User:YAM97/Report

Introduction
I never agreed with those who dismissed Wikipedia as an unreliable source of information. I always found it useful both for its breadth of information and digestible format/language. And as I've worked to edit an article myself, I've learned a lot more about Wikipedia and its role not only as an encyclopedia, but also as a community. I've shared some of my takeaways from this experience, as well as suggestions to the community for improvement, below.

Selection and Process
While there are thousands of articles out there waiting to be expanded and improved, it was surprisingly difficult to find one that I was both interested in and able to contribute additional information. For many articles I looked into, it seemed to be the case that they were vacant for a reason – there just wasn’t that much scholarly information out there to source from. This is likely not the case for all stub-class articles, but it was one roadblock in the selection process.

Eventually, I ended up selecting the Hibiscus waimeae article and got to researching, writing, and editing. As I mentioned earlier, this process truly confirmed my belief that Wikipedia is a reliable resource for information for almost any topic out there. It’s not the free-for-all that some teachers will have you believe. The process mirrored that of writing a research paper in many ways – finding scholarly articles, determining relevant material, summarizing and paraphrasing information found, and citing sources correctly. While you can hypothetically bypass these steps, your contributions are unlikely to withstand the watch of other Wikipedia users, admins, and bots that are constantly on the lookout for improper use.

Suggestions for Improvement
The best way to understand how something functions is from the inside. This is especially true of Wikipedia. Part of our exploration of Wikipedia was to find areas where improvements could be made – not only to the articles themselves but also the community as a whole. While I had some vague ideas going into this whole process, the suggestions/insights I came up with upon completion were much different. Below are several suggestions that I believe can further improve Wikipedia and the community of Wikipedia users:

1.    Enable users to submit edit requests to protected and semi-protected articles

Protection locks are a necessary feature for deterring spammers and other malicious contributors, however, they limit people with genuine contributions from getting involved. From my observations, many protected articles are those that many people would be interested in contributing to, but cannot due to the protections in place. I think Wikipedia can continue deterring spammers, while still encouraging genuine users by implementing an edit request feature on protected articles. This would allow users to submit edits (with proper sources) to protected articles, which could then be reviewed and approved by admins before being published. This lowers the barrier to contribution, thus encouraging more users to contribute and engage with the community.

2.    Make talk pages and sandboxes visually different from actual Wiki articles

One of the most useful tools Wikipedia offers users is the sandbox. This feature enables users to draft article edits and improvements before applying them to the actual article. I believe this is one feature that makes Wikipedia particularly successful as it relieves users of the potentially contribution-prohibiting worry associated with accidentally messing up articles that so many others have worked on. However, one downfall of this feature, in my opinion, is its identical interface with actual Wikipedia articles. As I worked on my article, I had several moments of panic where I feared I had accidentally edited the actual Hibiscus waimeae article instead of the draft in my sandbox. Wikipedia should consider creating a more conspicuous visual differentiation between sandbox articles and live articles.

3.    Make learning modules easily accessible and available to all users

In theory, Wikipedia has relatively low barriers to contributing information – anyone can edit articles, even those without Wiki accounts. However, as I learned through the process of editing an article myself, it can be quite complex and difficult to navigate all the rules, guidelines, and procedures required for successful contribution. The Wiki-Edu modules were what I found most helpful while going through the process, however I noticed that they are not available for all users who might be interested in them. I think that Wikipedia should not only make these modules accessible to all, but also feature them in a significant way so that users are aware of the resource. This will help users more successfully contribute in ways that align with community guidelines and norms.

4.    Create a suggested articles to edit page based on user activity

An important consideration in online communities is user retention – how can communities keep users interacting and contributing to the community when new ones are popping up every day? In the case of Wikipedia, I believe that developing tools based on identity-based commitment is the best way to retain users. One way to support this goal is through the creation of a “Suggested Articles to Edit” section that recommends articles for users to improve based upon previous activity or specified interests. This feature builds upon users' identities and encourages them to develop commitment to the broader community through the creation of a more specific niche or area of focus.

Conclusion
Overall, this was a valuable opportunity to learn how one of the most successful online communities operates and maintains user commitment/engagement. While I do not think I will return in any sort of editing capacity, this experience further solidified my trust in Wikipedia as a source of information and jumping point for further research, while also providing insight that may be applied to other online communities that I may be part of in the future. I hope that my suggestions are of value, and I thank you for the experience!