I agree that a seperate IRC channel is probably not a good idea. (There are enough mw channels already, and in most of them people give really great support, and there is no reason to cut the students off the main community.) However, a mailing list for the people involved with GSoC would be a great tool. Last year I did not really know who the other students and mentors where, and even although I did considerable effort in finding out, there was no place that had their contact info, or where we could have a discussion. A mailing list would go a long way in solving that. Last year I created a google group for this purpose about half way through the project, but this didn't take off. I suspect it's critical to have this sort of infrastructure in place before the projects start, and to give all students a poke towards it. This would also help detecting problems, both on student and mentor side, that would remain hidden if there is only communication  between the students and their mentors. Cheers -- Jeroen De Dauw * Wiki: wiki.bn2vs.com * Blog: blog.bn2vs.com * Skype: rts.bn.vs -- Don't panic. Don't be evil.70 72 6F 67 72 61 6D 6D 69 6E 67 20 34 20 6C 69 66 65! _______________________________________________ Wikitech-l mailing list Wikitech-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikitech-l