Editing team/Community Conversations

Welcome! The Editing Team uses this page to document the outcomes of the conversations we host to better understand the needs and challenges people experience when they begin contributing to Wikipedia.

Between October 2022 and January 2023, the Editing Team hosted seven community conversations with volunteers living in Sub-Saharan Africa.

These conversations were held with two key objectives in mind:


 * Learn what contributing to Wikipedia has been like for people living in and from Sub-Saharan Africa so that we, the Editing Team, can make improvements to the visual editor that hopefully make this process easier for future newcomers from the region.
 * Verify whether the conclusions the Editing Team is drawing from the initial set of conversations they hosted align with what volunteers in Sub-Saharan Africa have experienced contributing to Wikipedia.

What follows is a summary of what surfaced in these conversations and what the Editing Team is planning to do in response.

''Note: we anticipate learning new information in the future that could cause us to see themes in the conversations that we hadn't noticed at initial time of writing or to see themes we did document differently. Should something like this occur, we'll update the below accordingly.''

March meeting Information

 * Date: Friday, 3 March 2023: 17:00 - 18:30 UTC
 * Video conference link: meet.google.com/ska-sivy-vth
 * Meeting Language: English
 * Subject: Edit Check

March meeting Objectives

 * 1) Equip Wikipedia volunteers with the context they need to evaluate and participate in the ongoing development of Edit check
 * 2) Understand what gadget and script authors have learned, through developing a series of related features, that could increase the impact of Edit check
 * 3) Define how the Editing Team and volunteers will collaborate on the underlying rules/logic/heuristics that will determine when the initial reference check will be triggered

Project Overview
A set of features for the visual editor to help new volunteers make changes to Wikipedia that align with project policies.

The Editing Team sees this project being helpful to:


 * Patrollers/Reviewers interested in solutions designed to increase the quality of edits and as a result, increase their capacity to think about more complex/high impact moderation challenges
 * Newcomers and Junior Contributors arriving on the wikis motivated to add content about topics they are interested in and in ways that other volunteers are likely to consider useful
 * Gadget and Script Authors interested in helping to shape a new tool being designed to proactively educate and guide newcomers to make changes they feel proud of and changes that improve Wikipedia

March sign up (optional)

 * PPelberg (WMF) (talk) 23:21, 16 February 2023 (UTC)
 * User:Whatamidoing (WMF)
 * User:Playlikeastar
 * --Ambre Troizat (talk) 13:46, 23 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Olugold (talk) 09:29, 1 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Bukky658 (talk) 10:08, 1 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Owula kpakpo (talk) 10:48, 1 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Joris Darlington Quarshie (talk) 14:33, 1 March 2023 (UTC)
 * &#123;{u&#124; Sdkb  }&#125;  talk 20:38, 1 March 2023 (UTC)

February 2023
The Editing Team has been hosting conference calls with volunteers. In February 2023, we also began a series of discussions on wiki with experienced volunteers. At the start of this project, we are centering experienced volunteers at the English and French Wikipedias who are:


 * familiar with existing project policies and conventions, and
 * practiced with applying project policies and conventions in a reviewing/patrolling role.

The Editing Team is approaching these conversations seeking to learn things such as:


 * 1) How could this general approach go wrong? What fundamental assumptions/constraints might this project be at risk of "running up against"?
 * 2) What actions should trigger the reference check?
 * 3) What aspects of the initial reference check experience can you imagine projects wanting to configure? How do you think we ought to configure them initially?
 * 4) Whom do you think the reference check should be enabled for?
 * 5) It might be possible for you to evaluate/audit how Edit Check is performing and the impact it is having.  Would that be useful to you?  In what ways?
 * 6) The current project will encourage inline references.  What other kinds of checks can you imagine being useful/valuable?

Once complete, the Editing Team will share a synthesis of what we learned through these conversations in the Findings section above.

Meeting Information

 * Date: 
 * Video conference link: https://wikimedia.zoom.us/j/89237904445?pwd=dk5xdDE0VVlGbE5HWXRmLzBIT2lNdz09 Passcode 234152 (please install and test Zoom in advance)
 * Meeting language: English and French
 * Subject: Edit check
 * Notes: https://etherpad.wikimedia.org/p/Editing_community_meeting_2023-01-20

Project Overview
A set of features for the visual editor to help new volunteers make constructive changes to Wikipedia.

