Tell us about English Wikipedia

This page belongs to the project Tell us about your Wikipedia.

English Wikipedia edit

English (English) – en

Questionaire edit

Contributors edit

Wikimedia Statistics can be difficult to interpret. What is your impression, how many steady contributors do you have?

Thousands, I think its around 75,000 who contribute 5 times a month according to the stats. Anonymous101

Are your contributors mostly native speakers?

YesAnonymous101

There are quite a few contributors with English as a second language, many of whom also contribute to their own language edition. Warofdreams 21:13, 4 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I (subjectively) agree with Warofdreams, personally I'm a Swede, but consider the English Wikipedia my primary site, and the Swedish one a future project to be the target for translations. The main reason is that English has more articles, and I learn more by reading the English one. The Swedish one is kind of a service to some of my friends, who aren't that proficient in the English language. rursus 09:52, 1 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think that the English Wikipedia is always the best(although it is mostly). I find quite oftenly more detailed articles about literature in German Wikipedia and articles about physics in French Wikipedia. Moreover, when you look for local information(e.g. about a town or person), you'll get more information in the Wikipedia of the language which is spoken there(perhaps not always, but mostly). So, translators like you are always needed here.--Demoeconomist 11:56, 3 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Where do your contributors live (regions/country)?

Mostly USA (52.1%), also UK (15.9%), Canada (7.3%) And Australia (4.4%)Anonymous101 11:07, 3 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Are these precise numbers a joke? 82.171.96.212 22:23, 3 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

How common is it that your contributors meet in real life?

Quite common. See w:Wikipedia:Meetup. For instance, the Washington DC area has a meeting approximately every 4 months, New York City has similarly frequent meetings, etc. 208.59.114.210 07:23, 4 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Other Wikipedias edit

Do you have special contacts with another Wikipedias (maybe in related languages)?

Most editors of the Simple English edition also edit the English edition. Most contributors to some editions, such as Scottish Gaelic or Latin have English as their first language and may well also edit the English edition. Warofdreams 21:16, 4 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Do you translate a lot from other Wikipedias? Which ones?

Only a very small proportion of articles are translated from other editions, due to the wide coverage of the English edition and a lack of explicitly stated sources in many other editions. Warofdreams 21:16, 4 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Organization and support edit

Is there a Wikimedia chapter in your country? How does your language relate to it?

Yes, primarily Wikimedia Australia, but also Wikimedia UK which is soon to be relaunched. Warofdreams 21:18, 4 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Are there work groups in other organizations about Wikipedia?

Yes, we have WikiProjects. Lego K^ontribs T^alk M 04:39, 4 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I mean work groups in organizations other than Wikipedia/Wikimedia.--Ziko 17:49, 11 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

English Wikipedia is of course a side focus of dozens of organizations around the world, such as academic institutions that ask students to contribute. Shii 06:45, 2 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Your Wikipedia and the linguistic community edit

Is there a language institution for your language, like an Academy, or a club of people interested in your language? Do you have contact with them?

The is no generally recognised institution, although the English Academy of Southern Africa has some influence in that region. In Britain and many former Commonwealth countries, the Oxford University Press plays a major role in collecting evidence of language usage, working with bodies such as the Australian National Dictionary Centre. The European Society for the Study of English is also a significant organisation. I am not aware of formal, regular contact with any of these organisations. Warofdreams 21:15, 15 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Who (else) supports you?
How looks your public outreach for your edition? Do you have flyers, give lectures, trainings etc.?
Do you get feedback from readers?
What other encyclopedias exist in your language?

There are many, just a few of which are listed on the English Wikipedia. Among the best known are the Encyclopædia Britannica, World Book Encyclopedia and Microsoft Encarta. Warofdreams 21:15, 15 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Content edit

Does your edition concentrate on certain topics, like your region and language, or Latin Wikipedia on Roman history and Christianity?

No, English Wikipedia now has a broad range of articles. WikiProject Countering Systemic Bias aims to "consciously focus upon subjects and point of view neglected by the encyclopedia as a whole." Warofdreams 21:26, 4 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Did your edition enjoy text donations, for example from older encyclopedias?

Yes, from various sources. In the early days, a significant amount of text came from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica and the CIA World Factbook. Warofdreams 21:26, 4 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Language edit

Is there a generally accepted norm about your language (spelling, dictionary, pronunciation)?
- Both the American and British varieties of English are welcome. There's a page on it at w:Wikipedia:Manual of Style (spelling). —Giggy 11:10, 3 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
How do you deal with different spellings, dialects etc. (like B.E. lift and A.E. elevator)?
- Normally, the way that an article has been started will be that way until consensus changes. Normally, an American-subject article will have American spelling, an Australian-one Australian, etc. Ilikepie2221 21:31, 3 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  - When the topic is language neutral, it does get fun watching users use their own English on the subject until some consensus is reached. But it does happen. DWolf2k2 04:52, 15 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]