The first major project in Web & Social Media is upon us, and the first question asked was: “What are you going to do your wikiHow page on?” When the Wikihow project was initially introduced, ideas came and went quick. There were so many recipes out there that weren’t on wikiHow, as well as many how-to and DIY projects. However, when it came down to choosing a topic to write 800-1000 words on, it began to be more difficult. Why was it so hard to think of a how-to that someone else hadn’t already thought of/written about as well as be something that would capture the attention of readers around the globe? After a bit of brainstorming as well as scouring wikiHow to make sure the topic hadn’t already been chosen, three topics came to mind.
The first idea that had came to mind was a recipe. Professor Pabico had mentioned in class how people had used new and exciting recipes as the basis for their wiki many times in the past. However, the key was to find a recipe you were familiar with that wasn’t already on WikiHow, which is a bit harder than you’d think. The best kind of recipe to start with was a unique family recipe that was handed down. The first that came to mind was pumpkin muffins. A delicious snack, but most people had not heard of this kind of recipe. With the demand for anything pumpkin flavor rising, this recipe was guaranteed to have already been posted onto wikihow. However it wasn’t shown on Wikihow,making it a perfect topic for this project.
The second idea came from the description of the project given by Professor Pabico. She suggested that the topic should be something we cared about, something that interested us as students. The first thing that came to mind was music. In the punk rock and pop-punk scene, there are certain things that you have to do to be considered “part of the scene.” When searching this topic, you can see there were already topics with similar themes on wikiHow. Therefore, the actual topic would have to be narrowed down into a niche. Being from a town that was very much involved in this scene and did things “by the code”, it was natural to make the topic specific to Buffalo, NY.
The third and final idea comes solely from others. After the last two ideas were hashed out, the third and last topic was hard to establish. Three were needed, but the first two were obviously the best. While struggling to find a third topic, a friend suggested doing a funny Wikihow page. “Do something people wouldn’t think of, like how to find a needle in a haystack,” she said. From there, it was decided that would be my third potential topic. While it wouldn’t be easy to write because it is is not a topic with much background, it is a funny and light-hearted topic
Ultimately, any of these 3 topics could end up being the subject of a WikiHow page. However, the easiest to write would be the one on “how to be pop-punk”, since it is one that has the most personal connection as well as information. Writing an article on finding a needle in a haystack would be hysterical, but hard to write. Finally, a recipe would probably be the easiest, since it is the suggestion given in class. All 3 of these potential topics would lead to a fun and exciting project.
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