Conversion hurdle race

I think many people are deterred from contributing because of the current editor which requires coding. Many people will give up editing if they have to learn Wiki markup first. Also some people (like myself, I must admit) know enough of the markup language in order to make edits but are still deterred from making edits because using code is simply more difficult than writing plain text.

I think a more user friendly editor would be a great improvement to the Wikimedia projects. If people see an interface that looks like the word editor they are used to the technological barrier to making edits will be reduced significantly.

Currently the "Editing help" link is hidden at the bottom of the page. Just making it more visible might make editing easier.

I really like the idea of having a list of needed edits and having it displayed in a prominent place. It is always easier to make a contribution if you know there is a gap and know that your work will be appreciated.

I also think editors might be encouraged to make more edits if they are able to get a reward for it. It could be as simple as other users writing a "thank you" to them, it could be high score lists like "Top 100 new editors" or "Top ten editors on Frisian Windmills" or it could be a competition where the best edit wins a small gift like some Wikipedia merchandise. I know that there are several problems in this and I don't know if such systems can be effectively protected against cheating but it was just an idea I got.

For those who feel they don't have the time to make edits there could be a list of quick tasks that would only need a few minutes of work. Not every edit has to be an academic paper in order to be useful.

The people who don't think they have anything to contribute might also be encouraged to make edits if there were very specific tasks. Instead of having a task that said "Improve the article on wild boars" there could be several other tasks more like "Describe the cultural associations of wild boars in Germany". This example might not be the best but if people are asked to contribute in a specific way those who feel they have nothing to add will discover how they indeed are able to add things.

--84.238.80.188 08:49, 27 January 2010 (UTC)