This is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.
Hi Sage -
I wanted to touch base with you to see if you might have feedback for me on the Serve America Act article I just reorganized/cleaned up a little bit. I tried to use the article's discussion page, and no one got back to me, so I went ahead and made the edit. Not sure how it is going to be responded to so I wanted to see if you could take a look. I also just left a note on a user's wall who seems to have done a substantial amount of work on the article to see if they might have suggestions as well. Thanks so much! Orangefan32 (talk) 22:03, 30 March 2011 (UTC)
Article Feedback Category
To My76Strat ... Whatever became of this Article Feedback Category? Is this now something that we can add into any article on Wikipedia to get user feedback? Or is it still in some limited / pilot test program, where it can only be added to certain articles (as it was when we first discussed this issue several months ago)? Thanks. (Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 21:15, 30 March 2011 (UTC))
It wouldn't. IAR is for things that help the project; personally, if they were not ready, I'd move 'em back to another namespace. These articles are in no way exempt from normal processes - nor should they be. If they're deleted, they're deleted, and we should deal with that in the normal manner - WP:REFUND etc. Chzz ► 11:51, 3 April 2011 (UTC)
New class editing Wikipedia
Hi! It appears that a new class is editing Wikipedia, and they do not seem to have an online ambassador. I stumbled across it while patrolling C:SD, where I found a student had been trying to send a message to his professor (User talk:Mportolano). He had apparently messed up the title, so it was created in article space with a title of something along the lines of "title=User_talk:Sross_(Public_Policy)&action=edit§ion=new", and was tagged for speedy deletion under A1. I copied the message to the professor's talk page before the "article" was deleted under G1, so at least the professor will get the message. I also welcomed all the students (except one, who happened to be a 5k+ editor already ;). Do you think they will need an online ambassador/mentor? Reaper Eternal (talk) 17:36, 2 April 2011 (UTC)
Thank you so much for giving me feedback on my last edits of the Serve America Act! I have gone back and made some more changes to the article, and was wondering if you could take a look. Also, it still has the cleanup banner on the page - was wondering if it can be removed at this point? Orangefan32 (talk) 18:59, 10 April 2011 (UTC)
Mentor
I'm wondering if I'm offering the right advice to my mentees. Do you think you could check my mentee's talkpage (User talk:TrueBlueWolverine, and see if I'm giving the right advice, or whether I should be offering more specific advice? Serendipodous17:31, 12 April 2011 (UTC)
Mentor United States Public Policy Obar
Hello Sage, our group is not registering with the leaderboard of the WikiProject so there is not any collective contribution added to the course overall participation. Let us know what we can do and we'll keep our edits going. Thanks J Komara (talk) 07:07, 13 April 2011 (UTC)
despite the red flag. I have never used the sandbox function, so think I will toss together some article and try it out. My life goes in ebbs and flows of activities and it will be two or three days before I leap in. Starting with reading your instructions again. Einar aka Carptrash (talk) 19:05, 14 April 2011 (UTC)
Edit: according to niham on freenode IRC this is normal. If so, I recommend a similiar feature for the "message" feature for non ambessador users. --Tyw7 (☎ Contact me! • Contributions) Changing the world one edit at a time!02:45, 15 April 2011 (UTC)
I'm also working informally with some students from Ball State University. I'm finding that most of my assistance with students is taking place through email. I'd like to see the University participating in an official capacity. I've spoken with the professor a few times and he is definitely interested, just wasn't aware of the PPI before his course started. I was going to sign up to work with Wikipedia:WikiProject United States Public Policy/Courses/Spring 2011/Case Studies in Modern Leadership (Dan Schnur), since my professional background includes corporate training in leadership and management development. However, it looks like the class never started up. If anything happens there, please let me know. Thanks, Cind.amuse15:42, 20 April 2011 (UTC)
Discussion related to Wikipedia article from public policy course
India pilot being organized now - Plans are currently underway for a pilot expansion of the Wikipedia Ambassador Program – in India! Hisham Mundol and other Wikimedia staff have begun recruiting Campus Ambassador candidates for Pune.
Document DYK, peer review and other milestone at the trophy case - If students you are working with (or any others you notice) are doing work that makes to DYK, is nominated for Good Article status, or is just solid content worth marking, then please help us document the students' success at the trophy case.
Changes to mailing list - A new low-volume mailing list, [Ambassador-announce-l], is being created. It will be reserved for key announcements and news, which we'd like all ambassadors to be subscribed to.
