User:Gnoeee/Wikipedia@25

Hi there . If you have any feedback or comment, feel free to drop a message to me. :) Happy reading. :)

As Wikipedia turns 25, I believe one of the most meaningful messages we can send to the world is that Wikipedia is built by people. Behind every edit, there are countless volunteers who have dedicated their time, knowledge and care to make free knowledge accessible to everyone. The 25th anniversary is not just a celebration of a website; it’s a celebration of a global community that continues to believe in the power of collaboration and openness.

Just as a teacher exists because there are students, Wikipedia exists because there are readers, and the editors contribute because their work reaches and helps someone, somewhere. This cycle of curiosity and contribution is what keeps our movement alive.

What I hope to see even more this time is recognition for the people behind the edits — the individuals and communities who have kept this vision thriving for 25 years.

This thought came after a dicussion happened during one of the Hackathon happened in the end of 2023 in India. That conversation made me realize how meaningful it would be to recognize Wikimedians for their continued contributions. Motivated by that thought, I began personally wishing Wikimedians who contribute to the Malayalam Wikipedia at the start of 2024 on the anniversary of their first edit. It was a simple act, but it sparked joy and connection within the community and a reminder that behind every username is a real person whose work helps strengthen our collective knowledge. The experience by doing the wish was heartwarming, but I soon realized it could be made easier and more scalable.

On English Wikipedia, there is an unofficial Wikipedia group, named Wikipedia Birthday Committee that celebrates the First edit anniversary of the Wikipedians over there. But I haven't seen celebrating the edit anniversary of "Wikimedians" in other Wikimedia projects. I’ve been thinking about this; celebrating the contributors of Wikimedians on wiki on other Wiki's on their first edit and sends them an anniversary wish. Then I came across this wonderful initiative in the German Wikipedia named Wikiläum, which recognizes editors who have been contributing regularly for five, ten, or fifteen years.

Wiki Edit Anniversary

Building on that thought, I’ve been exploring a related idea over the past year: what if there were an easy way to wish users on their edit anniversaries?

I started experimenting with a small tool last year. This year i worked on it little more with the help of User:Athulvis and hosted the tool on toolforge named First Edit, which identifies the first edit (globally) of a Wikimedia user on any of the Wikimedia projects. The tool will helps anyone to find the very first contribution made by any Wikimedia user on the Wikimedia projects.

I started experimenting on a small JavaScript based tool that could automatically identify a user’s first edit and make it simple to send them a personalized anniversary wish. It’s a small step toward recognizing the people behind the edits and reminding everyone that each contribution, no matter how small, helps keep our shared knowledge alive.

First Edit Anniversary Script

Add the following line to your your global.js file.

mw.loader.load('//meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Gnoeee/script/firstedit.js&action=raw&ctype=text/javascript');

The script currently includes the following features:

Highlights a user's first edit anniversary and allows posting a detailed congratulatory message.
If the anniversary date is within ±30 days, shows a "wish" button. On click,
- Checks opt-out list first. If any user opted out, shows opt-out dialog only.
- Otherwise, checks for duplicate. If already wished, shows info + link.
- Else, shows customizable anniversary message preview for pos
The Anniversary Script also supports i18n. You can translate the messages here at First_Edit/script/i18n.json
Posts the greeting message on the user’s talk page once you confirmed the message.

-- Note: It will check the first edit on that wiki project (Deleted edits will not be counted)

It’s a simple way to acknowledge that their contributions matter — that every small edit, every act of care, and every bit of knowledge shared is valued. :)

For Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary, it would be wonderful if the Wikimedia Foundation or the wider movement could explore ways to amplify gratitude and recognition — perhaps by highlighting contributor's milestones, visualizing collective impact or supporting community-led initativites. After all, the best way to celebrate 25 years of free knowledge is to celebrate the people who built it and keep on building it. :)