake oil routine]], aided and abetted by [[User:Sandy Harris|Sandy]]
 
*[[user:David H. Barrett |And yet another David]] lends [[methanol|spirit]] to the occasion!
 
*[[user:Yuval Langer|Yuval’s]] excuse may be that he’s got a [[virus]]
 
*[[User:James F. Perry|James]] [[Sherbert v. Verner|refereed a disagreement]]
 
*[[user:Jitse Niesen|Jitse’s]] being a [[Completing the square|square]]
 
*[[user:Anita Banser|Anita]] went straight to the [[Multi-core|core]] of the matter.
 
*[[user:David Yamakuchi|Another David]] thinks it's [[Strontium/Electron configuration |elementary]]!
 
*It’s all [[Greek language|Greek]] to [[user:Brian P. Long|Brian]]


== The total party poops ==
=== When? ===
Write-a-Thons happen the first Wednesday of every month. It starts on Tuesday 1200 UTC, when it starts being Wednesday in New Zealand, and ends on Thursday 1200 UTC, when it finishes being Wednesday in Hawaii. Save the next month's date!  Put it on your calendar!  Set yourself a reminder!


*[[user:Joe Quick|Joe]] might miss this Write-a-Thon, and since he had a great idea, he doesn’t think that’s [[Chicago World’s Fair|fair]]!!
Any new article you create, and any edit you make to somebody else's Write-a-Thon article during that time period will count!


==Special Requests==
Our [[CZ:Monthly_Write-a-Thon/August_1%2C_2007|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.


== Questions ==
=== So how do I join in? ===
Joining in is really easy:
* First of all, show up on the first Wednesday of the month!
* Start a new article. Any new article is fine, although a suggested theme is given each month. Even just a stub will qualify, although the more substantive the article the better. Come back to this page and let everyone know you've started it! The earlier in the day you do this step, the better.
* Make a substantive edit (not just a copyedit) to somebody else's ''new'' article! You might need to come back a little bit later in the day to do this, once people have had chance to make all those new articles. Then come back to this page and reply to the person who made the article.
* Optionally, but preferably, mention Write-a-thon in the Edit summary of any pages you create or edit for the party! It lets others who may have forgotten know it is here.
* Congratulations, you are an official Write-a-thon partier!


==Join the fun!==
When you've created your new article (or improved an existing article, for that matter) on Wednesday 6th July, come and list it here! Don't forget to sign your name so everyone knows you've joined in. Then, when you've edited someone else's article come and let them know!
===<big><big><big>List your new articles here!</big></big></big>===
*[[History of pie]] - [[User:Mary Ash|Mary Ash]]
*[[Doenjang jjigae]] - [[User:Chunbum Park|Chunbum Park]]
:::The Greatest Contribution of All Time. (Why is everyone so apologetic?)
*[[Natural_Gourmet_Institute]] - [[User:Pat Palmer|Pat Palmer]]
** Sorry to miss the date--Wednesdays are too busy for me.  I've create an article one day later.  It is just a stub; it would have been more, but instead, I drained all my energy battling the article creation template.[[User:Pat Palmer|Pat Palmer]] 14:18, 11 August 2011 (UTC)
*[[Haggis]] - also late, sorry [[User:Gareth Leng|Gareth Leng]] 16:21, 11 August 2011 (UTC)
*[[Mozartkugel]] -- Rather small (and late) contribution. --[[User:Peter Schmitt|Peter Schmitt]] 18:27, 12 August 2011 (UTC)


==Upcoming!==
*August 2011 - (theme still to be chosen--anyone?)
**Please enter your suggestions for the August topic [[CZ:Monthly_Write-a-Thon#New_Suggestions_and_Discussion|here]].


