Alternative History:Barnstars

This is a proposed program.

Barnstars are a time-honored way for wiki users to thank and acknowledge one another for their work.

How do barnstars work? In the words of MeatballWiki, where the tradition started: "Occasionally, a person stands out above the rest and does something none of us would have thought of doing or were too lazy to do. They give a large gift to the community that shines against the background of our daily smaller gifts." So, when you see that somebody has done something worth celebrating: "To give an award, you just have to decide someone deserves one, and then give it to them. Don't hesitate, just give one in the typical wiki fashion."

Barnstars are given informally between users, whether for work that improves the whole wiki, for particularly noteworthy AH writing, or even for exemplary collaboration or discussion. They are meant to be "intermediate" awards: minor compared to Featured status or the Stirling Awards, yet a little more prestigious than the Badges.

Right now, the first round of badges are history-themed and are general-purpose - they are given out for any job well done. Future barnstars may have different themes and may be created for specific kinds of thank-you's.

How to place a barnstar

Generally, barnstars go on user talkpages. Leave the barnstar image as a thumbnail and write a caption explaining why you are giving the award. Barnstar recipients are free to do what they like with their awards (display them on their own user pages, or not).

Image	Description	What to type
	The Plain Barnstar, simple and unadorned.	[[File:Star.png|thumb|MESSAGE]] ~~~~
	The Vexillum Astri Stabilis, embroidered with the initials of the Latin phrase for "Senate and People of Alternate History."	[[File:StarRome.png|thumb|MESSAGE]] ~~~~
	The Most Ancient and Chivalrous Order of the Barnstar, combining the star with the flints and steels of the Houses of Valois, Habsburg, and Bourbon.	[[File:StarChivalry.png|thumb|MESSAGE]] ~~~~
	The Nuclear Barnstar Shelter Sign, in the style of signs from the Cold War United States.	[[File:StarFallout.png|thumb|MESSAGE]] ~~~~

For discussion

I introduced this idea in The Nexus and it got some limited discussion there. We'll see if it has staying power and if people decide to use it. Here I'll repeat my answers to possible objections to barnstars. Please discuss on the talk page.

• We already have awards here, thank you very much. We have three kinds: the badges, which you get automatically, and the Featured status and Stirling awards, which are given only once a year after a long voting process. Barnstars would be in a sort of middle ground between the two - a way to acknowledge quality work in an informal way.

• You just want us to be like Wikipedia - we're not! The barnstar idea predates Wikipedia. If we want to avoid becoming too Wikipedianized we can call them something else.

• Barnstars would just become a popularity contest. Pepole would use them to suck up to admins. People would give them out for no reason. People would show off their awards in an obnoxious way. Etc. Every system can be abused. If someone seemed to be misusing barnstars, you could call them out on it. But it's really about encouraging others.