When you first join Wikipedia, one of the hardest things to figure out is what you can do. For the past few years, we’ve been welcoming new users with our growth features. Every new user has access to their own Homepage, where they can find suggested edits to get started or find a mentor ready to help. Although the Homepage offers several options for starting to edit Wikipedia, we’re keen to offer as many options as possible to all newcomers.
Some newcomers are motivated by the collaborative aspect of Wikipedia. And that’s just as well: there are a large number of initiatives set up by experienced editors and associations, from face-to-face workshops to learn how to start editing in person, to other online actions designed to encourage participation in a common effort… These initiatives go by many names: editathons, sprints, thematic months… and any experienced user can easily find them. Newcomers? Only a happy few can achieve this journey.
A module to fill a gap
To bridge this gap, the Growth team introduced a new feature to facilitate the connection between these wiki editing initiatives and newcomers. We’ve called it the “Community Updates” module. It is located on the Homepage, and presents an event taking place on Wikipedia.
Drawing attention to content gaps on high-impact topics aligns with the 2030 Movement strategy’s “Topics for Impact” recommendation. Until now, events were much harder to find when you’re new to the wiki ecosystem, and signing-up was equally confusing (it improved thanks to Event Registration).
An easy-to-configure feature
If your community hosts events, campaigns, or initiatives that you’d like to showcase to newcomers, consider setting up a Community Update on the Newcomer Homepage! This is a great way to welcome and engage new editors while supporting impactful contributions to Wikipedia.
Creating an event is done using the Community Configuration. By visiting Special:CommunityConfiguration, in the Community Update tab, any Wikipedia administrator can define a logo, title, and call-to-action, as well as a URL where newcomers can find out more about the event. It is possible to target users based on their number of edits. You can even use it for community news or global events!
By offering these customizable options, communities can ensure that the most relevant opportunities reach the right newcomers at the right time.
More to come!
The Community Updates module was officially deployed on February 11, 2025. We previously tested the module on Arabic, Czech, French, and Spanish Wikipedias to see whether newcomers would appreciate the initiative.
This trial deployment also enabled us to gather user suggestions, which we have listed for a second iteration. We hope to soon be able to connect to the features developed by the Campaign team (currently being rolled out), such as Event Registration or the Collaboration List.
Are you interested in showcasing an event to newcomers? Please follow the path!
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