David
I perfectly know that *currently* it is not
compatible.
I understand the current limits to uploads, and the
needs to discuss what should be and not be allowed on
wikinews. While obviously, we can not authorize all
fair use images for the reasons explained by Jimbo
(competiting with sources like AFP in particular), I
think some types of fair use images could possibly be
used by Wikinews. This would require that these types
are extremely well defined and strict respect is made
of these limits.
Use of a firm logo is not likely to make us in trouble
with other news sources, so that might be one of these
cases which might be tolerated. On wikinews, not on
wikicommons of course.
As for ESA, a petition is currently under way to have
it release some images under a free license.
Ant
--- David Speakman <david(a)speakman.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: wikinews-l-bounces(a)Wikimedia.org
> > [mailto:wikinews-l-bounces@Wikimedia.org] On
> Behalf Of Jimmy
> > (Jimbo) Wales
> > Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 9:59 AM
> > To: Wikinews mailing list
> > Subject: Re: [Wikinews-l] To stop using Wiki
> Commons as our
> > default Wikinewsimage source
> >
> >
> > Anthere wrote:
> > > One approach might be to begin to think of which
> types
> > > of fair use images could be allowed.
> > >
> > > For example, when making an article about a
> firm, it
> > > might be authorized to use the logo of this firm
> in
> > > fair use.
> > >
> > > For example, when making an article about a
> movie just
> > > making it for an oscar, it might be authorized
> to use
> > > a small representation of the movie poster.
> >
> > I think this is a nice start.
> >
> > In fact, it might be the right way to go as a way
> of
> > constructing the policy. A blanket "no" on fair
> use, but
> > with specific holes punched through that firewall
> for cases
> > that we deem to be o.k.
>
> Although this sounds good, it would be in violation
> of current
> Wikicommons policy since movie posters are
> copyrighted by movie studios
> and not available for free distribution. So, when a
> movie poster is
> uploaded by a Wikinews reporter, it will mostly
> likely be flagged and
> deleted from Wikicommons since its use in a
> Wikibooks - or some other
> wikiprojects - would be a copyright violation.
>
> You're getting a taste of my frustration with the
> Wikicommons-only
> approach for Wikinews. The situation is more complex
> and common sense
> says it should be.
>
> It gets worse - space pictures taken by NASA are
> public domain - and
> Wikicommons compatible. BUT space pictures taken by
> ESA or other
> countries are copyrighted by the ESA or specific
> universities - and are
> not Wikicommons compatible.
>
> We ran into this issue with the Titan probe. Some of
> the best pictures
> released were not Wikicommons compatible - so we
> could not use them,
> even though every news agency on the globe that I
> witnessed did use
> them. We, instead had to rely upon artist
> illustrations from NASA - not
> actual photos.
>
> I highly recommend you visit this link:
>
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Copyrighted
> - where a
> user-created flag of the Commonwealth of Nations
> will most-likely be
> deleted due to non-commercial-use copyright
> concerns.
>
>
> --
> David Speakman
> http://www.DavidSpeakman.com
> 501 Moorpark Way #83
> Mountain View CA 94041
> Phone: 408-382-1459
>
> _______________________________________________
> Wikinews-l mailing list
> Wikinews-l(a)Wikimedia.org
>
http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikinews-l
>
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site!
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/resources/
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jimmy (Jimbo) Wales" <jwales(a)wikia.com>
> Mathias Schindler wrote:
>
> > David should come up with an argumentation that survives contact with
> > reality when it leaves the fair-use island (except the argumentation
> > lazyness (sp?) to find free solutions).
> >
> > Sorry, if this was to harsh but I'm very scared of this change of policy.
>
> No, I don't think it is too harsh, it's very important that we be
> quite hard-headed about such things.
Jimbo and Mathias,
I'm a firm believer that disagreeing parties can be steadfast in differing opinion while maintaining the courtesy of civiilty and foregoing insults by implication.
This issue goes beyond mere laziness.
Here's a reality of the current Wikinews project:
If a major news event (a terrorist attack, for instance) happens at night at the Eiffel Tower in Paris and we have a Wikinews reporter in Paris on scene who takes a photo, we will not be able to keep that photo on Wikicommons because under French law, night time pictures of the Eiffel Tower are copyrighted and not freely available for distribution (the light installation is a protected work of artistic expression.) But, I can guarantee you that virtually EVERY OTHER news agency - including those in France, will publish night time pictures of the twer. But, the distribution of a WikiCommons night-time photo of the Eiffel Tower would be a violation of copyright if used in Wikipedia or Wikibooks. Therefore, that same photo would be unavailable to Wikinews, even though the copyright agrument is minimal for news (since the shelf life for news is so short).
