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We want your input as much as possible. Here are some of the most important questions right now:
Many people who read Wikipedia actually assume that Wikipedia is finished, that there is nothing more that they can contribute, so one thing we can do to increase the number of new users who actually do edit is to show them what needs to be done on Wikipedia. We wouldn't want them to feel intimidated by the size of the tasks, so that's why we want to know what are the easy edits that we can show to the new users? Please list them below:
- go to the wishlists and find out what articles others would want to read
- look at the new articles as they often haven't been through a lot of checking
- go the the categories at the bottom of an article that you cannot do anything about, and see if there are others that are less evolved
- A front end that we can include in the welcome template, that assigns categories for new users and then refers them to Wikiprojects or open tasks based on those.
- perhaps some simple recent changes and new pages patrolling
- simple copyediting of spelling, punctuation, run-on sentences, etc. appeals to some editors, and is an easy way to "get your free wet."
(You do not need to sign your contributions to the list. Just add more suggestions as you see fit.)
Discussion
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(Feel free to discuss the topic here. Please sign your contributions.)
Would we have any way to ensure the user gets links to a Wikiproject they are interested in and not just a random one? Jamietw (talk) 17:28, 8 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
- In many, perhaps most cases you can refer them to the WikiProject that is relevant to their early edits. Or you could ask, and perhaps give them the full list if they want to know what is available. I wouldn't suggest sending people to a random WikiProject. But if someone starts by writing an article on their great grandfather the Musichall performer then they probably won't be surprised if they subsequently get invited to a WiKiProject about Music hall. Hopefully that will introduce them to the idea that WikiProjects exist so if their true interest is MilHist they can go and see if we have a project on that. WereSpielChequers (talk) 13:26, 18 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Another question is how we can show the new users to the easy edits. Do we produce films that we place on the landing page? Do we have screencasts showing them where they can find the watchlist, for instance? Keep in mind that the suggestions should be possible to make without a Hollywood film budget, and with volunteers.
- Video options sound very resource intensive to implement and host, we should look at utilizing infrastructure we already have in place.
- Well, we do have Commons:Category:Instructional_videos_on_using_Wikipedia.//Hannibal (talk) 15:15, 11 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Discussion
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(Feel free to discuss the topic here. Please sign your contributions.)
This page is where we ask questions that we don't have answers for. If you have a question, feel free to put it here, on the talk page or on the talk page to the project page. If you have ideas or suggestions, share them here. Thank you.
ls it simply impossible to help a user who has forgotten their password, and no longer has access to the original email account? Google does some innovative
things for password recovery involving habitual account usage, which I'm sure is written into the software, and does not involve tying up the time of personnel.
The section is devoted to the analysis of the impact of the account creation mechanism on the new users' activity. It's a part of the Account Creation Improvement Project,
- Logging in separated from account creation.
- Explanation: Currently the users see a login page, where they need to find and click an account creation link. The minimum requirement is to include the message "Don't have an account? Get one." in a separate frame on the login page. It would be best, however, to separate login and account creation with a more definite separator on the page which is visible for unregistered users.
- Changes on the registration page - put the form a bit higher, more accessible username rules.
- Explanation: after clicking the account creation link the form appears too low on the screen. What should be visible underneath is at least a language selection box. SUL is active nowadays (but it is a minor point), so people do not need to register separately for different projects (but it is also a minor point).
- In order to get to know the username rules, a user needs to click a link, which makes it easy to abandon the form - a most inconvenient solution. It might be a lot wiser to copy the rules and put them in a form of a collapsible template in the default collapsed form (with a + mark to show its contents) on the account creation page itself. Also, after the link to the username rules is clicked, it ought to open a new window.
- Excluding inappropriate phrases in usernames on the software level.
- Explanation: usually a user gets to know the facts after an account has been registered. Phrases like xxx.pl ought to be able to be excluded at the software level.
- Hints from the software as to similar usernames which have not yet been reserved, if an already reserved username has been typed in.
- Explanation: There seem to be fewer and fewer unique "weak" usernames available; after the user types in an already reserved username, the system could suggest a free username, e.g. adding numbers. Not all users will be satisfied with such a hint, but one can get discouraged in the process of hunting for the perfect username.
