Ghosts of featured content past, present, and future

Two graphs of the featured content promoted this year, using the data in the table below. The line chart on the left shows the individual rates of promotion of each type of featured material, by month. The stacked bars on the right show the contribution of each featured-content forum towards the total number of new promotions, by month.

Legend

  Articles

  Lists

  Sounds

  Topics

  Portals

  Pictures

*Note: This does not include demoted content

Over the past year, 1,053 pieces of featured content were promoted. The most active of the featured content programs was featured article candidates, which promoted an average of 30 articles a month. This was followed by featured picture candidates (25 a month). Coming in third was featured list candidates (20 a month). Featured sound candidates, although the most active in April, died in mid-August; as such, it promoted an average of 11 sounds a month. Featured topic and featured portal candidates were a bit sluggish, each promoting fewer than 20 items over the year.

Despite this fairly large increase in the total amount of featured content, systemic bias continues, specifically a focus on the anglosphere. At featured article candidates, common topics include male political figures, ships, television episodes, and songs, generally from the US, Britain, and Australia. Featured list candidates has been dominated by discographies and sports rosters, also predominantly from the US and Britain. Featured picture candidates has seen many animal species, works of art by European and American artists, and similar subjects. Although there are some exceptions, the systemic bias pervades every featured content process. For comparison, numerous non-anglosphere topics, even on important figures such as Prime Ministers, remain stubs.

Aside from the promotion of featured content, another key development this year was the creation of today's featured list, where featured lists are shown on the main page, currently once a week on Mondays. The proposal was implemented 13 June after a formal proposal in early June. Several years in the making, this new section of the main page has shown 29 featured lists thus far, starting with List of signs and symptoms of diving disorders.

What does the future hold? Will the number of successful nominations continue to increase, or will other projects join featured sounds? Will systemic bias continue to run rampant? Will featured topics, portals, and sounds ever reach the main page? Will Jenna Jameson? Only time will tell.

And now, the Signpost is proud to present the last new featured content of 2011.

No featured articles were promoted this week.

Three featured lists were promoted this week.

• 50 Cent discography (nom) by Sufur222. American rapper Curtis James Jackson III, better known by his stage name 50 Cent, has released four studio albums, five promotional singles, nine mixtapes, thirty-five music videos, two video albums, two compilation albums, one soundtrack and forty-four singles since being signed in 2002. Of these, his first number one singles were "In da Club" and "21 Questions" from Get Rich or Die Tryin'. He has another album scheduled for release.
• List of 1930s jazz standards (nom) by Jafeluv. During the 1930s, numerous jazz standards (compositions widely known, performed and recorded by jazz artists) were written. Some, such as Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's "My Funny Valentine", originated from Broadway, while others were for specific artists or venues.
• List of international cricket five-wicket hauls by Anil Kumble (nom) by SpacemanSpiff. Indian cricket player Anil Kumble (right) has made 37 five-wicket hauls (a notable achievement defined as a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings) in his 20-year career, the most of any Indian cricketer. Only three other cricketers have more hauls: Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka, Richard Hadlee of New Zealand, and Shane Warne of Australia.

Six featured pictures were promoted this week.

• Varosha quarter of Veliko Tarnovo (nom; related article), created by MrPanyGoff and nominated by Tomer T. The image, depicting the Varosha old town of Veliko Tarnovo, was passed by a narrow margin after being put on hold for several days. Veliko Tarnovo is a city in north central Bulgaria that is home to 68,000 people; it has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years.
• Brown Thornbill (nom; related article) by JJ Harrison. The picture, taken in Austin's Ferry, Tasmania, depicts the Brown Thornbill. This insectivore can grow up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long. Its article is only 189 characters long, so it could be a rewarding did you know for an interested editor.
• Wandering Albatross (nom; related article) by JJ Harrison. Taken to the east of the Tasman Peninsula, the image depicts the Wandering Albatross, one of the largest and most studied birds in the world. Its wingspan, measuring 2.51–3.50 m (8.2–11.5 ft), is the largest in the world, and gives the bird the ability to remain in the air for several hours at a time without beating its wings.
• Olive Whistler (nom; related article) by JJ Harrison. This image (bottom), taken in Maleuca, Tasmania, depicts the Olive Whistler, a songbird 18–20 cm (7–8 in) long. Unlike its cousin, the Golden Whistler, the Olive Whistler often feeds at ground level and prefers thick woods. It is currently classified as of "least concern".
• Sony α 700 (nom), created by Evan-Amos and nominated by Crisco 1492. The second model in the Sony α series, the α 700 is capable of images up to 4288 × 2856 resolution, a BIONZ image processor for supporting RAW noise reduction and ISO 3200 and 6400 boost sensitivity. The picture, characterized as being similar to what manufacturers use in their advertisements, passed eight to one.
• Sri Mulyani Indrawati (nom; related article), created by the International Monetary Fund and nominated by Crisco 1492. Sri Mulyani Indrawati, born in Tanjungkarang, Lampung, Indonesia, on 26 August 1962, is a former Finance Minister of Indonesia and current managing director of the World Bank Group. This image (right), her official IMF portrait, was created by an uncredited IMF photographer; the nomination passed 6 to 1.5.