Are you an editor on Wikipedia or know one? Researchers at the University of Washington (Seattle Campus) are seeking Wikipedians to participate in a focus group. The purpose is to have you tell us what you would like to find out about fellow Wikipedians when interacting with them. We'll use this information to develop the design of a new application that will help you access this information.

The session will focus on these research questions:

• When interacting with other Wikipedians, perhaps on a discussion page, what information would you want to know about their other activities in Wikipedia?
• What would be the benefit of knowing that information?

Lively discussion encouraged! We are looking for people who have had at least one direct interaction on Wikipedia with another editor or just wanted to know more information about another editor with whom they might interact. If you have friends who are also editors, please pass the invitation on to them.

Sessions will be held on Wed. April 8 (6 pm to 8 pm) and Sat. April 18 (10 am to noon) on the UW Seattle campus. Directions will be sent when you register.

If you are interested in attending a focus group session, please RSVP here.

You may wish to be aware of wikidashboard, if you are not already cognizant of it.[1] Best wishes, Walter Siegmund (talk) 18:45, 10 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the suggestion! We are aware of it. One of the things we are aiming to do with our visualization is get beyond edit history to types of work that people do - border patrol, welcoming activities, etc. We're working to present a more holistic view of people's activities in Wikipedia. However, since that covers a lot of ground, we want to know what kind of information is most useful to Wikipedians when interacting with each other. We hope you'll attend one of the sessions and let us know what you think! Elly and the Commprac crew

Another tool that I find very useful is wanabe_kate.[2] When it is working, it is a good way to learn what pages an editor edits frequently; WP:SPAs can be easily identified. It is useful to look for warnings on the editor's talk page and check for blocks in his/her block log.[3] Problem editors frequently remove warnings from their talk pages, so currently it is necessary to scan the talk page history. BTW, you can add a link to your username and a timestamp by terminating your comments on talk pages with "~~~~". Best wishes, Walter Siegmund (talk) 20:36, 10 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

This was one of my favorite books, too. Some of the "madman's" work can probably be found in our sister project Wiktionary. Rklawton (talk) 01:14, 15 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Howdy, I wanted to indicate I probably can't make any of the focus groups since I have since moved to Arizona. If there is any way I can help from here let me know. (Incidentally, I should mention that the message you sent around you, linked your user page to reply rather than your talk page. You can directly link your talk page with the code [[User_talk:Commprac01]]. Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help). Best wishes with your research. --TeaDrinker (talk) 20:01, 5 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I figured I would put this here instead of making an identically-titled section at the bottom. If that's not the appropriate course of action in these circumstances, I apologize. I did not attend your meetup partly because I had stopped logging into WP for a while and partly because I had moved to Texas a couple months prior to the invitation. If these facts had not been true, I would have gone since I love a) visiting my alma mater and b) snacks. I have, however, taken your online survey. If you have another such meetup in the future, let me know; I've since moved back to the Seattle area. Lupusrex (talk) 21:43, 15 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for your time! If you have any questions about our research or research group, please visit our user page. Commprac01 (talk) 00:27, 10 June 2009 (UTC)

Thank you for asking but I prefer not to participate. --irshgrl500 (talk) 00:39, 10 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Though you may be sending these out by hand, I think it might still be appropriate to file a WP:BRFA if you plan on delivering many more of these requests. Curious: What is your selection criteria? –xeno^talk 01:57, 10 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you - I got swept up in finals. When we asked other admins and experienced editors about how to post our survey request, they suggested posting on talk pages and using mailing lists. The BRFA was never suggested before. I'm curious about why you think that going the BRFA route is appropriate, since it seems like that group is concerned about automated processes and the possible effects of errant code? Thanks! Commprac01 (talk) 22:52, 12 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

My real concern is that there should be some formal approval for such a wide distribution. How many editors are you going to contact? –xeno^talk 23:32, 12 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You're the first person to suggest that we should get formal approval; the other Wikipedians we talked to actually recommended our current approach. We're done with sending out invitations, but I think your idea of going through the bot approval is an interesting idea. However, I would like to see a more formal policy around it and perhaps even a distinct group for advising researchers who are working with Wikipedia. That could be benficial to other researchers who want to work with the community and be respectful of its norms and policies.Commprac01 (talk) 18:03, 17 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Why on earth is the first question which part of the year I was born in? I concluded that the real purpose of the survey was astrological nonsense and stopped there. Ian Spackman (talk) 13:28, 13 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It had to do with randomly distributing people to different conditions. No astroglogical nonsense, I promise.Commprac01 (talk) 17:14, 17 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hello, again

You've asked me twice to participate and I am sure the survey is worthwhile but again, I am declining to participate. If I change my mind, I'll contact you, ok? I would appreciate if you were to not leave any more messages on my Talk page requesting that I participate in your survey, ok?--irshgrl500 (talk) 03:56, 19 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

[[ hopiakutaPlease do sign your communiqué.~~Thank You, DonFphrnqTaub Persina.]] 04:20, 28 August 2009 (UTC)