Hey Everyone,

There are over 500 people on this mailing list - but I know quite a few folks who might not be too comfortable editing Wikipedia.

I'm organising something where we can try and solve that - all while you are sitting in your cozy home corners and sipping on a hot cup of chai. Simply put, it's a virtual outreach session.

Here's how it will work. It will run for 3 hours on a Sunday afternoon.  It will be conducted as a Google+ Hangout.  (If you are not familiar, this is a feature that allows for free video conferencing.)  It will be a combination of a presentation, hands-on editing session and an open house to get queries solved.

Agenda of the event

1. Introduction to Wikipedia

2. Overview of Core Wikipedia Policies, etc. (Neutral Point of View, Referencing, Notability, Writing Style, Avoiding CopyVio, Courtesy, Controlling Vandalism, etc.) 

3. Basic Editing (creating user accounts & user pages, understanding talk pages, adding content & references, inserting links, using Wiki markups, etc.)

4. Community Citizenship (Understanding how we communicate with each other on Wikipedia and the protocols for this.)

5. Q&A & Next Steps (Discuss what your first edits after the session might be: what kind of article?  what kind of edit?)

Medium of the event: Google+ Hangout.  

It is free and there's nothing to install.  Do make sure you check your mic and speakers beforehand (and the screen also asks you to check your hair!)  It allows everyone to see each other's video - making it a more human experience.  Also, we'll be able to view each other's screens which will make it simpler to conduct this session.  We can have a max of 10 people doing a hangout at any point in time.  In case we have more than 10 interested participants, we will organize multiple sessions.

Proposed date and time: 11th March, 3pm to 6pm. 

Participants/Volunteers/Facilitators: Do drop me an email at nitika@wikimedia.org.  Also, if you are an experienced editor and interested in conducting the event, drop me an email. I'll then send you details of how this event wil be conducted.

Do share this with anyone you know who might not be on this list but might be interested (friends, family, whoever!)

 
Thanks
Nitika