Wikipedia:Building Wikipedia membership/Building membership

Let's talk about how to increase traffic to Wikipedia, of both readers and writers--that is now going to become one of the main focuses of my Wikipedia work. So I want your help! How can we increase "membership" in Wikipedia--both readers and new writers?

Let's brainstorm. Please, add an idea below, or help develop ideas. (Sometimes, a really great new idea is a slight variation on a just-OK old idea.)

• Solicit links from:

• • People with lists of encyclopedias

• • People with encyclopedia-type websites

• • Web sites for authors, films, whatever. There's always a list of links. Add a link to the Wikipedia Stephen King page to Stephen King web sites, to the Japan page on Japan web sites, and to on.

• Create a Friends of Wikipedia page: an external link back can be added if we spot a link by them to us. (Done. Please add your own webpages to that page!)

• Post announcements on mailing lists. But of what sort? Obviously, we want to avoid spam.

• • Start and continue discussions about Wikipedia articles (for this, the help of Wikipedians will be necessary)

• • Simply announce the existence of Wikipedia, soliciting help. I think this is actually plausible.

(The above is just a start! Please add to the list!)