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Bharatpedia Community Outreach, Meetups and Editor Recognition[edit source]
I would like to propose that Bharatpedia consider organising regular community activities to increase awareness of the project, attract new contributors, support existing editors, and recognise long-term volunteer contributions.
I am leaving the decision regarding the venue, location, and exact format of these activities to the Bharatpedia community and organisers. My main concern is to develop a practical system that can encourage more people to participate and contribute.
1. Bharatpedia editor meetups[edit source]
Bharatpedia could organise occasional meetups for existing editors and contributors. These meetups could provide an opportunity for editors to meet each other, discuss their experiences, and learn more about Bharatpedia.
The meetup should not be limited only to long-term or highly experienced editors. Editors who have been contributing for a relatively short period could also be invited. For example, users who have been registered for at least 10 days and have made at least 100 constructive edits could be considered for an invitation, subject to the community's eligibility criteria.
During the meetup, participants could be introduced to:
- New and existing Bharatpedia features.
- Useful gadgets and editing tools.
- Editing guidelines and community practices.
- Article creation and improvement.
- Ways to participate in community discussions and projects.
- Opportunities for further volunteer contribution.
The purpose would be to help newer editors understand features and tools that they may not yet know about and encourage them to become more active contributors.
Promoting the meetups[edit source]
Information about the meetups could be shared through Bharatpedia's official communication and social-media channels, subject to the community's approval.
Photographs and summaries from the events could also be published on Bharatpedia's official pages. This could help demonstrate that Bharatpedia has an active editing community and make the project more visible to potential contributors.
2. Outreach materials, banners and standees[edit source]
Bharatpedia could consider preparing professional banners, posters, and standees for community events and outreach activities.
These materials could contain basic information about:
- What Bharatpedia is.
- How anyone can become a volunteer editor.
- How article editing works.
- How new users can get started.
- Basic editing and community guidelines.
- How people can participate in Bharatpedia's activities.
During events or outreach programmes, these materials could be used to explain Bharatpedia to people who are unfamiliar with the project and potentially encourage them to become contributors.
3. Recognition for long-term contributors[edit source]
I believe recognition of long-term volunteer contributors could also help encourage continued participation.
Bharatpedia could consider creating an annual recognition programme for editors who have demonstrated sustained and meaningful contributions. For example, editors who have completed at least one year of participation and 5,000 or more meaningful edits could be considered for recognition, subject to community-defined criteria.
Recognition does not necessarily have to be monetary. It could include:
- A certificate or digital certificate.
- A community recognition award.
- A special user-page or community badge.
- Recognition on Bharatpedia's official social-media channels.
- A small commemorative gift, where appropriate and permitted.
- An annual list or page recognising eligible contributors.
The exact eligibility requirements and form of recognition should be discussed and decided by the community.
Objective[edit source]
The overall objective is to create a stronger Bharatpedia editing community by:
- Attracting new volunteer editors.
- Helping newer editors understand Bharatpedia's tools and features.
- Giving existing editors opportunities to meet and collaborate.
- Increasing public awareness of Bharatpedia.
- Promoting volunteer editing through outreach activities.
- Recognising sustained and meaningful contributions.
I believe that a combination of community meetups, public outreach, educational materials, and contributor recognition could provide a structured way to encourage both new and existing volunteers.
I welcome suggestions from other editors regarding the feasibility, eligibility criteria, frequency, budget, venue, and implementation of these ideas. If there is sufficient community support, the ideas can later be developed into a formal proposal. Editorial Oversight(Talk with me) 17:12, 3 October 2026 (IST)
- @WikiDwarf @Bharatwiki Socrates @Ajay Kumar Editorial Oversight(Talk with me) 17:14, 3 October 2026 (IST)
- That’s a really interesting idea, and I support it. I’d definitely like to attend such a volunteer meeting if the location is within 400 km of my city. I don’t think travelling farther than this would be allowed by my family, especially by my fiancée. What about organising a volunteer gathering next year, perhaps in May or September?
- There is one part of the wording in your idea that I object to:
"For example, editors who have completed at least one year of participation and 5,000 or more meaningful edits could be considered for recognition, subject to community-defined criteria."
- We lost the 2025 data across Bharatpedia, and I was most active during that year, especially from June to August 2025.... I don’t think having an edit-count threshold would be a good idea. The threshold, only if truly necessary, should be set at over 1.5k+ edits. @Editorial Oversight, could you please strikethrough that part? 🍁Bharatwiki Socrates🍁(📩) 12:01, 4 October 2026 (IST)
- I think we should keep the proposal as it is for now and aim to execute the first major Bharatpedia community meetup around the middle of September next year. This would give the community sufficient time to discuss the format, eligibility criteria, budget, venue, and other practical arrangements.
- Regarding the location, I would suggest organising the event in a major city with good connectivity and a larger population of potential contributors, such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, or Chennai.
- I understand the concern regarding the 400 km travel limit, but I think trying to organise separate events within 400 km of every editor would be practically very difficult. Editors may be located across different parts of India, and their locations will naturally be spread across different regions. Therefore, selecting one or a few major, well-connected cities would probably be more practical and cost-effective.
- Regarding recognition for long-term contributors, personally, I think the threshold should remain relatively high—around 5,000 meaningful edits or more—because this would be an official Bharatpedia community programme and would involve organisational expenditure.
- However, I would suggest one important addition: eligible long-term contributors who are selected for the recognition/meetup programme could be provided travel and accommodation support by Bharatpedia, subject to an approved budget and community-defined criteria. This would make the programme more meaningful and would also reduce the financial burden on contributors travelling from other parts of India.
- The exact threshold, eligibility requirements, number of participants, travel policy, accommodation arrangements, and overall budget can all be discussed and finalised by the community before the event.
- I think this approach would give us enough time to build a proper and sustainable community programme rather than rushing into an event without sufficient planning. Editorial Oversight(Talk with me) 14:35, 4 October 2026 (IST)
- As Bharatwiki Socrates mentioned, due to the 2025 data loss, we no longer have proper records of our previously active users. So, I don't think we should depend on old activity data to decide who can participate. The meetups should be open to everyone who wants to join and learn more about Bharatpedia. If interested users cannot travel outside their state, we can also consider state-wise meetups if at least 10 to 15 people are interested. We can discuss the details here on the platform, including possible locations, the number of participants, and who would be willing to take the lead in organising each event.
- Once we have a clearer idea of the level of interest and the proposed arrangements, we can discuss the budget and funding requirements. WikiDwarf (talk) 11:00, 7 October 2026 (IST)
- I agree. For now, I don't think we should set any edit-count requirement for attending the meetups. Even newly registered users should be welcome to participate, as long as they are genuinely interested in Bharatpedia and want to learn or contribute. As Bharatpedia grows in popularity and more people join the community, we can later consider introducing appropriate eligibility or contribution criteria if needed. For now, I suggest keeping the proposal focused on community learning and development for example, introducing editors to Bharatpedia's tools, gadgets, editing features, guidelines, and ways they can help improve the project. The main goal should be to bring people together, help them understand Bharatpedia better, and encourage more meaningful contributions. Editorial Oversight(Talk with me) 14:42, 7 October 2026 (IST)
- @Bharatwiki Socrates and @WikiDwarf I was talking about an event of this kind. This one was organized on a much larger scale, but we can use it as a reference and plan a smaller-scale event with a similar concept. Editorial Oversight(Talk with me) 14:42, 8 October 2026 (IST)
- I suggest try an online Video conference meet-up first. Dokania😎(📩) 20:38, 8 October 2026 (IST)