Arbital projects are a way of bringing editors together to build up a specific local area of content. They're a good place to look if you're not sure what you want to write. There'll be lots of page outlines and other editors will be active on the topic to give feedback (but don't feel restricted, you're of course welcome to write anything within Arbital's scope).
Stages of a project
Outline
The first stage is to define the project's scope. This includes writing an intro paragraph describing what a reader will be able to get from it when it's complete, creating a list of links to pages which will be included, and creating brief descriptions of any pages which are not clearly understandable from their titles.
Proposed
Once the editors who are setting up a project think the outline is ready, they apply the proposed project tag. An Arbiter will review the proposal, checking that it is:
- Supported by editors - Is something that active editors (or people it's reasonable to think will become active editors) want to create.
- Finishable - Is not be open-ended or disproportionately large (compared to the amount of editor support).
- Well-formed - Has all required parts (list of links, intro paragraph), is reasonably well written, etc
- In-scope - Within Arbital's scope.
And checking if there are currently too many featured projects (putting it in a [arbital_queued_project queue] if there are).
Featured
Featured projects are active, currently promoted projects.
At the same time as the project is moved to featured and included on the home page, the Arbiter will select one or more project stewards look after it. %%note: These will generally be editors who helped outline and discuss the proposal who
• Know the subject matter well
• Have a good track record of contribution and activity
• Have shown good collaboration and people skills (particularly ability take on feedback and resolve disagreement in a productive and reasonable manner)%%
Ongoing
Ongoing projects are featured projects which have slowed down and are no longer promoted as heavily. Projects may be moved back to featured (usually at the request of editors) if activity picks up.
Completed
Completed projects have created all the content in their original outline, and brought it the aimed quality level. These new patches of content are now ready to be shared as featured on Arbital's home page and with the world, confident that readers can now arrive and learn about that topic.
Pages in completed projects are neither perfect nor static, and further improvements are always welcome.