User story & summary:
- As a new Wikipedia editor, I want a simple and guided way to start contributing because getting started feels overwhelming and too open-ended.
- As an experienced Wikipedia editor, I want to prevent excessive "Add a Link" tasks from overwhelming my wiki, as they create a high volume of low-impact edits and add extra burden for patrollers.
Project Details
Previous A/B tests have shown that the "Add a Link" task effectively helps newcomers start editing and continue contributing (1)(2)(3). However, some communities find that the additional patrolling workload outweighs the benefits. This task proposes a solution that ensures the "Add a Link" task remains available to newcomers while introducing a structured progression system that encourages them to move on to other tasks after a certain number of edits.
- Growth team project page: Constructive activation experimentation
- This task is part of the WE1.2 Key Result from FY24-25.
- Related Epic: T362584: [EPIC] Surface Structured Tasks to new editors (FY24/25: WE1.2.3 & WE1.2.6 & WE1.2.9)
Proposed Solution
Introduce a new Community Configuration setting in Special:CommunityConfiguration/GrowthSuggestedEdits, allowing communities to limit access to the "Add a Link" Structured Task to newcomers only.
Implementation details:
- Admins can configure a threshold (e.g., accounts with fewer than x edits) to determine access to "Add a Link."
- Once a newcomer surpasses the threshold, the task will no longer be available to them.
- Upon reaching the threshold, newcomers will receive positive reinforcement and an informative message encouraging them to try more advanced editing tasks.
Open questions:
- Could it be a limit on the number of times I use that particular task, rather than a limit based on overall experience?
Goals:
- Reduce the burden on patrollers by limiting the volume of "Add a link" edits.
- Encourage newcomers to level up by progressing to more meaningful contributions.
- Prevent any possibility of misuse (e.g., using "Add a Link" to gain user rights).
Acceptance Criteria:
Given I'm viewing Special:CommunityConfiguration/GrowthSuggestedEdits,
When I'm an admin,
Then I have the ability to limit the Add a link (Structured task) to only newcomers
Given I'm a newcomer,
When I previously had access to the Add a link (Structured task) but now no longer have access,
Then the Suggested Edits UI provides clarity as to why I no longer have access,
And if I pass the edit threshold and I've recently completed "Add a link" tasks, then I receive a supportive notification that lets me know about this change