Strike that. I was hoping Milhist folks were in the mood to investigate some classroom collaborations, but AFAIK it's not happening yet. - Dank (push to talk) 13:53, 25 April 2011 (UTC)
Comment
Hi Sross. Unless someone has changed the approach since last time I looked (which is possible) this is in the wrong place: since the Category concerned is about the content generation process not about the article content itself the Category I think is supposed to go on the talk page. --BozMotalk08:01, 27 April 2011 (UTC)
Nope, that was intended to go on the article itself. It's a hidden category, so it doesn't show up with the other categories. It's purpose is to active the Article Feedback Tool, which is being tested on articles that students in the Public Policy Initiative are working on.--Sage Ross - Online Facilitator, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 15:32, 27 April 2011 (UTC)
Started my second article
Hi Sage -
I just began editing the UN Foundation page and was wondering if you might be able to take a look at the edits I've made. I also did some more editing to the Serve America Act if you could look at that also. I have my final presentation on edits coming up this week so whatever assistance you can provide me with would be much appreciated. I am going to continue editing the UN Foundation page over the next day or so. Thanks so much! Orangefan32 (talk) 18:44, 23 April 2011 (UTC)
I have to give my presentation in class on Thursday on contributions and was wondering if you might be able to take a look before then on the edits I've made on the UN Foundation. I seem to be struggling to find some sources beyond their webpage for references. Thanks! Orangefan32 (talk) 20:23, 26 April 2011 (UTC)
Thank you so much! I am going to do a lot more work on the article later today based on your recommendations. I'm going to do my best to find additional sources beyond their website to verify this information. I'm definitely struggling in my research to find effectiveness/controversy, but if I do come across some literature I will be sure to add it. I took out that info about the $446 billion because I'm not sure where I found it.--Orangefan32 (talk) 15:27, 27 April 2011 (UTC)
Sorry for so many posts today! I'm really struggling to find additional sources on the specific issue areas, and am finding more on the Foundation itself. I added a lot more journal articles and background - does it look better? --Orangefan32 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 20:19, 27 April 2011 (UTC).
I can't open that first link through my library unfortunately. I guess the reason I am concerned is that I thought I was headed in the right direction and I am supposed to be done making edits by class tomorrow (and to start rewriting the entire article might be a little bit of an undertaking in the next few hours). In regards to the background section, I definitely found a lot more sources that I just put in that are journal articles. I guess I can go ahead and remove the specific topic areas and just put the UN/US one in the examples of campaigns since I was able to find information on that. I don't want to not include the information, it's just a matter of while those are the issues they focus on, and they are mentioned repeatedly throughout the additional sources I've found, none of the sources go into detail like their webpage does. If you have any other suggestions I'd be really appreciative. Again, sorry to bog you down with all of these concerns during "crunch time." --Orangefan32 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 20:44, 27 April 2011 (UTC).
Public Policy Making spring 2011 Team 3 Tobacco in Alabama
I've set up this page for auto-archiving, as discussed.
Normally, I prefer to explain how to do stuff, but in the case of archive set-up, it's easier to just do it for you. The voodoo to make it work is here; the bot should come along within about a day and kick things off. Note the archive box at the top; no need to create anything, just let the bot do its thing.
It's set to 45 days (45d), you might want to change that. Note that it won't archive very small threads or things with no sigs in (ie no date) - you can cut those yourself and paste 'em into the archive page if you want.
So - that's about it; no action required, just let the bot do its thing, and - if I've done it correctly - all should be well. If it goes wrong, of course, give me a shout. Cheers! Chzz ► 13:45, 29 April 2011 (UTC)
Sage, I wanted to drop you a note...tho I realize you may not be the person who handles these requests. Cooldenny(talk·contribs·count) is requesting email addresses from people who contributed to her first(?) survey, and tho they have a project page on metawiki I don't know what kind of vetting process is used. I have asked them to stop their on-project canvassing for the moment until I can get clarifications as to their credentials. Can you answer to any of this, or point me to the person who can?
I really don't want to hinder their activities if it is indeed good faith, but at the same time I don't want to assist in a social engineering scheme.
This person has not gone through any vetting that I can tell... it looks legitimate to me, but I don't think they've had any contact with relevant people or groups, like the the meta:Research Committee. They should probably get in touch with Dario Taraborelli, the contact person for the committee: dtaraborelli@wikimedia.org .--Sage Ross - Online Facilitator, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 14:44, 5 May 2011 (UTC)
Please help assess articles for Public Policy Initiative research
Hi Sross (Public Policy)/Archive 2,
Your work as an Online Ambassador is making a big contribution to Wikipedia. Right now, we're trying to measure just how much student work improves the quality of Wikipedia. If you'd like contribute to this research and get a firsthand look at the quality improvement that is happening through the project, please sign up to assess articles. Assessment is happening now, just use the quantitative metric and start assessing! Your help would be hugely appreciated!