==It's a wrap!==
==Previous shindings==
{{CZ:Monthly Write-a-Thon/Previous shindigs}}


== Previous shindigs ==
* [[CZ:Monthly_Write-a-Thon/July 2, 2008|July 2, 2008]]
* [[CZ:Monthly_Write-a-Thon/June 4, 2008|June 4, 2008]]
* [[CZ:Monthly_Write-a-Thon/May 7, 2008|May 7, 2008]]
* [[CZ:Monthly_Write-a-Thon/April 2, 2008|April 2, 2008]]
* [[CZ:Monthly_Write-a-Thon/March 5, 2008|March 5, 2008]]
* [[CZ:Monthly_Write-a-Thon/February 6, 2008|February 6, 2008]]
* [[CZ:Monthly_Write-a-Thon/January 9, 2008|January 9,2008]]
* [[CZ:Monthly_Write-a-Thon/December 5, 2007|December 5, 2007]]
* [[CZ:Monthly_Write-a-Thon/November 7, 2007|November 7, 2007]]
* [[CZ:Monthly_Write-a-Thon/October 3, 2007|October 3, 2007]]
* [[CZ:Monthly_Write-a-Thon/September 5, 2007|September 5, 2007]]
* [[CZ:Monthly_Write-a-Thon/August 1, 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 (beverage)|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 [[shandy|shandies]] and [[spritzer]]s 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]]
==Bonus point winners==
== Write-a-Thon Theme Suggestions==
== Write-a-Thon Theme Suggestions==
===New Suggestions and Discussion===
===New Suggestions and Discussion===
''Go ahead and propose one!''
* History of food/foods.  [[User:Anthony.Sebastian|Anthony.Sebastian]] 22:59, 7 July 2011 (UTC)
 
* What about red links in [[Special:Random|Random pages]]? --[[User:Daniel Mietchen|Daniel Mietchen]] 10:15, 4 December 2008 (UTC)
* '''National Parks''' - most countries have them but Citizendium doesn't...yet.
*I suggest "Numbers".  [[User:Richard Pinch|Richard Pinch]] 07:21, 15 December 2008 (UTC)
 
* "Hometown Heroes" - write about someone famous from your part of the world (either where you're from, or where you are now).
* 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. --[[User:Tom Morris|Tom Morris]] 11:48, 4 July 2008 (CDT)
* "Poles Apart" - find the spot directly on the other side of Earth from you, and write about someone or something in the vicinity. (Contributors on other planets, follow a similar procedure for whatever planet you're on. Contributors not on planetary bodies permitted to write about whatever they feel like.)
 
* Fill in an item from [[French_republican_calendar#Months_and_days|this interesting list of natural objects]]. Or [[Positivist_calendar#Commemorations|this interesting list of people]].
::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 wellThe WaT's great success is the fun, ''write-what-you-want'' atmosphere.
* All articles must start with the same letter of the alphabet, allowing for diacritics and transliteration (so Å, Á, and あ would all count if A were the letter, for instance).
::Maybe a separate subpages initiative?
* Photo stubs - no minimum word length, no theme requirement, but must contain an image.
::[[User:Aleta Curry|Aleta Curry]] 18:25, 4 July 2008 (CDT)
* Choose a random number from 1 to 500, then go to [[Special:WantedPages]] and start an article on the topic currently at that rank.[[User:Petréa Mitchell|Petréa Mitchell]] 19:15, 1 January 2009 (UTC)
:::''Edited to add:'' Actually, why don't I add this in to October's spring cleanThe more options, the more likely people will find something they like doing. [[User:Aleta Curry|Aleta Curry]] 18:33, 4 July 2008 (CDT)
*What will people most enjoy writing that could lead many different contributors to a short, but complete and interesting article that links to larger articles? Maybe "Events" could be a theme - pen-portraits of memorable sporting moments (see [[try]], or notable historical events - including tsunamis, eruption of Krakatoa, comet collision with Jupiter, the birth of Dolly the sheep, freeing of Nelson Mandela, the sinking of the Titanic, assassination of Martin Luther King, the Mutiny on the Bounty, the discovery of the Americas? Can I suggest asking that every new article should have at least one external link and links to other articles here?[[User:Gareth Leng|Gareth Leng]] 12:31, 14 January 2009 (UTC)
 
