Archive:Wikipedia Zero/Development

Getting Started

The mobile partnerships team within the Product group at WMF works with mobile operators to set up the program, which includes a legal agreement, technical implementation and testing, and marketing promotion. A current list of partners who have launched the program is available here.

Email us to start the process of enrolling as a partner.

Zero-rating traffic

The zero-rating of traffic does not require much technical work for the operator or Wikimedia.

• WMF provides a list of Wikimedia IP addresses to be zero-rated.
• If the operator's billing system cannot handle IP address zero-rating, WMF can provide a combination of IP addresses and URL's, along with best practices for implementation.
• WMF can support the Opera Mini and Nokia Xpress proxy browsers if the operator has the ability to zero-rate through those proxy browsers.
• The partner and WMF coordinate testing before launch.

Banner messages

Free access banner

Free Access Banner

Warning Message

It is important to communicate to users when a page is free in order to:

• assure the user that no data charges are being incurred;
• encourage the user to browse further without fear; and
• provide a marketing benefit of the "freeness" to the operator.

For those reasons, there will be a small "free access" banner across the top of each zero-rated Wikipedia page. The banner color is customizable and the exact text (example: Free Wikipedia Access from Partner) will be decided with the partner. The text will appear in whichever language Wikipedia the user is on, with translations given by both the partner and community via Translate Wiki. The banner may also have a hyperlink to the operator partner's home portal page.

This banner is only shown to users who come from an IP address of the operator partner (the partner provides these addresses to WMF). The banner will not scroll with the page, and is also collapsible. If it is collapsed, it will not reappear for 24 hours.

Warning message

Since many users will be using Wikipedia because it is free, it is also important to let these users know when they are leaving the free environment (i.e. going to a non zero-rated page). For example, when someone clicks on an external link (either sources or "see also") at the bottom of Wikipedia articles, they are leaving the free environment. With legacy partners using the text-only version, users are also leaving the free environment if they select to view an image.

For users from a partner IP address, we will serve a "warning message" whenever they leave the free environment. This message appears in a red banner along the top (replacing the Free Access banner) and reads "Standard data charges may apply if you continue: Yes or No" (also translated like the free access banner). If the user selects "Yes", they continue on to the linked page and must back-browse to go back to the zero-rated Wikipedia page. If they select "No", they will return to the page they were on previously.

Translations

The Free Access banner and warning message should appear in whatever language Wikipedia the user is currently reading. The partner will provide translations of the free access banner in certain local languages. For other language translations, and for all translations of the warning message, we could use community help on Translate Wiki.

Country-specific landing page

Free Access banner and country-specific landing page

In order for Wikipedia Zero to be effective in expanding reach, it needs to drive awareness of local language Wikipedias. Currently, however, there is no Wikipedia "portal" page for each country which can serve as a platform for promoting the existence of local language Wikis. Creation of country-specific portal pages may be on the eventual product roadmap, so the Wikipedia Zero initiative provides a good ground for testing that concept.

The landing page for Wikipedia Zero will present partner's customers with a menu of commonly used languages for the region. It has the following components:

• search bar, using the primary language of the country by default
• links to the home page of up to 7 "secondary" languages
• a selection drop-down for all languages in the usual "alphabetical" order

Wikimedia selects the primary (default) language based on the language most frequently used by Wikipedia users in the country. (See usage statistics by country). The secondary languages are decided jointly with Wikimedia and the partner, based on country demographics.

The landing page will be served to all users within the IP range of a partner operator. Users will be redirected to the landing page when navigating to m.wikipedia.org (or zero.wikipedia.org in the case of certain legacy partners).

Approaching Partnerships

The Wikimedia Foundation reserves endorsement for partnerships that meet our Operating Principles for Wikipedia Zero and protect the Foundation’s mission to make knowledge free and accessible to all.

Regarding Internet.org

Neither Wikipedia nor the Wikimedia Foundation are formal partners of Internet.org. While we may share a common goal—providing free access to information—we at the Wikimedia Foundation approach this challenge with a regard for the privacy of internet users and the open web.

Internet.org currently waives data charges for accessing a number of websites including Wikipedia. It can include Wikipedia because of its commitment to free content licensing. But this does not mean that the Wikimedia Foundation (or Wikipedia) endorses Internet.org. The Wikimedia projects rely on free licensing because it allows the most people around the world to access, create, share, and remix knowledge. The beauty of free knowledge is that the content can be used by anyone, from developers creating useful apps to schools developing their curriculum around Wikipedia and its content.

Proposed features

As we get further into Wikipedia Zero, we have come up with some ideas to improve the functionality and efficiency of the project.

Additionally, to better the Wikipedia Zero experience for feature phone (lower-end phones that are internet capable), a new WAP view is an open enhancement request.

Wikipedia Zero Support for Apps

For information on Wikipedia Zero support within the 2014 updated releases of the Wikipedia apps for Android and iOS and the setting "Warn if leaving Wikipedia Zero", see the Wikipedia Zero App FAQ.