User:Mnqly14/Win20 COM482 Wiki Report

Wikipedia Reflection

The articles hosted on Wikipedia are globally developed by volunteers and managed by the Wikimedia Foundation. After having the opportunity to contribute to this organization, the social dynamic of this community revealed a lot about Wikipedia’s guiding principles. My experiences with the Wikipedia community has enabled me to see specific theories in play. Based on the level of engagement, it is clear that Wikipedia has been able to establish a successful online community, however, I would like to explore neglected concepts to consider how they might influence the community, the user experience, and the ways in which members interact with one another.

Prior to this course, I had a surface level knowledge of Wikipedia. I was aware of their rather low barriers to contribution, which led me to believe that Wikipedia was merely an information resource rather than a full fledged community. Although, after engaging with the site in various ways, I understand the complexities behind this very real community. I found the integration process, through the use of Wiki Education activities, to be informative, but at times excessive. Nonetheless, in order for a potential user to become a significant and dedicated contributor, it is vital for them to understand the concepts that were presented in tutorials and modules. This gave me a general overview of how to contribute to Wikipedia before I began engaging in the site myself.

There are many sub-organizations within Wikipedia that focus on specific topics. These groups maintain current articles under their discipline, discuss ideas for new articles, and categorize them by level of importance or severity. Users communicate with one another through the ‘Talk’ pages, where general comments or messages to specific users can be left. Because my reasons for engaging with Wikipedia were not of my own volition, but rather for this course, I was hesitant to make use of the ‘Talk’ pages. I would have felt like I was intruding on a community in which I did not belong to. It was interesting to finally make use of the ‘Talk’ page to leave a review for two of my fellow peers. I did not find it to be a social experience, as I assume this feature is intended to provide, because there was no back and forth communication going on. Wikipedia seemed to have very little features dedicated to facilitating connections between users. For this reason, I found this community to be based on normative bonds. Group and individual contributions are all geared towards creating quality articles. Since topics are so broad and varied, I would not consider the ties between users to be identity-based bonds. In my observation of a few sub-groups, I noticed the presence of reciprocity within the ‘Talk’ pages of certain articles. If a user left a suggestion for the content of one of their peers, it was generally well received. This often gave way to more in-depth conversations, including what efforts can be done to improve content under that topic. Since some members expressed their desire to improve the overall topic, along with the articles of their fellow peers, it displayed examples of direct and generalized reciprocity.

The current structure of Wikipedia gives users freedom to explore the site and make contributions of varying degrees. However, on a site this vast, users can feel lost, which may lead to decreased motivation to become a committed member. To address this issue, I would recommend developing a questionnaire or quiz to help tailor an experience that aligns with each member’s unique interest. This feature can help Wikipedia uncover more information about new members, from their hobbies to varying levels of commitment. With this data, Wikipedia can point to content or subtopics for the user to explore, while also recommending articles that need to be edited. Depending on the level of work the user desires, Wikipedia can suggest articles that either need heavy editing or ones that require simple maintenance. Allowing users to browse through categories is an important feature that is currently used. However, I found that it was still difficult to navigate through the wide range of topics within the site. I spent more time attempting to locate an article I was genuinely interested in, instead of making actual edits.

As mentioned in “Building Successful Online Communities”, goals are a great way to increase contribution. In addition to an introductory questionnaire, Wikipedia should consider implementing a goals checklist where users assign pre-written goals to their profile. As they browse the site, this list can be automatically cross-referenced to an article they are viewing and a pop-up notification can alert the user that the goal can be achieved by making an edit within that article. When selecting goals, Wikipedia can use certain phrases to encourage members to pick certain tasks. For example, “Join the group of x (amount of) users that have completed this goal!” or “Be one of the first to achieve this goal!”  Such phrases or ones similar can enable the social proof theory or allow users to feel a sense of distinction because they have reached an achievement that very few have.

Wikipedia’s current design has amassed a large user base, and one equipped for survival. For instance, articles can be edited by anyone which allows Wikipedia administrators to rely on community members to help with moderation. Wikipedia also has specific rules regarding content creation. Aside from basic plagiarism standards, Wikipedia has strict guidelines regarding written content and the use of certain images in articles. Failure to comply with these rules often results in the user's work being deleted or reversed. While these principles may appear to make the site a rigid environment, they work to ensure appropriate user contributions and greater sense of an established community. The use of sandboxes allows newcomers to have a safe space to learn and experiment, while also minimizing the damage that could be caused by them. Lastly, Wikipedia attempts to offer users some incentive by having “featured” articles. This distinction highlights work for their neutrality, completeness, accuracy, and style. In certain formats of the site, featured articles have a bronze star in the top right corner. Now, while there is always room for improvement, it’s also important to recognize the aspect of Wikipedia that is already in play to admire the community and it’s members for all they have been able to achieve. Given these attributes and many more, Wikipedia has certainly cemented its place among the select few successful online communities.