And that is only one non-logo example.
I'm not asking us to ditch WikiCommons entirely - I'm merely suggesting that the quickly adopted die-hard rule of Wiki-Commons-ONLY was installed without adequately thinking through the limitations it places on the Wikinews project in regard to the abilities of other Internet news organizations.
I think that was the Wikiverse expandes, it is becoming very obvious that "a rose is a rose is a rose" doesn't always apply. Not all wiki images have interchangeable use or share appropriateness between projects.
For me, I'd like to see an alternative where some images which may not be Inter-wiki suitable could still be used on Wikinews as appropriate. There could be many ways around this - including expiration dates (where after 5, 10 or 30 days, the picture automatically expires and is replaced will a null pixel) - or something similar.
-David
Inspired by this web comic contest:
http://crowncommission.com/dailygrind/
I've created a Wikinews writing contest. The rules, in a nutshell: You
have to write at least one story a day. You fail to meet the
requirement, you drop out. The last man standing wins the contest
(apologies for non-gender-neutral language).
As with other contests, there is an open "prize bin" that everyone can
contribute to -- whether it's cash or goods.
If you would like to participate in the contest, please register at:
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikinews:Writing_contest
You should register before March 21 -- people who register after that
date will have to write more stories to "catch up".
The main goal of this contest is to increase the daily story output of
the English Wikinews. If it works out, the idea could be copied by other
editions as well, but since English is currently the main source of
translations, any positive change here helps a lot.
As an incentive for people to donate physical prizes, I think it would
be a good idea if the Wikimedia Foundation could cover shipping costs
for sending goods to the winner, within reasonable limits. Is that possible?
All best,
Erik
I am of the opinion, based on the (lack of) progress on
fr.wikipedia.org that we need to seriously reassess the "new site"
rules.
First, it needs to be harder to start, and it needs to be demonstrated
that the existing wikipedia community supports it. This is important
because we want to transmit the values of quality and neutrality to
the new sites.
Second, it needs to be made clear that if a site falls inactive, it
will be closed.
----
Separate issue: the logo *really* needs to say BETA on it, ASAP. This
is already causing confusion. People have come to me demanding to
know why I authorized that Wikinews no longer be in beta, but I did
not. It needs to be in beta for probably 2 years.
--Jimbo
--
"Pianosa is een Italie" - first words of 50,000th article on nl.wikipedia.org
On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 12:39:07 +0000 (UTC),
wikinews-l-request(a)wikimedia.org <wikinews-l-request(a)wikimedia.org>
wrote:
> Send Wikinews-l mailing list submissions to
> wikinews-l(a)Wikimedia.org
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikinews-l
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> wikinews-l-request(a)Wikimedia.org
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> wikinews-l-owner(a)Wikimedia.org
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Wikinews-l digest..."
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. RE: Wikinews language creation rules modified (David Speakman)
> 2. Bulgarian Wikinews launched (Erik Moeller)
> 3. Poll on Chinese Wikinews launch (Erik Moeller)
> 4. Fair use on Wikinews; local uploads disabled (Erik Moeller)
> 5. Wikinews Design Contest Open for Submissions (Erik Moeller)
> 6. Intent to launch pt., pl., ro. Wikinews; further procedure
> (Erik Moeller)
> 7. Polish, Portuguese, Romanian Wikinews set up (Erik Moeller)
> 8. Credentials verification using VoIP set up (Erik Moeller)
> 9. Re: [Foundation-l] fr.wikinews logo (Erik Moeller)
> 10. Wikinews: New State of the Wiki report (Erik Moeller)
> 11. Polish Wikinews report (Dariusz Siedlecki)
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 6 Feb 2005 12:59:47 -0800
> From: "David Speakman" <david(a)speakman.com>
> Subject: RE: [Wikinews-l] Wikinews language creation rules modified
> To: "'Wikinews mailing list'" <wikinews-l(a)Wikimedia.org>
> Message-ID: <001301c50c8e$cae8a220$a905a8c0(a)beancomp.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Sounds good to me.
