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User:ErrantX/Essays/RFA Study

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Based on comments at WT:RFA it seems that there is at least some support for surveying candidates & other participants at RFA to get their opinion on the current process and suggest options for improvement (feel free to edit/expand/discuss this page). The original outline for such a survey was to look at psychological impact but I feel this could be expanded to cover more general areas.

I'd like to expand that into a full study to include (as well as the above):

  • RFA Voting criteria
  • RFA statistics
  • Proposals for improvement

See also: User:Kudpung/RfA_reform

Candidates survey

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To get a handle on how they feel about the process; asking failed and successful candidates. Need to resolve:

  • Scope of questions
  • Who/when to ask - immediately after? During? After a "cool off". (or mix it up with all three?)

Proposed survey questions

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Real Life Effects

  • Did your RFA cause real life stress?
    • If Yes, how much: (a little/not much/some/a lot/severe)
    • If Yes, did it cause more stress than you have previously experienced due to Wikipedia? (Yes/Same/No)
    • If Yes, did it involve any of the following:
      • insomnia
      • loss of appetite
      • depression
      • anxiety
      • poorer judgement than usual
      • irritability
      • relationship problems
      • nightmares
      • other (details, if you are comfortable to give any)

On-Wiki Effects

  • During the RFA process did your on-wiki editing activities change? (Yes/No)
    • If Yes, did they: increase/decrease
    • If Yes, did you do more, less or the same amount of your usual activities (i.e. article work, anti-vandalism)? Yes/No
    • Positive or Negative process?

About the RFA

  • Was your RFA successful?
  • How many previous RFA's did you have?
    • What length of time elapsed between your previous two RFA's?

(to answer the following questions you could link to the RFA itself and let us fill in the detail)

  • Were you nominated or self-nominated?
  • How many edits did you have at the time?
    • In article space?
  • How many good or featured articles did you have at the time?
  • Was the feedback you recieved constructive?
    • If No, can you give some examples of how it was not constructive?
  • Do you agree with the community's concerns?
  • Did any of the following occur:
    • False accusations or assumption of bad faith
    • Insignificant (in your opinion) behaviour/action being given undue prominence
    • Historical (> 6 Months) indiscretions (blocks etc.) being brought up as current
    • Personal attacks (i.e. on your character)

Since RFA

  • Has your editing changed since RFA?
    • In a positive or negative way?
      • If negative explain why:
  • If your RFA failed:
    • Do you think you will run for adminship again?
    • Do you have a clear idea how to carry on as a member of this community?
    • Have you felt tempted to resign altogether?
  • Have you stopped interacting with people you worked with before?
  • Have other people treated you differently from before?
  • Do you feel your RfA has made people view you differently?

Overall

  • Do you feel your were treated fairly and with respect during RFA?
  • What worked well?
  • What didn't work?

RFA !Voters

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I also want to poll RFA contributors/!voters, because they are perfectly placed to give insights into the process, the long term behaviour of other contributors and RFA in general

Proposed questions

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General

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  • Which survey tool to use?
    • [www.surveypirate.com] looks good.

Possible other questions

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  • What was the best part of your experience?
  • What was your least enjoyable experience?
  • What did we do good?
  • What did we do poorly?
  • What do you think we could do to make things better?
  • Do you feel your were treated fairly and with respect?
  • Provide general comments to describe whatever you want considered by the closing bureaucrat.

Comment

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  • Some of these questions should be developed on the 1 to 10 scale when appropriate.
  • I would also like to add that another important purpose of such a survey is that it empowers the candate upon exit to realize they are still a valued contributor. It is a terribly ineffective manner to send a candidate (especially one who may have been marginalized) away without even asking if they had any final thing to say. So where it says "The original outline for such a survey was to look at psychological impact but I feel this could be expanded to cover more general areas." I think it should read "The intent for such a survey is to collect valuable information at the closest point of recollection while empowering the candidate to realize their contributions are still valued." My76Strat (talk) 17:41, 30 March 2011 (UTC)