The wiki-project cycle is an inevitable phenomenon for every wiki project; it has a permanent and clearly expressed character, consists of a wiki-upswing and wiki-stagnation (wiki-recession), and illustrates the current state of affairs in any wiki project.
Under favorable conditions, the wiki-project cycle may repeat an unlimited number of times.
Components of the cycle and their characteristics.
Any cycle of a more or less active wiki project consists of two main parts — the wiki-upswing and wiki-stagnation — as well as sub-parts: the peak of the upswing, the transitional state between the wiki-upswing and wiki-stagnation, and the trough of the wiki-recession.
All parts and sub-parts are listed below in descending order, along with their characteristics.
1) Wiki-upswing — an important part of the development of any wiki project and a phase of its cycle. Characterized by improvement across all project indicators: a) positive growth in active participants; b) steady growth in quality articles and additions to them; c) increased traffic and citation of the project; d) high administrator activity, rapid cleanup of junk, and removal of provocateurs; e) expansion of the project's influence across the web; f) an increase in the total number of edits, with figures exceeding "average activity" benchmarks; g) growth of the meta-section: creation of improved rules, improvements to the interface, introduction of new technical tools, and increased operational speed of the project.
1-a) Peak (summit) of the wiki-upswing — the highest point in the development of the wiki project over its entire lifespan. All of the indicators listed above reach their absolute highest values.
The main drawback of the wiki-upswing is the fact that, within the framework of the wiki-cycle, it cannot continue indefinitely, and sooner or later a given project will enter a transitional state or fall into a wiki-recession.
2) Transitional state between the wiki-upswing and wiki-recession — a general uncertainty about the wiki project's future condition; the project balances between two "abysses," attempting to maintain an outward equilibrium (a current example is "Traditsiya"). A prolonged stay in this state is harmful to any wiki project, as it breeds uncertainty and prevents normal development.
3) Wiki-recession (also wiki-stagnation) — a phase of the wiki-project cycle characterized by a slowdown in the project's rate of development. A wiki project is in recession if: a) the number of active participants who have left exceeds the number of comparable new arrivals; b) the number of articles and edits falls lower day by day, and the project's average benchmarks for these parameters are not being met; c) additions to existing articles are virtually absent; d) articles of poor quality are being created (tiny stubs, unprocessed GFDL-copyvio from other sites, bot-generated articles); e) a tedious atmosphere reigns in the project: forums and discussions are largely inactive, and miscellaneous junk goes undeleted for extended periods.
3-a) Trough of the wiki-recession — the lowest point in the development of the wiki project over its entire lifespan. All of the indicators listed above reach their absolute lowest values. At this moment the project can take only one of two paths: 1) the path of wiki-upswing and development — and a gradual return to the (new) peak of development; or 2) the final cessation of all activity, descent into chaos and anarchy, and the possible end of the project. It has been observed that most of the time the project does begin to develop again; however, there are cases (for example, Wikislavia) where a project is unable to move forward and perishes.