Talk:Account Creation Improvement Project/Testing content

Posted note for help in Dutch Wikipedia VP and WMNL chapter's VP

Based on a request for help from Lennart to Wikimedia Nederland, I have posted requests for input in the Dutch language Wikipedia and the Chapter's VP. Siebrand (talk) 13:14, 17 February 2011 (UTC)

Image gallery

Hello,

I just created an image gallery that someone with more Photoshop/GIMP/etc knowledge than me can use to create a more dynamic welcome page:

I hope someone has use for it. Just holler and I will send you the source file for it.//Hannibal (talk) 14:10, 4 March 2011 (UTC)

It looks cool, but I'm not sure if I like the illustration-y effect on the images. Regards, Rock drum (talk · contribs) 12:06, 5 March 2011 (UTC)

Login and account creation forms

This en.wiki only. Forms (i.e., text around them) differ significantly among Wikimedia projects. It would be interesting to compare them. Nemo 10:48, 25 April 2011 (UTC)

Email confirmation

The discussion is currently taking place on en.wiki. It's ok, but it will obviously affect only that wiki. The version proposed by Lennart is IMHO very good for en.wiki. I think that here we can discuss some general aspects and edit different versions, then a discussion will be needed on each wiki to implement a locally suitable version, while a discussion will be needed on Meta to change it globally. Some things to consider.

1. The "email welcome" model won't always work because most new accounts are autocreated via SUL. This is especially true for sister projects, but even on Wikipedias you'll miss many users who registered on some other project first (this should be measured).
2. The "email welcome" needs to be coordinated with the on wiki account creation confirmation message and with user talk welcomes. In fact, most wikis have user talk bot welcomes, and makes no sense to add duplicate information to the email welcome. In any case, don't reinvent the wheel and consider what other wikis learned.
3. On wikis where $wgEnotifUserTalk is enabled (i.e. most wikis, see also bugzilla:5220), users will receive an email notification also after a welcome is added to user talk (this doesn't happen with the NewUserMessage extension, where it's not needed because the user will immediately receive the message on talk). In my experience on it.wikiquote, they will often click the link and even write you (also via email): this is good because they'll visit the website again, see the welcome and know who to contact, but it means that another email welcome would be a duplicate (so the content should be different).

Nemo 10:48, 25 April 2011 (UTC)

Confirmation page

I've had a short discussion with Przykuta about it. The main problem is that the user won't be able to use this message again (email messages are more or less the same: they are stored, but most people are not able to find them after they read them); the solution tested on pl.wiki is to make them create a user page with important links, but I personally prefer the user talk welcomes.
In any case, you must absolutely avoid to put too much things here. Even on user talk, they are not read so much and the projects I know have reduced the amount of text and links on welcome templates to get new users actually read them and read the important things. This message is shown only once, so I would put here just one or two things: either an input box, or a video, or 1-2 links to help pages. I don't know any good enough general and short introductory video for our projects except WMI video WikiGuides, though (but they could be localized). Nemo 10:48, 25 April 2011 (UTC)

I agree that we tend to overestimate how much text the new users are willing to read. And I think another angle is just as important: the community needs to know more about the new users - it's a good way to understand if they are trolls or more likely good editors. That's why we are right now thinking about ways to both educate the new users and the community. Do you have any concrete ideas about that?//Hannibal (talk) 19:12, 25 April 2011 (UTC)

I will try to improve :) We can add line on the top in preload "Write something about you if you want" It is now in editintro text. So, about criticism on en wiki ;) We can check newbies pages on RC quickly (in pl wiki). "[1815 bajtów] ‎Login (dyskusja | edycje | zablokuj) (Nowa strona: == Przydatne na początku == * Wikipedia:Strona użytkownika – co zaleca się mieć na stronie wikipedysty. * Pomoc:Strona dyskusji –...)" Number of bytes 1815 - it is important :) If number of bytes is bigger or smaller, we check page (and sometimes welcome - job for bots IMO), if 1815 and "standard text from preload" - we welcome with short personal text. About the landing page - I think about choise for different users - "who are you and what do you want in Wikipedia" path. 4-5 images; for example:

• 
  I want to build Wikipedia by writing new articles
• 
  I want to check errors and monitor changes in articles
• 
  I want to repair articles...

+ I want to improve existing articles (stubs, cleaning etc.) + I want to illustrate Wikipedia (illustrator) + I want to write scripts etc. for users (tech/geek) + ...

The path :)

1. I want to build Wikipedia by writing new articles
2. Next page -> your skills/attributes: 1. own sources (home library), 2 lang skills (xx-3,4,N), 3 google skills (source-digger), 4. something else.
3. -> Special preload for this user with useful links for him/her

Przykuta (talk) 11:39, 26 April 2011 (UTC)

Can we add a Be Bold messge to the page? Jamietw (talk) 05:30, 10 May 2011 (UTC)

I'm having problems with ACIP accounts

Nowhere do people seem to be being warned that only individual human beings can have accounts here. I'm having to block new accounts in the names of companies, churches, and other corporate/collective accounts, many of which then proceed directly to spamming Wikipedia about themselves. --Orangemike (talk) 20:27, 15 June 2011 (UTC)