User:OVasileva (WMF)/onboarding

= Explanation = This doc is split into 2 parts:  onboarding and resources. For onboarding, the hope is to start broad, with all of Wikimedia, and then dig deeper into Web, but since you are only in town for a week, it’s going to be a medley. I’ve underlined the meetings since I think that should be your top priority while in town.

Org and Movement

 * 1) HR’s onboarding is pretty thorough and covers things like printer setup, etc.  [Systems guide for new hires|https://office.wikimedia.org/wiki/Systems_guide_for_new_hires]
 * Completed
 * Todo: Create user page, upload pictures
 * 1) Read Wikipedia Revolution (Andrew Lih’s book). I can dig up a hard copy or here are ebook and pdf versions.  This is an org where history plays a big role in explaining where we are today. I found it fascinating and continue to find it immensely valuable.
 * Completed
 * 1) Request Stat1003 access, because it can take awhile to get.  Instructions here, but it’s fucking complicated so ping me if you have trouble: Analytics/Data access#Configuring SSH:
 * Status: received access to (stat1003, stat1002 and bast1001)


 * 1) Skim the Org-wide quarterly report,  (this last one was for October-December of 2015) to get a sense for what the teams are and what they do
 * Status: completed
 * Notes:


 * 1) Set up time with each PM to go over their product area.  Prioritize on-site:
 * Onsite:
 * Completed: Reading iOS: Josh Minor
 * Completed: Reading “new readers”: Anne G
 * Completed: Discovery: Dan Garry
 * Completed: Editing: James F.
 * Completed: Community tech: Danny Horn
 * Offsite
 * Completed: Reading Android: Dmitry
 * Completed: Language: Amir
 * 1) Get 1 extra hour with James F for technical stack overview
 * Completed with Rob and Aaron
 * Notes:
 * 1) Others:
 * Completed: Research: Leila Zia
 * Completed: Comms: Juliet
 * Completed: ED: Katherine (just to meet hear her thoughts)
 * Completed: Grantmaking: Kacie Harold or Katy Love to get a better sense for how the non-tech half lives


 * 1) Join the following mailing lists (and set-up filters so you don’t drown):
 * WMF-SF - done
 * WMF-All - done
 * Internal Reading (for all reading-wide) - tode
 * Internal reading web (for web/admin, absences, process, etc.  Product should go in reading or mobile-l.) - done
 * Mobile-l - we use this somewhat sparingly for mobile announcements - done
 * Wikitech-l - done
 * New Readers (Anne already added you) - done
 * Engineering - done
 * Analytics - done
 * Productmanagers (new peer-to-peer list for product owners) - done

Culture/Community

 * 1) Talks:


 * Sue Gardner (former ED’s) blogpost: http://suegardner.org/2016/03/21/a-little-guide-to-working-with-online-communities/
 * Notes:
 * Another Sue post: https://suegardner.org/2010/11/09/making-change-at-wikimedia-nine-patterns-that-work/
 * Notes:
 * Chris keating:
 * Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQuCE0gJrXw
 * Essay: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:The_Land/Why_do_They_always_do_It_wrong
 * Joe Spolsky at our office on communities and comparing stack exchange to Wikipedia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvEAuSHJOBU
 * Done: Read 2-3 fundraiser interviews; Editor motivation study (link). Some winners:
 * Leslie Tom
 * Ziyad
 * Rosie stephenson
 * John Cummings
 * Gorilla Warfare
 * Let me know if you would like more...


 * 1) Glance through our quarterly report (for April-June): https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1u4On_RnqjIUkb7Ib4wxbACEqp6wdjCHuDPSTi3mhkQc/edit


 * 1) Copy this document into your Office Wiki folder  share a link with me and we will track progress there ;)


 * 1) Make 100 edits!--->let’s make it 50.  Use your personal account. I learned the most from editing.   One cannot come close to understanding our stakeholders without making some edits.
 * Aug 17: 15 edits
 * Aug 24: 22 edits

It can be hard to get started, but is a list of articles that need help:
 * 1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_backlog
 * 2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_maintenance_categories_sorted_by_month
 * 3) This is the easiest place to start, but I would limit the % of edits here:
 * 4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_articles_needing_copy_edit


 * 1) Optional: This user friendly video "library" should help further orient you to the work and ethos of the Free Culture and Open Source movement (e.g. What is it? What are the core issues? What is at stake were it to disappear? Why do we care so much about it?). All of the links are reasonably engaging media. Again, we have no party lines, but understanding the big issues is important for us all.
 * Completed: The war for the free and open internet - and how we are losing it, this is a brief blog by Sue Gardner, former ED
 * History of Free Culture, video by our very own Ryan Kaldari
 * Open Source and Free Culture, by our very own Arthur Richards
 * Frontline: The United States of Secrets (Part One)
 * Frontline: The United States of Secrets (Part Two)
 * The Internet's Own Boy: The story of Aaron Schwartz - this is a well produced movie
 * Note: Also read The Boy Who Could Change the World


 * 1) Optional: Some more videos
 * 2) Everything I wanted to know about the movement structure but didn't ask because I didn't want to look stupid, by our very own (former) Philippe Beaudette
 * 3) Transitioning from the community to the foundation, by James Alexander (this is very helpful for volunteers to understand the transition and their new responsibilities in representing the foundation), but it will also give you a feel for a community perspective.

