Wikipedia:Online Ambassadors/Apply/Welcome

Welcome to the Wikipedia Ambassador Program

Hi NAME!

Congratulations! Your application to join the Wikipedia Education Program as an Online Ambassador has been accepted. We are honored to welcome you the Ambassador team.

The information below is provided to ensure that your new role as an Online Ambassador is a successful one. There are tasks listed, as well as reading material. Please make sure to complete the actions presented below, as quickly as possible.

The Wikipedia Education Program is a relatively new program that is continuing to experience change and transition. Our goal is to be better than we were yesterday. For this reason, please remember to check the education noticeboard often. If you have any questions, please contact myself or one of your fellow Ambassadors.

Please complete the following, as soon as possible

1. Create your Online Ambassador profile.

   If that page is not accessible to you, it means you don't have the online volunteer user right yet. Request it here.

   Leave "Publicly list me as Online Ambassador" checked to have your profile appear in the list of active Online Ambassadors.

2. Read and review the Wikipedia Ambassadors Principles;
3. If you haven't done so, browse the training for Ambassadors.

   Much of the training material is primarily intended for new Campus Ambassadors who are not experienced Wikipedians. But this introductory material is also used in the training for students and instructors, so you may want to go through it to familiarize yourself with what those users will have seen.

   If you see ways to improve the training, please edit it!

4. Browse the list of current courses, and add yourself as an Online Ambassador on the course page for any you would like to help with.

   Be sure to introduce yourself to each instructor to let her/him know you've volunteered.

5. Sign up for the Wikipedia Ambassador Program announcements email list.

   This is a very low traffic list for major announcements related to the Wikipedia Education Program program.

Support Structure

Online Ambassadors serve as a vital link in the Wikipedia Education Program, assisting new student editors transition into the Wikipedia editing community. They serve in a leadership role alongside the course instructor; local Campus Ambassador(s), who work with the class in person; and the Regional Ambassador, who checks in periodically with the course to make sure everything is going well. Together, the instructor, Campus Ambassador, Regional Ambassador, and Online Ambassador encompass the course "pod".

The pod is the term we use to refer to the group of individuals that work together to help the students in a particular course successfully contribute to Wikipedia. A prototypical pod might look something like this:

• A professor or course instructor who is fairly new to Wikipedia, leading a class of 20–30 students, who have been assigned to make significant contributions to new or existing articles related to the course subject.
• Two Campus Ambassadors, one of whom is an experienced Wikipedian and one of whom is new to the encyclopedia. The Campus Ambassadors are provided with training to learn the basic policies and guidelines of Wikipedia and how to help students contribute effectively.
• Two Online Ambassadors, one of whom is a moderately experienced Wikipedian, while the other is very experienced. Both have knowledge of community policies and guidelines and are available to provide editing guidance, answer questions, and assistance navigating the community. When needed, Online Ambassadors are also available for one-on-one mentorship.
• One Regional Ambassador, a moderately experienced Wikipedian who coordinates assistance and support for universities and courses based on a large geographical region.

Role and Responsibilities

The list of the responsibilities of the Online Ambassador are presented in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). In essence, the role of the Online Ambassador includes:

1. Helping students in your class(es) when they ask for it and answer their questions;
2. Serve as a liaison between the professor/student and the community;
3. In general, keep an eye out for the students and professors and help them navigate the community;
4. Helping students get feedback on their work (whether from you or other editors with an interest in or knowledge of the subject area)
5. Be a good example for students, modeling good faith communication and editing practices; and
6. Communicating regularly with the other members of your pod regarding the progress of the student, along with any issues that come up.

Online Ambassadors can also assist students that are outside of their pod. Generally, Online Ambassadors represent the Ambassador Program and provide assistance for students whenever encountered. While feedback on the style and formatting of student articles is essential, assistance may also be needed to review the articles substance and content. When needed, the Online Ambassador may request the assistance of WikiProjects that focus on technical issues presented in student articles.

Communication Channels

There are three main places for news, updates, and discussion about Wikipedia Ambassadors and the Wikipedia Education Program:

1. Wikipedia:Education noticeboard
2. The Wikipedia Ambassador Program announcements list. This is a low-traffic email list that is used for significant announcements that are relevant to the whole program. Please sign up as soon as you get a chance.
3. Internet Relay Chat (IRC). If you use IRC, please consider adding #wikipedia-en-ambassadors to your channel lineup.

Future communication tools are being developed. Newsletters about the program or messages for Online Ambassadors may occasionally be delivered to your talk page. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Again, welcome to the Ambassador team! We look forward to working with you!

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