User:ErrantX/Essays/RFA Study

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

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

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

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

General

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

Possible other questions

• 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

• 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)