Hey folks,

I appreciate your discussion here.  However, you're unlikely to get any
participation from actual wiki researchers on wikimedia-l  See
wiki-research-l[1], the mailing list for discussions of research.  There's
a thread referencing this discussion here[2].  I encourage you to continue
the conversation there.

1. https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wiki-research-l
2.
http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wiki-research-l/2014-July/003570.html

-Aaron


On Thu, Jul 17, 2014 at 4:52 AM, Dariusz Jemielniak <dar...@alk.edu.pl>
wrote:

> RCOM would perhaps be more active if there were clear terms for members?
>
> best,
>
> dj
>
>
> On Thu, Jul 17, 2014 at 12:03 PM, Craig Franklin <
> cfrank...@halonetwork.net>
> wrote:
>
> > I've spent a half hour or so going through this, and it looks like Nathan
> > is on the money here.  If RCOM is as inactive as it seems (except where
> it
> > concerns the research of RCOM members) then it is no great surprise that
> > external parties eventually try to do an end-run around it.  Unless an
> > explanation for this inactivity can be provided, I think that in its
> > current form RCOM should be disbanded or at least radically retooled,
> > because clearly it's not only ineffective, it's also preventing
> potentially
> > legitimate research from going ahead.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Craig
> >
> >
> > On 17 July 2014 11:06, Nathan <nawr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > And... unsurprisingly, Aaron has reverted the changes I referred to
> > above.
> > > Not with any explanation, of course, other than "not true." Looking at
> > the
> > > list of "reviewed" projects (where the review appears to constitute a
> > small
> > > handful of questions on the talkpage), the RCOM has reviewed a total of
> > 10
> > > projects in its history. I'm excluding the one where Aaron himself is a
> > > co-investigator.
> > >
> > > That might sound like a substantial amount, but in 2013 and 2014 the
> rate
> > > so far is 1 (one) per *year*. Meanwhile, the AfD request languished
> for 7
> > > months without a peep from Aaron or someone on RCOM. Since we're on the
> > > subject, let's look at the research index and see what we can see.
> > >
> > > # There is a "Gender Inequality Index" that has no comments from RCOM,
> > > posted a month ago.
> > > # We have "Modeling monthly active editors" submitted by Aaron himself.
> > > This is worth looking at[1] as evidently an example of what an RCOM
> > member
> > > considers sufficient description of a research project. Specifically,
> > > nothing at all.
> > > # "Number of books read by WikiWriters" a page written by a high school
> > > student that should have been deleted but hasn't been, suggesting the
> > > submissions may not be closely monitored...
> > > # "Use of Wikipedia by doctors" submitted both to RCOM and to IEG in
> > March,
> > > no comment by RCOM.
> > > # Chinese Wikivoyage, created in January, no comment by RCOM.
> > > # SSAJRP program - extensively documented, posted in October 2013, no
> > > comment from RCOM and no RCOM liaison. This research is ongoing.
> > > # Gender assymetry, posted in September 2013, no comment from RCOM.
> > > # Dynamics of inclusion and exclusion, August 2013, no comment or
> > > participation from RCOM.
> > >
> > > I'm sure the list could go on, because the pattern is perfect -
> virtually
> > > the only projects to get participation from either Dario or Aaron are
> > those
> > > managed by WMF staff members (and most often, Aaron himself is the
> > > investigator). But the inactivity of RCOM is not news to the WMF. In
> > > December of last year, Dario posted to rcom-l [2] that "The Research
> > > Committee as a group with a fixed membership and a regular meeting
> > schedule
> > > has been inactive for a very long time." He then stated that "...the
> > > existence of a fixed-membership group with a recognized authority on
> any
> > > possible matter related to Wikimedia research and associated policies
> has
> > > ceased to be a priority." Another member of RCOM, WMF employee Jonathan
> > > Morgan, said in June on meta "I'm not sure what RCOM's mandate is these
> > > days." When asked in March how many projects RCOM had actually
> approved,
> > it
> > > took Aaron four months to reply.[3]
> > >
> > > So it is factually incorrect to suggest in documentation that RCOM
> > approval
> > > is required for anything; it's clear that RCOM as a body does not
> > actually
> > > exist. It may be argued that the approval of one of the two involved
> WMF
> > > employees is required. If that's the case, then at least based on
> public
> > > evidence they have been doing an absolutely woeful job of keeping up
> with
> > > this labor. I'll admit it's possible that all of the communication has
> > been
> > > via e-mail, and in actuality Aaron and Dario have been very busy
> > providing
> > > feedback to non-WMF researchers. If that's the case, or of I'm missing
> > some
> > > other function that RCOM fulfills, I'd love to hear about it. Otherwise
> > it
> > > appears that RCOM is primarily an obstacle to prevent non-WMF
> researchers
> > > from conducting research, a strange policy indeed.
> > >
> > > [1]
> > >
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Modeling_monthly_active_editors
> > > [2]
> > http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/rcom-l/2013-December/000600.html
> > > [3]
> > >
> > >
> >
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Research_talk%3ASubject_recruitment&diff=9220467&oldid=9220082
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>
>
> --
>
> __________________________
> prof. dr hab. Dariusz Jemielniak
> kierownik katedry Zarządzania Międzynarodowego
> i centrum badawczego CROW
> Akademia Leona Koźmińskiego
> http://www.crow.alk.edu.pl
>
> członek Akademii Młodych Uczonych Polskiej Akademii Nauk
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