Forum:Social networking 2014

Related to the recent forums on a United Uncyclopedia and the tussle over our page at Wikipedia, I think we should put our heads together about ways to attract new readers and writers. Questions and thoughts:

1) Question: Who runs the Facebook page? The main page has 19,000 likes. That's a huge potential audience, and is our main way of attracting readers, given the issues about Google searches.

2) Thought: If this is not the case already, several admins should have access to the account and password. We should be looking to post things on a daily basis, and if a regular user wants to promote something, he should know who he can talk to in order to get things done.

3) Thought: Related to this, the focus on Facebook should be on quick jokes. Recently I note that a lot of horoscopes have been put up. That's fine, but it can't only be that. UnNews works well for short, sharp punchlines, as do customised pictures. A long spoof article is an acquired taste, and is unlikely to be read by someone browsing facebook. Topical pages, sight gags, and spoofs of online phenomena are much more likely to be shared (this is why I wrote my HowTo:Know if you're right brained or left brained and 90% of Gmail users don't know this trick pages.) This isn't all what Uncyclopedia is about, but it's a smart way to get people browsing on the site.

4) Thought: Another idea, at least for UnNews. The most finnicky part is getting all the coding right. The UnNews Facebook page could ask Facebook users to send in stories via private messages. There's a big difference between writing four paragraphs of fun in a message box, and actually fucking around with coding and stuff. If this means that people who don't have much time contribute stories, it would be welcome, right?

5) Thought: Related to this, it should be made as easy as possible for new writers to get here: Template:Main_write. Don't underestimate the difference between a potentially interested writer visiting a page, and actually following through and doing one. I would be in favour of putting a slimlined version at the top of the UnNews page so all readers see they can become writers, and also using Facebook to provide a direct link to this template, with ideas about possible stories (using Minitrue?).

6) Thought: This is my final point. Our Unique Selling Point is this: I think many readers of pages like the Onion believe they could top the stories on there. You can do that here. Our Facebook pages should be a) publicising the most accessible material and b) repeatedly reminding readers that they can write stuff too. --Leverage (talk) 12:03, 2 March 2014 (UTC)

IIRC, we do have a fuckbook page, and a facebook page. Perhaps summarizing an article for f_ckbook would be in order. Another thing, is that MediaWiki (and PMWiki for that matter) syntax is ridiculously easy to learn, so it would be more of a hassle for the people running our facebook to transfer it to the site. Plus, the low level barrier to editing will separate the men from the cute androgynous boys. Besides, if its on the wiki, and it has promise, we can improve the article. That is the spirit of wikis anyways. But yeah, overhauling our facebook and Google + status is in order. Also usenet. --The Defender of Light >Grand Warlock Danzathel Aetherwing Inventory 12:14, 2 March 2014 (UTC)

Maybe I didn't explain part 4 right. I was referring specifically to UnNews there. I mean offering that service (Message us with a story and we'll put it up) might get us more UnNews stories. I know the coding is not exactly javascript, but I maintain that you might spend 10 minutes writing a story and another 5 messing around with sources and pic codes, and if one of our problems is not enough users, separating the men from the boys should not be our game plan, should it? Leverage (talk) 12:25, 2 March 2014 (UTC)

aHHHHH, an idea partly inspired by the above mention of The Onion. Let's challenge them to a writing contest, a Happy Monkey variety writing contest. They put up five or seven people, we do the same, give each others side 36 hours for everyone to write articles here (topics we only exchange at the very start of the contest), and have a panel of independent comedians judge them. Onion won't want to do it, but if we keep challenging them like Muhammed Ali did to Sonny Liston, and get publicity for it, they will have to skirmish. Aye, setting our sights and sites on the ONION should prove interesting. Aleister 17:13 2-3-14

This all sounds good but unfortunately I don't have any input other than to repeat my statement that maybe someone should try being an active member of reddit and toss in a few links to pages here along the way. – Llwy-ar-lawr (talk • contribs • logs) 18:35, 2 Mar 2014Uncyclopedia is a community site that anyone can contribute to. Discover, share and add your knowledge! UncyclopediaUncyclopediaIllogicopediai:fr:LogimalpediePaudurapedyjaFrithchiclipeidUncapaediaAbsurdopediaScotypedia

Who does? It would be really nice if the Project pages, instead of linking directly to the external sites, gave users an idea who to talk to. It seems stupid to have a community of users and one person in charge of the social networks who doesn't always update things, right? Leverage (talk) 19:19, 2 March 2014 (UTC)

I don't know what Facebook, The Onion or Reddit are, but I'm doing my part. I mention Uncyclopedia at every opportunity. People keep telling me to stop. And then the driver kicks me off the bus. Granted, it's my stop, but it still hurts. Sir Modusoperandi ^Boinc! 02:42, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

Glad you're doing your part. I agree that all the admins should have access to the facebook thing, since for some reason Hotadmin doesn't seem to be around more than once a weekish or less. – Llwy-ar-lawr (talk • contribs • logs) 05:00, 3 Mar 2014Uncyclopedia is a community site that anyone can contribute to. Discover, share and add your knowledge! UncyclopediaUncyclopediaIllogicopediai:fr:LogimalpediePaudurapedyjaFrithchiclipeidUncapaediaAbsurdopediaScotypedia

So that's the answer to Question 1, right? Only Hotadmin has access at the moment? Leverage (talk) 12:11, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

I was on that bus too.When I was riding on the bus, Modus told me about Uncyclopedia. And I kept on telling him "I'm Matthlock!" I didn't fit his mental picture. He assumed I was half-Lunar. User:Matthlock/sig2 22:15, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

To be fair, you do come across as half-lunar. Sir Modusoperandi ^Boinc! 02:53, 5 March 2014 (UTC)

Yes, but I'm actually half-Yeti. There's a difference. User:Matthlock/sig2 15:14, 5 March 2014 (UTC)

Really? Which half? Sir Modusoperandi ^Boinc! 00:05, 6 March 2014 (UTC)

My father's side, but to be fair, both sides of my family are hairy, because I'm half-Yeti, half-Armenian. User:Matthlock/sig2 02:04, 6 March 2014 (UTC)

Really? Small world. Our family dog is a yeti-Armenian cross. Sir Modusoperandi ^Boinc! 02:23, 6 March 2014 (UTC)

Wow, so I guess we're related via dog. User:Matthlock/sig2 03:22, 6 March 2014 (UTC)