User blog:Pikushi/Fandom Compass

Hi all!

I’m here to announce a new project we are launching to celebrate the effort and passion you all put into your favorite wikis: Fandom Compass! The goal of the project is to recognize the work communities put into creating authoritative wikis, encourage more fans to visit, and hopefully inspire those fans to join these wiki communities.

Let’s talk a little about what inspired Fandom Compass, then I’ll get into the fun details.

Spinning the Needle
We get a lot of questions from users about how to expand the editor community. Building up a wiki is challenging, and more than one set of hands is needed to help a wiki turn into a vibrant community. Maintaining the wiki and helping keep the community passionate about the subject can be tough, as well (lots of fun, though!) How do we get users into the community?

First, we need to put the wiki in front of people. It is important to remember that before people start editing and contributing, they usually find themselves on a wiki via Google or another search engine. To take another step even further back, most people searching for something will click one of the first couple of links Google shows them to help find their answer, rather than scrolling down the page. One of the most powerful tools you can use to help people find your wiki (and possibly join in on editing) is making sure the search engine puts your wiki first.

Search engines are constantly looking for the best results for a search term. For example, if I search “is avatar an anime”, Google should understand that I am probably looking for Avatar: The Last Airbender and not the James Cameron movies. (Not an anime, by the way!) If its algorithm is doing what it needs to do, the first search result should be the most authoritative on the subject.

That brings us to the core of Fandom Compass - Google is constantly spinning its needle trying to find the best answer to show in its results. Let’s help guide it in the right direction.

Guiding the Way
Fandom Compass is a circle of wikis united in showing Google and other search engines that they are the most authoritative answer to a question. Wikis here are comprehensive encyclopedias that aim to answer all questions about the subject - we know that, but sometimes search engines get a little confused.

Wikis that join Fandom Compass will not only offer high quality article content but also follow a set list of back end requirements that search engines often use when ranking results. In other words, they will help lead Google toward the answers it seeks. (I am trying to see how many compass references I can fit in this blog!)

Maintaining the requirements to join can be difficult, so we want to help where we can, as well. Communities that join will be listed on the Fandom Compass hub page, be given a Compass badge that they can display on their wikis, social media, etc., monthly data reports verified by Fandom’s Data team, as well as an in-depth SEO audit.

You can read more about the program and find out how to join on the Fandom Compass.

I am so excited to see all our new Compass wikis! As always, feel free to send over any questions, and I will do my best to help!