Reading Web

 * 1) Overview of reading:
 * 2) Completed: Read our last quarterly report
 * 3) Completed: Read our strategy document
 * 4) Overview with JK
 * 5) Completed: Organisational overview - who the teams at the WMF are, and what they do
 * 6) Completed: Values / Lessons learned
 * 7) Completed: Strategy - updates and upcoming decision points


 * 1) Meet with:
 * 2) Onsite (all listed completed):
 * 3) Management: Toby
 * 4) Design: Nirzar
 * 5) Eng: Jon Robson
 * 6) Scrum coach: Max Binder (team culture + processes)
 * 7) Data analyst: Tilman Bayer
 * 8) Eng: Gergo Tisza
 * 9) Design research: Sherah

# Reading web engineering onboarding (FYI): https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Reading/Web/Team/Onboarding First Tasks After/during orientation:
 * 1) Offsite (all listed completed):
 * 2) Acting Product Owner: Adam Baso (off-site but should meet anyway)
 * 3) CL: Moushira Elamwary
 * 4) Eng: Joaquin Oltra Hernandez
 * 5) Eng: Jeff Hobson
 * 6) Eng: Sam Smith
 * 7) Eng: Baha Mansurov
 * 8) Get lowdown from Adam on what team is currently working on - done
 * 9) Ask Max B to get you added to all Web meetings and start attending - done
 * 10) Bookmark Tracy Island dedicated hangout: https://hangouts.google.com/hangouts/_/wikimedia.org/tracyisland - done
 * 11) Testing overview (Joaquin or Adam) - done
 * Consider kill/promote question for beta features?
 * Hovercards analysis

General WMF:

 * https://office.wikimedia.org/wiki/Systems_guide_for_new_hires
 * HR’s staff handbook has benefits as well as policies: https://office.wikimedia.org/wiki/Staff_handbook
 * List of names, titles, and faces: https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Staff_and_contractors
 * Contact info, including IRC handles: https://office.wikimedia.org/wiki/Contact_list

Communication:

 * IRC - IRC is the preferred chat tool of engineers, though google hangout chat can sometimes reach people.  It is also the forum for delightful out-of-room chatter during org-wide meetings.
 * For a web client that archives, IRCCloud is pretty popular, ping IT at techsuppor@wikimedia.org and ask for an account
 * If you prefer native, as I currently do, there are a number to choose from.  I use ‘textual’


 * Hangout - Hangout chats are very common for non-technical staff.  Video chatting is standard for all meetings.  I use the chrome hangout extension which keeps hangouts open outside of the gmail tab.
 * BlueJeans - for larger meetings, the org is experimenting with BlueJeans.  I haven’t had to use it yet.
 * YouTube on air - if you want to record an important meeting for either internal or external consumption, then ping techsupport and ask them to teach you how to set it up. To date, Adam has owned all of this for me, so I haven’t had to learn been empowered.

Usage Data
We track most events using a javascript event-logging that goes into a mysql database (on stat 1003)

We track pageviews and uniques using web request logs and limited-cookies. This is accessed using Hive (on stat2002)
 * s1 analytics slaves (SQL replica databases), either via command line or an app like Sequel Pro---getting access to stat1003 is a pain in the ass, but you need it.
 * https://wikitech.wikimedia.org/wiki/Analytics/Data_access#Configuring_SSH
 * ask for stat1003, stat1002 and bast1001
 * Request access to group "analytics-privatedata-users"
 * If you want a GUI option (I use it for one-off queries), then download sequel pro--it’s free
 * Hive access (works through the above), for a GUI: https://hue.wikimedia.org/accounts/login/
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Statistics

Project management

 * We use phabricator for all engineering and design tickets:
 * Home: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/
 * Epic Creator Tool: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T104200
 * Android Bug Creator Tool: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T104086 (could copy for iOS)

Community Communication
We have a problem here as we have different audiences on different platforms:
 * Phabricator - all eng work but sometimes some discussions
 * MediaWiki.org: design/product/tech docs + product community consultations (see: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:Beta_Features/Hovercards and https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/User_Interaction_Consultation
 * MetaWiki: Movement or wmf conversation and research docs (sometimes product goes here)
 * Wikitech: Tech documentation
 * Facebook: Reach out to readers and editors (also the Wikipedia Weekly group)
 * Quick survey tool: reach out to everyone (only 1 question at a time): https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/QuickSurveys
 * Individual wikis: we talk on individual wikis when discussing an issue specific to that community or when deploying a new feature.  The tool Mass Message, can be used to ping all projects at once.
 * Talk pages: the best way to reach an individual power-editor is to put a message on their talk page.  Email is often possible, but generally not looked upon as favorably.

Qualitative or external research

 * Anecdotal on why donors give and why editors edit: https://office.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Stories
 * Link to research teamwork:

UX Design

 * Whatever you like...let IT know and copy me and I will sign off on it. To date our design team has done most of the wireframing and mocks, so you might want to see how things work for awhile before

Development & QA (highly optional)

 * Gerrit and Labs (I believe you have
 * MediaWiki-Vagrant (local install of media wiki)


 * Browserstack and/or Sauce Labs