Hello, Sross (Public Policy). You have new messages at Rock drum's talk page. You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{Talkback}} or {{Tb}} template.
Hi. I realize that a long period of time has passed since the last time we discussed the US Public Policy Wikipedia Ambassador Program, but is there still time to apply, or has the program ended for the year? I'd appreciate any further information from this point, and how the program relates to school years since the American public school and North American university grade years have now technically ended. Also, does this relate to WP:SUP? Thanks. ~AH1(discuss!)16:49, 14 May 2011 (UTC)
The program is wrapping up for this school year, but you can apply to be an Online Ambassador at any time: Wikipedia:Online_Ambassadors/Apply. We may have a few classes during the summer, but the next big wave (we're shooting for 60 or more classes) will be in the fall term beginning around late August / early September. The pilot phase of this, the Public Policy Initiative, is wrapping up in September, so in the fall we won't be open to all kinds of classes rather than focusing on US public policy.
As for SUP, the current plan is to merge that into the ambassador program over the next few months, so that we can keep a common set of resources and advice for instructors, whether or not they are being supported directly by Wikipedia Ambassadors. Jan Eissfeldt has some concrete plans for that.
(If you're interested in being a Campus Ambassador, let me know and we can talk about it over Skype or by phone.)
Please take the Wikipedia Ambassador Program survey
Hi Ambassador,
We are at a pivotal point in the development of the Wikipedia Ambassador Program. Your feedback will help shape the program and role of Ambassadors in the future. Please take this 10 minute survey to help inform and improve the Wikipedia Ambassadors.
WMF will de-identify results and make them available to you. According to KwikSurveys' privacy policy: "Data and email addresses will not be sold, rented, leased or disclosed to 3rd parties." This link takes you to the online survey: http://kwiksurveys.com?u=WPAmbassador_talk
Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments, Thank You!
FYI I have applied please let me know if I can be of further assistance, I look forward to hearing form you at your convenience, Kind regards User talk:MikeBeckett Please do ask me your questions! MikeBeckett00:25, 24 May 2011 (UTC)
Hello, Sross (Public Policy). You have new messages at MikeBeckett's talk page. You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{Talkback}} or {{Tb}} template.
Hi Sage-- Thanks for the cup of coffee! I've done the tabs for "Discuss" and "Resources" but the "Getting help" button doesn't update itself to a tab when I try to save the page. It stays in button form and seems to want to endless add subfolders of "Getting help."
Question: are there guidelines about sandboxes on the user page? For example, should I include the word "sandbox" in them, or does it not matter? Greta Munger (talk) 14:39, 1 July 2011 (UTC)
Hi Dank! The course is on cognitive psychology: Wikipedia:Ambassadors/Courses/Cognitive Psychology (Greta Munger). The Campus Ambassador role doesn't require any subject-matter expertise, though; basically, the CA serves as a general in-person Wikipedia expert to explain things like the basics of editing, Wikipedia policy, and how to communicate effectively and work with the community. So if you'd be willing to be there in person at Davidson several times through the fall term, you'd be great for it I think. --Sage Ross - Online Facilitator, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 17:21, 2 July 2011 (UTC)
Thanks for the encouragement, I need to sleep on it. We could use some improvement in our cognitive psych articles. - Dank (push to talk) 18:56, 2 July 2011 (UTC)
Good news/bad news: the history students I've talked to are enthusiastic and I'll probably be doing something with some of them in the fall. I think I'm going to pass on the Davidson assignment. - Dank (push to talk) 14:26, 5 July 2011 (UTC)
Okay, this is really different from academic publishing! yes, I think it's a balanced introduction of representational momentum, so I just go ahead and move it and nominate myself for both "did you know" and "good article"?
