Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:45:23 +0300 From: bruceobwari(a)gmail.com To: wikimediake(a)lists.wikimedia.org Subject: [Wikimedia Kenya] ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY ANN NJERI 1. Why do you think you suit to be in the board of WKME? Firstly, I am willing to contribute my time and other resources as a leader as I seek to serve others with the objective of attaining the common good for society as a whole. I know there are those specialized skills and talents that I have which will contribute to build WKME, especially the Kenyan chapter. I may not know much but I’m willing to learn and I believe that’s the most important thing. I am a team player who believes that the more is yielded when we collaborate. We also need a female representative on the board and a place which I am ready to take up. 2. What is your take on the level of participation of members in the WKME projects/meetings/mailing list? Anything you think should be done differently? There is room for improvement, I speak also for myself. We need to be more dedicated to the projects that we do as well as build the spirit of solidarity in our midst by taking all successes and failures as a team and not individually. I would suggest that we attempt to have online meetings where we can conference as well as chat live. This will help counter the problem of unavailability of members for the meet-ups, increase number of meetings and kill the problem of need for geographical proximity. 3. As a board needs members with different skills (e.g. administrative, financial, public relations etc) please tell us which particular skill set you have worked in previously, like another society or organization? I have accounting skills that have been gained not only theoretically but practically. I have completed CPA (certified Public Accountant). I have also worked in Sarova Stanley in the accounts department. This will help assist greatly in maintaining accurate accounts based on accounting standards requirements. I am also a marketer having only one year left to complete my degree in Marketing and Finance. Early next month I will be working in Synovate Kenya, a research firm. The skills gained therein will be useful for us to develop strategies and invest in research that is useful in solving various challenges we have like getting and retaining editors. I also serve in the Leadership of Global Leadership interlink (GLI), an international organization that is seeking to build leaders in their formative years so that they can uphold ethical principles all through their lives. We carry out duties like organizing conferences, training of members, preparing content to be taught and discussed among other administrative tasks. 4. Which languages have you worked in so far? And what is your position on both a language policy and language strategy for WMKE? Sadly I have not worked in any languages so far but I do intend to in the future. A language strategy can be that of getting as many tribes as possible to contribute to building of Wikipedia. It may seem difficult but we have an example from the current local radio stations broadcasted in various local languages to learn from. Our pride comes from our culture which gives us our identity, something we should all be proud of. 5. How would you best deal with the issue of editor attraction and retention in our local chapter to ensure the growth of WKME as a whole? I think the best place to start is to research into the question “Why don’t people edit, and if they do, why are most people not committed?” The answers to the above questions can give us a guide to formulate strategy that will increase and retain editors. On speculation though, I think the idea of Wikimedia has not really sunk in the mind of many Kenyans let alone the issue of editing. I remember when we went to Kenyatta University and one of the senior lecturers had not heard of the concept Wikipedia. There is need to increase the sensitization that will help us attract more Kenyans. We need to come up with appeals that will reach out to the human component in all humans; that of contributing to the common good of all. There is need to communicate the benefits that people will get once they become contributors because most people look at their end of the deal “What’s in it for me?” The benefits need not be monetary because the last thing we need to do is increase our costs. 6. Now that we are an independent chapter, how do you plan to raise funds supposing the parent Wikipedia Foundation won’t avail funds to run the aforementioned project? Partnerships are crucial, which can be very fruitful in a day when firms are seeking avenues for CSR (corporate social responsibility). We just need to be bold and creative enough to come up with projects and present them to the corporate for financing. It’s not easy, but it’s possible. It doesn’t have to be about the money only since there are institutions that periodically change their computers so we can solicit for donations of computers to those schools that have few or none. The Ministry of Education can be a powerful source of finance. We can avail ourselves as the tools they will use to carry out their objectives since theirs is about advancement of education. The offline Wikipedia that is customized to the Kenyan syllabus can be very useful. 7 What kind of project/activity would you envision WKME and its members to undertake in order to fulfill the objectives of Wikimedia Foundation as a whole? I believe the project that is of utmost urgency is to both localize the content of the offline Wikipedia as well as continue sensitizing others of our existence and attract more people on board that will contribute to achievement of these objectives. There should be increase in telling the African story, be it through stories or even telling the history of our country in ways that will make people grow in the knowledge of the richness of our heritage. _______________________________________________ WikimediaKE mailing list WikimediaKE(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediake