NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!

NANY (Our New Apps for the New Year Event) has always had two purposes:

• To encourage anyone who is interested in coding to create something new, for the pure fun of it.
• To provide motivation and a platform for coders who want to work hard to create a useful new application for others to use, and help them spread the word about it.

It's not always easy to organize NANY in a way that makes sense for both of these purposes -- so in 2011 we are planning to try something new.  In addition to the existing NANY set-up we are going to create a new category for Entrants who want to submit a more significant application, which will have a more rigorous set of guidelines for successful entries.  We are calling this category First Class entries.

We still strongly encourage everyone who is interested in creating something new for the New Year to participate, whether serious or fun, big or small, application or game, novice or professional programmer.  But those who want some motivation and encouragement to create something really special, with wide appeal and extra promotion, are encouraged to pledge a NANY First Class entry.

NANY entries that qualify as First Class entries will be featured more prominently in our wrap-ups and in our presentations to other sites as they'll have the widest appeal, ease of use and clarity of documentation.  In other words, the "First Class" applications will be the applications that we feel most comfortable recommending to people who have never heard about DonationCoder.com, and which we think are ready for wide promotion to the general public.

While anyone can submit a NANY entry, the "First Class" entries will also require:

• Clear instructions for installation and use (help files or readme's etc.)
• Earlier pledging of the author's desire to participate.
• Initial Submission well before the deadline so that we can help test and provide feedback.
• Most of all, a commitment from the author to incorporating feedback and suggestions from testers prior to the deadline.
• More time spent by the author on polishing the application so that it is suitable for a general audience.
• Will almost always be more substantial applications that require more development time, and will exceed the normal scope of a Coding Snack.

It is our intention to keep the same spirit of NANY that we have always:

• A fun and rewarding event for everyone involved.
• Encouragement to everyone who wants to participate to participate, regardless of coding experience.
• Trying not to have winners and losers.
• All entrants that Pledge and Submit by the due dates "winning" a NANY prize.

This new concept has been the focus of much, and at times, intense discussion.  We think/hope we've struck a good balance between the original NANY spirit and the need for improvement.  But NANY is all about you, the DC members: This is your opportunity to give us your feedback on the new ideas and influence its implementation...