Learning patterns/Using Twitch and Twitter to support passive learning
What problem does this solve? edit
One of the biggest challenges to introducing newcomers to Wikipedia is providing accessible and motivating pathways to entry. Many newcomers become easily deterred from joining traditional forms of teaching and learning (i.e. edit-a-thons and/or workshops). The fear of editing on the spot or being forced into the conversation can deter potential editors from joining altogether. In a world dominated by remote-first education caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to think of new solutions that cater to a community of online distance learners.
What is the solution? edit
Twitch–an online video game streaming service–and Twitter–a popular social media platform–are valuable tools to implement into standard programming to foster passive learning in potential new editors.
Things to consider edit
Twitch edit
Although Twitch is catered to the online video gaming community, it doubles as a useful resource for Wikimedians to showcase their unique editing style for an off-camera and largely anonymous audience. A few tips for implementing Twitch into your programming are:
- Follow a schedule of routine streaming (e.g. weekly or monthly) that focuses on different topics each week (e.g. drafting a biography on Wikipedia, editing Wikidata items, making incremental edits to vital Wikipedia articles).
- Invite community stakeholders to host a stream on a topic they're interested in. This will help bring in more viewers and foster intrinsic motivation to edit themselves.
- Provide concrete editing activities for viewers to participate in alongside your edits. These should be relatively small and straightforward so viewers can feel comfortable editing for the first time by themselves.
Twitch allows you to save past streams by creating video highlights. These can remain on your Twitch channel (where people come to view streams) or be exported to YouTube. This allows streams to be accessed at any time.
Twitter edit
It is well-documented that social media is an effective tool for outreach and engagement in the Wikimedia movement (See learning patterns like 'A Short Guide to Using Twitter for In-Event Engagement'). Twitter has been especially useful in professional communities where it is the predominant form of social networking used. Creating short tweets targeted toward the learning objectives of your community can be a powerful tool in growing your editor base. A few tips for developing motivating tweets are:
- Find content gaps on key stakeholders within your community that need Wikipedia articles. Tagging these scholars is an added benefit since they may retweet it gaining the traction of their follower base.
- Develop a list of reasons why your community already edits Wikipedia. These can be made into compelling ‘Why edit Wikipedia?’ tweets that appeal to your community specifically.
- Post resources and short tips for your followers that are available in your active learning programming (e.g. workshops or edit-a-thons). This may entice some followers to join the active learning opportunities you may offer.
When to use edit
These tools are useful for community organizers within the Wikimedia movement with difficulty engaging new community members to contribute to a specific Wikimedia project. These tools were developed from the experiences of the CCCC Wikipedia Initiative and may be most useful for organizations looking to engage academics to edit Wikipedia.