Featured content

Ghosts of featured content past, present, and future

This edition covers content promoted between 25 and 31 December 2011.


Line graph
Stacked bar graph
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.

Featured content promotions in 2011
Articles Lists Sounds Topics Portals Pictures Total
January 42 16 4 2 0 32 96
February 29 28 15 1 2 25 100
March 33 21 24 0 0 40 118
April 31 17 54 1 1 29 133
May 37 21 24 1 0 18 101
June 31 21 7 1 1 20 81
July 36 29 6 2 1 23 97
August 32 19 2 1 1 31 86
September 22 22 0 2 0 29 75
October 25 23 0 4 2 14 68
November 13 13 0 1 0 13 40
December 24 13 0 1 0 20 58
Total 355 243 136 17 8 294 1053

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

Indian cricketer Anil Kumble, whose five-wicket hauls are the topic of a new featured list
Official portrait of Sri Mulyani Indrawati, a new featured picture

No featured articles were promoted this week.

Three featured lists were promoted this week.

Six featured pictures were promoted this week.

A new featured picture, depicting an Brown Thornbill feeding on an unidentified insect.
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Thank you for covering sounds --Guerillero | My Talk 15:57, 2 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The graphs at the top of this page are excellent additions, although I wish that larger size images were available. Pinetalk 03:34, 3 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

  • Agree. Picture worth a thousand words and all. But I too wish they could be larger. Also, the comment on content is appreciated. More of that, please! And how does all this compare to past years? MathewTownsend (talk) 04:00, 3 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • @Guerillero: You're welcome, hope it can rise again.
@Pine: My netbook has 1024*800 resolution, so any higher than the current 350 and 331 would look terrible; I'm sure I'm not alone with this issue.
@Mathew: According to Tony1, the total amount of featured content promoted has decreased since several years back. For FA (the easiest to check), this certainly seems true; November had 13 promoted, and we haven't had so few FAs promoted in a month since 2005. Crisco 1492 (talk) 06:32, 3 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]
So what does "Will the number of successful nominations continue to increase" mean? Lampman (talk) 19:31, 4 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

















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