This week there is a slight change to the Signpost front page: a link to the previous issue in the upper left. You can now browse previous issues with the same layout as the current issue. Within the coming week, the new archives will be populated all the way back to the first issue from January 2005, and we are working on improving the navigability of the archives and other Signpost pages.
Michael Snow explained the name of The Wikipedia Signpost in that first issue:
The name also especially suits Wikipedia, because it alludes to a practice here and on other wikis, in that we communicate primarily through "signed posts," as on talk pages. While the wiki system may be used to develop and publish articles, because this is original reporting the reporters will use a byline to "sign" their posts.
Browsing the archives reveals a wide range of Signpost content that we have published over the years. The possibilities are nearly endless. It also reveals just how dependent the Signpost is on individual editors taking charges of features on a weekly basis. Each call for new writers brings plenty of volunteers—just as it did two weeks ago—but ultimately the Signpost, like the rest of Wikipedia, is a "do-ocracy". At this point, the Signpost needs editors willing to commit to pushing the "Discussion report" and "In the news" forward each week. There are also opportunities to revive some of the other features that the Signpost has run in the past. For writers who do not want to commit to a weekly feature, the best way to get involved with the Signpost is to keep a watch on the planning room and fill in for an absent regular or write a one-off story.
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