Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25805649-20180830095121

INTRODUCTION

Why don’t people edit wikis?

Veterans and administrators of FANDOM always wonder why people don’t edit wikis, they have opinions based on their own, personal experience. Every user who cares about their wiki knows that attracting new editors is a key concept that needs to be constantly worked on. I met people who have thought editing is too difficult and soon found out that it’s not. I had to teach few people how to edit, I knew that they were only thinking something is too important or hard for them, to find out that there was a place, a home, at FANDOM for them.

However, I thought that I should actually check the real reasons why people don’t edit and prove that we should take the social and PR route to solve our problems. So I did. While this study might be small compared to giant research projects that have thousands of replies, it does rival some scientific research and was conducted in vast majority on users who have never edited before, therefore it should be shared.

My own, personal opinion: people think editing is too hard, but that’s the case only before they start editing.

METHODS

Google forms poll and an additional poll at pl.discussions Discussions. The question and answers in both were identical. The poll at pl.discussions has been deleted after data collection, so that data would be anonymous at publication of the research results.
 * 1) The poll was in Polish and responders were Polish; everything here is translated by me
 * 2) Data collecting lasted for 7 days
 * 3) Responders could pick multiple options at once in the google form
 * 4) Responders who were regular editors were asked to reply with an answer they would give prior to becoming a regular editor, if they wanted to answer
 * 5) The poll was sent to multiple facebook groups, forums and discord servers not connected in any way to FANDOM, dedicated to games, literature, RPG and anime; regular editors - including me - also sent the poll to people they knew and who were not editors
 * 6) In facebook posts and anywhere else the poll was posted, it was made clear that the poll is about any wikis, not just one wiki

RESULTS

Total number of responders: 340
 * 1) Google form poll: 318
 * 2) Poll at pl.discussions: 22

The image shown below depicts the total of answers from both versions of the poll. Note that the percentages are percentages of answers given, not people responding, because people were allowed to pick multiple answers at once.



Additional responses, given by the “other” option, facebook comments, discussions comments or discord private chat:


 * I’m afraid that I will get involved too much and get myself addicted.
 * When I come to wikis, I’m looking for information on a topic I don’t know much on.
 * I don’t edit, because usually I can find all the basic, important data. I don’t consider myself a fanatic who would add some detail. For detail, I have the books (Witcher), in physical form, and I have bookmarks in them.
 * Because I can’t write in the encyclopedic style.
 * Because Polish wikis are of bad quality and are led by teenagers.
 * Because wiki communities are cancer. (this response was given twice, in different words, but both used the word “cancer” and referred to wiki communities)
 * Because I don’t have enough time.
 * Because of the feeling “what if I will add something that’s false?”. I’m a type of a person who will check something a million times before stating something.
 * Because some editors at non-English wikis use google translate and just add the result to the articles.
 * I have edited a bit but I prefer reading discussions and talking there.
 * I could say it’s lack of time, but really it’s lack of will.
 * With a tiny bit of knowledge I can edit only a tiny bit of articles, and even part of that bit does not need editing.
 * I don’t know how to edit. If I don’t know a fact, too, I don’t really have a reason to edit. If I know a fact, I don’t have to check it on a wiki.
 * I often knew something but I did not feel like editing. When I was younger, I thought people would scold me for editing.
 * I don’t edit because I don’t want to make a mess. I don’t feel like learning the technical skills, either.

DISCUSSION

The results are different than expected. I thought being afraid of editing is prominent, but that’s not the primary barrier.

Being too afraid of editing prior to doing so makes up 12,6% of answers and this is the fourth barrier. It’s important to note that thinking that editing is too hard (after actually editing) makes up 7,1% of answers and this barrier is the least significant one.

The primary barrier is thinking that one does not have sufficient knowledge (46,2%) followed closely by not having the will or motivation to edit (45,6%). Almost one-fourth of answers make up the third barrier - not knowing what one can be useful for (24,7%).