culture question--with the talk pages, is there some kind of rule of thumb about replying on your own page or the others? I noticed what seemed to be a conversation on your talk page concerning a course ambassador for me (though he got busy) Greta Munger (talk) 18:12, 7 July 2011 (UTC)
Hey there, sorry we weren't able to connect in Boston last week. I kept intending to connect, but we always seemed to be headed in different directions. Unfortunately, I experienced a bad migraine, and returned to the hotel on Saturday afternoon and wasn't able to make it back to Simmons. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the conference. The speakers and workshops were inspiring and highly informative. Just wanted to give you a heads up with another school currently working on Wikipedia for the summer semester. The professor's name is Tim Brunet. The Masters of Arts in Communications and Technology course, at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. (http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/mact/), (http://www.uwindsor.ca/ctd/session-descriptions). I returned from Boston with three more requests from students to mentor. As far as I can tell, there's just 12 students in the course. I've let the students know that I will be happy to also recruit additional ambassadors to work with each student, beyond the three I'm directly supporting. Let me know if you have any questions. Cind.amuse22:39, 14 July 2011 (UTC)
Hi Sage, how about I go first for putting up geonotices to recruit Campus Ambassadors for fall 2011. Here's the message I have in mind:
Interested in training university students in person on Wikipedia-editing skills? Will you have fun organizing on-campus activities in support of Wikipedia? If so, the Wikimedia Foundation wants you! Apply to be a Wikipedia Campus Ambassador in your region for the fall 2011 semester.
UPDATE: Wow! This really works! I've got 3 responses from Seattle already. Fantastic! Thanks for jumping on it, and now I'd better go do the same. Hot mama! (And thanks for the wikilove cup of tea -- totally appreciated! Love that tea...[<===Whoops. Screwed up. Was from Matt. Must have gotten some tea in my eyes...!]Tom Cloyd (talk)17:17, 25 July 2011 (UTC)
Hi Sage. I need some geonotices for my Region 9 Wikipedia Regional Ambassador work. The specifics, per A.L.'s instructive newsletter:
Seattle. WA area
MESSAGE: "Interested in training university students in person on Wikipedia-editing skills? Would you have fun organizing on-campus activities in support of Wikipedia? If so, the Wikimedia Foundation wants you! Apply NOW to be a Wikipedia Campus Ambassador in the Seattle metropolitan region, for the fall 2011 semester (you do NOT have to be university affiliated to do this).Learn more if your wish, then leave a message here to begin the process.
WHEN TO LAUNCH: I want maximum exposure this coming week. I don't know how long it is customary for these things to run (I seem to recall something about 2 days). The days I'd like it up, in order of importance, would be: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday (tomorrow), Thursday, and as many more days as the law allows (!).
Spokane, WA area
MESSAGE: "Interested in training university students in person on Wikipedia-editing skills? Would you have fun organizing on-campus activities in support of Wikipedia? If so, the Wikimedia Foundation wants you! Apply NOW to be a Wikipedia Campus Ambassador in the Spokane metropolitan region, for the fall 2011 semester (you do NOT have to be university affiliated to do this).Learn more if your wish, then leave a message here to begin the process.
GEOGRAPHICAL TARGET: Washington state, cities of: Spokane, Spokane Valley, Airway Heights, Medical Lake, Cheney, Spangle, Liberty Lake, Post Falls, and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
WHEN TO LAUNCH: Same as Seattle, above.
Missoula, MT
One more!
MESSAGE: "Interested in training university students in person on Wikipedia-editing skills? Would you have fun organizing on-campus activities in support of Wikipedia? If so, the Wikimedia Foundation wants you! Apply NOW to be a Wikipedia Campus Ambassador in the Missoula metropolitan region, for the fall 2011 semester (you do NOT have to be university affiliated to do this).Learn more if your wish, then leave a messagehere to begin the process.
GEOGRAPHICAL TARGET: Missoula, Montana. If it's possible to target the "Missoula Metropolitan Statistical Area", please do so, as this is a region with a small population, and we need to include as much of the region as possible, to be successful.
Even though it's been quiet on-wiki, the Wikipedia Ambassador Program has been busy over the last few months getting ready for the next term. We're heading toward over 80 classes in the US, across all disciplines. You'll see courses start popping up here, and this time we want to match one or more Online Ambassadors to each class based on interest or expertise in the subject matter. If you see a class that you're interested, please contact the professor and/or me; the sooner the Ambassadors and professors get in communication, the better things go. Look for more in the coming weeks about next term.
In the meantime, with a little help I've identified all the articles students did significant work on in the last term. Many of the articles have never been assessed, or have ratings that are out of date from before the students improved them. Please help assess them! Pick a class, or just a few articles, and give them a rating (and add a relevant WikiProject banner if there isn't one), and then update the list of articles.
Once we have updated assessments for all these articles, we can get a better idea of how quality varied from course to course, and which approaches to running Wikipedia assignments and managing courses are most effective.
