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{{Wikipedia:Signpost/Template:Signpost-header|[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Newsroom|← Newsroom]]|About|WP:POST/ABOUT}}
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<div class="signpost-article" style="margin-left:30px; margin-right:30px; margin-top:10px;"><h2 style="text-align:left; border-bottom:none; margin-bottom:0px; font-size:190%; border-bottom:1px solid #AAA; padding-bottom:5px; line-height:120%; font-family:Georgia, Palatino, Palatino Linotype, Times, Times New Roman, serif;">About ''The Signpost''</h2>

''[[The Signpost]]'' is a community-written and -edited online newspaper covering the English Wikipedia, its [[Wikimedia Foundation#Wikimedia projects|sister projects]], the [[Wikimedia Foundation]], and the Wikimedia movement at large, currently published twice a month. Since [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2005-01-10|its launch in 2005]], there have been {{Signpost/Number of issues}} ''Signpost'' issues published, comprising {{Signpost/Number of articles}} articles, and {{Signpost/Number of pages}} pages total ({{Signpost/Number of talk pages}} talk and {{Signpost/Number of nontalk pages}} non-talk). 

''The Signpost'' is produced by volunteers, and is independent of the [[Wikimedia Foundation]] and other Wikimedia organizations. The original name of the newspaper was ''The Wikipedia Signpost''; it was shortened to the ''The Signpost'' in August 2010 as a symbol of an expansion in scope beyond the English Wikipedia. Our [[#Statement of purpose|statement of purpose]] guides our efforts. Editorial decisions are made by the editorial board, composed of Wikimedia volunteers, and ultimately by the Editor in Chief.<!-- {{Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Templates/Editor(s) in chief}} -->

Unlike most Wikipedia pages, each ''Signpost'' article carries a [[byline]] to indicate its author, and is edited by at least one other team member. We welcome post-publication edits such as grammatical and spelling corrections to articles, subject to review by the ''Signpost'' team; we value our readers' efforts to correct simple mistakes and provide needed clarifications. Anyone may submit articles; suggestions and news tips are welcomed on our [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Newsroom/Suggestions|suggestions page]]. Aspiring contributors may wish to consult our [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Newsroom/Quick Start|Quick start page]] and our [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Newsroom|newsroom]].

Our readers have several options for subscription or notification of new issues, outlined on our [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Subscribe|subscription page]].

==Statement of purpose==
The magazine focuses on three things, broadly speaking:
*'''Inform''': The primary purpose of ''The Signpost'' has always been to inform the community about events that affect and are affected by the Wikimedia movement. Though it was originally created topically an English Wikipedia–only publication, it has long since expanded its scope to cover the Wikimedia movement at large, a transformation symbolically completed by the [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2011-07-11/From the editor|2011 renaming]] of ''The Wikipedia Signpost'' to just ''The Signpost''. ''The Signpost'' does not {{em|specifically}} maintain a commitment to neutrality in the same way that Wikipedia articles do, but the magazine is nonetheless known, and aims to serve, as a balanced and impartial news source—a recurring problem is the difficulty of representing consensus viewpoints in a critical lens. Its editors and contributors are expected to exercise good judgment at all times, and generally speaking reports usually include at least some mention of all major positions adopted by Wikimedians on the issues at stake.
*'''Entertain''': A wish to entertain provides the incentive behind some of the publication's lighter-hearted features. ''The Signpost'' aims to be a quality online magazine, after all, and is not an encyclopedia itself, and so allows many things—editorializing, narrative, original research—that would be unacceptable in Wikipedia article space. It is worth emphasising, however, that unless there is good reason (and this is highlighted to the reader as a preface to a piece), writers always strive "to maintain [a level of] objectivity as would be appropriate for an independent media organization elsewhere" (in [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2005-01-10/From the editor|the words]] of ''The Signpost'' founder Michael Snow).
*{{anchor|Publish}}'''Publish''': ''The Signpost'' is the best space available to present ideas, publish community research, and draw attention to a cause before both the English Wikipedia community and the Wikimedia movement more broadly. We are a community organized and executed publication reaching thousands of readers every month, attaining a readership—and an impact—for our publications that far exceeds any of the other, more disparate publication channels and newsletters maintained among the projects. The [[foundationsite:news|Wikimedia Foundation Blog]] is supposedly the most impactful channel of communication available to the movement—yet in our [[:File:Signpost February 2015 survey results.pdf|2015 readership survey]] we found that a significant number of our readers did not know of the blog's existence, and that those that did usually found ''The Signpost''{{'s}} content more appealing. ''The Signpost'' as a platform is available for {{em|you}}, our readers, to use. Have a project that you'd like to highlight? An issue that you'd like to bring to light? An essay you'd like to publish? Bring it to us and let us help you to make it known. ''The Signpost'' solicits articles, op-eds, and special reports from the community, and publishes them subject to the approval of the editor(s)-in-chief<!-- currently {{Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Templates/Editor(s) in chief}} -->. See [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Newsroom/Quick Start#How to contribute to The Signpost|How to contribute]] for more details.

