[Foundation-l] FlaggedRevisions status (March 2010)

[William Pietri]

On 03/04/2010 09:20 AM, MZMcBride wrote:
> William Pietri wrote:
>    
>> Instead, I think the right approach is to put new software out there
>> frequently, so people can try it out for themselves and form their own
>> opinions of how close we are. Eventually, both the builders and the
>> community will agree that there's something worth shipping. And in the
>> meantime, the discussion that goes on will improve the product in ways
>> that no mere look at the calendar ever could.
>>      
> What does this paragraph say about the 20 or so Wikimedia wikis that are
> already using FlaggedRevs?
>    

Nothing, really. But what I'd say in response to the question I imagine 
you're really asking: the English Wikipedia community has asked for 
something different than the other 20 wikis. And even for the areas the 
software is the same, we think there are some interface changes are 
going to improve both the user experience and the value of the enwiki 
trial.

> Also, David Gerard made a suggestion about weekly updates that concretely
> list the progress that's being made with regard to FlaggedRevs development.
> What can be done to see that idea implemented as soon as possible?
>    

I'm going to take that as an endorsement of the suggestion. I like the 
idea of it myself, but I haven't answered yet because there's a problem 
I'm struggling with. Maybe folks here can come up with a solution that 
has so far escaped me.

Part of my role as a project manager is maximizing long-term 
productivity, which requires me to protect the people actually doing the 
work from external disruption. My fear is that if I give any sort of 
detailed report, that will expose any named person to needless drama, 
abusive language, hostile tone, and accusations of malfeasance, 
corruption, incompetence, and/or low morals -- all problems amply 
demonstrated on this very list. That would have a terrible, terrible 
impact on productivity, team morale, and the ability to attract more 
people to get involved.

So my current thinking is that I should focus all my energy now on 
getting us to where we can release publicly every couple of weeks, and 
do most of the regular communication as release notes. That would put 
the focus on the software, where I think it belongs. But if somebody has 
a plan they think better, I'm glad to discuss it.

William