I just want to clarify: is this assessment more than the 4 ratings at the bottom of the page? Of the couple of pages that I have looked at and done that part, it looks like there have been 3-4 submissions already. Did you need more than this for the assessment? Thanks!
When you have a second, can you check out the discussion on this page? So we won't use the logo? Where did other schools get their images from? Jaobar (talk) 14:36, 3 August 2011 (UTC)
Thank you
Hi Sage,
Thanks so much for the barnstar! I greatly appreciate the hoodie and decal as well; they look great and I will be sure to use them prominently. If there is ever a need for campus ambassadors in Halifax at any of the several universities located there, I would be glad to volunteer.
Hello, Sross (Public Policy). You have new messages at The ed17's talk page. You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{Talkback}} or {{Tb}} template.
Would like to withdraw from the Ambassador program
Hi Sage,
I am an ambassador in training. My life has gotten pretty busy as of late, and it will probably be a few years before I can take on any additional activities, such as the ambassador program. I believe it would be best to withdraw from the program now, before I am asked to get involved with a mentorship.
Hello! If you're planning to be an active Online Ambassador for the upcoming academic term, now is the time to join one or more pods. (A pod consists of the instructor, the Campus Ambassadors, and the Online Ambassadors for single class.) The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) explains the expectations for being part of a pod as an Online Ambassador. (The MOU for pods in Canada is essentially the same.) In short, the role of Online Ambassadors this term consists of:
Working closely with the instructor and Campus Ambassadors, providing advice and perspective as an experienced Wikipedian
Helping students who ask for it (or helping them to find the help they need)
Watching out for the class as a whole
Helping students to get community feedback on their work
This replaces the 1-on-1 mentoring role for Online Ambassadors that we had in previous terms; rather than being responsible for individual students (some of whom don't want or help or are unresponsive), Online Ambassadors will be there to help whichever students in their class(es) ask for help.
You can browse the upcoming courses here: United States; Canada. More are being added as new pods become active and create their course pages.
Once you've found a class that you want to work with—especially if you some interest or expertise in the topic area—you should sign the MOU listing for that class and get in touch with the instructor. We're hoping to have at least two Online Ambassadors per pod, and more for the larger classes.
If you're up for supporting any kind of class and would like me to assign you to a pod in need of more Online Ambassadors, just let me know.
Hi Sage, I am interested in volunteering as an online ambassador this time, but have not previously been involved in the ambassador program. Should I go ahead and sign the MOU, or is there another place I should sign up first? LadyofShalott17:22, 19 August 2011 (UTC)
Hey sage. I have come up with a draft idea for an early fall editing fridays. I'm not sure if you had any dates that you were doing trainings or other related things. cheers --Guerillero | My Talk05:27, 21 August 2011 (UTC)
Inactive
Hi Sage, I'm no longer going to be able to be active as an ambassador, as I am starting a new job that is devouring all my time. Can you please put me on the inactive list? Thanks. ɳorɑfʈ Talk!09:27, 21 August 2011 (UTC)
Another thing. This lists me as an ambassador in-training. Do I get a promotion for this term? ;) or will I need to do some more work? (I'd be happy with anything, just asking). Lynch707:18, 21 August 2011 (UTC)
Hello, Sage. I realize my OA application hasn't ended yet, but I was wondering if I could get a head start on choosing a pod as well. I think I'll learn the workings of Ambassadorship faster on the fly. I hope I will be of some use in the upcoming academic term. —Arsonal (talk + contribs)— 19:13, 20 August 2011 (UTC)
Hello - I would be interested in helping with this, depending on the timeframe and workload. Could you let me know some details? deBivort16:17, 24 August 2011 (UTC)
Sure. The timeframe for the mycology class is the US fall 2011 academic term, which generally runs from September until mid-December. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) explains the expectations for being part of a pod as an Online Ambassador. In short, the role of Online Ambassadors this term consists of:
Working closely with the instructor and Campus Ambassadors, providing advice and perspective as an experienced Wikipedian
Helping students who ask for it (or helping them to find the help they need)
Watching out for the class as a whole
Helping students to get community feedback on their work