==The Signpost team==

:[[File:WikipediaSignpostIcon.svg|20px|link=]] For more on ''The Signpost''{{'}}s administration and the responsibilities of being a regular contributor, see [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Newsroom/Coordination#Who makes things happen?|our coordination guidelines]].

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center;"
! colspan="4" |[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Newsroom/Coordination#Editors|EDITORIAL BOARD]]
|-
![[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Newsroom/Coordination#Editor-in-Chief|Editor-in-chief]]
|{{U|JPxG}}
![[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Newsroom/Coordination#Editor Emeritus|Editor-in-chief emeritus]]
|{{U|Jayen466|Andreas Kolbe}},<br/>{{U|Bri}},<br/>{{u|Frostly}},<br/>{{U|HaeB}},<br/>{{U|Smallbones}}
|-
![[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Newsroom/Coordination#Editors|Editors]]
|{{U|Bluerasberry}},<br/>{{U|Bri}},<br/>{{U|Headbomb}},<br/>{{U|Oltrepier}},<br/>{{U|Red-tailed hawk}},<br/>{{U|Smallbones}},<br/>{{U|Svampesky}}
![[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Newsroom/Coordination#Copyeditors|Copyeditors]]
|{{U|Gerald Waldo Luis}},<br/>{{U|Headbomb}},<br/>{{U|isaacl}},<br/>{{U|Adam Cuerden}}
|-
![[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Newsroom/Coordination#Publication Manager|Publication manager]]
|{{U|JPxG}}
![[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Newsroom/Coordination#Outreach Manager|Outreach manager]]
|{{U|HaeB}} (Twitter/Facebook announcements),<br/>{{U|Jayen466|Andreas Kolbe}} (Wikimedia-l, Hacker News)
|-
! colspan="4" |[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Newsroom/Coordination#Writers|WRITERS]]
|-
!Arbitration report
|{{U|JPxG}}, {{U|Bri}}
!Humour
|Various
|-
!Discussion report
|
!In the media
|Various
|-
!Featured content
|{{U|Adam Cuerden}}
!News and notes
|Various
|-
!From the archives
|{{U|Adam Cuerden}}
!On the bright side
|Help wanted!
|-
!Gallery
|Various
!Serendipity
|{{U|Vysotsky}}
|-
!Recent research
|{{U|HaeB}} (with {{U|Masssly}})
!Technology report
|Help wanted!
|-
!Tips and tricks
|{{U|Headbomb}}
!Traffic report
|The [[Wikipedia:TOP25|Top 25 Report]] team
|-
!WikiProject report
|{{U|NightWolf1223}}
!Features
|{{U|PAC2}}
|}

===Editors in chief===
<div style=text-align:center;>
<timeline>
Dateformat = dd/mm/yyyy # European date format

Period = from:01/01/2005 till:31/05/2025
ImageSize = width:800 height:600 # barincrement:10
PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50 # e.g. extra space to the left and below the plot area for axis labels and legend
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

