Readers Are Not Free Riders Presentation

The “Free-Rider Problem”2

2/12/2010Readers are Not Free Riders – CSCW ‘10 – Savannah, Georgia

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Summary

Readers are NOT (necessarily) free-riders because:1. They may have incomplete information about how Wikipedia

operates

2. As an audience they can enhance others’ motivations

3. Reading is a form of legitimate peripheral participation

Wikipedia Knowledge and Participation Survey1. What do people know about how Wikipedia operates?

2. How do people use, participate in Wikipedia?

Implications & Conclusion

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Readers are Not Free Riders – CSCW ‘10 – Savannah, Georgia

Wikipedia Users: Who Has Been Studied?

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Why Study Readers?

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Incomplete Operational Information

“You’re new here, aren’t you?!”

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Without an Audience, There’s No Show7

Readers are Not Free Riders – CSCW ‘10 – Savannah, Georgia 2/12/2010

Reading as Legitimate Peripheral Participation8


Operational Information and Participation Survey

Operational information as a lens on the manner in which readers participate on Wikipedia.

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165 Participants Recruited at Berkeley after un-related lab

experiments 57% Female Average age of 22 Two question types:

1. Frequency of reading and editing a variety of content

2. Operational information quiz

Wikipedia Knowledge Survey Results

Question (Topic Area) % CorrectAnyone can add a Wikipedia page on any topic. (Capabilities) 57.0%

Wikipedia pages on some topics may be locked for editing. (Restrictions) 54.6%

An administrator on Wikipedia has which of the following powers? (Power Structures) 37.0%

Wikipedia cannot keep track of my edits when I’m not signed-in to my account. (Authorship) 32.7%

On average, how many people visit Wikipedia each week? (Audience) 23.0%

How far back in the edit history of a Wikipedia article is it possible to browse? (Capabilities) 20.6%

You must create an account in order to edit or create content on Wikipedia. (Restrictions) 18.2%

Automated computer programs called ‘bots’ can make changes to Wikipedia articles.

(Authorship)13.9%

Wikipedia encourages scholars to post original research on the site. (Standards) 10.3%

How are administrators chosen on Wikipedia? (Policies) 3.6%

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Knowledge / Participation Relationships

Frequency of Participation (by type)

Operational InformationSurvey Question

ArticleRead

ArticleEdit

TalkRead

“…pages on some topics may belocked for editing.”

Incorrect 2.9(.35)** 1.2(.44)***

Correct 3.4 1.6

“…cannot keep track of my edits when I’m not signed-in…”

Incorrect 3.0(.45)***

Correct 3.5

“How far back in the edit history… is it possible to browse?”

Incorrect 1.1(.58)* 1.3(.67)***

Correct 1.3 1.6

“You must create an account in order to edit…”

Incorrect 1.1(.83)***

Correct 1.4

“Automated computer programs can make changes to articles…”

Incorrect 1.3(.76)*

Correct 1.9

“Wikipedia encourages scholars to post original research…”

Incorrect 1.3(1.16)**

Correct 2.0

“Administrators have which of the following powers?”

Incorrect 1.3(.39)*

Correct 1.6*p <=.1, **p <= .05, ***p <= .01, Cohen’s d effect size in parentheses, Frequency Scale: 1 = “Never”, 6 = “Several Times a Day”

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Implications

Change the way we think of free-riding on Wikipedia, beyond.

What users know / do not know about how Wikipedia works can provide a window into their participation.

Focus on the progression of participation

Identify the information and usage patterns that could signify important transitions in participation

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Thanks!

Questions? Comments? Contact us:

{jantin, coye}@ischool.berkeley.edu

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Readers Are Not Free Riders Presentation

Technology

Transcript of Readers Are Not Free Riders Presentation