>
> --
> David Speakman
> http://www.DavidSpeakman.com
> 501 Moorpark Way #83
> Mountain View CA 94041
> Phone: 408-382-1459
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: wikinews-l-bounces(a)Wikimedia.org
> [mailto:wikinews-l-bounces@Wikimedia.org] On Behalf Of Erik Moeller
> Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2005 10:56 AM
> To: Wikimedia Foundation Mailing List; wikinews-l(a)wikimedia.org
> Subject: [Wikinews-l] Wikinews language creation rules modified
>
> I have modified the rules at
>
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikinews/Start_a_new_edition
>
> New: At least 3 signing users have to be Wikimedia regulars (>200 edits
> + 3 months participation in a project) in the language they vote on.
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2005 23:28:36 +0100
> From: Erik Moeller <erik_moeller(a)gmx.de>
> Subject: [Wikinews-l] Bulgarian Wikinews launched
> To: foundation-l(a)wikimedia.org, wikinews-l(a)wikimedia.org
> Message-ID: <42069A14.5090901(a)gmx.de>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15; format=flowed
>
> The Bulgarian edition of Wikinews is now set up at:
>
> http://bg.wikinews.org/
>
> An announcement has been posted on the Bulgarian Wikipedia Village Pump,
> as well as on the user talk pages of all interested users (all users who
> signed up had user pages on bg:, and several had far more than 200 edits).
>
> I'd like to ask the Board to discuss in the meeting tomorrow what steps
> are required to decide whether the Chinese Wikinews should be launched.
>
> Regards,
>
> Erik
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Mon, 07 Feb 2005 08:40:21 +0100
> From: Erik Moeller <erik_moeller(a)gmx.de>
> Subject: [Wikinews-l] Poll on Chinese Wikinews launch
> To: foundation-l(a)wikimedia.org, wikinews-l(a)wikimedia.org
> Message-ID: <42071B65.7010102(a)gmx.de>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15; format=flowed
>
> I've set up a poll at
>
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikinews/China
>
> to help decide whether we need a formal vote among the Chinese users or
> all users before launching the Chinese Wikinews edition (because of the
> risk of censorship). Please vote.
>
> Regards,
>
> Erik
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2005 04:17:40 +0100
> From: Erik Moeller <erik_moeller(a)gmx.de>
> Subject: [Wikinews-l] Fair use on Wikinews; local uploads disabled
> To: wikinews-l(a)wikimedia.org, foundation-l(a)wikimedia.org
> Message-ID: <420EC6D4.8070009(a)gmx.de>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15; format=flowed
>
> Local uploads have been disabled on the English Wikinews from the start.
> Uploads are only possible through the Wikimedia Commons. This is meant
> to make the upload of "fair use" images as well as images under other
> non-free licenses impossible, and generally encourage use of the
> Commons. The decision to disable uploads on the English Wikinews was
> made in accord with Jimmy. Uploads on the other wikis were only enabled
> to begin with in order to allow them to replace the logo. Since that has
> now happened, local uploads are disabled there as well.
>
> In order to nicely integrate a link to the Commons into the sidebar, I
> suggest using [[MediaWiki:Currentevents]] as well as
> [[MediaWiki:Currentevents-url]], which are pointless in Wikinews anyway
> since the entire wiki is about Current Events. You can point those
> directly to [[Commons:Special:Upload]], which will then put users on the
> Commons upload form if they are logged in.
>
> The decision to disable uploads is not permanent and subject to change.
> The reasoning behind this decision is as follows. Wikinews is a project
> which directly competes with major news organizations, magazines and
> newspapers. It also allows and encourages commercial use of its content.
> Fair use of photos from a news agency, for example, is very difficult to
> justify under these circumstances. But regardless of the legal
> arguments, there is also the practical argument that Wikinews will soon
> be perceived as a threat, because most of its stories are based on
> reporting done by others -- and we give it away for free, while they
> charge money. These people will eventually try to stop us by all means
> necessary.
>
> There is a distinct possibility that we will face issues similar to SCO
> v. Linux, where a competitor accuses us of stealing content -- even if
> we didn't. Fair use, being so volatile in its definition, makes a
> successful attack more likely and opens us up to additional legal risks.
> That is why uploads will not be enabled until it is fully clear under
> what circumstances non-free licenses can be allowed.
>
> Work is currently being done on the English Wikinews to formulate a
> "fair use" policy. I encourage other Wikinews editions to do the same.
