User:Momenahh/report

In reflection about Wikipedia, which we have been working on it on Building Successful Online Community; I would like to share some of the features I enjoy and some of the issues that need to be considered for improving Wikipedia.

First of all, Wikipedia is a vast and advantageous website for everyone around the world. We have to be blessed that we can use it wherever we are and whomever we belong. It has many valuable features for the online community that cannot be count on a piece of paper. What impressed me is that Wikipedia is open to everyone to add and edit articles which is beneficial for people to try to make an effort and be a practical part of the community. According to building a successful online community book, “people are also motivated to achieve challenging goals because it enhances self-efficacy.” There is a powerful assistant for newcomers, encouraging them to join and contribute to the community; they know that they have people ready to assist when they feel lost and do not know what to do. In addition to that, the sandbox is a helpful way to start and practice live editing because it gives newcomers the space of security that they can make mistakes and edit without worrying about being in public.

From my experience with the Wiki Edu dashboard, I think it is an excellent feature on Wikipedia that is useful for students because it gives tasks for them to learn and develop their knowledge about Wikipedia, which encourages them to contribute confidently. The training section is well organized and helps the learners finish their tasks by setting a goal for each week with a deadline. It also follows the work by the label notification that comes at the top. Having a specific place for a group of people is an effective way of making people feel committed to building a thriving online community. In talking about my experience in choosing and editing an article on Wikipedia, what was helpful for me is that the article was evaluated by experts, which makes me aware of the article's level to know what it needs to improve. Moreover, adding a source in each sentence makes the information vital and allows the reader to search for the information and know more about it. I suggest developing that adding some rules to the article to share with the public; for example, having a minimum limit of meaningful content to send the article to live; that could be to avoid stubs article. Also, edit what people want to add to the article by expert or assistant before sending them to live to avoid untrusted information.

What I think would have to be improved is the old system that Wikipedia is offering. I think It is a complex website that seems to be just for experts and scientists, which discourages me from joining and contributing. Wikipedia has to keep up with the world's development and people mindset nowadays. For example, Wikipedia foundation could add a section for different new pages that the user needs to add instead of creating a link each time they add,

Wikipedia is a neutral point of view, suitable for people who want to get information and benefits about a spastic topic. I suggest that the Wikipedia foundation add a section of personal opinions and ideas that fulfill people's identity and feelings of self-efficacy. People have different aspects depending on their different knowledge, thinking, and background, which will be beneficial if they exchange their points of view, and that also would be a powerful way to contribute to the online community. Besides that, adding a personal opinion section has to have rules and regulations that keep the community around the circle of beneficial and essential information and keep the community organized and respected.