Wikimedia Foundation GSOD 2024 Project Report

Table of Contents

• Project Overview
• Key Challenges
• Project Outcome
• Key Learning
• Best Practices Identified
• Recommendations for Future Projects
• Conclusion
• More Resources

Project Overview

This is a report for a project I worked on with the Wikimedia Technical Documentation team during the Google Season of Docs 2024 program.

The "Complete Migration of MediaWiki Documentation" project aimed to migrate an 82-page document from an old official wiki called Meta to a new one called MediaWiki.

This wasn’t just about transferring text. A MediaWiki server had to be installed locally to test each feature described before documenting it again, and the new text had to be easier to read, navigate, and use. For maximum server uptime, I deployed the MediaWiki server on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

I also had to ensure existing content on Meta that is Wikimedia-specific is easier to navigate and understand.

Key Challenges

During the migration, we identified five main challenges:

1. Scattered Information: Some content about MediaWiki is located on Meta, making it hard for users to find everything in one place.
2. New Look and Feel: Since MediaWiki is a new software, it came with a new user interface in some places.
3. Rewriting for Clarity: We couldn’t just copy-paste text from Meta due to licensing issues.
4. Inconsistent Organization: Similar Wikimedia Foundation-specific pages on Meta weren’t well organized into a category.
5. Poor Navigation: Meta’s content navigation page which should provide easy access to most visited pages wasn’t properly structured.

Project Outcome

The project led to several major improvements:

1. Centralized Information: All key MediaWiki documentation is now on MediaWiki. This will save users from switching between platforms and help them find the latest information faster.
2. Updated Visuals: New images have been added to match the new interface, so users see the exact screens they’ll be working with, reducing confusion.
3. User-Friendly Writing: All migrated contents are now more readable and engaging, making the documentation more approachable for all users.
4. Better Organization: With improved categorization, users can now quickly find similar pages they need on Meta.
5. Enhanced Navigation: Meta's revamped content navigation page now leads users to the most frequently visited pages, so they can get to popular guides without wasting time. I used a wiki Pageviews Analysis tool to rank the most visited pages.

The progress of this outcome was first documented on a Google Sheet maintained by a Google Season of Docs (GSOD) volunteer named Okereke Chinweotito. A copy was then replicated on a Wikimedia Phabricator issue as a bi-weekly status update.

Key Learning

My knowledge improved in these areas:

1. When editing a wiki, users make use of a markup language called wikitext. This project helped me improve my knowledge of this language.
2. I learned how to navigate a wiki and perform operations like installing extensions, renaming a page, merging a page, adding permissions to a user, etc.
3. I also had to brush up on my HTML skills all over again.

Best Practices Identified

While working on this project, these were the best practices I identified that were missing:

1. Start with Contextual Introductions: Each page should begin with a brief introductory paragraph that explains what the feature does. This provides users with context before diving into instructions on how to use the feature.
2. Remove redundant lines: Between the end of a section or subsection and the start of another, always leave one empty line rather than two.
3. Add Visual Aids Where Relevant: When describing some operations that involve navigating the menu, it may be best to add a screenshot too.
4. Migrate technical pages to the manual namespace: Pages containing extensive code or mathematical equations are best suited in the Manual namespace. This helps users find more technical content quickly.
5. Test locally before documenting: As much as you can, it’s best to test the feature on a local MediaWiki server first before documenting it.

Recommendations for Future Projects

I am going to start by outlining the key factors that contributed to the success of this project:

1. This project was well documented before it began, with all issues properly specified, so contributors could work on it. Unlike a few other projects I saw that weren’t selected by Google.
2. Interested Technical Writers were instructed to outline their statement of interest on Wikimedia Phabricator rather than having to join the Zulip group chat.
3. The community members were very active and supportive, particularly experienced wiki administrators like Pppery.

For future projects, maintaining detailed documentation of the issues to be addressed when submitting a proposal to Google and promoting an engaged community with a smooth onboarding process will be key strategies to replicate this success.

Conclusion

By migrating MediaWiki content from Meta to the MediaWiki platform and organizing Wikimedia-specific help pages on Meta, I created a more accessible and user-friendly resource for the Wikimedia community. This project strengthened my technical documentation skills and highlighted the value of community collaboration in open source. I look forward to continuing to support Wikimedia’s mission by contributing further to its documentation.

More Resources

• How to Contribute to MediaWiki
• An open-source story documentary I was featured in