User:Thepwnco/Documentation overhaul

Place used to evaluate existing Wikidata documentation, identify areas of weakness in documentation (i.e. duplications or redundancies, irrelevant or outdated content, etc.), and recommend changes for improving documentation.

A note on scope: The overhaul concerns the pages found under Category:Help-en.

However, the documentation should be cross-checked with what's included on the appropriate Special pages, for example, Create a new item

The overhaul is being developed by Thepwnco, an OPW intern working on Wikidata outreach efforts and to improve documentation. If you have any suggestions, concerns, or requests regarding existing Wikidata documentation, please add them to Wikidata:Documentation_Overhaul/Summary_and_Feedback.

Specific Pages Under Review

Editing

See page Help:Editing

• rename page? Is this really about 'editing'? It's only really a subset of editing. What about making the focus on items and moving/merging non-relevant information with other Help pages and/or with the Wikidata:Introduction page?  Done
• page covers using item by title search before creating an item - explains how to use item by title search (first enter a site, then a page) but these instructions should also be included on the search page itself (which provides no context for searching) Y Partly Done (added request to bugzilla)
• integrate info on language 'codes' found in slideshow here - i.e. what does 'enwiki' mean to new user? Y Partly Done (added more on language codes; still waiting on sitelinks bug for Special:ItemByTitle)

Label

See page Help:Label

• create page/subpage somewhere for babel language settings - kind of already exists here; link to it/make more prominent/possibly include as setting up account page?  Done (see page Help:Navigating_Wikidata/User_Options)

Description

See page Help:Description and Help_talk:Description#Updates_as_part_of_documentation_overhaul

• revisit comments on handling 'information that will change' - specifically does it matter if the description achieves disambiguation?  Done
• revisit geographical/location guidelines: does the consistency of 'Armenian bishop' vs 'Bishop of Armenia' matter (i.e. does it also contribute to achieving disambiguation)? How will this be enforced anyways?  Done

Aliases

See page Help:Aliases

Sitelinks

See page Help:Sitelinks

• add short sentence explaining what an interwiki conflict is (there is no such explanation even on the Wikidata:Interwiki_conflicts page)  Done (added to Wikidata:Interwiki_conflicts)

Merge

See page Help:Merge

Statements

See page Help:Statements

Sources

See Help:Sources & Help:Sources/Items not needing sources

• should there be more info on adding/creating properties for databases and/or more information on this process?  Done

Qualifiers

See page Help:Qualifiers

Ranking

See page Help:Ranking

Files

See page Help:Files (now deleted)

• for info on basic use of wikis/Mediawiki syntax - might be better to create a new page in Help that links out to appropriate pages on Mediawiki, for example see the page on Formatting  Done (see Help:Navigating_Wikidata)
• perhaps adding image files to item statements should just be linked to from a different set of pages  Done (see Help:Frequently_used_properties)
• include examples for the multiple type of Commons files that can be added to items; doing so would also help with instructions "Use the Commons filename as the value for these properties. Don't put the full url."  Done

FAQ

See page Help:FAQ

• define interwiki conflicts...  Done
• organize thematically by section  Done
• always include link to appropriate section on Help where the answer to FAQ can be found - this ensures that the information actually exists in the Help documentation  Done

Multilingual

see Help:Multilingual

• split page general language policies/site structure and changing personal language settings as a user  Done (see Help:Navigating_Wikidata/User_Options)
• explain how unique identifiers prevent need for statements to be translated  Done
• add "Entities without label" tool/Special page to tasks/participation pathways  Done

Other

Wikidata:Labels_and_descriptions_task_force (tagged with help)

Help:Lua (move to development?)

Help:Wikidata datamodel (move to development?)

Help:Wikidata test systems (move to development?)

Help:Multilingual (move to guidelines/policy or about Wikidata pages?)

Help:Basic membership properties (make subpage of Help:Statements?)

Help:Phase_2_on_Wikipedia (delete?)

Help:Linking_Wikipedia_pages (not very user-friendly; replace with page on Wikipedia?)

Glossary

see Wikidata:Glossary

Verifiability

see Wikidata:Verifiability.
Note: currently nothing on policy page

Showcase Items

see Wikidata:Showcase_items.
What is approval process/timeline?

Requests

see Wikidata:RFD, properties, permissions, ec.

General

• what needs to be done to get some Help pages from proposed to accepted policy?
• to be added to other areas of site:
  • listing specific, helpful, and commonly used properties/qualifiers - e.g., a list of values that work for determination method (P459); information on which properties go with what data types - for example, is it possible to assume that Wikidata:List_of_properties/all#Media is a comprehensive list of all media properties that accept Commons file data types?
  • way of keeping FAQ (& other documentation pages; list of properties pages) updated, current

To be moved or removed

• Wikidata:Labels and descriptions task force - should be removed from Category:Help-en
• Help:Lua, Help:Wikidata datamodel, and Help:Wikidata test systems - move to development?

To be added

• toolkits on putting together an edit-a-thon, label-a-thon
• page on processes/getting involved with Showcase Items

Help and/or Contribute portal changes

• similar to current Wikidata Contribute page, Wikivoyage's Help portal, and Wikipedia's Help portal, make more action-oriented, for example:

I want to edit items on Wikidata -> bulk of documentation on Labels, Statements, Qualifers, etc

I want more info about Wikidata -> policies, site structure, data structure, wiki basics

I want to use Wikidata on another project -> using Wikidata on Wikipedia/other WMF projects, hosting and planning a Wikidata event or teaching activity, Wikidata API

I'm looking for something specific -> search, FAQ, where to find help

• promote newsletters, Twitter, other forms of contact/interaction
• other examples of Help/Contribute pages: OpenHatch (build skills with training missions; decision tree for finding a task/project to work on; showcase your own project); Mozilla (find an opportunity/task, programs/internships for getting involved)
• should Help and Contribute sections be separate?