User:Robert Harrison~metawiki/New project policy/Alternate

This is an alternate way of displaying the New project policy page. It is based on en:Wikipedia:Articles for deletion (only in form not in purpose).

Before doing anything else please create a user account if you have not already done so. Please also create a Project page that will have all of the details of your proposal.

To propose a new project, follow this three-step process, replacing ProjectName with the name of the project to be proposed.

I.	Put the proposal tag on the proposal page.   Edit the proposal page, and put the following tag at the top of the page   (You can use your web browser to copy and paste the text): {{subst:npp1}} Save the page.
II.	Create the project's proposal announcement page.   The NPP box at the top of the article now should contain a prominent link   to "this article's entry" in the NPP page. Click that link to open   the article's proposal announcement page, Proposals for new projects/ProjectName.   Edit the page, and copy this text into it: {{subst:npp2 | pg=ProjectName | text=Scope:Enter scope here}} ~~~~ Replace ProjectName with the name of the project to be proposed, and include a basic synopsis, where indicated. Check the "Watch this page" box to follow the discussion process in your watchlist. Save the page.
III.	Notify users who monitor NPP discussion.   Copy the tag below, and then click  THIS LINK to open the proposals log page.   Put the tag below at the bottom of the log page: {{subst:npp3 | pg=ProjectName}} Again, replace ProjectName with the name of the project to be proposed. Also include the projects's name in your edit summary. Save the page. Your insertion will be automatically expanded to the same form as the preceding lines in the file: {{New project proposals/ProjectName}}.

After a proposal has been announced

Discussion

Create a page (or a collection of pages) where you describe your plan in detail and list the page on Proposals_for_new_projects. Add to your proposal a link to the category Category:Proposed projects. Time must be allowed for feedback.

Advertise the project on goings on as well.

Meta-wiki is not really much frequented, therefore it is recommended that you also send a posting to the Foundation-l mailing-list to announce your proposal. You may decide to post to other lists as well.

Interest poll

After at least one month discussion, a poll to evaluate interest by the community will be set.

A one page on meta must explain the project in short and understandable language. This page will be translated in at least 5 languages (English mandatory, and at least 4 languages of the major wikipedia over 10 000 articles, i.e. Български (Bulgarian) – Dansk (Danish) – Deutsch (German) – Esperanto – Español (Spanish) – Suomi (Finnish) – Français (French) – עברית (Hebrew) – Italiano (Italian) – 日本語 (Japanese) – Nederlands (Dutch) – Norsk (Norwegian) – Polski (Polish) – Português (Portuguese) – Svenska (Swedish) – 繁體中文 (Traditional Chinese) – 简体中文 (Simplified Chinese))

The poll must be set on meta. It should be made of a series of options, to collect opinion. This poll will have to be organised by an independant person (neither the contact, nor the interested users).

The poll is meant to reach all wikipedians, project large. It should be advertised on mailing lists and goings on. It should last at least 3 weeks to allow most opinions to be expressed.

Since this is only an opinion poll, there is no aim for a specific percentage of approval or opposition.

Board decision

After the poll is closed, a proposal should be sent to the board, with details of the opinion poll and links to discussion on the proposal. The board shall respond within the next 15 days to state whether the project has been accepted or whether more time is needed to address concerns/ make software changes first.

The board will take his decision taking into account community support and opposition, interest of the project and risks associated to it. That means a project with little support could possibly be accepted (it is the board choice to face the community ire) or a project with majority support could be possibly rejected (it is again the board choice to face the community ire :-)). Generally though, the board will try to be reasonable and make community opinion a priority.

When the project is accepted, the board will announced it (by default, the announcer shall be the president).

In case of board refusal

If the project is not accepted, the reason of the refusal will be given, so that the people supporting it may have the possibility to work along modifying the project so that it is possibly accepted later. They may also prefer not to change the project description and to go along as an independant project. They may also decide to give their project a little more waiting time.

In case of approval

The developers will set up a new project (ask them...).

The domain name (if already registered) should be owned by Wikimedia Foundation.

Once a wiki is set up for your project please update the lists and tables on Complete list of Wikimedia projects and Wikimedia projects. Advertise it on the mailing lists, and ask to have it added (or add it yourself) to main pages of relevant projects.

In the early stages of the new project, the contact person has to make a monthly report to the foundation board about the state of the new project: what's been happening, advances, debates, changes in policy or guidelines, etc.

Closing of a project

If there's no or very little editing on the new project for several months, or if the reports stop coming in, or if generally the thing just starts winding down, the wiki goes inactive. We turn off the wiki software, and make the content available in case someone else wants to use it.

In this case, we will use the following procedure

Proposition of closing -> community poll -> board decision.

Time frame will be much longer than for creation.