Research:Rolling recurring old active editor

Standard metric

Rolling recurring old active editor

Specification

A ${\text{rolling recurring old active editor}}(T,u,n)$ is a user registered before $T-2u$, completed $n$ edits between $T-2u$ and $T-u$ and continued to complete $n$ edits between $T-u$ and $T$.

WMF Standard

• $n$ = 5 edits
• $u$ = 30 days

Measures

Editor retention

Status

SQL

SET @n = 5; /* edits threshold */
SET @u = 30; /* activity unit in days */
SET @T = "20140102"; /* February 1st, 2014 before midnight */

/* Build a table of active editors from last month */
CREATE TEMPORARY TABLE staging.last_active
SELECT
    rev_user
FROM (
    SELECT
        rev_user
    FROM revision
    WHERE rev_timestamp BETWEEN
        DATE_FORMAT(DATE_SUB(@T, INTERVAL @u*2 DAY), "%Y%m%d%H%i%S") AND
        DATE_FORMAT(DATE_SUB(@T, INTERVAL @u DAY), "%Y%m%d%H%i%S")
    UNION ALL
    SELECT
        ar_user AS rev_user
    FROM archive
    WHERE ar_timestamp BETWEEN
        DATE_FORMAT(DATE_SUB(@T, INTERVAL @u*2 DAY), "%Y%m%d%H%i%S") AND
        DATE_FORMAT(DATE_SUB(@T, INTERVAL @u DAY), "%Y%m%d%H%i%S")
) AS split_revisions
GROUP BY rev_user
HAVING COUNT(*) >= @n;

/* Build a table of active editors from current month */
CREATE TEMPORARY TABLE staging.current_active
SELECT
    rev_user
FROM (
    SELECT
        rev_user
    FROM revision
    WHERE rev_timestamp BETWEEN
        DATE_FORMAT(DATE_SUB(@T, INTERVAL @u DAY), "%Y%m%d%H%i%S") AND @T
    UNION ALL
    SELECT
        ar_user AS rev_user
    FROM archive
    WHERE ar_timestamp BETWEEN
        DATE_FORMAT(DATE_SUB(@T, INTERVAL @u DAY), "%Y%m%d%H%i%S") AND @T
) AS split_revisions
GROUP BY rev_user
HAVING COUNT(*) >= @n;

/* Find the intersection and filter the newbies & bots out */
SELECT
    user_id,
    user_name,
    user_registration
FROM staging.current_active
LEFT JOIN staging.last_active USING (rev_user)
INNER JOIN user ON rev_user = user_id
WHERE 
    user_registration <
        DATE_FORMAT(DATE_SUB(@T, INTERVAL @u*2 DAY), "%Y%m%d%H%i%S") AND
    rev_user NOT IN (SELECT ug_user FROM user_groups WHERE ug_group = "bot");

Rolling recurring old active editors are non-bot editors who registered more than 2 time periods ago and completed a minimum number of edits in the last two time periods.

Discussion

The n edits threshold

The edits necessary to cross this threshold, the fewer editors will meet the criteria. Historically, "active editors" were considered to be editors who made 5 edits to specific types of pages over the course of a calendar month. So for historical purposes, we recommend $n=5$.

The u activity unit

The wider this unit is set, the more casual editors will be considered "active". Historically, "active editors" were considered during calendar months. So for historical purposes, we recommend $u=30$.

Time lag

This metric has a built-in time lag of $u$ for the time period in question.

Bot filtering

Bots are filtered using the bot flag method.

Plain word definition

In plain words (using the default values) a '

Notes

In plain words (using the default values) a 'Rolling recurrent old active editor' is an editor that registered before 2 months ago and completed 5 edits in the last month and another 5 in the month prior to that one. Month is defined not as a calendar month but rather 30 calendar days.