::*I like this ideaFurther, definitions and other subpages are preferable, even for stubs. [[User:Chris Day|Chris Day]] 17:01, 14 January 2009 (UTC)
* Could fall under the category of 'Attractions', and 'National Parks' also covers some of these too. Most countries also have at least one UNESCO Heritage Listed location--could well be worth a shot, as these locations would have a rich history as well as artistic/cultural significance. [[User:Louise Valmoria|Louise Valmoria]] 20:16, 6 August 2008 (CDT)
:::Dare I suggest that even stubs can and should be non-orphans? Basic criteria: [[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 18:00, 14 January 2009 (UTC)
:::*Reachable from the front page or a core article/workgroup page
:::*Link to at least three other articles, even if they are redlinks in a Related Articles subpages
:::*Have at least three other articles link to them
* I propose "childish things" as a topic. --[[User:Larry Sanger|Larry Sanger]] 15:51, 6 May 2009 (UTC)
::Er...you talkin' 'bout me again??You can always tell who's got a toddler at home, huh, Larry? [[User:Aleta Curry|Aleta Curry]] 02:57, 7 May 2009 (UTC)
*For this revival, to open it to lots of partiers, suggest theme: '<font color="darkred">Topic of Your Mind's Desire</font>', or, '<font color="darkred">Whatever</font>', or something in that vein, with the proviso that article be consistent with CZ standards. [[User:Anthony.Sebastian|Anthony.Sebastian]] 02:28, 30 June 2011 (UTC)


===Future Theme Schedule===
:: Kinds of [[Phobia]]s, or [[mammal]]s, or [[insect]]ss or [[arachnid]]s or [[butterfly]]s or [[flower]]s or [[medication]]s or [[symmetry group]]s or [[legends in sports]]. But wait, there are many [[tree]]s and [[automobile]]s and [[computer program]]s, and [[ice cream]] flavors. Sooo many choices, so little time. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 23:48, 11 July 2011 (UTC)
*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 [[List_of_people_who_made_conceptual_breakthroughs_in_computer_science|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: [[Special:Wantedpages|Wanted pages]] * [[List_of_people_who_made_conceptual_breakthroughs_in_computer_science|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 ==
== See also ==
Line 151: Line 78:
* [[CZ:Weekly Wiki|Weekly Wiki]]
* [[CZ:Weekly Wiki|Weekly Wiki]]
* [[CZ:Article of the Week|Article of the Week]]
* [[CZ:Article of the Week|Article of the Week]]
* [[CZ:New Article of the Week|New Article of the Week]]
* [[Archive:New Draft of the Week|New Article of the Week]]


{{initiatives}}
{{initiatives}}

Latest revision as of 09:30, 24 July 2024

Wednesday August 10th, 2011

Food, history of food, we are all food experts

Please enter your suggestions for the August topic here.

The next Write-a-Thon will take place on Wednesday Aug 10, 2011!

We know that not everybody has Wednesday at the same time though, so to make it fair our Wednesday lasts 48 hours! Therefore, Write-a-Thon starts on Aug 10th, 1200 UTC, when it starts being Wednesday in New Zealand, and ends on Aug 11th, 1200 UTC, when it finishes being Wednesday in Hawaii.

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 hearty; 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. It starts on Tuesday 1200 UTC, when it starts being Wednesday in New Zealand, and ends on Thursday 1200 UTC, when it finishes being Wednesday in Hawaii. Save the next month's 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!

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.

So how do I join in?

Joining in is really easy:

  • First of all, show up on the first Wednesday of the month!
  • Start a new article. Any new article is fine, although a suggested theme is given each month. Even just a stub will qualify, although the more substantive the article the better. Come back to this page and let everyone know you've started it! The earlier in the day you do this step, the better.
  • Make a substantive edit (not just a copyedit) to somebody else's new article! You might need to come back a little bit later in the day to do this, once people have had chance to make all those new articles. Then come back to this page and reply to the person who made the article.
  • Optionally, but preferably, mention Write-a-thon in the Edit summary of any pages you create or edit for the party! It lets others who may have forgotten know it is here.
  • Congratulations, you are an official Write-a-thon partier!

Join the fun!

