Wikia

Most folders seem to agree that FoldIt strategy is still in its infancy. Much remains to be discovered. With that said, here are some of the goals and methods that have often been found to be helpful.

First, there are several goals to pursue that will increase a fold's score. They include the following:

These goals should be considered at all stages of the game, from the opening to the middlegame to the endgame.

Questions about strategy should be directed (for now) to the Big Question Page. As new strategies are explored, they can get spinoff pages of their own.

Tips

Several strategic tips that may prove useful include the following:

Use rubber bands to pull together widely spaced structures.
Always resolve sidechain clashes.
Find low-scoring areas (those that appear lighter green, tan, or orange) and local wiggle them.
Consider a rebuild on areas that score particularly low, that cannot be made more compact, or that otherwise look inappropriate.

Much of strategy is and probably always will remain a matter of trial and error. Good folders will make many mistakes, try many different approaches, and eventually one of them will work. It is above all very important not to get discouraged.

Middlegame

Frequently effective middlegame strategies are as follows:

Local Rebuild Strategy -- This strategy is also a good one for players to try when they are first learning to use rebuild.

Manual Rebuild -- discovered by Pletsch. For players who find rebuild too unpredictable or who seek greater compactness ahead of other considerations.
Dejerpha's notes -- thinking like water, sidechain manipulations
Banding Techniques -- notes from itskimo on banding to a guide.