The Editing Team sees this project being helpful to:


 * Campaign Organizers interested in helping event participants make edits they are proud of and projects value
 * Newcomers and Junior Contributors arriving on the wikis motivated to add content about topics they are interested in
 * Senior Contributors motivated to ensure the content newcomers and Junior Contributors are adding is verifiable

Objectives
This meeting will be an opportunity for new and experienced volunteers, especially those from Sub-Saharan Africa, to:


 * review and share feedback about the design concepts the Editing Team is considering to improve the visual editor as part of their upcoming project, and
 * verify that the needs the Editing Team is working to address reflect needs they experience/have experienced.

Sign up (optional)

 * 1) User:PPelberg (WMF)
 * 2) User;;MMunyoki(WMF)
 * 3) User:Yaw tuba
 * 4) User:Joris Darlington Quarshie

December meeting Information

 * Date: 
 * Video Conference Link: meet.google.com/krq-tonw-quz
 * Meeting Language: English
 * Notes: https://etherpad.wikimedia.org/p/Editing_community_meeting_2022-12-16

Project Overview
A set of features for the visual editor to help new volunteers understand and follow the policies and guidelines necessary to make constructive changes to Wikipedia projects.

The Editing Team sees this project being helpful to:


 * Campaign Organizers interested in helping event participants make edits they are proud of and projects value
 * Newcomers and Junior Contributors arriving on the wikis motivated to add content about topics they are interested in
 * Senior Contributors motivated to ensure the content newcomers and Junior Contributors are adding is verifiable

December objectives

 * This meeting will be an opportunity for new and experienced volunteers from Sub-Saharan Africa to:
 * Review, and share feedback about, the features/design concepts the Editing Team is considering to improve the visual editor as part of their upcoming project
 * Verify the needs the Editing Team is working to address reflect needs they experience/have experienced
 * Learn about opportunities to contribute to this project
 * This meeting will be an opportunity for members of the Editing Team to:
 * Verify that the conclusions they are drawing from the initial set of conversations they hosted align with what volunteers in Sub-Saharan Africa have experienced contributing to Wikipedia.
 * Learn what – if any – issues volunteers can foresee with the features/design concepts we are considering building

December notes

 * Volunteers agree these needs are real and should be addressed.
 * 30+ volunteers, many from Sub-Saharan Africa, joined a conversation about the new features the Editing Team is developing. The hope is to increase the likelihood that people who are new and motivated to contribute content and perspectives that are underrepresented within large language Wikipedias like English and French make changes that they feel good about and that existing community members value.
 * The conversation lasted 2.5 hours, 1 hour longer than originally scheduled.
 * Nearly half all of the volunteers who attended the 16 December session attendees expressed an interest in actively partnering with the Editing Team on the Edit Check project in one, or a mix, of the following three ways:
 * Amplifying the work: people who are well connected in the movement who can share opportunities and news about the project
 * Beta testing new features: people interested in technology who enjoy experimenting with new features
 * Organizing events: people who host events and would like to try new features with participants


 * Volunteers do not think technical solutions are sufficient for addressing the systemic issues they experience
 * While the volunteers on the 16 December were generally optimistic about the potential for the new features the Editing Team showed, people were clear in stating that they do not think software changes alone are sufficient for addressing the systemic bias people seeing to contribute content and perspectives that are underrepresented on large language Wikipedias face
 * Specifically, many experienced volunteers on the call who routinely add references with the content additions they make, reported having these edits questioned.  This happens more often than people think is justified, reverted or deleted.
 * Volunteers on the call shared that the volunteers who are reviewing the edits they make to English Wikipedia seem to be unfamiliar with the topics they are writing about and sources they are referencing (e.g., African newspapers and magazines) and respond by excluding these edits from the project.
 * Volunteers did not converge on a clear preference for the four design concepts the Editing Team presented
 * During the meeting, Nico shared four concepts for different user experiences the Editing Team is considering for prompting people to add references when they are attempting to expand an existing article.
 * While the volunteers in attendance seemed positive about this kind of feedback, people did not voice strong opinions about an approach or approaches that they think would be most helpful and effective.

