Brian McNeil
Usually found on Wikinews where I'm a bureaucrat, contributor of some six-odd years, writer of more than a few Featured Articles. Responsible for arranging Wikinews' listing in Google News once FlaggedRevisions and complimentary peer-review process was implemented. Generally lurk in #wikinews on Freenode, but can take a while before I notice a ping.
I would not call myself a PHP coder, although I've enough background in IT to figure out what particular scripts, or pieces of code, are doing. Qualified as a Systems Analyst nearly 25 years ago; so, whilst I may not be able to cut substantial chunks of code, I can act as a translator between the technical and non-technical, usually able to spot where more information is needed and how to ask questions to get it. Not, by any means, a perfectionist; but, I do like to see problems solved well.
To-date only used the MediaWiki site in obtaining software, or input over on bugzilla to explain problems.
Have committed to document:
- Wikinews' current article workflow,
- weaknesses and failings and
- improved workflow ideas suitable for Wikinews' article creation and publication workflow.
Comments as-to where including options, and other flexibility, which would be of-use on sister projects—or outwith WMF projects altogether—welcome on talk pages of the above links. The general thrust of any proposal for GSoC is to significantly improve Extension:FlaggedRevs, adding tools and form functions which permit a more-accessible CMS-style workflow.
The hope with these pages is someone will be able to pick up all, or at least part, of Wikinews' functional requirements as part of the Summer of Code 2012 and produce solutions that significantly improve the robustness of our processes.