On 4 January 2012 21:40, HJ Mitchell <hjmitchell(a)ymail.com> wrote:
From a chapter perspective, getting people aware that
the chapter exists
and that some Wikipedians do things in "real life" might help encourage
retention by getting people along to meetups, events, etc where they can
meet and talk to other Wikipedians.
I would say that's true enough: incrementally, getting editors to treat
other
editors onwiki as colleagues, rather than scolding them as a matter
of course, is helped by meeting them IRL. And for that a range of events is
a plus. Not all held in pubs, given that many editors are under drinking
age, or otherwise not comfortable with the setting.
It's that time of year for New Year's Resolutions, and no doubt we should
all make some and mean them. I think the WMUK Board could ponder their
communications and outreach strategy in that light. "Editor retention" has
a fair bit to do with _how_ people get involved in the projects (with what
aims, what background and preparation, in particular).
It's a big discussion actually, but if Chris feels the chapter's work is
somehow disconnected from onwiki stuff, then it should be gone over in
detail. (Examples that come to mind are the localisation issues around a
couple of prominent ideas that have come from outside the UK.)
Charles