The Hippo Roller Challenge

Hello all,

We're really excited to be launching a new challenge today. It's pretty different to previous wiki comp formats we've had, and this time's it's all about raising funds for a great cause.

Bringing to you The Hippo Roller Challenge!

Hippo rollers are a simple but effective invention that allow people in rural impoverished communities to have better access to clean water. I'm sure you've probably seen pictures of African women carrying buckets of water on their heads. Basically, the hippo roller allows them to carry four times as much water and push it instead of carrying it, thus making it a much easier task. The official website about the hippo rollers is here. I recommend checking it out to learn more about the project - it really is quite cool!

Anyway, about this challenge... I've put all the details are on the wiki page about it, but here's a basic rundown of how it's going to work. We've set six milestones, and when we hit one of those milestones, we will donate a designated number of hippo rollers. Here's how it breaks down:

• When we reach 15 million characters in the guide, we will donate 1 hippo roller
• When we reach 16 million characters, we will donate 2 hippo rollers
• When we reach 17 million characters, we will donate 4 hippo rollers
• When we reach 18 million characters, we will donate 8 hippo rollers
• When we reach 19 million characters, we will donate 16 hippo rollers
• When we reach 20 million characters, we will donate 32 hippo rollers.

The challenge will run from November 2 to February 28. If we reach 20 million characters in the wiki travel guide, we will have donated 63 hippo rollers (at $105 per barrel, a total donation of US$ 6615)!

I know most of you who read this forum are pretty active in the guide, but if you haven't really contributed much before and don't know where to start, I suggest heading over to The Hippo Roller Challenge page and seeing some of the ideas for how to get started. There's always plenty of things to write about, so if you really can't think of anything feel free to send me a message.

I think this is a pretty exciting challenge and I for one am looking forward to seeing how much we can raise!

Let me know if there's any questions or things I need to clarify. I've also posted a blog entry about the challenge.

Cheers,
Eric

[ Edit: Clarified price. ]

This is awesome! And just the added incentive I've needed to get my butt in gear and start adding to the wiki again You guys rock!!!!!

Quoting Wonkerer

This is awesome! And just the added incentive I've needed to get my butt in gear and start adding to the wiki again You guys rock!!!!!

Now that's precisely the kind of reaction we were hoping for!

This is a very cool initiative, and I sure hope we meet the challenge in the next 4 months to make this a successful one!

Hooray!! I need to swing my butt into gear with this one too!!

Great challenge.

I want to add one more thing as a big hint how to contribute a lot:

The project 'popular places without an article' is a list of over 900 places which is based on popularity in booking accommodation here on TP. Surely there are many places where one of you guys/girls has been!!!

I have been working on it since some time and it is a great way of getting lots of characters in one time: all of these are still empty so a template (probaly city, maybe town) has to be made and an accommodation table has to be included as well. Combined with an intro, some weather info, few sites and festivals, getting there, it adds up pretty quickly and is a good way to include missing and much-needed articles here on TP as well.

One article is bound to be 3000-4000 characters if you add some info, template and accommodation table.
Just a big hint: really, it works!!!!!! For some info, check the recently made articles of Bristol, Bath, Bonn and Aachen.

Let's rock!

Cheers!
Michael.

[ Edit: Edited on 02-Nov-2009, at 06:46 by Utrecht ]

O,

Just to make my point clear: the Challenge is about 120 days long.

If just 10 people make one article each day with around 4000 charachters an article that would mean already almost 5 million characters.
Just 10 people one article...get it

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, guess I need to join the "butt in gear" group and finish up some of those empty articles I keep saying I'll write. My writing to do list has just doubled!

Lovin' the Hippo Rollers and I'll bet we'll surpass the 20 mil character count!

Quoting Utrecht

Great challenge.

I want to add one more thing as a big hint how to contribute a lot:

The project 'popular places without an article' is a list of over 900 places which is based on popularity in booking accommodation here on TP. Surely there are many places where one of you guys/girls has been!!!

Dang Michael, don't give away that great tip!!

Quoting Sam I Am

Quoting Utrecht

Great challenge.

I want to add one more thing as a big hint how to contribute a lot:

The project 'popular places without an article' is a list of over 900 places which is based on popularity in booking accommodation here on TP. Surely there are many places where one of you guys/girls has been!!!

Dang Michael, don't give away that great tip!!

Hehe, is it hint or tip in English
Anyway, to compensate your losses I will add one more hipporoller IF we reach 20 million before or on the 28th of February. That's a promise! Better keep this thread sticky.

Anyone else wants to join me on that one