Goal
Writers.SE has been small but steady for quite a while; we're not slipping, but we want an opportunity to grow.
So we're planning an event which is a combination of of promotion, and content generation - promotion to reach new eyeballs, and content generation to actively shape our site into what we want it to be.
Format
I'm basing our format on previous contests in the SE network, particularly RPG.SE's birthday contest. The format is simple: we choose a particular set of tags we want to give special attention to. People earning badges for content (Nice Question, Nice Answer) or for promotion (Announcer, Booster, Publicist) within the selected tags get points - and at the end of the contest, we hold a drawing; the more points you have, the greater your chances of winning. (Precise prizes are still to be determined, but we've definitely got some!)
Scope
We'll need to select a precise timeframe for the contest; basically, we'll be wanting a period of several weeks mostly overlapping with NaNoWriMo.
The most important decision we still need to make is what tags we want to focus on. The object of this contest is to give some attention to tags that will broaden Writers.SE's scope; tags that will allow for meaty, interesting questions that haven't been asked much so far.
One of our best options at the moment is to focus on genre tags. We're a resource for creative writers of every stripe, but tags like mystery, romance, young-adult, and other genres only have a handful of questions apiece; even our natural allies science-fiction and fantasy could use some attention. If we can flesh these tags out, we'll be making ourselves a much more attractive and visible resource for writers of all these different genres.
But We Need Your Input!
Because we can choose any topic, and we want ideas from you!
We'll be commandeering the coming Tuesday chat (October 1st, 17:00 UTC) in order to decide the precise topic and scope for the contest. We want to hear any thoughts and ideas you have; this contest can be about pretty much anything, and a community brainstorm is the perfect way to come up with something terrific.
Obviously, there are plenty of details still to work out. Until the chat and further announcements, here's the place to post ideas and suggestions.
