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Create deployment plan for scaling New Topic Tool as opt-out at all projects
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Description

This task represents the work with developing the plan for scaling the New Discussion Tool as an opt-out setting at all projects.

Deployment phases

Below are the phases in which we *plan* to offer the New Discussion Tool as an opt-out feature at all projects. As with all deployments, this plan could change depending on what emerges in the conversations with volunteers at these projects.

Phase Projects Deployment ticket
Phase 1 Wikipedias: Arabic and Czech (T280390) T285724
Phase 2 Wikipedias that participated in the A/B test (list in T281533) T307410
Phase 3 Remaining small-to-medium Wikipedias, plus all single-language non-Wikipedias (e.g., the Wikiquotes and Wikivoyages) – not enwiki, dewiki, ruwiki, fiwiki T309368
Phase 4 All multi-lingual projects (e.g., Commons and Wikidata). (Result: all WMF-hosted wikis except enwiki, dewiki, ruwiki, fiwiki T310392
Phase 5 English Wikipedia T311023
Phase 6 German Wikipedia (Result: all WMF-hosted wikis except ruwiki, fiwiki) ticket needed

Note: As of 24 May 2022, the Finnish and Russian-language Wikipedias still don't have the [reply] tool, so they can't have the New Topic tool yet.

Requirements

  • Before the New Discussion Tool can be offered as an opt-out setting at a project, the Reply Tool must first be made available as an opt-out setting.

Timing

  • This should generally happen two or three weeks after the Reply tool is made available as an opt-out setting at that wiki.
    • One purpose for this sequence is to allow editors additional time to report problems. If problems are reported, then the PM can delay the deployment for any affected wikis.

Communication

  • In Tech/News before Phase 3
  • Messages need to include a link [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-editing-discussion]]
  • Additional message to largest wikis, either sometime in the days before, or immediately after, the deployment happens

Done

  • A plan is documented on this ticket that lists all Wikimedia wikis in a phased deployment sequence

Event Timeline

ppelberg moved this task from Backlog to Triaged on the DiscussionTools board.
ppelberg moved this task from Backlog to Community Engagement on the Editing-team (Tracking) board.

Update on timing: Phase 1 and 2 are done. Phase 3 will probably happen the first week of June. From there, deployments could proceed at a rate of one deployment per week.

The New Topic Tool, unlike the [reply] button, has a built-in opt-out button. This makes it very easy for editors to switch back to the regular editing form if they prefer that. Additionally, editors can opt in/out at any time via Special:Preferences.

ppelberg updated the task description. (Show Details)
ppelberg renamed this task from Create deployment plan for scaling New Discussion Tool as opt-out at all projects to Create deployment plan for scaling New Topic Tool as opt-out at all projects.Jul 25 2022, 3:48 AM

This feature has been deployed to all wikis except fiwiki, which was so late in getting the Reply tool that we skipped them during this round. That deployment can be done at any time.