We had a good 2013 year for readership statistics, fundraising, website
reliability, and many other metrics.
We are continuing to have challenges with our editor population declining.
Statistics are at http://reportcard.wmflabs.org. WMF discussed some of the
research around these issues a monthly metrics meeting.
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Metrics_and_activities_meetings/2013-07-11.
We have thousands of new accounts registered each month. However we are still
losing more active editors than we gain each month. To date WMF and the
chapters haven't solved this problem although resources are being spent on it.
Projects include Echo, VisualEditor, Snuggle, GettingStarted, and education
outreach.
Some discussion of these issues for English Wikipedia is happening at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Editor_Retention#Possible_paths.2C_after_some_thoughts.
Also check out the book review that is being published in this week's Signpost
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Piotrus/Sandbox/Notes#.C5.BBycie_Wirtualnych_Dzikich,
and the 2010 editor study results
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Editor_Survey_Report_-_April_2011.pdf.
I hope there will be many and sustained conversations in 2014 about questions
such as these:
* What should WMF, Jimmy, chapters and affiliates, and the online communities
do differently regarding editor retention in 2014 and beyond?
* What non-technical initiatives should be done to improve editor recruiting
and retention?
* How can we make Wikipedia editing be as mainstream as playing mobile games? I
would like to see WMF take leadership on this issue and make a big push in
2014-2015 to make mobile editing a popular activity.
* Since negative feedback is a major reason that editors leave, should we
review how we revert and warn editors, how we handle content disputes, and how
we deal with editors who are uncivil or disruptive?
* How can we be a community that is efficient while being civil and hospitable?
In the next Annual Plan I hope that someone at WMF will be appointed as a point
person for promoting all editor engagement initiatives and regularly initiate
discussions such as this one.
Closing thought:
"Whatever the weather
We must move
together"
from a Marshall Plan poster,
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/File:Marshall_Plan_poster.JPG, seen on the
English WikiQuote main page on December 31, 2013.
Happy new year,
Pine
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