That is a good point. But even more important is to decide what is the testing environment.
Thanks Isarra, I hadn't known VE was an option on enwp now, nor did I know about http://ve-change-marking.**instance-proxy.wmflabs.org/**wiki/Main_Pagehttp://ve-change-marking.instance-proxy.wmflabs.org/wiki/Main_Page
If next week is too soon and the datacenter migration complicates things, then we should be able to do this the other week. I hope there wouldn't be any reason to delay further.
And that would fit the slot of Jan 30 that was left empty by Echo.
I think last week of January would be less risky, in terms of both stable access and also adequate preparation.
I actually make a pretty awesome paella, I'll give you the recipe if you like. One time though I served it to my in-laws and messed up the rice, and no one ever wanted to eat it again.
I hope I don't seem too negative. I have done a few of these test events, and doing them well is not as easy as it would seem. Two overarching concerns are:
* the participants should have fun * the results should be valuable
If the participants are faced with access issues, or confusing instructions, or spammy messages, or any of a host of other annoyances, they will not come back. Ever. Creating a fun experience takes a significant investment in planning, set up, and communication both before and during the exercise.
If the results are not valuable to the project being tested, then that is a waste of a significant investment. And again, if the participants feel like they've spent time in a wasted cause, they will not come back.
I've wanted to get a lot of eyeballs on VE for some time now, so let's figure out some details.
-Chris