Re: [Wikimedia-l] Apparently, Wikipedia is ugly

[Audrey Abeyta]

Appearance does affect perceptions of credibility, which should be of
interest to Wikipedia. Recently, I was talking to someone who doubted
Wikipedia's validity. When I asked her if it was because the content can be
edited by anyone, she replied, "No, it's the way the site looks."

On Sat, Jul 14, 2012 at 9:12 AM, Gerard Meijssen
wrote:

> Hoi,
> Yesterday I wanted to make a point to a friend. I tried to do it by having
> the facts that are sourced in the Wikipedia article read by the person who
> did not have the information available. Reading the article did not really
> happen because of the problems with the lay-out as presented on the screen
> of a laptop.
>
> Wikipedia is the encyclopaedia everyone can edit. Not everybody does read.
> It is like the issues with Wikibooks and Wikisource, we care about editing
> and the reading is largely a by product.
> Thanks,
>   Gerard
>
> On 14 July 2012 17:14, Milos Rancic  wrote:
>
> > On Sat, Jul 14, 2012 at 4:25 PM, Paul Becherer 
> > wrote:
> > > The article was an interesting read, and wasn't just about layout; it
> > > had more to say more about *interface*, which is a more general
> > > concept. If there's anything that can be done to increase meaningful
> > > participation by making the interface simpler to use or
> > > better-looking, then why should we not do that? Because we'd rather be
> > > left alone in our own tech-savvy we-know-what's-good-for-you bubble?
> > > Having a simpler, more user-friendly interface doesn't change us into
> > > Facebook overnight. And if it increases actual participation, then I'd
> > > be in favor of it.
> >
> > True. BTW, I see strong connection between sentences "Wikipedia is
> > not, and has no interest in being, Facebook." and "Britannica is not,
> > and has no interest in being, a website" -- having in mind that
> > Facebook is another name for "social networking service".
> >
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[Wikimedia-l] Thank you, thank you!

[Audrey Abeyta]

Dear Wikipedia contributors,

We did it! For the past six weeks, you have all graciously tolerated my
emails requesting participants for my undergraduate senior thesis
project
on
users’ motivations to contribute to Wikipedia. On Monday, I reached out to
this community, begging for just eighteen more participants to reach my
target sample size of 100 respondents. We not only reached that goal, but
exceeded it: 161 Wikipedia contributors responded to my questionnaire!

Your insightful responses are invaluable to my project and I cannot express
my gratitude for this community enough, so thank you, thank you, thank you!

When my final paper is written in June, I will make it available to the
Wikipedia community.

Thank you once again for your insight, thoughtful questions, and feedback.

Best,

Audrey
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[Wikimedia-l] We're Almost There!

[Audrey Abeyta]

Dear Wikipedia contributors,

In the past few weeks, I have reached out to this community on
numerous occasions,
requesting help with my undergraduate honors thesis, which examines
Wikipedians’ motivations to contribute. For anyone who would like more
information about this project, a detailed description can be found here:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Motivations_to_Contribute_to_Wikipedia
.

In my last email, I mentioned that I hoped to attain a sample size of at
least 100 Wikipedians, but had only received 52 responses. I am ecstatic to
report that I now have 82 responses – just 18 responses short of the
targeted sample size. If you have not taken the
questionnaire<https://us1.us.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_8ixU9RkozemzC4s>,
please consider donating approximately five minutes of your time to
complete it.

I am so grateful for the Wikipedia community’s support in this project and
will make a final draft of the paper available to the community.

If you have any questions or concerns about this study, please contact
Audrey Abeyta at audrey.abe...@gmail.com.

Thank you in advance for your participation!

Audrey


UC Santa Barbara | Department of Communication

audrey.abe...@gmail.com
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[Wikimedia-l] Why Do You Contribute to Wikipedia?

[Audrey Abeyta]

Dear Wikipedia contributors,

Your valuable opinions are needed regarding users' motivations to
contribute to Wikipedia. This topic is currently investigated by Audrey
Abeyta, an undergraduate student at the University of California, Santa
Barbara. You can read a more detailed description of the project here:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Motivations_to_Contribute_to_Wikipedia

Those willing to participate in this study will complete a brief online
questionnaire, which is completely anonymous and will take approximately
ten minutes. The questionnaire can be accessed here:
https://us1.us.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_8ixU9RkozemzC4s.

The researcher hopes to attain a sample size of at least 100 Wikipedians;
as of now, only 52 have responded. Your contributions to this project's
validity are invaluable!

A final draft of the paper will be made available to the Wikipedia
community.

If you have any questions or concerns about this study, please contact
Audrey Abeyta at audrey.abe...@gmail.com.

Thank you in advance for your participation!
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