Basically, a good Online Ambassador should be active regularly on-wiki, so that when students come to you looking for help and asking questions, you don't leave them hanging for a week at a time. The official estimated time commitment is 2 hours per week, but that varies a lot according to where the students are in their assignment plan... there's a rush of general newbie questions when they first get active on Wikipedia, and then more content and formatting and review process issues that come up when deadlines are approaching. And the time commitment also varies a lot based on how much effort the Online Ambassador puts into it and how pro-active they are trying to help students and watch out for them before they explicitly ask for help. Some people like to be more proactive, others more reactive, jumping in mainly when students ask directly. --Sage Ross - Online Facilitator, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 16:28, 24 August 2011 (UTC)
Hmm, too bad this isn't happening in the Spring. I'm going on the academic job market this fall, as well as a 3 week overseas trip for field work. I probably shouldn't sign on. deBivort17:11, 24 August 2011 (UTC)
The 3 week break shouldn't be a show-stopper; hopefully we'll have one or two other Online Ambassadors also supporting the class, and having you supporting the class when you can would still be a good benefit. But there should be even more classes in the spring (although I don't know whether there will be another mycology class then). Good luck on the job market!--Sage Ross - Online Facilitator, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 17:14, 24 August 2011 (UTC)
Architectural Design
I'd be happy to help out as time allows per your note [7]. My commitment will depend on work-related matters: I'm a principal in my own architectural firm, but I'll help out where I can. Acroterion(talk)17:33, 24 August 2011 (UTC)
Thanks Acroterion. Check out my response to de Bivort just above, which explains the general expectations for someone in the Online Ambassador role. If that sounds like something you can do, great! If not, you're still more than welcome to help out with that class as your schedule allows. (There's the formality of applying to become an Online Ambassador, but you should be a shoe-in for that.)--Sage Ross - Online Facilitator, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 17:37, 24 August 2011 (UTC)
Introduction to Organizational Communication @ JMU
Hi Sage - I think that's a good choice and I'm looking forward to assisting with this class. Looks like Freshman are arriving on campus this week so school should be starting soon. --Rosiestep (talk) 14:06, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
Course Page
Sage, No, go ahead and list the wizard-built page and list my other page as a relevant wikiproject. I would like for the students to list their usernames on the wizard-built page, so I'm going to at least use it for that. Maybe I'm crazy and I should just conform to the new system, but I'm going to do it one more time like this. Next semester, maybe I'll consolidate everything onto the wizard-built page... Brianwc (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 15:28, 25 August 2011 (UTC).
Sorry, too slammed to mentor this fall term
Hi Sage. Regarding your invitation on my Talk page, I've been thinking very hard about it. While I greatly enjoyed the mentoring I did last spring, I'm a bit too slammed to try to take it on this fall, in addition to my other jobs. I'm teaching a couple of university classes myself, and am simultaneously working to stand up a small technology company. So the Wiki-time has been in very short supply in the past few months, and will be even more scarce this fall term. So good on ya' for your work on this wiki-mentoring project, but I will have to bow out for the fall. Cheers. N2e (talk) 00:39, 26 August 2011 (UTC)
Online ambassadors for business classes
Hi, Count me in. We'd really benefit from more editors in this area, and I'd love to help new editors with specialist knowledge... presumably this is for a term starting in September-ish? bobrayner (talk) 18:46, 26 August 2011 (UTC)
Great! Yeah, the terms are starting September-ish. The business-related classes that I know of so far are:
This idea sounds interesting, however, given the documented concern of bias that our community leans towards the U.S. Left, I would think it would be best to create teams, that can share availability periods, that have one from the U.S. Right one from the U.S. Left and one that enforces WP:NPOV. Granted all editors attempt to edit in a way that is neutral, however as editors of certain pages are "self selecting" that in itself creates certain biases. Having teams, that represent both sides of possibly contentious issues may help. --RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 19:56, 26 August 2011 (UTC)
Hi RCLC! The main role of the Online Ambassadors isn't to police the content students contribute, but to help them understand Wikipedia's policies and practices, to give advice, and to help when students are having trouble figuring out how to contribute. The instructors and students do get some instruction about the NPOV policy, and they will be selecting topics that are relevant to their courses rather than simply picking political topics they are interested in. There's definitely no plan to try to balance left-leaning and right-leaning ambassadors; the expectation is that all ambassadors will respect NPOV as best they can, and help students to do the same. You can browse the classes we've got lined up for the coming term here: Wikipedia:United_States_Education_Program/Courses.
Hello. You have a new message at User_talk:SMasters#A_pod_suggestion_for_you:_Communication_Theory_and_Frameworks's talk page.
