If you be good to me,
Then I'll be good to you,
And we'll both ride home in my automobile.
-NWA, "Automobile"
Quite a few of us own and/or drive a car. Quite a few of us have a dream car. Coincidentally, there's probably a category for that car. So why aren't you editing an Autos category?

Recreation: Autos is just begging for more editors. It's one of the categories our downline data partners really like. It's got quite a few sections that are under-edited or that were poorly edited, and need assistance. Most of these categories can be found under:

  • Clubs - Where local and net-based car clubs are found. Often the sites here are made by car people, not computer people, so if you don't mind occasional poorly made sites, check it out.
  • Enthusiasts - Where those who are enthusiastic about a type of car, rather than a specific make, send their pages. Lowriders, hearses, classics, 4x4s, and station wagons all find their home here.
  • Makes and Models - Where specific make fans send their cars. Examples include Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Renault, Holden, and Datsun.

So You Want To Edit An Autos Category...

You'd think that good editors would be chomping at the bit to edit the category, and so would I, but we're both wrong. So, rather than admit that newwave might, possibly, not be right, why not just apply for your dream car category, and prove me right? There are plenty of smaller Makes_and_Models, Enthusiasts, and Clubs categories that would be ideal for a new editor to edit in, gaining experience and finding new and exciting websites. Sophomore editors will find mid-sized categories in need of description help. Senior editors may find and wish to tackle larger messes. Whoever you are, there's likely to be an Autos category for you. Feel free to feedback me if you need help finding a category that's the right size for you.

Care And Maintenance Of Your New Category

Then what? You did apply, right? Good. The first thing you'll probably notice after logging in (and smelling that new car smell) is quite a few unreviewed sites. (If not, skip to the next section.) Do remember that dealer sites go to the appropriate category in Regional, and manufacturer sites that also offer direct sales of products should be submitted to proper subcategories of Shopping: Vehicles. (More information can be found in the Category Charter.) Official company sites can go in Recreation if they're useful to the user, and quite often, they are.

The next thing you'll probably notice, if your category has been poorly edited in the past, is poor descriptions, errors, or redirects (use Tulip Chain or the Demozulator to track down those pesky errors and redirects). Fix all these for bonus points.

Quite possibly, your new category will be missing quite a chunk of sites. Without a dedicated enthusiast (you!) to track down more sites, your dream car category will be quite empty. Hit Google and get some sites added. Head to Recreation: Autos: Directories and search in some of the niche sites for more. Before long you'll have racked up enough edits for that other dream car category you wanted...

You're In Good Company

You'll find that the Autos editors are a pretty nice group. I have a couple of Autos categories, one for every car I've owned. (Yes, I am crazy.) Staffer dole edits BMW. Meta editor minty edits Ford Maverick. Even my sister april has an Autos category, for International Harvester. We're all rather friendly, so if you have a question, comment, concern, or complaint, just let one of us know.

And that concludes this month's newwave article. Thank you for listening, and goodnight.

- newwave