Submissions:2025/Fast-Tracking Languages from the Incubator: What We Tried, What We Learned
This submission has been noted and is pending review for WikiConference North America 2025.
Title:
- Fast-Tracking Languages from the Incubator: What We Tried, What We Learned
Type of session:
- Lecture (15-30 min)
Session theme(s):
- Future of Wikipedia
Abstract:
In this session, I plan to share findings from a language onboarding experiment that concluded in February of this year, as well as highlight some new experiments currently underway that build upon it. The goal of the original experiment was to understand whether fast-tracking the graduation of language wikis, some of which had spent anywhere from 2 to 10 years in the Incubator, would lead to increased editing activity once they gained access to the modern features available on Wikimedia wikis. Five languages were part of this experiment: Southern Ndebele, Tai Nua, Obolo, Pannonian Rusyn, and Iban. In a nutshell, the findings were contrary to what we had hoped. Editing activity saw a significant dip soon after the wikis graduated. Several other areas were explored through both quantitative and qualitative observations, including the use of the Content Translation tool, article creation, mobile editing, and the significance of online presence during the incubation period. This experiment was planned in collaboration with various stakeholders from product and tech teams at the Wikimedia Foundation, members of the Language Committee, and the Language Diversity Hub. It was part of the Wikimedia Foundation’s 2024–2025 annual plan, aligned with the knowledge equity objective, and is also part of a broader initiative to improve language onboarding and development. Looking ahead, I will share details of a new experiment focused on improving vital content for small language wikis through the use of Growth features and Content Translation tools, and by raising awareness through high-traffic Wikipedias in certain regions.
Author name(s):
Wikimedia username(s):
- User:SSethi (WMF)
Affiliated organization(s):
- Wikimedia Foundation
Estimated length of session
- 30 minutes
Will you be presenting remotely?
- I will present in-person
Okay to livestream?
- Livestreaming is okay
Previously presented?
- About the initial experiment at Wikimania 2024, not the findings
Special requests: