Guide Competition!

[Akasha]

I am quickly learning that what I imaged would be before Savannah arrived, is not the case. Especially since it seems I have a little one that fights sleep all day long for fear of missing out on something, which only leaves me completely wrecked by the end of the day. All that leaves very little time for site updates - something I pictured being able to do every day, you know, since I'm not "working" and all.

So, since I am not getting the time to get everything I need done in a time frame I would like, it's time to start contracting out some jobs. During my pregnancy last year a lot of people told me that if I needed help with anything, they would be there. Yet a few times I have posted threads wanting feedback and/or assistance and it's not exactly been forthcoming. So, instead, I thought I might add a little incentive to the mix - a little pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

The hardest thing for me at the moment is gathering information and putting it together for guides and information pages. I just don't have those hours (or minutes!) of no interruptions to be able to sit down and concentrate on just one thing. Little fixes here and there that only take 5 minutes - no problems. The hour, day, week that it takes to put together a good guide - HA! So this is what I am asking for help with... I want you to put together the main core part of a guide so that I don't have to (evil grin) and in return, I will provide you with many riches!

I have been thinking on a way to do this for a bit now. Originally I thought of opening it up to everyone to work together, but then how would I reward people? And of course, you give one more than another and fights will always ensue. So instead I thought I would make a competition out of it - a guide writing competition!

The first guide I want to test this with is an information page about +Damage gear. Below is an outline to get you started, some ideas of things that I personally would have included. BUT that's just a starting point... this is where you get to make it your own, expand it, personalise it, enhance it. This is a competition after all - the BEST is what I am after!

Rules

I'm after the absolute best guide possible. I will be picking the winner personally as I want to ensure it fits in well with the rest of the site. Below are some very simple rules to help you give yourself the best chance,

1. Grammar and Spelling! I am a huge grammar nazi: "you", "r", and "plz" don't belong in proper guides. Please use full English, spell check it and proof read to ensure it flows well. If I am struggling to follow it, then so will everyone else.
   
2. Layout. I don't want to be slammed with a wall of text. Have a look at the other guides and information pages around the site. Paragraphs, headings, bullet lists etc - these all play a part in a well presented guide.
   
3. Information! This really is what the guide is about. Two sentences to provide an answer isn't a guide - it's a post. Have a look at the F.A.Q. pages, even those are more than just a question and answer page. I've always prided this site on providing the best information to people. The guide must follow that.

Prizes!!

Aah the part most of you are probably concerned about - what's in it for you? This is where it gets fun! For the winning guide there is the guaranteed drop - an official World of Warcraft T-Shirt of your choice from Jinx Clothing! You can choose any T-Shirt in the men's or women's range in your size. But that's not all, every good boss has a chance to drop something epic, and this competition is no different. If your guide is super fantastic blows me away good...I mean really good - laid out perfectly, packed full of information that is well written and perfectly spelt, I will also throw in a World of Warcraft 60 Day Pre-Paid Time Card!

This competition is also a bit of a test. If I do get a really great guide out of it, I will be repeating the competition with other pages, guides, etc. There's a lot of things that need updating, a lot of ideas for new things to add... a lot more T-Shirts to give away!

Ok, so now you know the rules, and what's at the end of it, go get started! The competition will run until the 1st of March. To submit your guide, please post it under the Submit your guide here! section of the forums. If you want to include things like tables which don't show well in the forums, or you want to have images aligned a certain way, feel free to email it through to me in as a word, front page (or similar) document.

***** Below is an outline to get you started *****

About + Damage Gear

Provide an opening section to outline what +Damage gear is, how it helps us Warlocks and why we want it, etc.

+Damage vs +Shadow
Explain the difference between +Damage gear, and +Shadow/+Fire.
Provide a point about how +Healing does not affect any of our abilities.


"+42 Spell Damage and Healing" vs "Increases damage and healing done by spells and effects by up to 42"
Explain the difference between these two descriptions.
Any info to help people understand - this is a very common question for a lot of players.


Optimum +damage?
A lot of Warlocks ask how much +damage they should be aiming for. Provide an in depth answer, perhaps outlining if you need a different amount depending on what you're doing - PVP, Instances, Raids etc. For example in raids you might want to go for more +hit and sacrifice a little +damage.

How to reach 1000 Spell damage without setting foot in a raid
This will link to Canadianpimp's guide - I can fill in later no problem.


How spell damage is applied to our spells
Explain. This will be a big part of the guide. Imagine a Warlock has just found something that has +damage on it, has no idea what it is and why he should wear it - this is the part that will help him.



Plus anything else you think should be included in this guide. The above is just an outline, things that I think should be included in the guide. Make it your own however, add as much relevant information as you want. Source information from other pages (ie http://www.wowwiki.com/Plus_damage_and_healing) but make sure you word it your way - DON'T just copy and paste, that's plagiarism. Please also ensure that if you quote something from another source, you credit that piece of information to it's author with a name and a link.

Any questions, just ask. As the guides are submitted, I will open up the editing feature so you can improve, add, fix etc.

[Maltyrius]

I'm a bit light in the loafers to draft pure theorycraft but I do a lot of technical writing and web-based formatting in RL for work, so if any guides need a once-over for grammar, wordsmithing and readability I can help out.

[Akasha]

For anyone having a go at writing a guide, something to consider including is information about +Shadow damage, Vs +damage and Healing... + shadow dmg vs + dmg healing - The Warlocks Den Forums

[Canadianpimp]

Just finished up m new and updated 2.4 guide Akasha and it is ready to be posted.