When you've created your new article (or improved an existing article, for that matter) on Wednesday 6th July, come and list it here! Don't forget to sign your name so everyone knows you've joined in. Then, when you've edited someone else's article come and let them know!

List your new articles here!

The Greatest Contribution of All Time. (Why is everyone so apologetic?)
  • Natural_Gourmet_Institute - Pat Palmer
    • Sorry to miss the date--Wednesdays are too busy for me. I've create an article one day later. It is just a stub; it would have been more, but instead, I drained all my energy battling the article creation template.Pat Palmer 14:18, 11 August 2011 (UTC)
  • Haggis - also late, sorry Gareth Leng 16:21, 11 August 2011 (UTC)
  • Mozartkugel -- Rather small (and late) contribution. --Peter Schmitt 18:27, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

Upcoming!

  • August 2011 - (theme still to be chosen--anyone?)
    • Please enter your suggestions for the August topic here.

Previous shindings

empty form

Write-a-Thon Theme Suggestions

New Suggestions and Discussion

  • History of food/foods. Anthony.Sebastian 22:59, 7 July 2011 (UTC)
  • What about red links in Random pages? --Daniel Mietchen 10:15, 4 December 2008 (UTC)
  • I suggest "Numbers". Richard Pinch 07:21, 15 December 2008 (UTC)
  • "Hometown Heroes" - write about someone famous from your part of the world (either where you're from, or where you are now).
  • "Poles Apart" - find the spot directly on the other side of Earth from you, and write about someone or something in the vicinity. (Contributors on other planets, follow a similar procedure for whatever planet you're on. Contributors not on planetary bodies permitted to write about whatever they feel like.)
  • Fill in an item from this interesting list of natural objects. Or this interesting list of people.
  • All articles must start with the same letter of the alphabet, allowing for diacritics and transliteration (so Å, Á, and あ would all count if A were the letter, for instance).
  • Photo stubs - no minimum word length, no theme requirement, but must contain an image.
  • Choose a random number from 1 to 500, then go to Special:WantedPages and start an article on the topic currently at that rank.Petréa Mitchell 19:15, 1 January 2009 (UTC)
  • What will people most enjoy writing that could lead many different contributors to a short, but complete and interesting article that links to larger articles? Maybe "Events" could be a theme - pen-portraits of memorable sporting moments (see try, or notable historical events - including tsunamis, eruption of Krakatoa, comet collision with Jupiter, the birth of Dolly the sheep, freeing of Nelson Mandela, the sinking of the Titanic, assassination of Martin Luther King, the Mutiny on the Bounty, the discovery of the Americas? Can I suggest asking that every new article should have at least one external link and links to other articles here?Gareth Leng 12:31, 14 January 2009 (UTC)
  • I like this idea. Further, definitions and other subpages are preferable, even for stubs. Chris Day 17:01, 14 January 2009 (UTC)
Dare I suggest that even stubs can and should be non-orphans? Basic criteria: Howard C. Berkowitz 18:00, 14 January 2009 (UTC)
  • Reachable from the front page or a core article/workgroup page
  • Link to at least three other articles, even if they are redlinks in a Related Articles subpages
  • Have at least three other articles link to them
  • I propose "childish things" as a topic. --Larry Sanger 15:51, 6 May 2009 (UTC)
Er...you talkin' 'bout me again??? You can always tell who's got a toddler at home, huh, Larry? Aleta Curry 02:57, 7 May 2009 (UTC)
  • For this revival, to open it to lots of partiers, suggest theme: 'Topic of Your Mind's Desire', or, 'Whatever', or something in that vein, with the proviso that article be consistent with CZ standards. Anthony.Sebastian 02:28, 30 June 2011 (UTC)
Kinds of Phobias, or mammals, or insectss or arachnids or butterflys or flowers or medications or symmetry groups or legends in sports. But wait, there are many trees and automobiles and computer programs, and ice cream flavors. Sooo many choices, so little time. David E. Volk 23:48, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

See also


Citizendium Initiatives
Eduzendium | Featured Article | Recruitment | Subpages | Core Articles | Uncategorized pages |
Requested Articles | Feedback Requests | Wanted Articles

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