Originally, NaNoWriMo was simple and followed the book "No Plot? No Problem!" and the goal was to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. No editing,just crank it

Originally, NaNoWriMo was simple and followed the book "No Plot? No Problem!" and the goal was to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. No editing,just crank it out. If you did it, you could downlaod a .PDF file certificate. Around 2005 or so, they started pushing the social aspect, with message boards, tracking progress publicly on the web site, and people having "write-ins" where people got together and wrote. They were still each working on their own novel; but, they'd gather to do it. (I think December became the "editing" month, so they could keep going in groups.) Not only was there a certificate; but, also all sorts of "badges." As it got more popular, people began to look at ways to "cheat." Outlining and writing some words before November. Not writing fiction. Using stuff they'd written before and expanding it. I've done it (and successfully completed it) a dozen times; but, then I started skipping it. I skipped a couple to 2015, then skipped them until 2020. I was thinking about doing it this year; but, may not.