> Fair use on Wikinews could encompass things like logos, graphics,
> screenshots -- or photos that have not been produced by competing
> organizations and companies. Once that policy is written, we shall
> submit it to the Board for approval and possibly legal review. If it
> passes that review, uploads will be re-enabled. The same goes for all
> the other Wikinews editions.
>
> In the meantime, I ask you to only upload images under free licenses or
> in the public domain, directly to the Wikimedia Commons. Uploading them
> there does not affect the image syntax at all -- you can use them like
> you would use a local image. But they will not show up in Wikinews
> Recent Changes.
>
> If the Board would like this decision to be reverted, please let me
> know. Otherwise I will coordinate the next steps as described.
>
> All best,
>
> Erik
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 08:14:51 +0100
> From: Erik Moeller <erik_moeller(a)gmx.de>
> Subject: [Wikinews-l] Wikinews Design Contest Open for Submissions
> To: foundation-l(a)wikimedia.org, wikinews-l(a)wikimedia.org
> Message-ID: <4214446B.9010408(a)gmx.de>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15; format=flowed
>
> Help us create a unique visual identity for the Wikinews project!
>
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikinews_design_contest
>
> The Wikinews design contest, which will run until April 17, 2005,
> consists of two components:
>
> * www.wikinews.org multilingual portal
> * site stylesheets
>
> You can also offer prizes for the best designs! If you can't contribute
> a design, please offer a prize, to increase the incentive to contribute.
>
> While the contest is running, please also feel free to edit the existing
> portal at:
>
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Www.wikinews.org_portal
>
> All best, and good luck to all participants,
>
> Erik Möller
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2005 07:33:11 +0100
> From: Erik Moeller <erik_moeller(a)gmx.de>
> Subject: [Wikinews-l] Intent to launch pt., pl., ro. Wikinews; further
> procedure
> To: foundation-l(a)wikimedia.org, wikinews-l(a)wikimedia.org
> Message-ID: <42158C27.4080805(a)gmx.de>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15; format=flowed
>
> As per the procedure on
>
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikinews/Start_a_new_edition
>
> I'd like to launch three new editions later today or tomorrow:
> Portuguese, Polish, and Romanian. For Portuguese, I count Carlosar as a
> valid vote, because he has made 3000+ edits on the English Wikinews, and
> he is a native speaker.
>
> For future editions, I'd also like to suggest changing the language
> procedure in the following way:
>
> The "activity on existing Wikimedia projects" requirement can be
> dropped if a few support pages (FAQ, Mission Statement, etc.) are
> created on Meta for the project to be launched. These can be
> translations or original creations.
>
> Such an effort indicates a genuine interest in working on a Wikinews
> edition in a language. It also reduces the dependency of new projects on
> existing ones -- we already know that many key people working on
> Wikinews have not done substantial work on Wikipedia or other Wikimedia
> projects. There would still be a requirement of at least 5 signatures,
> so it's not just one person playing an overarching role.
>
> If this works out, perhaps we can substitute one procedure for another;
> I prefer the translation procedure, because it also makes sure that
> certain pages are in place before the wiki is set up (a problem on some
> new editions which were essentially blank for several days).
>
> I'd like to credit the Memory Alpha wiki for this procedure, which has
> successfully used it for setting up new languages.
>
> Regards,
>
> Erik
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2005 03:46:43 +0100
> From: Erik Moeller <erik_moeller(a)gmx.de>
> Subject: [Wikinews-l] Polish, Portuguese, Romanian Wikinews set up
> To: foundation-l(a)wikimedia.org, wikinews-l(a)wikimedia.org
> Message-ID: <4216A893.8070106(a)gmx.de>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15; format=flowed
>
> As announced and in accordance with the existing language policy, three
> new Wikinews editions have been set up:
>
> http://pl.wikinews.org/ - Polish
> http://pt.wikinews.org/ - Portuguese
> http://ro.wikinews.org/ - Romanian
>
> I left messages for the users who have pledged to participate (and who
> could be located), and on the respective Wikipedia Village Pumps.
>
> Good luck to the new editions!
