diversity

Two quick comments on this thread:

• I think it would be a lot to ask someone to dive directly into a wikiproject: wikiprojects can be pretty daunting, because they require an understanding of Wikimedia editorial standards and practices which new people don't have. And I also think people need baby steps to determine if Wikimedia is right for them, before they commit to as more social/collective experience.

Just speaking out of my own experience, I would never have participated in a wikiproject as a first step, regardless of how interested I was in the subject matter. My first edits were fixing small obvious mistakes --like typos and grammatical errors-- I needed to get my feet wet safely, before I was ready to make any kind of real commitment.

So upshot: I think that contacting subject-matter experts is a good idea. People are much likelier to contribute in an area they have expertise in. And people are much likelier to edit if they are invited. (I think that's particularly true for women.) But I wouldn't start people off with a wikiproject: I would let them make some small non-controversial edits to get their feet wet first.

I wonder if someone should do some experimentation -- just trying to recruit subject-matter experts to edit in their sphere. If it seems to work, we could talk about how to institutionalize support for it.

• Regarding approval, I think Wikimedians are more motivated by approval/thanks from each other, rather than by approval/thanks from the Wikimedia Foundation. And we at the staff would be very happy to support volunteer initiatives designed to recognize and honour great work. Currently the only contest I'm aware of is the Commons Photo of the Year: if people wanted to self-organize to create additional contests/awards, I think that would be terrific. Be bold!

I think WikiProjects as they currently exist are daunting to outsiders. What currently exists is not what I'm talking about, and maybe I shouldn't have used the word "WikiProject."

Nothing is daunting when you already know someone on the inside who says "This is our clubhouse. Here's the secret knock." And I think that's the beauty of WikiProjects doing outreach. You bring someone right in and surround them with warmth and Wikilove. Right now your new editors walk into a somewhat sterile environment where they don't know anyone. Of course coming into Wikipedia and immediately being confronted with WikiProject Assessment tables and to-do lists would put any new editor off, but put together right, a group of Wikipedians with expertise in a particular area tasked with outreach to non-Wikipedians with interest/expertise in that same area would do really well. You could actually run it in parallel with an existing WikiProject (in the current sense of the term). Call the outreach side a WikiClub (or something). WikiClub Quilting brings in quilters, gets them interested and acclimated, then when they are ready, they can cross the threshold into WikiProject Quilting and do the more advanced stuff, but they're always welcome to hang out at WikiClub Quilting and help the new folks, or talk with the old ones who are doing outreach.

Regarding approval, respectfully, Sue, how would you know whether Wikimedians are more motivated by approval/thanks from each other, rather than by approval/thanks from the Wikimedia Foundation? You're on the inside. I'm out here with everyone, and I can tell you that the Foundation is seen by many editors as a ghost-like entity whose presence is felt, but who is rarely seen. We interact with admins, not Foundation staff (which is how it should be, but creates a feeling like seeing a Foundation employee is like seeing a supernatural creature, or bigfoot). Whether WMF likes it or not, there is a perception of hierarchy, and above admin, bureaucrats, and stewards, there are WMF staff. None of which I had ever interacted with (to my knowledge) before engaging in discussion here.

I think you'd prefer Wikimedians to be more motivated by approval/thanks from each other than from the Wikimedia Foundation. As a CEO myself, so would I if I was in your position; its less WMF resource intensive. But I can tell you that whether they would admit this or not, any Wikimedian given a special citation only awarded by the Foundation, for work that was of special significance to the Foundation, would likely be more proud of that award than any other they received. I'm not saying you should have staff start photoshopping awards...just be aware that a WMF Award would be a powerful motivator, if the time comes for WMF to mobilize the troops for something.