Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Boneyard/Featured content dispatch workshop

The Featured content dispatch workshop facilitates the production of the weekly dispatch for the Wikipedia Signpost.

Goal

The goal is to write a weekly column for the Signpost that describes issues concerning featured content and related pages, particularly in relation to editing and how the processes work. The stories will be about (but not limited to):

• interesting activities and decisions on the featured articles, pictures, lists, portals, topics and sounds, good-article, peer-review and DYK pages; and
• high-quality contributions by individuals and groups.

Process

After members have chosen a topic and principle writer for each date, the sequence of preparing a Dispatch is as follows.

1. Write the draft at the temporary work file, named WP:FCDW/Month day, year, preferably by the Friday before the Monday 17:00 UTC submission deadline. The exact formatting of the temporary file can be seen at {{FCDW/T}}, the template that lists the temporary files where we work on each article before its publication.
2. Collaborate to refine the draft between Friday and the Monday deadline; add the title of the article to {{FCDW/T}} when it's ready for input from other editors.
3. Go to the Newsroom and insert the link to the temp file after "Dispatches - " (e.g., "Dispatches - [[WP:FCDW/March 24, 2008]]" under "Regular features" by Monday 17:00 UTC). This is how we alert Ral315 that he has a Dispatch to preview and publish in the upcoming Signpost. He will deal with the rest of the mechanics of moving the draft to the permanent Signpost file when the Signpost is published.
4. After publication, add the title of the Dispatch (e.g., "Taming talk page clutter") to {{FCDW}}, which lists the actual Signpost Dispatches, linking to the published Signpost page.
5. Update the list of proposed topics below.

Members

Please add your name if you're willing to help:

• SandyGeorgia (Talk) (FAC)
• Marskell (talk) (FAC, FAR, PR)
• Tompw (talk)
• MER-C (FPC, PPR)
• Karanacs (talk) (FAC)
• Scorpion0422 (talk) (FLC, FLRC)
• Durova^Charge! (FPC, PPR, DYK)
• dihydrogen monoxide (H₂0) (GA)
• Woody (talk) (FAC, FLC)
• User:Ealdgyth
• thedemonhog talk • edits
• Tony (FAC, FSC)
• Ling.Nut (qualified support 'cause busy in RL. Offering intermittent help)
• jbmurray (talk) (whatever)
• Maralia (talk) (FAC)
• Laser brain (talk) (FAC)
• Der Wohltemperierte Fuchs ^(talk) (GA, whatever)
• Juliancolton ^{Tropical Cyclone} (GA)
• Awadewit (talk) (FAC)
• Elcobbola (FAC)

Proposed future topics

Please add suggestions for future issues (dates may also be suggested). [Tony1 suggests: some topics may be appropriate structured as Parts 1 and 2, over two weeks. Our dispatches are often of such concentrated quality, and long enough, to engage readers over a fortnight.] TONY (talk) 15:28, 7 July 2008 (UTC)

• ChrisO Arab/Israeli articles
• Redesign of FAR to handle citation issues, Interview Marskell
• Featured picture topics:
  • General overview - differences from COM:FPC, PPR, general process, POTD
  • Fir0002 (100 FPs!)
  • Significant photographers - Alvesgaspar/Diliff/Mdf/Richard Bartz/LadyofHats/Fcb981/some others I can't think of (1 or 2 per week). See also COM:MOP, COM:MOI.
  • Preparing videos for upload.
  • Unofficial guide to FPC.
  • Reviewing images howto.
  • Commons:Valuable images
• Article or list (?) how to distinguish, differences and similiarities between two
• Using the readability tools to improve articles and review FACs. Lots of folks at WT:FAC seem to think these tools are a good idea, but I'm not sure how to really make use of them.
• Occasional interviews of regular FA reviewers, perhaps one (or shared two) every six or eight weeks? TONY (talk) 17:12, 15 April 2008 (UTC)
• The people behind the machines that support the processes (e.g.; Gimmetrow, Dr pda, Rick Block done).
• New reference feature: Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates/archive29#New references feature

  Also <cite></cite> tags, [1]

• Is it possible to teach grammar and punctuation in a dispatch? Could we come up with a list of five or ten common writing errors and write about them in an entertaining style (e.g. Eats, Shoots and Leaves)? We could advertise Tony1's writing guide. [Tony notes: Nice of you to suggest advertising it, but it's not perfect and I don't want people to resent it, so like to play it down. Yes, I think if humour can be used effectively, it could work, although a difficult topic. Does anyone collect prose bloopers, like, embarrassing ones?] TONY (talk) 15:24, 7 July 2008 (UTC)

• I have just the sort of thing from my students' papers, but I'm not sure I can publish them online. Perhaps I can paraphrase or adapt them? Awadewit (talk) 15:31, 7 July 2008 (UTC)

• Difficulties posed in bringing technical topics to featured status [2]