How do I start an active userbase for a tag in on a question and answer site (like Stack Exchange)?

Question

I like to code in AS3 (ActionScript 3) in my spare time. My code quality is okay, but because I write most of the code after work or in weekends when I'm tired, I make a few mistakes. I'd like to be able to have other people take a look at my code and give me feedback.

Code Review is a community of which the core activity is taking a look at other people's code and giving feedback. Great! Except that for the AS3 tag, there's not much of a userbase, and my questions don't really get answered unless I start a public, but personally targeted conversation with someone of that community. They first tell me that they're not experienced with the language, but after I explain the differences or highlight that my problem is not language specific, I get my question answered. Even then, it's usually as a pointer in the direction, rather than a detailed answer.

Basically, I have to spend a lot of time pestering people from other subgroups to get to look at my question. This because my own usergroup is rather... empty.

It's not an ideal situation for me, so I'd like to help cultivate the userbase of the AS3 tag, so that I may post my questions and get answers to them sooner, without having to pester people outside of my group with my question.

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How do I start and then support an active userbase for a tag on a question and answer site like this?

Answer 1

Create content: post selfies

A tag that doesn't have much content doesn't make the site attractive to the users you want to bring over. So, make content. Answer your own questions after a day or two, maybe more - and post at least one every week. Eventually you'll get the attention of one or more of these users you're after.

And they will start answering your posts. And eventually start contributing content themselves, too - and you'll be perhaps the only one reviewing their code for a week, a month, or two. Just keep it going. Create a chatroom, invite them to hang around and discuss AS3 code; get them to meet the site's regulars in the main chatroom, get them hooked ;-)

This worked to create a little community around the vba tag on Code Review, and little by little, the tag eventually reached "badgeable" status, and more and more Stack Overflow users are starting to realize they will be answered if they post in that tag on Code Review.

It just has to start somewhere: you make it happen. Don't give up!

Answer 2

In addition, you should share the content you create for that tag on social media. For example, try posting variations of the below messages:

• Hey, check out what I have been coding!
• Can you show me a better way to do X?

I personally share my posts on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Google+ in particular is a great place to network with Coders or Techies about code related stuff. Google+ is also great because you can get technology accounts to re-tweet or share your post on their feed, which gives you a larger audience. Twitter has most of the same perks if you follow the right people