Thread:Talk:New Editor Engagement/bridging communities

Guys,

OCLC are looking for a wikipedian in residence.This might be a good place to start in trying to bridge between Wikieditors and communities/disiciplinary groups who use wikipedia as a promotional device.

As "Ideally, the Wikipedian in Residence will work as a community coordinator and strengthen the relationship between OCLC, library stakeholders, and the Wikipedia community" this is the one activity - New editor engagement - which might help provide a common focus. i.e. while the aim for WP will be to engage and retain "new editors", the rest of the world, which is trying to coalesce around disciplinary groups, wants to lead readers from their general search towards a community who can engage them in more datailed inquiry. At the same time there is anticipation by the "average" internet user that (cool) communities will use tools which are far more advanced, and easier to use, than IRC.

My point of focus is around these research networks, where they look to provide the infrastructure (for global disciplinaty groups) and take little interest in "the content". At the moment they are investigating which services they should be providing to their users. Wikipedia, to me, seems like the first one.