ScaleMajor= unit:year increment:1 start:2005

PlotData =
 color:orange fontsize:S # set defaults
 bar:Michael&nbsp;Snow from:10/01/2005 till:01/08/2005 text:[[User:Michael Snow|Michael Snow]]
 bar:Ral315 from:01/08/2005 till:16/02/2009 text:[[User:Ral315|Ral315]]
 bar:Ragesoss from:16/02/2009 till:03/06/2010 text:[[User:Ragesoss|Ragesoss]]
 bar:HaeB from:03/06/2010 till:08/07/2011 text:[[User:HaeB|HaeB]]
 bar:Jarry1250 from:08/07/2011 till:16/09/2011 text:[[User:Jarry1250|Jarry1250]]
 bar:SMasters from:16/09/2011 till:21/05/2012 text:[[User:SMasters|SMasters]]
 bar:Skomorokh from:16/09/2011 till:21/05/2012 text:[[User:Skomorokh|Skomorokh]]
 bar:The&nbsp;ed17 from:21/05/2012 till:21/01/2015 text:[[User:The ed17|The ed17]]
 bar:Gamaliel from:21/01/2015 till:01/05/2016 text:[[User:Gamaliel|Gamaliel]]
 bar:Go&nbsp;Phightins! from:21/01/2015 till:04/08/2016 text:[[User:Go Phightins!|Go Phightins!]]
 bar:Jayen466 from:01/05/2016 till:04/11/2016 text:[[User:Jayen466|Jayen466]]
 bar:Pete&nbsp;Forsyth from:04/08/2016 till:09/06/2017 text:[[User:Peteforsyth|Pete Forsyth]] 
 bar:Evad37 from:09/06/2017 till:29/03/2018 text:[[User:Evad37|Evad37]]
 bar:Bri from:29/03/2018 till:24/04/2018 text:[[User:Bri|Bri]]
 bar:Kudpung from:25/04/2018 till:29/08/2018 text:[[User:Kudpung|Kudpung]]
 bar:Bri from:30/09/2018 till:07/03/2019
 bar:Kudpung from:07/12/2018 till:02/03/2019
 bar:Smallbones from:16/03/2019 till:30/04/2022 text:[[User:Smallbones|Smallbones]]
 bar:JPxG from:05/05/2022 till:end text:[[User:JPxG|JPxG]]
 bar:EpicPupper from:05/05/2022 till:05/10/2022 text:[[User:EpicPupper|EpicPupper]]