Online Ambassadorship
Hi Sage, I'm assuming I'll be on for this even though my application hasn't been given final approval (that I've seen). Anyway, I've been sort of torn which pod to choose; so just assign me where you need me. (I know several courses don't yet have any online ambassadors.) Just let me know where you'd like me! LadyofShalott02:08, 1 September 2011 (UTC)
OK. Give me two or three days. I am really overworked. In last month I do only minor edits. It is not easy to edit on several wikis, but I will join. Thanks. Leszek Jańczuk (talk) 16:09, 8 September 2011 (UTC)
Question about pod signup
Sage, I just got back from vacation and am about to sign up for a pod, but I was wondering if I'm supposed to sign up for a class in the region that my regional ambassador works with. I assume the online ambassadors are not tied to a particular region, but since we had the online ambassadors attended regional meetings at the conference I thought I shuold check. Thanks -- Mike Christie (talk - contribs - library) 10:16, 11 September 2011 (UTC)
Your assumption is right on. Associating with regions for that conference was just a convenient way to spread Online Ambassadors out to make sure each group had one or two to bring that perspective to the discussions. Feel free to sign up for whichever class(es) catch your fancy. --Sage Ross - Online Facilitator, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 13:46, 12 September 2011 (UTC)
student lists on course pages
Hi Sage, thanks for the note. I was removing that section b/c the faculty found it redundant to the Article lists; however I didn't realize it was linked to the Leaderboard. I will put them all back and make sure the listing is comprehensive as I know our faculty and students are excited about the Leaderboard feature. Thanks for letting me know.
Also, a couple notes about the course page. LOVE the wizard - it is great! Do you know that there is a glitch when you get to adding the "getting help tab"? For some reason you have to save it twice before it takes. Also, we've found the "immediate help" section not be very intuitive. For example, the text says "for immediate help, click the purple button." Reading something that tells me to click something else seems odd. For example, if the purple button were an image labeled with "click here for immediate help" you wouldn't even need the text line. Or if the text were just linked inline, that would be fine too (which is what we did to resolve the problem quickly).
We've got an exciting semester, with most of our courses centered around WP contributions. I'm thrilled to see that the online ambassadors who have volunteered to support our courses are actually subject-matter experts in addition to experienced Wikipedians! Thanks for all you help and keep the suggestions coming. I know we will be in frequent correspondence ;) Rburdette (talk) 17:04, 2 September 2011 (UTC)
One more thing for the course page wizard wish list - is there a way to tie it to the MOU so that it is one step? In other words, once the course page is created and the instructors name is listed, this serves as acceptance of the MOU? Could this be the case too when ambassadors add their names? Faculty would love the efficiency of making this an all-in-one step. Just daring to dream!Rburdette (talk) 18:23, 2 September 2011 (UTC)
Hi Sage, Our courses are starting to pick up now and I'm collecting student user ids. Can you help me add back the student list section to all of the LSU course pages? I've played with it to no avail, so I'm pleading ignorance, begging for forgiveness, and hoping you can help ;) Rburdette (talk) 22:15, 14 September 2011 (UTC)
Categories for discussion nomination of Category:Article Feedback Pilot
1. Message: Live near St. Louis/St. Charles, MO? Interested in training St. Charles Community College students in person on Wikipedia-editing skills? If so, the Wikimedia Foundation wants you! Apply to be a Wikipedia Campus Ambassador in your region for the fall 2011 semester. Leave a message at User_talk:Manumitany and take a look at the details and application here.
2. Page to link to: See above. Prefer my usertalk page if can only have one (have a link there to the second one).
Request to be added to Ambassador page for College of Staten Island, Professor Mandiberg's course
Hello Sage,
Your name was forwarded to me by Professor Michael Mandiberg who has one of his courses on Wikipedia.
I was asked to be one of the Campus Ambassadors for Professor Michael Mandiberg's course, "History of Design and Digital Media", College of Staten Island, CUNY, Staten Island, New York, U.S.A.--
I'd like to be added as an additional Campus Ambassador. I already submitted my application.
How do I upload a photo to my bio page (Campus Ambassadors?)
Hello Sage,
I'm on the page to add/edit my little bio and photo and I must be BEYOND stupid because I do not know how to upload an image onto Wikipedia.
I assume Wikipedia supports local files (to be stored on the Wikipedia server, like my photo).
I do not see the upload link to go into my hard drive to locate the JPG and upload onto Wikipedia. I assume that this page supports HTML.
Did I accidentally delete the CUNY Graduate Center Campus Ambassador page by accident??? SORRY!!!
Hi Sage,
I was able to finally post a small bio and photo of myself.
Did I accidentally delete the CUNY Graduate Center Campus Ambassador person?
I cannot find it....I don't think I deleted it....
