[Foundation-l] [foundation-l] #wikipedia changes

Sun Jun 17 06:28:03 UTC 2007

Because it hasn't been mentioned by anybody yet, I wanted to point  
out that #wikipedia-en-help (formerly #wikipedia-bootcamp) is the  
perfect channel for new Wikipedians who need help (hence the name).

While this channel does, for some reason, seem to be forgotten by the  
mainstream Wikipedia IRC community (which may or may not be a bad  
thing), it is extremely well-advertised on the Help desk, on the New  
Contributors' Help Page, and on {{helpme}} messages. It is also  
served by Bjelleklang's Java IRC client on the toolserver (again very  
well-advertised in the pages quoted above).

Users in the channel are on the most part very friendly towards  
newbies, and even basic questions are bound to get responses from one  
or more helpers within seconds.

While I do not exactly condone the idea of compartmentalizing IRC  
channels for particular purposes (especially with channels that have  
seemingly similar topics, like #wikipedia, #wikipedia-social, and  
#wikimedia-social), #wikipedia-en-help *is* a safe haven for newbies  
where they can get help without getting ignored (or even worse, being  
told that they are in The Wrong Channel) by the masses of seasoned  
yet not-newbie-oriented Wikipedians.

So if you do find a newbie in need of help, or if there are any  
opportunities where you recommend a channel for a newbie in need of  
help, please don't forget #wikipedia-en-help.

Cheers,

Tangotango

On Jun 17, 2007, at 6:47 AM, Gurch wrote:

> Yes, we can move to #wikipedia-social or #wikipedia-en as appropriate,
> but Mark is adamant that newcomers should be sent to #wikipedia for
> help. Until now such help has reliably been delievered within  
> seconds by
> experienced and knowledgable users. But they're not there to help
> people; they're there to discuss the project (usually the
> English-language edition) and socialize. No help will be  
> forthcoming if
> the channel is empty. (Why wouldn't I just idle there? The same  
> reason I
> don't idle in #wikimedia-admin or read the English Wikipedia mailing
> list: nothing useful ever happens).