Dear Wikitech/Wikitech-Ambassadors,
Over the last few months, a small team at the Wikimedia Foundation has been
working on a project that has been discussed by many people in our movement
for many years: building ‘enterprise grade’ services for the high-volume
commercial reusers of Wikimedia content. I am pleased to say that in a
remarkably short amount of time (considering the complexity of the issues:
technical, strategic, legal, and financial) we now have something worthy of
showing to the community, and we are asking for your feedback. Allow me to
introduce you to the Wikimedia Enterprise API project – formerly codenamed
“okapi”.
While the general idea for Wikimedia Enterprise predates the current
movement strategy process, its recommendations [0] identify an enterprise
API as one possible solution to both “Increase the sustainability of our
movement” and “Improve User Experience.” That is, to simultaneously create
a new revenue stream to protect Wikimedia’s sustainability, and improve the
quality and quantity of Wikimedia content available to our many readers who
do not visit our websites directly (including more consistent attribution).
Moreover, it does so in a way that is true to our movement’s culture: with
open source software, financial transparency, non-exclusive contracts or
content, no restrictions on existing services, and free access for
Wikimedia volunteers who need it.
The team believes we are on target to achieve those goals and so we have
written a lot of documentation you get your feedback about our progress and
where it could be further improved before the actual product is ‘launched’
in the next few months. We have been helped in this process over the last
several months by the approximately 100 individual volunteers (from many
corners of the wikiverse) and representatives of affiliate organisations
who have reviewed our plans and provided invaluable direction. Pointing out
weaknesses and opportunities, or areas lacking clarity and documentation in
our drafts.
A essay describing the “why?” and the “how?” of this project is now on
Meta:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Enterprise/Essay
Also now published on Meta are an extensive FAQ [1] and operating
principles [2]. Much of this documentation is already available in French,
German, Italian, and Spanish.
For technical specifics, the new documentation on
MediaWiki.org describes
the product strategy and roadmap, work currently underway, design
documents, as well as infrastructure decisions and future plans:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Enterprise
The team is particularly interested in your feedback on how we have
designed the checks and balances to this project - to ensure it is as
successful as possible at achieving those two goals described above while
staying true to the movement’s values and culture. For example: Is
everything covered appropriately in the “Principles” list? Is the technical
documentation on
MediaWiki.org clear? Are the explanations in the “FAQ”
about free-access for community, or project’s legal structure, or the
financial transparency (etc.) sufficiently detailed?
Meet the team and Ask Us Anything:
The central place to provide written feedback about the project in general
is on the talkpage of the documentation on Meta at:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Enterprise
Equally, for technical comments or questions the talkpage on
MediaWiki.org:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Enterprise
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Enterprise>
On this Friday (March 19) we will be hosting two “Office hours”
conversations where anyone can come and give feedback or ask questions:
- 13:00 UTC via Zoom at
https://wikimedia.zoom.us/j/95580273732
- 22:00 UTC via Zoom at
https://wikimedia.zoom.us/j/92565175760 (note: this
is Saturday in Asia/Oceania)
Other “office hours” meetings can be arranged on-request on a technical
platform of your choosing; and we will organise more calls in the future.
We will also be attending the next SWAN meetings (on March 21)
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Wikimedia_Affiliates_Network, and
also the next of the Wikimedia Clinics
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Clinics
Moreover, we would be very happy to accept any invitation to attend an
existing group call that would like to discuss this topic (e.g. an
affiliate’s members’ meeting).
On behalf of the Wikimedia Enterprise team,
*Liam Wyatt [Wittylama]*
WikiCite <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiCite> Program Manager & Wikimedia
Enterprise <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Okapi> Community Liaison
Wikimedia Foundation
[0]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Recomme…
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Enterprise/FAQ
[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Enterprise/Principles