Wikimania05/Presentation-MP1

Proposed abstract about Featured Articles on EN:WP:

Author: Mark Pelligrini License: ? Language: English Type: Paper

About the author

Mark Pellegrini has looked after the featuring of "Featured Articles" on the main page of the English Wikipedia for the past year.

Abstract

• Past
  • FA philosophy (Why featured articles?)
    • Public relations benefits
    • Provides examples to editors for best practices
      • Wikipedia:What is a featured article
    • Editor recognition (Bragging rights)
  • Origins and history
    • Important events in FA history
      • Brilliant prose started (Not sure - need to look this up)
      • Name change / creation of FAC / revoting (Nov-Dec 2003)
      • Going on the main page (Jan, 2004)
      • Switch over to new main page format (Feb, 2004)

• Present
  • How FA process works
    • Discussion of FAC
    • Discussion of FARC
  • Shortcomings
    • Inability to give proper peer review
    • Disenchanted nominators
  • Best FAC and FARC practices
    • Actionablity requirements
    • Reference requirements
      • Backwards applicability
    • Unprotected featured articles (time on the main page)
      • Periodic requests to protect it
    • FA Queue

• Future
  • Trends and statistical analysis
    • Increasing FA expectations (guidelines haven't changed but

expectations have gone up)

• • • • Expectations now plateaued
    • Featured article proportion
      • Slow (nonexistant?) rate of proportion increase
        • Artificially suppressed by expectation increase?
          • Stablized standards
    • Prolific featured article writers