Community Wishlist/Focus areas/Newcomers and moderators

Help newer contributors understand the status and rationale behind a moderation decision Submitted

Description

Help newer contributors understand the status and rationale behind a moderation decision, so they are more likely to make additional contributions.

We know we're successful when newer contributors are more likely to make a second (or tenth) edit, and when their edits are more efficiently reviewed.

Background

Wikis are most sustainable when newcomers make constructive edits as quickly as possible. Newcomers need the space to explore and learn. Making a first contribution is hard: first, the curiosity to make a new edit, second, the learning curve and drive to make a contribution, and third, the courage to publish an edit. Editors and patrollers are not only responsible for maintaining wiki quality, they are also responsible for encouraging newcomers to make constructive edits.

Objectives

This focus area connects to the following Wikimedia Foundation objectives:

  • WE1: Both experienced and new contributors rally together online to build a trustworthy encyclopedia, with more ease and less frustration.
  • WE2: Communities are supported to effectively close knowledge gaps through tools and support systems that are easier to access, adapt, and improve, ensuring increased growth in trustworthy encyclopedic content.

Target audience

  • Patrollers and advanced editors: responsible for providing support and communication to encourage newcomers to keep contributing.
  • New contributors: largely unaware of the complexities of their respective wiki, are confused why their contributions sit in review for a long time, and why their edits may not be well received.

Other details

Last updated: 19:59, 29 August 2024 (UTC)

Created: 14:20, 6 August 2024 (UTC)

Wishes in this focus area

Below is a list of wishes that have informed this focus area. More wishes may be added to this table over time. Voting for the focus area is not a guarantee that each wish will be explicitly delivered; rather, the wishes are suggestive of the problem at large. Once a focus area is adopted, the respective team will work alongside communities to prioritize and deliver on the most impactful solutions.

Wish Phabricator tasks Type Projects Date (UTC) Status
Statement and reference traceability Feature request Wikipedia 2024-08-18T01:33:40.000ZAugust 18, 2024 Open
username changes status bar Feature request Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons 2024-08-09T17:34:56.000ZAugust 9, 2024 Open
Make Show Preview button work in protected pages T371165 Feature request All projects 2024-08-09T17:20:35.000ZAugust 9, 2024 Open
Build a Wikipedia search that addresses common queries asked by new volunteers System change Wikipedia 2024-08-06T14:24:42.000ZAugust 6, 2024 Open

Voting

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