</timeline>
</div>


{{columns-list|colwidth=35em|
* {{U|Michael Snow}} (founder; January–[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2005-08-08/From_the_editor|August 2005]])
* {{U|Ral315}} ([[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2005-08-15/From_the_editor|August 2005]]&nbsp;– [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2009-12-07/From_the_editors|December 2008]])
* {{U|Ragesoss}} (February 2009&nbsp;– [[Special:Permalink/366080844#Stepping_down_as_Signpost_editor|June 2010]])
* {{U|HaeB}} (June 2010&nbsp;– [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2011-07-11/From_the_editor|July 2011]])
* {{U|Jarry1250}} ([[Wikipedia_talk:Wikipedia_Signpost/Archive_3#New_managing_editor|July]]–[[Wikipedia_talk:Wikipedia_Signpost/Archive_3#Reminder_of_impending_resignation|September 2011]])
* {{U|SMasters}} and {{U|Skomorokh}}, alternating ([[Wikipedia_talk:Wikipedia_Signpost/Archive_3#Concrete_proposal|September 2011]]&nbsp;– [[Wikipedia_talk:Wikipedia_Signpost/Archive_4#Current_editor_in_chief?|January 2012]])
** {{U|Skomorokh}} (continuing until [[Wikipedia_talk:Wikipedia_Signpost/Archive_4#Signing_off|April 2012]])
* {{U|The ed17}} ([[Wikipedia_talk:Wikipedia_Signpost/Archive_5#A_new_managing_editor_of_The_Signpost|May 2012]]&nbsp;– [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2014-12-24/From_the_editor|January 2015]])
* {{U|Gamaliel}} and {{U|Go Phightins!}} ([[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2015-01-21/From_the_editor|January 2015]]&nbsp;– [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2016-05-28/Arbitration_report#Gamaliel_resigns|May 2016]])
** {{U|Go Phightins!}} (continuing until [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2016-08-04/Editorial#The_Signpost_loses_and_gains_a_co-editor-in-chief|August 2016]]) 
* {{U|Jayen466|Andreas Kolbe}} ([[Special:Diff/717095019|May]]–[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2016-11-04/News_and_notes#In_brief|November 2016]]<!--[[Special:Diff/747782541|November 2016]]-->)
* {{U|Peteforsyth|Pete Forsyth}} ([[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2016-08-04/Editorial#The_Signpost_loses_and_gains_a_co-editor-in-chief|August 2016]]&nbsp;– June 2017)
* ''The Signpost [[Wikipedia_talk:Wikipedia_Signpost/Archive_10#Overdue_note_from_Editor_in_Chief|did not publish]] in [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/Archives/2017|March, April, or May 2017]].''
* {{U|Evad37}} ([[Wikipedia_talk:Wikipedia_Signpost/Archive_10#The_next_edition|June]] [[Wikipedia_talk:Wikipedia_Signpost/Archive_11#New_editor-in-chief|2017]]&nbsp;– March 2018)
* {{U|Bri}} (de facto/interim, [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2018-03-29/Op-ed|March]]–April 2018, September 2018&nbsp;– March 2019)
* {{U|Kudpung}} ([[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2018-04-26/From the editors|April]]–[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2018-08-30/From_the_editor|August]] 2018, December 2018)
* {{U|Smallbones}} ([[Wikipedia_talk:Wikipedia_Signpost/Newsroom/Archive_4#Hoping_for_some_movement_forward|March 2019]] – [[Wikipedia_talk:Wikipedia_Signpost/Newsroom/Archive_24#Selection_of_two_new_Signpost_Editors_in_Chief|April 2022]])
* {{U|EpicPupper}} and {{U|JPxG}} ([[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2022-05-29/From_the_team|May 2022]] – [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-10-31/From the team|October 2022]])
* {{U|JPxG}} ([[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-10-31/From the team|continuing]] to present)
}}

== Technical information ==
{{main|Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Technical}}

==Userboxes==

{|style="background: transparent; margin-top:30px; text-align:center;" 
|-
| {{User wikipedia/SignpostReader}}
| {{user Signpost}}
| {{User wikipedia/Signpost}}
|-
| <small>{{tl|User wikipedia/SignpostReader}}</small>
| <small>{{tl|User Signpost}}</small>
| <small>{{tl|User wikipedia/Signpost}}</small>
|}

==Barnstar==
''The Signpost'' [[Template:The Signpost Barnstar|has its own barnstar]]; feel free to award it to someone you think has done a significant amount of work in the project!

Just copy the following and add your own message.

<nowiki>{{subst:The Signpost Barnstar|1=Put your message here. ~~~~}}</nowiki>
{| style="border: 1px solid gray; background-color: #fdffe7;"
|rowspan="2" style="vertical-align:middle;" |{{#ifeq:{{{2}}}|alt|[[File:Signpost Barnstar icon.png|100px]]|[[File:Signpost Barnstar Hires.png|100px]]}}
|rowspan="2" |
|style="font-size: x-large; padding: 0; vertical-align: middle; height: 1.1em;" | '''The ''Signpost'' Barnstar'''
|-
|deservesstyle="vertical-align: middle; border-top: 1px solid gray;" | This user deserves recognition for their work on [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost|''The Signpost'']]! 
|-
|style="background: transparent; margin-top:30px; text-align:center" | <small>{{tl|The Signpost Barnstar}}</small>
|}


==Social media==
The Signpost has an actively maintained presence on
<div class="plainlinks">
* [https://x.com/wikisignpost X]
* [https://www.facebook.com/wikisignpost/ Facebook]
* [https://wikis.world/@WikiSignpost Mastodon]
</div>

== See also ==
* [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2023-04-26/Special report|''Signpost'' statistics from 2005 to 2022]]
* [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2020-03-01/In focus|A history of ''The Signpost'' (2015-2019)]]
* [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2015-01-21/Anniversary|A decade of the ''Signpost'' (2005-2015)]]

</div>
{{Wikipedia:Signpost/Template:Signpost-footer}}