>
> Peace,
>
> Erik
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2005 13:01:12 +0100
> From: Erik Moeller <erik_moeller(a)gmx.de>
> Subject: [Wikinews-l] Credentials verification using VoIP set up
> To: wikinews-l(a)wikimedia.org
> Message-ID: <42187C08.2060306(a)gmx.de>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15; format=flowed
>
> Ilya Haykinson has proposed a policy for requesting accreditation as a
> Wikinews reporter. This is not meant to be the only way to do original
> reporting, but a way to be recognized at events as a Wikinews reporter.
>
> The cool part is that he has set up a voicemail account people can call
> in order to verify credentials:
>
> http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikinews:Credential_verification
>
> Any call made to that number is sent to an internal mailing list
> (subscription requires approval, currently all sysops will be approved):
>
> http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikinews-accreditation
>
> Anyone on that list can then take a verification request and respond to
> it. People can also simply check the list of accredited reporters on
> Wikinews itself.
>
> Regards,
>
> Erik
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 9
> Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 14:29:43 +0100
> From: Erik Moeller <erik_moeller(a)gmx.de>
> Subject: [Wikinews-l] Re: [Foundation-l] fr.wikinews logo
> To: Wikimedia Foundation Mailing List <foundation-l(a)wikimedia.org>,
> wikinews-l(a)wikimedia.org
> Message-ID: <421DD6C7.8030701(a)gmx.de>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> I suggest editing MediaWiki:Tagline and putting the "beta" there. That
> might be done for any Wikinews editions which does not yet have a
> sufficient level of activity. This is better than defacing the logo, in
> my opinion.
>
> It turns out that it is very difficult to predict that activity, and I
> don't think the current process on Meta is really anywhere close to
> doing that. The Swedish Wikinews is very active, for example, thanks in
> large part to a handful of dedicated editors -- but that might change
> any day. Of course, all the editions are suffering from the current
> slowness, and recent downtime.
>
> One notable difference in Wikinews to other projects is that a quick
> glance at the frontpage gives you an impression of the level of
> activity: if you only see old news, obviously the project is not very
> active. This is good if it is seen as an incentive to work on it, bad if
> it frustrates people and makes them give up on the project. Wikipedia,
> Wikibooks, Wikisource, Wiktionary in the different languages all have
> their phases of activity and inactivity, but nowhere are those phases
> more visible than on Wikinews.
>
> Switching the project into read-only whenever it enters such a phase
> seems like a bad and un-wiki idea; perhaps you could create a template
> like this for the frontpage instead:
>
> The French edition of Wikinews is currently not very active. Please
> participate in building this website into a useful resource! Ideas
> for increasing activity are collected at [[Wikinews:Building Wikinews]].
>
> Here are a few suggestions to increase activity:
>
> 1) Translate. It is much easier to translate a well-written article than
> to write a new one from scratch. Wikinews articles have to grow to
> publishable quality very fast, "stubs" aren't helpful, and references
> are a strict requirement. As such, writing them takes a lot of effort.
> But the English Wikinews, for example, is now publishing articles at a
> reasonable rate. As an author of that edition, I also get great
> satisfaction out of knowing that my work is going to be translated into
> languages I do not speak.
>
> 2) Prominently link the equivalent of
> http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikinews:Submit_a_story - this helps to
> attract people who do not know about the Wikinews process and just want
> to get their feet wet.
>
> 3) Have brief news items on the frontpage which aren't fully developed
> stories yet. This should only be done until real stories are being
> published regularly, so as to not conflict with the [[Current events]]
> pages on Wikipedia.
>
> 4) Edit MediaWiki:Sitenotice and point people to the IRC channel,
> mailing list and Village Pump. Building a community helps to create a
> feeling of identity and the desire to protect that community, which is
> an incentive to do work on the site.
>
> 5) Organize and participate in events like the design contest or the
> Wikinews chats. Point people on Wikipedia to these events to get them
> interested in the project.
>
> 6) If you are a software developer, help us to implement MediaWiki
> features like category RSS feeds and dynamic article display.
> http://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1411 is the only code
> currently being actively worked on, to my knowledge.
>
> Please also join the international Wikinews channel at #wikinews -- a
> lot of good people are hanging out there who may help you to answer
> questions with the project.
>
> Regards,
>
> Erik
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 10
> Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2005 12:17:53 +0100
> From: Erik Moeller <erik_moeller(a)gmx.de>
> Subject: [Wikinews-l] Wikinews: New State of the Wiki report
> To: foundation-l(a)wikimedia.org, wikinews-l(a)wikimedia.org
> Message-ID: <42205AE1.7050705(a)gmx.de>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15; format=flowed
>
> I've written a new, detailed report on the current state of the Wikinews
> project. If you haven't kept up, or want to read my opinions on where we
> are headed, the report is at:
>
> http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/User:Eloquence/State_of_the_Wiki
>
> Comments are welcome.
