User:Barnraiser

Hi Ballotpedia Volunteers!

Ballotpedia is sponsoring an old-fashioned Wiki Barnraiser on Thursday, August 2 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and you are warmly invited to participate.

• See also Having Fun at the Barnraiser in Six Simple Steps.

What will happen during this Barnraiser?

• Volunteers at computer desktops and laptops around the country will point their browsers to Ballotpedia starting at 2:00 p.m. CST (central time) on Thursday, August 2.
• Before long, these volunteers will be editing articles like crazy and experience a profound sense of accomplishment.

Really? How do green volunteers turn into accomplished editors?

• First, each volunteer registers with Ballotpedia.

And then what?

• Each volunteer will spend a little time reading about Ballotpedia and then discover a wonderfully useful page about Getting Started on Ballotpedia.

And what happens then?

• By now, the volunteer will be stunned with admiration and will want very much to be a part of this amazing resource.

What will the volunteer want to do?

• The volunteer will want to practice a little bit in minor ways before doing something big, like starting a new article.

How will the volunteer get some practice editing?

• The volunteer can visit the list of Ballotpedia articles tagged for clean-up for today's Barnraiser and
• Follow the clean-up directions.

What's the volunteer supposed to do then?

We'd appreciate it if you would then visit the Barnraiser Featured Project page and proceed from there.

If that doesn't strike your fancy, though, you could:

• Clean up some more of Ballotpedia's existing articles
• Look at the list of "wanted pages" on Ballotpedia and pick one to create.
• If you are technically adept and have a good eye for design, you could start designing some templates for Ballotpedia. Ballotpedia could especially use some of these templates.

What if the thought of starting an article makes the volunteer nervous?

• The volunteer will be marvelously relieved to know that Ballotpedia contains a selection of articles on how to write articles for Ballotpedia.
• Remember that you don't need to create a relatively detailed article about a ballot measure, such as Oregon Ballot Measure 37 (2004).
• It is equally important to create simple starter articles, such as the article about the Colorado Civil Rights Initiative (2008).