WikiLove

What's this?
WikiLove is a feature designed to make it easy and fun to express appreciation for other users. It was originally developed by Ryan Kaldari as a gadget, and is now available as an extension.



Rationale
Users like to feel valued. According to the 2011 survey of Wikipedia editors (see top-line data), among 17 variables, “being looked down on by more experienced editors” is the most likely to cause people to say they will edit less frequently (69% agreement), while “having others compliment you on your edits/articles” is the most likely to cause people to say they will edit more frequently (78% agreement).

On the other hand, editing Wikipedia has tended to become harder over time, and the likelihood that new users will receive correction/criticism has increased. This is reflected by various efforts to code and analyze the experience of new users, such as the recent Newbie teaching strategy research sprint undertaken within the scope of our Summer of Research.



Key dates

 * June 16: WikiLove activated on prototype.wikimedia.org
 * June 24: WikiLove on-by-default for registered users on prototype.wikimedia.org; blog announcement calling for testers
 * June 29: Planned deployment to the English Wikipedia

Additional documents

 * Extension documentation: Extension:WikiLove
 * User interface design docs: WikiLove 1.0/Design
 * User Testing: see videos
 * Status updates
 * Media coverage based on June 24 blog post