>
> All best,
>
> Erik
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 11
> Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2005 13:39:04 +0100
> From: Dariusz Siedlecki <datrio(a)gmail.com>
> Subject: [Wikinews-l] Polish Wikinews report
> To: wikinews-l(a)Wikimedia.org
> Message-ID: <283332d205022604391660e6df(a)mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
>
> Well, I decided to write a quick report on the state of our Wikinews project.
>
> You can view this report at
> http://pl.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikipedysta:Datrio/Polish_Wikinews_report_-_Feb…
>
> Everyone is open to ask question on the page's talk page, or edit this
> article and add his own thoughts on the project.
>
> --
> Best regards,
> Dariusz Siedlecki
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Wikinews-l mailing list
> Wikinews-l(a)Wikimedia.org
> http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikinews-l
>
> End of Wikinews-l Digest, Vol 2, Issue 2
> ****************************************
>
Well, I decided to write a quick report on the state of our Wikinews project.
You can view this report at
http://pl.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikipedysta:Datrio/Polish_Wikinews_report_-_Feb…
Everyone is open to ask question on the page's talk page, or edit this
article and add his own thoughts on the project.
--
Best regards,
Dariusz Siedlecki
I've written a new, detailed report on the current state of the Wikinews
project. If you haven't kept up, or want to read my opinions on where we
are headed, the report is at:
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/User:Eloquence/State_of_the_Wiki
Comments are welcome.
All best,
Erik
I suggest editing MediaWiki:Tagline and putting the "beta" there. That
might be done for any Wikinews editions which does not yet have a
sufficient level of activity. This is better than defacing the logo, in
my opinion.
It turns out that it is very difficult to predict that activity, and I
don't think the current process on Meta is really anywhere close to
doing that. The Swedish Wikinews is very active, for example, thanks in
large part to a handful of dedicated editors -- but that might change
any day. Of course, all the editions are suffering from the current
slowness, and recent downtime.
One notable difference in Wikinews to other projects is that a quick
glance at the frontpage gives you an impression of the level of
activity: if you only see old news, obviously the project is not very
active. This is good if it is seen as an incentive to work on it, bad if
it frustrates people and makes them give up on the project. Wikipedia,
Wikibooks, Wikisource, Wiktionary in the different languages all have
their phases of activity and inactivity, but nowhere are those phases
more visible than on Wikinews.
Switching the project into read-only whenever it enters such a phase
seems like a bad and un-wiki idea; perhaps you could create a template
like this for the frontpage instead:
The French edition of Wikinews is currently not very active. Please
participate in building this website into a useful resource! Ideas
for increasing activity are collected at [[Wikinews:Building Wikinews]].
Here are a few suggestions to increase activity:
1) Translate. It is much easier to translate a well-written article than
to write a new one from scratch. Wikinews articles have to grow to
publishable quality very fast, "stubs" aren't helpful, and references
are a strict requirement. As such, writing them takes a lot of effort.
But the English Wikinews, for example, is now publishing articles at a
reasonable rate. As an author of that edition, I also get great
satisfaction out of knowing that my work is going to be translated into
languages I do not speak.
2) Prominently link the equivalent of
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikinews:Submit_a_story - this helps to
attract people who do not know about the Wikinews process and just want
to get their feet wet.
3) Have brief news items on the frontpage which aren't fully developed
stories yet. This should only be done until real stories are being
published regularly, so as to not conflict with the [[Current events]]
pages on Wikipedia.
4) Edit MediaWiki:Sitenotice and point people to the IRC channel,
mailing list and Village Pump. Building a community helps to create a
feeling of identity and the desire to protect that community, which is
an incentive to do work on the site.
5) Organize and participate in events like the design contest or the
Wikinews chats. Point people on Wikipedia to these events to get them
interested in the project.
6) If you are a software developer, help us to implement MediaWiki
features like category RSS feeds and dynamic article display.
http://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1411 is the only code
currently being actively worked on, to my knowledge.
Please also join the international Wikinews channel at #wikinews -- a
lot of good people are hanging out there who may help you to answer
questions with the project.
Regards,
Erik