The Bots That Help Run Wikipedia
Explore the fascinating world of Wikipedia bots in this 27-minute Strange Loop Conference talk. Discover how these automated programs make approximately 50,000 daily edits on English Wikipedia, performing tasks ranging from fixing dead links to detecting copyright violations. Learn about the creators of these bots, their data sources, and the process of building one. Delve into the technologies behind notable bots maintaining Wikimedia projects and examine the frameworks developed by communities to keep them operational. Follow along as the speaker demonstrates the creation of a simple bot that generates monthly housekeeping reports for various projects, and gain insights into writing your own bot. Understand the role of bots in Wikipedia's ecosystem, their importance in handling clerical tasks, and the challenges they face in combating vandalism and maintaining site governance.