Microgrants/Tyop Contest

Overview

There will be a typo correction contest: users will fix typos around Wikipedia during a one-month period, likely from February 1st to March 1st. The premise of the contest is similar to Casliber's Stub Contest. The Microgrant would be used for prizes: I'm thinking £20 for first place, £10 for second place, and £6 for third place. I was also thinking about bonus rewards, like £6 to the person who fixes the same typo the most times.

In case you're wondering, "Tyop Contest" is on purpose. 'Tyop' is a typo of 'typo' ;)

Budget

As outlined above, I would like around £42.

Timeline

About a month, likely from February 1st to March 1st.

Expected outcomes

Get rid of spelling errors on wikipedia by fixing typos!

Who I am

I'm Newyorkadam on the English Wikipedia. One of my favorite things to do on WIkipedia is to fix spelling errors. I use Lupin's Anti-vandal tool's spell check feature to find spelling errors and correct them :) I joined Wikipedia on February 18th, 2011. I barely edited until about three months ago, when I became very active, updating stubs, reverting vandalism, and fixing spelling errors.

Discussion

• This is a quite interesting concept. :-) Given how many editors (including myself) ascribe their first edits to typo or grammar errors, it would be really interesting to see whether this competition could attract new editors. I'm curious to know, how would you make people aware of the competition? Thanks. Mike Peel (talk) 00:09, 6 December 2013 (UTC)
  • Well, for the Stub Contest, how did Casliber advertise? Since it's a similar type of contest, we could probably do the same thing he did. The Stub Contest has 39 participants at the moment, but Casliber also had only a month to organize everything. Some people also might have been driven away from the stub contest because that involves editing articles for content, which might scare away some new users. Since the Tyop Contest is such a simple thing, anyone could change spelling errors with confidence. I was also thinking that maybe we could post an invitation (on their talk page) to users who:

1. fix minor mistakes on Wikipedia
2. are new users, as a way to get started in Wikipedia
3. are vandalizers, as a way for them to prove that they can be an active and contributing part of Wikipedia

           Thanks! Newyorkadam (talk) 20:42, 6 December 2013 (UTC)Newyorkadam

Hi again! I just made the page for the contest. Check it out if you're interested! Newyorkadam (talk) 01:25, 8 December 2013 (UTC)Newyorkadam

• Fine with this. It would be good to see it extended to basic grammar errors too. 77.100.80.30 16:56, 12 December 2013 (UTC)
  • Does this mean it's approved? After confirmation, I'll start advertising. I'll look into grammar errors. Thanks so much! :) Newyorkadam (talk) 23:01, 12 December 2013 (UTC)Newyorkadam
    • Hi Newyorkadam, this grant application have been approved. The prize will be offered in the form of electronic store voucher. As the applicant, you will unfortunately not personally be able to win any prizes. When the winners have been decided, please email katie.chanwikimedia.org.uk to work out prize distribution. At the completion of the contest, please complete a quick report based on this template. Hope the contest goes well! -- Katie Chan (WMUK) (talk) 21:53, 13 December 2013 (UTC)
      • Hi Katie, thanks so much! I understand and realize that I will not be able to win any prizes, however I would still like to participate in the contest without being able to win (just to see how well I do). Is that ok? I will of course fill out the report at the end of the contest. Thanks again! I'm really excited for this contest :D Newyorkadam (talk) 23:08, 13 December 2013 (UTC)Newyorkadam
        • Yes of course, that wouldn't be a problem. Katie Chan (WMUK) (talk) 00:29, 14 December 2013 (UTC)

Completion

Is your project completed?

No

I need to finish judging the contest along with the other judge.

Have you submitted all receipts for any expenses paid?

Not yet

I will once judging is completed.

Activities and lessons learned

The funds from the microgrant will be used to reward the winners of the Tyop Contest, the ones who scored the most points. My current low estimate is much more than 5,000 typos fixed (I think many more typos were fixed, but that's a rough estimate).

Activities

Provide a brief list of activities performed to complete this project, and descriptions of these activities. This section should also include links to pictures, blog posts, or videos from the project or event if appropriate.

Users who participated in the contest looked for and fixed typos using either automatic means (like AutoWikiBrowser) or manually. They then fixed them, and I found their typos by using the Edit Summary Search tool.

Lessons learned

What lessons were learned that may help others succeed in similar projects? Consider the following questions and respond with 1 - 2 sentences.

What went well?

Thousands of spelling errors were corrected. Also, a lot of good activity and good discussion and collaboration on rules between the participants.

What did not go well?

I'm taking way longer than I would have liked to grade the contest. Many things have been popping up just as I am settling down to judge a lot. I can guarantee you that judging will be completed.

What would you do differently if you plan a similar project in the future?

I would get more judges to help me judge, and make sure I have enough time to judge.

Expected outcomes

This section should reference the expected outcomes and measures of success described in the approved grant submission.

Provide the expected outcomes here.

I expected typos to be fixed on the English Wikipedia.

Did you achieve the expected outcomes? How do you know the outcome was achieved?

Yes, absolutely. Thousands of typos were fixed. I know this because I've seen the edits where the typos were fixed.

Impact

This section ties this project to Wikimedia UK's broader goals, and shows what the project accomplished.

What impact did this project have on WMUK's mission and the strategic goals?

The Main Page of Wikimedia UK states that "Our mission is to help people and organisations create and preserve open knowledge, and to help provide easy access for all." I believe that fixing typos makes Wikipedia ('open knowledge') more reliable because it shows a level of professionalism. Correct spelling and grammar are necessary for a successful encyclopedia.

Reporting and documentation of expenditures

Did you send documentation of all expenses paid with grant funds to the office? Answer "Yes" or "No".

No, but I will when judging is completed.

Final comments

Include any final comments you may have.

Once again, I apologize for how long the judging process is taking. I guarantee that the judging will be completed.