User blog:Forestpaw13/Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, WFW!
Here's to a great 2012, and an even better 2013!

Some fun facts about the year 2013:
 * 2013 is composed of four different digits, and is the first such year since 1987.
 * 2013 is composed of four sequential digits, although obviously not in order. The last such year was nearly 600 years ago, back in 1432. But the next such year is only 18 years away.
 * 2013, 2014, and 2015 are consecutive years each of which is the product of three distinct primes (3 x 11 x 61, 2 x 19 x 53, and 5 x 13 x 31, respectively). The last such three-year sequence was back in 1885-1887, and the next one isn’t until 2665-2667.
 * As was 2012, 2013 is one of only 45 multi-digit numbers that, when spelled out in English, are alliterative (i.e., “two thousand thirteen”).

What's going to change in 2013 here on the wiki?
I've been getting that question a lot, actually. Lots of things! The team of admins is really hoping to decrease admin response time and increase the number of users joining the wiki. We're coming up with great new tools.

A personal goal of mine is to increase the actual presence of admins, and when they are here, to make their presence known by all. I've already changed a few things. Now when a staff member comments on a blog or story, their comment will be a bright white as opposed to the light blue that normal users have. This is intended to encourage users' knowledge of the admins and, in response, increase the admins' maturity while making a comment. The background is also going to be changed. This will come with the adoption of a new logo. One of our former staff members, Hiddensun, did an awesome job in designing our current background, and the staff team hope to do the same thing during this new year!

One of the things I've been hearing a LOT from multiple users is: "What happened to our traditional rite of passage?" Let me explain. In the past years, a milestone moment on the wiki was the first time you "discovered" the IRC (stands for "Internet Relay Chat", a real-time chat method). The same users wonder why the admins aren't kicking the newer users off of the wikia chat and making them use the IRC. The answer to this is simple: while the IRC is a great way to communicate, the newer users are using the chat here on the wiki the way it is designed to be used. I've also become a fan of the wikia chat. It is designed to help you meet more wikians in a way to similar to the IRC. WFW is going to use it a lot more often in 2013. I highly encourage you IRC-users to join in as well.

I'm also hoping to use social networks more! Twitter and Facebook are great ways to stay in tune with the current WFW doings. More social network use means better wikia integration!

'''Happy 2013, WFW! Let's get going!'''