About the fourth idea -- how about a script that collects all user names on the Possible Mentors page and then sends a message to the user talk pages twice a year, checking availability, etc.

Check which pages link to this page and why.

• Outreachy/Administrators and Google_Summer_of_Code/Administrators state:
  • "Ensure Possible Mentors list is up-to-date Participants interested in working on their project idea will use this list to reach out to mentors."
  • Does not explain how to check that the list is up-to-date
• Outreach_programs/Recommended_steps_for_participants and Outreachy/Participants and Google_Summer_of_Code/Participants state:
  • "Discuss your own project idea with a possible mentor If you couldn't find anything interesting in our project ideas, you could reach out to a possible mentor here."
  • Might want to explain how to "reach out" (contact)? Likely "Email this user" in the side bar on their user page?
• Template:Recommended_Steps_to_Participate_for_Outreach_Programs_Mentors and Outreachy/Mentors and Google_Summer_of_Code/Mentors state:
  • "Add yourself in our Mentors Bench, if you are okay with potential candidates reaching out to you for an idea of their own."
  • Minor: I would not call this a "bench" but stick to naming on other pages.

That's all.

So if we kept this list IMO we should

• clarify the page scope. Historical "reference" or an actual up-to-date list intended to be useful?
• If up-to-date, decide what mentor contact info is sufficient (wiki mail only?) and if not "wiki mail only", document what we expect from mentors on their user page
• If up-to-date, decide whether a link to latest git/gerrit activity would be useful or is a stupid "tracking overkill" thought of mine
• If up-to-date, explain on top of the page for applicants that mentors might not always be available - real life etc.
• If up-to-date, set up a process to regularly (every 6 months?) check folks if they are still around and available. Via wiki email or direct email.
• If up-to-date, document for mentors that we will ping them once or twice a year as we want to keep that list up-to-date and useful

Comments / opinions?

If we are pointing newcomers to Featured Projects, then pointing them to "possible mentors" as well is just confusing. I think it makes more sense to focus on Featured Projects, assuring that the list is up to date.

This page could be interesting from a perspective of supporting and promoting technical mentors. In that sense, the work to do is not that different than the work we are doing to support and promote tech ambassadors in their volunteer paths. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Technical_Collaboration/Community_collaboration_in_product_development/Tech_ambassadors_and_translators

+1 to Quim.. expanding below from what I can recall while I worked on the docs:

My sense is that the mentor's list was helpful in the past when for our outreach programs we were directing newcomers to look for mentors who could help them mentor a project on the possible-tech-projects board / elsewhere. The current documentation points to this list, retaining our old concept.

As we've now started to list projects on outreach program pages (like in Outreachy/Round_15), and we/I want to make sure that students only pick projects from this list, as it's easier for them this way... my assumption that the possible mentor's list is adding just an extra step.

But, still the approach we are following right now is new, it might be good to keep the instructions in the docs and the list as they are and check in future rounds if it's of any use in the context of our outreach programs.

In T174843#3620108, @srishakatux wrote:

But, still the approach we are following right now is new, it might be good to keep the instructions in the docs and the list as they are and check in future rounds if it's of any use in the context of our outreach programs.

When it comes to this page, it hasn't been useful for many rounds already...

Well, for the time being, I've split the page into "Possible Mentors" and "Emeritus" sections. (And removed the "bench" analogy I never understood.) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@Aklapper Emeritus, really? too hard word :P

@srishakatux: Be bold and edit! :) (Thanks!)

For the records, I've sent out an email to most folks listed on that page:

[ACTION NEEDED] Mentoring in Wikimedia Outreach programs: Still available?
I am contacting you because your name is listed on https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreach_programs/Possible_mentors . We'd love to make sure that the list is up-to-date and useful.
If you are still available as a mentor:

• Please check if the description lists projects which still interest you and that it includes links to more information or to corresponding tasks you'd be willing to mentor.
• Please reply to this email with a short line, like "still available".
• Please consider mentoring young students in Google Code-in which will start soon: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Google_Code-in/2017

If you are not available anymore as a mentor:

• Please either move your name to the "Inactive" section below on that page, or reply to this email with a short line like "not available anymore".

Thanks for being (or having been) available to help new contributors!

In T174843#3715953, @Aklapper wrote:

For the records, I've sent out an email to most folks listed on that page

Results one month later: Lacking replies from yurik, jan, Nischayn22, Antika, saper and Abdeali. Going to ping again (and move to "inactive" at some point if no reply)

I sent a second email to those six folks.

In T174843#3812539, @Aklapper wrote:

I sent a second email to those six folks.

In https://www.mediawiki.org/w/index.php?title=Outreach_programs%2FPossible_mentors&action=historysubmit&type=revision&diff=2677988&oldid=2630581 I moved those mentors to the "Inactive" section who did not reply to my emails sent on 27 Oct 2017 and 05 Dec 2017.
I don't think I can currently do more here.

Passing this task to @srishakatux as per T174843#3620108.

@srishakatux just linked to this page from https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreach_programs/FAQ#Could_you_help_connect_with_someone_who_might_be_willing_to_mentor_me_on_my_own_project_idea%3F and I wonder what that means for this page.

@Aklapper For GSoC/Outreachy, this list is rarely used. In mind, we point potential candidates to this list if they come looking for someone to mentor them on their own idea. But, we've mailing lists as well for that.

If for GCI, we don't use this list a whole lot and it is too much work maintaining it, I don't mind archiving it.