Commons:Wiki Loves Monuments/Documentation/Organizing a Wiki Loves Monuments Writing Challenge

A Wiki Loves Monuments Writing Challenge is an opportunity to do a writing focused follow-up event after Wiki Loves Monuments. This documentation is based on a pilot executed in the Netherlands in 2017.

What

A Writing Challenge is a challenge to write or expand articles about a set of topics. A WLM writing challenge focuses on the monuments that are part of Wiki Loves Monuments, and challenges participants to now expand the articles, or write new ones. The concept is based on people editing and creating a large number of articles, with points being awarded for certain activities such as creating a new article, adding 1000 bites to an article or adding an image or link. The exact type of point distribution varies, and no standard exists yet.

The Dutch pilott is based on various other writing concepts, among others the Tylers Challenge from 2012. It asks people to write and expand articles about as many rijksmonumenten (national monuments) as possible. This is a list of ~60.000 buildings all over the country. People were invited to do that in May 2017. The editor with the highest point total received a small prize (a book and magazine subscription, both sponsored by a partner).

Why

We have long been searching for methods to tickle new contributors that enter Wikimedia through WLM into editing also articles. A writing challenge might be a method of doing that, while at the same time working towards the wishes of the community to have more editing related activities, and go beyond photography.

How

• Define goals (what kind of outcomes are you looking for)
• Define scope (what should people write about)
• Define timeline (what is the best fit with other ongoing activities, to avoid a clash. How is the connection best with Wiki Loves Monuments)
• Define challenge conditions
  • Rules
  • Point system
  • Judging
  • ...
• Figure out how to count
• Prepare documentation for participants
  • Example on nlwiki 2017: w:nl:Wikipedia:Wiki_Loves_Monuments/Monumenten_Challenge
• Advertize
• Run the competition
• Count the points, find the winner
• Announce the winner(s), write reports

Specifics 2017-NL challenge

What articles

• Each rijksmonument can be described, or an article about a rijksmonument can be expanded.
• The article must be linked on the list of rijksmonumenten
• The article must also be linked on the participants page

Jury

• The jury will only consider contributions of the participants to a competing article made between 1 May and 31 May
• The jury will not treat different editors differently
• A participation is individual. The help of a coach (official coaches program) is permitted, but his/her edits will not be counted.
• If a rijksmonument is already registered, it can not be written about by another participant
• The jury and organizers cannot compete or help on the articles.

Point system

(slightly rewritten for clarify)

• Each qualifying new article gets 100 points
• Additionally, each 1000 bytes get 50 points, both in new and expanded articles
• Each added relevant internal link in such article gets 10 points, with a maximum of 50 points per article
• Each added photo in such article gets 10 points, with a maximum of 30 points per article

The points will be tallied somewhere in June 2017, based on the situation of 1 June, 00:00h. Contributions that have been deleted or reverted after 1 June, will not be awarded points.

Results

About 15 Wikipedians enthusiastically started the challenge. Quickly three of them took the lead, until Vaterloader started competing. He did really well and became, with 20.340 points the winner of the first Wiki Loves Monuments Challenge. His articles covered mainly Monuments in Delft and Rotterdam and were very detailed. Sometimes maybe a bit boring to read, but they definitely have added value for the free encyclopedia.

The second price goes to DirkVE with 19.380 points. He, being the leader from the start and also recent winner of the Gendergap writing challenge ‘The Woman You Never Met', was engaged in a fierce struggle with Vaterloader until the end. When DirkVE enters a writing challange, he writes a lot. Also this time, but his articles are really solid and highly valued, especially the detailed maps, he added..

Identified improvements

• Automated counting, rather than self reported and checked.
• Counting such that all edits can be considered, and some restrictions can be lifted.