How to Participate

Awesome, you're here! We're so glad you decided to drop by. This is going to be amazing, and we can't wait to see what you've got in that crazy mixed up head of yours.

Here's a few simple guidelines to help you to get the most out of this experience, and us to get the most out of your input...

1. Don't be a Dick: This is a creative project, not a platform for political dick-swinging. If you have a burning need to tell everyone why you are right and everyone else is wrong, hit the comments section of Daily Koz or The Blaze.

2. Be Open: Collaboration is about saying "yes" more often than you say "no". Build on other people's ideas, don't belittle them.

3. Be Brave: Creativity is about putting yourself out there and risking rejection. Not all ideas are going to make the final cut, but everything has the potential to trigger some gold.

4. Be Concise: Use the least number of words possible to get your point across. We are not writing the story yet, we are writing the back-story. Brevity matters.

5. Smil​e: The end result we are after is a book that makes people think, and makes them smile. So if you smile while you are contributing, there's a better chance that what you've contributed will make other people smile too. Don't write angry. Write happy.

OK, enough with the fluff, let's get more specific...

Where to Participate
So the original idea was to just open this thing up and see what happens. "Trust the universe to attract the right kind of people to the project" said a part of the subconscious known for its rose colored view of things.

Unfortuantely the internet is not well known for a live-and-let-live ethos . And Wikis get vandalised. And because this is a political satire, and people get very sensitive about politics, a bit of anticipatory defensiveness has been implemented.

This Wiki is not what you'd call a truly open platform. In fact, it's about as locked down as a Wiki can get. Page protection has been implemented across almost every page (if you find an unprotected page, it's probably a mistake). This is to avoid vandalism and to speed up the creative process. Because this is a work of fiction, and it covers topics which are extremely open to a diversity of opinion, it is extremely likely that people are going to disagree. We don't want to waste a lot of time in edit wars.

So how do you get involved if you can't edit pages? Do as the Romans did and head to The Forum. There are 2 reasons to start at the Forum, the first is you can very quickly get involved. The second is that themore you get involved, the more likely it is you will be invited to become an Admin. And Admins are the people who can edit the main ages of the Wiki.

There is a reason for this: we're trying to tell a real story, and that story needs a certain level of planning and structure if it is going to work. Open collaboration has a tendency to go a bit haywire (see A Million Penguins ). We're trying to build an open community via the forum and select the most active, most creative, and most civil contributors to work on the main body of content.

What to Contribute
You can contribute anything at any time. Inspiration is a truly random process which cannot, and should not be controlled. So if you think of something, and think it fits in a section that's not the current focus, do not let that stop you. Get it in there. Don't lose the idea. Add it to the discussion in the forum. If it's something completely new, start a new forum thread.

However, at any point in time, there will be a main focus of the combined creative effort. This is where we want the most energy to go. It will be clear where the main focus is by visiting the home screen.

How to Participate
1. Get up To Spe​ed: Read the Wiki. Read far and wide. Get to know the detail of the story and the world it is set in. You really should be familiar with the detail before you start contributing. If you don't like what you find perhaps this project isn't for you.

2. Visit the Forum: find the active discussions, and join in. The Forum is structured in the same way as the wiki, so whether you are interested in discussing World Building, or Characters, or Themes, there is a board waiting for your contributions. The best way to start is to find something you agree with and agree with it. That helps the best ideas bubble to the top, and gets you into the swing of things.

3. Add something: The best way to contribute is to ADD. Go to the forum, find a thread relevant to your idea, and ADD:


 * Add Detail: Add anything, ADD back story, ADD characters, ADD humour, ADD pop culture, ADD insight, ADD absurdity, ADD anything. Adding helps the creativity flow. What you add may not make the final edit, but everything you add has the potential to inspire more ideas, and make the entire project better.


 * Add Alternatives:

If you are reading something and you think "what if it did this instead?", ADD IT. Start a new thread, clearly mark what you are adding with the word "ALTERNATIVE:" and then write. If enough people like your alternative, you might just change the story.

4. Vote: From time to time votable lists will be added to the Wiki. These will be used to get a better feel for the direction of a story arc, or a character, or the name of a town, or anything really. Voting helps shape the story. 5. Preserve the Community: If you see someone who is being awesome, tell them you think they are awesome. If you see someone being a Dick, ask them politely to stop being a Dick. Just remember that having a different opinion to you is not being a Dick, abusing someone elses work because you like your idea better, is.