Grants:IEG/Secret-Shopper

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status: idea
project:
Secret-Shopper
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summary:
Developing a new way to asses admin. editors. activities and allow "secret-shoppers" to volunteer to collect data and information, and allow evaluation of what that data means for the health of Wikipedia. The risk of the project is the potential loss of active editors and valuable admin. who could potentially be offended enough to leave. So mitigating that would also be a goal.
created on: 16:44, 30 April 2013‎

Project idea[edit]

Using a method similar to "Secret Shopping", specifically where people involved in interacting with the public are randomly evaluated by a neutral party,

Project goals[edit]

First goal is the usual-Do no harm. Second is to have a way to show admin. their strengths and weakness, as it applies to specific areas without fear of retribution by using anonymous "secret-shoppers" to report findings.
It is possible that the effect of admin. knowing that their activities could be anonymously monitored will motivate administrative users towards improvement. Currently, there are not many good options for questioning the actions of admin. without being subjected to the fear of retribution. A secret-shopper type survey could also reveal admin. who are damaging the project in ways that they may not be aware-of. Focusing on certain areas such-as interactions with other editors, or new editors, could provide insight to the subjects of surveys and to the overall user experience.


Open questions[edit]

  • Is this being done already? And particularly in an anonymous fashion? Aside from posting questions and signing your name to them, or emailing in the case of something really important, is there any way to anonymously evaluate admin. and what they are doing with the tools that they have been granted?

Get involved[edit]

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