December signup (Optional)

 * 1) Whatamidoing (WMF)
 * 2) NAyoub (WMF)
 * 3) PPelberg (WMF)
 * 4) NRodriguez (WMF)
 * 5) EAkinloose (WMF)
 * 6) RYasmeen (WMF)
 * 7) STei (WMF)
 * 8) User:VPuffetMichel (WMF)
 * 9) User:PWaigi-WMF
 * 10) User:Geugeor
 * 11) User:Dyolf77 (WMF)
 * 12) User:MNeisler (WMF)
 * 13) Bachounda
 * 14) Ngoudechi
 * 15) Obedmakolo
 * 16) Joris Darlington Quarshie
 * 17) Timzy D'Great
 * 18) Jemima2019
 * 19) Zeemahgan
 * 20) Prince1g4
 * 21) Yaw tuba
 * 22) Bukky658 (talk) 04:39, 14 December 2022 (UTC)
 * 23) Charity00 (talk) 09:29, 15 December 2022 (UTC)
 * 24) Agbalagba (talk) 13:28, 15 December 2022 (UTC)
 * 25) AC Krah (talk) 14:36, 15 December 2022 (UTC)
 * 26) Mbaidoo (talk) 14:43, 15 December 2022 (UTC)
 * 27) Macocobovi(talk)
 * 28) Kumi Haymondabutu
 * 29) Bolanle Adeleye:(talk)
 * 30) Olugold (talk)
 * 31) Dera xoxo (talk)
 * 32) Iwuala Lucy (talk) 10:19, 16 December 2022 (UTC)
 * 33) Senator Choko
 * 34) Lotinoh 3:33pm, 16 December 2022 (UTC)
 * 35) Spadeex
 * 36) Valentine_Badu (talk) 15:02, 16 December 2022 (UTC)
 * 37) Aliyu shaba ]]Talk 07:43, 17 December 2022 (UTC)

Objective

 * Learn what contributing to Wikipedia has been like for people living in and from Sub-Saharan Africa so that we, the Editing Team, can make improvements to the visual editor that hopefully make this process easier for future newcomers from the region. Meeting in French, focused on the French Wikipedia.

Attendees

 * Three volunteers: someone from Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Mali.
 * WMF Staff: members of the Editing Team, Dyolf77 (WMF), and Trizek (WMF)
 * Discussion in French.

Objective

 * Learn what contributing to Wikipedia has been like for people living in and from Sub-Saharan Africa so that we, the Editing Team, can make improvements to the visual editor that hopefully make this process easier for future newcomers from the region.

Attendees

 * Four volunteers from Nigeria, one volunteers from Ghana, and members of the Editing Team

Objective

 * Learn what contributing to Wikipedia has been like for people living in and from Sub-Saharan Africa so that we, the Editing Team, can make improvements to the visual editor that hopefully make this process easier for future newcomers from the region.

Attendees

 * Three experienced volunteers from Nigeria and members of the Editing Team

Objective

 * Learn what contributing to Wikipedia has been like for people living in and from Sub-Saharan Africa so that we, the Editing Team, can make improvements to the visual editor that hopefully make this process easier for future newcomers from the region.

Attendees

 * Bartosz Dziewoński, David Chan, David Lynch, Ed Sanders, Esther Akinloose, James McLeod, Justice Okai-Allotey, Joris Darlington Quarshie, Megan Neisler, Nicolas Ayoub, Peter Pelberg, Valerie Puffet-Michel,

Objective

 * Learn what contributing to Wikipedia has been like for people living in and from Sub-Saharan Africa so that we, the Editing Team, can make improvements to the visual editor that hopefully make this process easier for future newcomers from the region.

Attendees

 * Nicolas Ayoub, Mohammed Bachounda, Imelda Brazal, Ilana Fried, Georges Fodouop, Peter Pelberg, and Liam Wyatt.