[Wikimedia-l] New year's plans for editor engagement

[ENWP Pine]

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