Proposed Improvement: Automatically create open space "LaunchPad" for new members

Question

Following up on a recent G2G discussion on making WikiTree easier for new members, (Does anyone else dream of a simpler Wikitree? - WikiTree G2G)  I would like feedback on the following proposal (especially from Tech and Greeters):

1) Basic idea: When a new member signs the honor code and becomes a "WikiTree genealogist", the "system" would automatically create an open-space page as a "sandbox" or customized "freshman orientation page" for that new user. Users and/or their greeters/mentors would then use this personal page as an easy, central place to keep notes and find whatever turns out to be most useful for their own particular needs. Many new members don't discover "open space pages" until they have been around for weeks. Having the first one "automatically" created would be a big help.  

2) Name: To maintain the "pilot/astronaut" scheme, this might be called the "Launchpad". 

3) Initial content The "Launchpad" could be created with a limited amount of standard content - welcoming text, important links to Academy and other videos, maybe some step-by-step "getting started" checklists and/or questions to help the user (and greeter/mentor) determine which WikiTree features will be most immediately useful. 

4) Integration with other support. If everyone knows that every "newbie" has a launchpad, then G2G and other discussions can offer advice like "add this link to your LaunchPad, so you can find it easily next time you have an excel table you want to put in one of your profiles" magnustools.toolforge.org/tab2wiki.php

EDITED 2023-09-29 16:00 - re-tagged as "improvement" rather than "proposals", Thanks to Jim Richardson for pointing out that this really would not require any change in policy, so it doesn't have to go through the same formal procedures.  

Comments

Hi GM. This is an interesting and useful idea. But a couple of questions:

• Would you envisage the page being editable by everyone? Without that, greeters could only add comments—but they can do that on the new member's profile already. On the other hand, having the page open might carry risks.
• Isn't point 4 covered by the existing Scratchpad on each member's Navigation Home Page]?

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Hi Jim! Thanks for your feedback and questions. 

• I intentionally left the question of privacy level open for discussion. My thought was to have it initially created as a private page, perhaps with the user's greeter on the trusted list. I really dislike having people add public comments to my personal profile, so I also envisioned the "Launchpad" as a safe place for individual experimentation. Somehow, comments on the "Launchpad" page would seem (to me) to be less "personal". 
• To be completely honest, I had never really understood what the "Nav Home Page" was or how to use it.  I wonder whether other "newbies" were better at discovering that particular resource. I do remember seeing it briefly when I explored the menues, but I'm not working on my immediate family and it never "clicked" that the "scratch pad" might be used like the "open space LaunchPad" I am proposing. 
• I think the main thrust of my proposal still applies - to provide an EASY TO FIND place to start, and to make sure new members know about it. It may, in fact, be a case of "reinventing the wheel" - but I may not be alone in failing to discover that particular wheel in my first 12 weeks here. Perhaps the "scratch pad" just needs to be promoted more. As far as I know, I've never seen any reference in G2G to using the "Nav Home Page" or the scratch pad to collect useful links, templates or ideas. Definitely worth considering as a viable alternative!
• EDIT 2023-10-02 11:30 CET: I have tested the "scratch pad" as an alternative, and it seems that, in its current implementation, it does not really offer the same full "wiki" functionality that one has on an open space page. So while useful for notes, it wouldn't allow the sort of "sandbox" envisioned in the LauchPad idea, where new members could see and experiment with examples of code, style and format. One "test" I would recommend to anyone seriously considering this improvement would be:
  • on one of your own "open space" sandbox pages, make a simple "new profile template" - or copy one from the great "cheat sheets" discribed in the G2G discussion referenced above. 
  • check out some "Help" page of your choice, copy the code to your sandbox for "future reference".
  • Experiment (in the sandbox) until you like the part between "== Biography == " and "<references />". Include your sources - either under == SOURCES == or using inline <ref></ref> tags, whichever you prefer.
  • Now be sure your settings allow the "advanced option (text editing) for sources" and go through the "add profile" routine. When you get to the "sources" textbox, just copy and paste what you have prepared in your sandbox.
• I am NOT suggesting that everyone should always do it this way. As is clear from the referenced (separate) G2G discussion, we ALL understand that different users will find different tools useful. 
• I do believe, however, that it would be nice to offer new WikiTree members this sort of chance to "experiment" and gain confidence before they are confronted with that mandatory textbox demanding a "source". My own reaction to the existing experience was extremely negative, and it took me weeks if not months before I had any confidence at all that the profiles I added were actually "OK". Of course they can always be improved - by anyone, that's one thing that makes WikiTree special - but some of us "newts" would probably rather not be simply thrown into the deep end and told to start swimming! 

Answer 1

I appreciate the initiative to make WikiTree more user-friendly for new members. However, I have some concerns about the proposed "Launchpad" idea.

Firstly, creating a separate space for new members might add to the confusion. Free-space pages are already a secondary feature for many users and might not be intuitive to newcomers who are still learning to navigate the platform.

Secondly, having multiple places for communication could create a fragmented system. Members could receive comments on their profile page, on their "launchpad," and elsewhere. This might lead to missed messages and a less cohesive experience.

Instead, I suggest focusing on enhancing existing systems and resources. The Academy can be a valuable resource for new members, and by fully fleshing it out, we can provide comprehensive guidance and support. Once the Academy is robust and user-friendly, we can promote it to new members through various channels like email, Greeters, and more. This way, we can ensure that newcomers have a clear and structured path to learn and navigate WikiTree effectively.

Let's build on what we already have and make the most of our existing resources to create a smoother user journey for new members.

Comments

Agreed. I've been here for years and have never used a free-space page. It's just one more layer for new users to be confused by and they may never even need it.

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Well, I guess that settles it. If Regan has never used or needed a free-space page, and Steven thinks we "already have" everything we need, then it must be the new users (like me) who are wrong about what would have made our introduction to WikiTree easier. Sorry to bother you.

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GM—Usually when someone makes a proposal for a change at WikiTree, there's an "I agree" answer where people chime in about why they think WikiTree should make the change, and there's an "I disagree" answer where people give feedback about why they think the change might not be needed or might not work logistically or whatever. When you make a proposal you should expect both types of feedback, hopefully in ways that will improve your suggestion.

WikiTree welcomes proposals from everyone to make changes and improvements. But I think if you look back at similar G2G posts, you'll see these proposals always engender a lot of discussion and rarely have universal support right out the box.

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Regan, this was not a proposal for policy change. It was a request for technical improvement, and those do not require a formal protocol to be observed. Anyone can suggest such an idea, with the tag  improvements  (as GM did), and it will reach technically focused members of the WikiTree Team who will make a decision themselves based on merit and difficulty.

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Hi Regan. The question has been reopened. You are right that "these proposals always engender a lot of discussion and rarely have universal support right out of the box". I understand that. Although three months is admittedly not a very long time, it has given me a chance to read quite a few such discussions on G2G. Given that (limited) experience, and the (initial) responses to this question, it seemed doubtful (to me) that anything would actually be accomplished by pursuing the issue. If others would like to continue the conversation, I will not stand in the way!