Hi Sage, We are prompting students to ask WP questions via their course discussion page when appropriate. The hope is that by doing so, we will centralize all q's and essentially be able to form a valuable Q&A for the entire class (and possibly students in future sections of the course). We're monitoring the course discussion pages as ambassadors, but I was wondering if there was a way to have WP trigger email notifications when things are posted to the course discussion page? Much like it does when you get a message posted on your user talk page? This would help make us much more efficient and give us added relief that we won't miss anything. Ideas?? Is there a "secret code" we can embed in the page? Rburdette (talk) 14:05, 27 September 2011 (UTC)
There's no native way to do that within Wikipedia, but every page has an RSS feed of changes, which can but used with a service like Blogtrottr to send emails each time the feed is updated. You can get to the feed by going to the history tab for a page, and in the left sidebar in the "Toolbox" section there is an Atom link. (Alternatively, if you have a well-kept watchlist that only includes pages you want to be notified about, you could use the RSS feed for your watchlist.)--Sage Ross - Online Facilitator, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 16:23, 27 September 2011 (UTC)
Update on courses and ambassador needs
Hello, Ambassadors!
I wanted to give you one last update on where we are this term, before my role as Online Facilitator wraps up at the end of this week. Already, there are over 800 students in U.S. classes who have signed up on course pages this term. About 40 classes are active, and we're expecting that many more again once all the classes are up and running.
On a personal note, it's been a huge honor to work with so many great Wikipedians over the last 15 months. Thanks so much to everyone who jumped in and decided to give the ambassador concept a try, and double thanks those of you who were involved early on. Your ideas and insights and enthusiasm have been the foundation of the program, and they will be the keys the future of the program.
Courses looking for Online Ambassadors
Still waiting to get involved with a class this term, or ready to take on more? We have seven classes that are already active and need OA support, and eleven more that have course pages started but don't have active students yet. Please consider joining one or more of these pods!
Active courses that really need Online Ambassadors:
I just received your notice. I'm sorry to hear that you're moving on! Is someone taking over your role as Online Facilitator? I hope all is well with you and that you will find joy and contentment in your future endeavours. You've done some great work here.
Thanks so much, Neelix! My position was always scheduled to end at the end of this month (with the end of the Public Policy Initiative grant). There won't be an Online Facilitator going forward, although there will be someone starting soon who will be tasked with coordinating and growing the whole US ambassador program (primarily through working with the Regional Ambassadors) for the next year. After that, there may not be any WMF-funded position specifically to support US or English-language education programs, although I'm hopeful that Wikimedia chapters can secure some grants and pick up where WMF leaves off (which is the way it's supposed to work, anyway).
Personally, I'm feeling very positive. Although I would have really liked to keep working on this project, I'm excited to spend some time as a stay-at-home dad and develop some other wiki project ideas, and hopefully do a fellowship project with Wikimedia soon.--Sage Ross - Online Facilitator, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 16:36, 28 September 2011 (UTC)
One thing is absolutely clear Sross, you did an outstanding job turning a good idea into a damn good project. The success of this trial is in no small measure a direct reflection of the effective leadership you provided from the start. Outstanding! -- My76Strat (talk) 16:52, 28 September 2011 (UTC)
You'll be missed; you've been a level-headed, hardworking, commonsensical and resourceful asset to the project. I recall you mentioning to me in Boston that this might happen, and I'm sorry to see that you were right. I hope you enjoy the stay-at-home dad stuff -- it's been years since I had a pre-schooler in the house but I miss it. Have fun; and perhaps we will see more of your Wikipedia content-editing personality? Mike Christie (talk - contribs - library) 18:36, 28 September 2011 (UTC)
Hi Sage! I've enjoyed working together with you on this project. You've been a wonderfully great Online Facilitator. Have fun being a stay-at-home dad and all the best in your future endeavors! Bejinhantalks04:58, 30 September 2011 (UTC)
Are you still fielding problems?
It seems that perhaps you may not be doing work for the Public Policy project anymore, but I had a problem and I wanted to talk to whoever was watching a certain template you designed. I wrote about the issue here. Can I get a response from you? Is anyone now watching what you used to watch? Are you still watching these things? Thanks for all you have done. Blue Rasberry (talk)19:40, 1 October 2011 (UTC)
If you think this page should not be deleted for this reason you may contest the nomination by visiting the page and clicking the button labelled "Contest this speedy deletion". This will give you the opportunity to explain why you believe the page should not be deleted. Please do not remove the speedy deletion tag from the page yourself. LizRead!Talk!21:25, 19 May 2022 (UTC)