- Improving upon this solution.
- Explanation: After the option of creating a userpage has been introduced, which includes a list of useful links and is delivered via an inputbox preload, more than 500 new users decided to create their userpages including the bunch of useful information. Earlier, users were less willing to do any edits, and before any edit was made, it was unusual to welcome newly registered users. After such a userpage has been created, there is no need to overload user talk pages with welcome templates repeating the same links, and instead they can be greeted more individually. Moreover, it is visible that after the semi-automatic creation of userpages, users decide to edit pages more willingly. It would be good, however, to personalise the preloaded template a little - depending on what the user wants to do at Wikipedia, the set of links could be more specific.
- Bot-greeting of users who do not create a userpage as described above.
- Explanation: If the user does not know the rules of the project, (s)he can start editing in an unwanted manner, which can result in a quick block or rather unpleasant "test" templates insterted into their usertalk page. If after a few minutes (which should allow for the user to create a userpage) a bot greeted those who did not create their userpage (not everyone decides on the full spectrum of links, but there is a choice), the ratio of "incidents" would fall down. Additionally, the Welcoming Commitee could turn into a full-fledged Assistance Commitee and provide actual help instead of a semi-annonymous welcome template.
- Good ideas but the English Wikipedia does not seem to like the idea of Bots greeting users (see here). Also could we not direct users on the English Wikipedia to the Live Help IRC Channel? Jamietw (talk) 17:26, 8 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
- Adding an inputbox of this sort to MediaWiki:Newarticletext (User=).
- {{#ifeq:|
- |
- .
- .
- .
- |User= text + inputbox here
- Explanation: If the user does not follow the suggestion to create a userpage found in the Welcome Creation message (immediately upon registering the user account), quoting Polimerek -> "people get a red link to their userpage somewhere in the corner of the screen (OK... so what? Even if they click it, it opens an empty edit window which they usually do not know what to do with) and a link to their user preferences with a cartload of weird options, which are additionally hard to grasp for beginners. And that's all folks." Exposing the preload link a bit more and maybe adding the substituted template to be inserted into the user page, perhaps a even set of templates (if you wish to... -> insert this code, if you are planning to... -> put this into the edit box) - could be a useful hint. Optionally, automatic preload after a user has clicked the red userpage link in the said corner of the screen.
- "Create your own userpage" instead of the red userpage link in the corner of the screen.
- Explanation: I don't know if it is feasible, but if the userpage is missing, it would be better to replace the red username link with a "Create your own userpage" message. Combined with the above ideas, it could mean bigger motivation to join the community, especially when the preloaded template puts links that point the user to different channels of communication with other users.
Alot of our innocent editors are caught in collateral damage from rangeblocks; therefore they're told "oh make a request at ACC" by the software. What if instead it was forwarded directly from the Wikimedia website and sends all the information required on it so it takes less effort for the user to make the account; and less chance of them quitting mid-way through the process. Also when they select their username and password; we could omit the step of the current process of making them a temporary password - making it even faster and easier for them to access their new accounts. I hate having a hassle before I make an account - I bet they do too. Addihockey10 (talk) 20:39, 19 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
As with any project seeking to increase reader engagement, I recommend taking a look at - and maybe even showing some support for - Wikipedia: Sticky Notes. Besides the impact that Sticky Notes could some day have, some other ideas include
- The watchlist versus the like list Basically, Wikipedia keeps track of topics you like, but also the sort of contributions you like to make, all for better recommendations.
How? Rig it so that the first time you click that star at the top of the article it gets added to your watchlist AND some sort of "like" list. Click the star again and it will turn orange, meaning the article will not bother your watchlist, but you still "like" it. Finally, create a survey that users can fill out about what sorts of editing they like (for improved suggestions).
- Work with facebook. As always, I have to suggest it. "Log into this Username using a facebook account" has provoked me to get involved many, many times now. It works. I use my facebook for various website accounts. We could also get all kinds of details about user likes to make better suggestions.
- Focus all efforts on one banner ad campaign Somewhere down the line, when this team is at its best, advertise and be ready for feedback
-Tesseract2(talk) 21:17, 12 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
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