The results point to a rather social, than technical, aspect of non-editor problems. Therefore, ignoring the social barriers is ignoring the problem itself. Even not knowing that one can edit (9,8%) surpasses the wiki-editing-is-indeed-too-hard barrier. I care more about gaining new editors than keeping the old ones, while both are very, very important to me. We cannot be happy because we already have editors, we need an influx of newcomers to not only make up for any veterans leaving, but also to expand the communities and let them thrive.

FANDOM has to show the general public that it is a place for everyone, regardless of experience and knowledge. You don’t have to be a total expert on a topic, there will always be a job for everyone at each wiki. There are different “levels” of knowledge needed to edit different parts of a wiki and there is so much you can do. We need to explain this fact in each wiki’s social media, discussions, in FANDOM’s own social media, as well as on wikis themselves, in visible places.

Try to use Special:Community as effectively, as you can, too. Make a big, but clear list of tasks that suit different levels of knowledge, different specializations of knowledge, different technical skill levels, different experience levels, et cetera. On top of the page, point out how someone can be useful for a wiki. If someone is motivated enough, but doesn’t know how they can be useful, that’s a terrible waste of potential. Sometimes, you can list things in general, but you can also point to exact articles that need exact things. Make people who say “with a tiny bit of knowledge I can edit only a tiny bit of articles, and even part of that bit does not need editing” realize that they should edit that bit of the tiny bit.

Bureaucrats, administrators and moderators should appreciate how being helpful can affect the wiki. If you are helpful and point people to guides or explain things by yourself, even those insignificant ones like how to insert links in source editors, or why should one use source editor, or explanations of image policy, et cetera, all of these will make the new person welcome and will show them that FANDOM is a place where they are not punished or attacked for lack of knowledge. Teach your editors, and they will be thankful. They will be useful to you and to the community. You will build a positive PR for your wiki and FANDOM in general, and you will get people coming to your wiki. Being irritated by someone not knowing something, scolding them for mistakes, et cetera, does not help at all. “When I was younger, I thought people would scold me for editing.” or ”I don’t edit because I don’t want to make a mess.” should be myths debunked by admins. Reassure people that everyone makes mistakes and that different administration members look at recent changes, a log of all new edits. They will notice any mistakes, there will be no mess and the newcomer can always come to ask questions or talk.

FANDOM needs to distinguish editing and use its own means to make it prominent. Use FANDOM University, make subtitles in multiple languages (including English, for people with no sound or people who are deaf), spread the fact that the University exists - some people even don’t know it does. Make editing guides visible at the homepage. FANDOM can also get involved at conventions, gaming events and such, as a sponsor or medial patron. Cooperating with organizations created by fans, either gamers, fantasy fans or movie fans, or any other kind of fans, is a good option as well.

How to motivate people, though? This, the second barrier, is the hardest one. Perhaps showing people that editing can be a way to gain experience, be a hobby, be a way to become cooler, would help. Actually, if you are a wikia editor and are also involved in a fan community, you are actually helping to make editing cool. Talk to people about your hobby, tell them how useful it is and how well it sounds - honestly, multiple people, either from organizations, conventions or community have appreciated me as simply being someone who edits wikis, even if they don’t know I’m a Councilor. Being a wikian has opened many hearts and doors.

The last thing I would like to mention is an idea I had a long time ago and that has proven succesfull. I made a short guide to editing, with the most basic basics, in pdf format and often sent it to new editors asking for help. It was incredibly popular. If you find yourself repeating the same thing to all new editors, or want to increase their skills, how about making such a guide?

CONCLUSIONS

To sum up:
 * The problem is more social than technical
 * Use Special:Community effectively
 * Use social media to let people know that anyone with any level of knowledge is welcome as well as point out how they can be useful
 * FANDOM needs to use the homepage and its own social media to help local admins get through the three first barriers between people and editing
 * FANDOM should get involved in the community, so that people come to FANDOM (conventions, organizations)
 * Be nice and very, very patient for new editors, please. Help them!

Feel free to comment and discuss. Thank you for reading. 