User blog:75x/Please Read This.

Please read this if you have the time. It took me a long time to write it all out.

To those who are still active here, it may not seem like it, but the wiki is falling back to its previous state. I feel like I'm the only one contributing to mainspace pages, and that most of you are usually on chat, leaving messages on people's talk pages, and making blog posts/comments. I'm sorry if that part sounded offensive, but even though it's my job to keep this place up and running, I need you all to help. Anyway, this blog post is considering a plan I have to get this wiki active again, so read on if you'd like.

First, before I begin, let me just clarify the statement that it doesn't matter what some people might say, this wiki is not copying off the LMBs Wiki. Actually, truth to be exact, it was made when that Wiki was just starting to make user pages. Then, people broke into a small, not-too-big fight on whether or not there should be user pages on that wiki. I guess you could consider me a bystander in that situation, although I did pick the side of those in favor of not having user pages. So, to break it all up, I made this wiki, the LEGO Users Wiki. At first it worked, some of those people came here to make pages on themselves, and then they got bored because there weren't "any pages to edit". I tried to help solve the problem, but they seemed to have forgotten about the Wiki. Occasionally one of them would come and update their page now and then, but over the summer, even I forgot about the wiki.

That's where my plan ties into the story. I'll just finish it, perhaps? Well, anyway, 5 months later, someone told me their page needed to be updated on the LEGO Users Wiki, and it hit me: my Wiki had been abandoned. Doing some research, I found that the last mainspace edite was done 2 months ago. I was really upset, but I was really upset about how the wiki was doing page-wise. It was still at the mere 23 pages it had been 5 months ago, and the homepage, let's just say it was hideous. So, comparing it to other wikis, I saw that each had boxes which could have text in them. Immediately I went to my friend, ShermanTheMythran, who's basically owner of LEGO Universe Stories Wiki, since the old one left. So, who have him to thank for making our new and improved homepage. Pushing that aside, we still had the page problem. With the help and some of you, we managed to raise it to 33, and then the wiki died down. My goal is to get this wiki back in the state it was when I created it, but how?

Well, it's quite simple, actually. It, altogether, consists of 5 major steps. The first step is advertising. Huh? Well, the reason the wiki went inactive last time is because each member went inactive, one by one, because this place was escaping their memories. If I would've posted blogs on different wikis advertising for it, then we would still have twice as many active members as we do now. So, how's this going to help us in a time like now? Well, I'll need one member who would be willing to go to one of the following wikis: The LEGO Universe Wiki, MyLEGO Network Wiki, and The LEGO Universe Stories Wiki. I will take care of the LEGO Message Boards Wiki. If one member could each take one of the wikis, that would be really, really helpful.

Step two is building a "structural support" for the wiki. What's that, you ask? Well, a friend once told me that each wiki needs one to keep members from leaving. You can find one of these by digging down and finding the real purpose of your wiki, and why it should stay. For example, the LEGO Universe Wiki's is possibly new people who need help finding an NPC or mission can just view its page and easily find out where it is/how to do it. The LEGO Universe Stories Wiki's is having an organized format of the story instead of having to dig through the MBs just to find a new chapter (A Hero Rising, for example...?). The LEGO Message Boards Wiki, from what I feel, is the best entry point in the LEGO Wikia systems. The mood is cheery, and everyone can be helpful on chat if you ask the right question to the right member. Although I'm still trying to solidify my theory, I have evidence that this Wiki's support is the users who don't have the ability to make a page on the LMBs Wiki, and that everyone feels included.

After we do this, we have to make sure that this Wiki will hold. You could picture this step as glue to hold this wiki together. But what is it? We have to make sure that people will not just go on chat and say they've contributed. We need people to actually help edit mainspace pages. You need something that'll keep hold of your members. Currently a few people and I are planning what this is. Even if it takes awhile, we'll find something, and will notify you guys.

In the meantime, we have a lot of work ahead of us. My goal is to have people contributing as much as, eh, let's say, the LEGO Universe Stories Wiki. That's my Christmas goal (finishing it by Christmas, I mean). It may seem impossible, but I believe in all of you, and with a little hard work, we can do it. Thanks, guys! :)

AwesomeMe