<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>Hi Folks<br><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1562c1"><br></font>Reminder about the IRC today (9pm IST on Thursday April 5th) Do join us using this link: <a href="http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=#wikimedia-office">http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=#wikimedia-office</a>.<br><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1562c1"><br></font>Here is what we would like to discuss today - which we shall do for the first 45 minutes and then throw it open for 15 minutes for any other topics that anyone wants to discuss related to India Program.<br><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1562c1"><br></font>You may have noticed that we are increasing our emphasis on Wikisource. Please see Shiju's post on using simple technology to support digitazation (<a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/India_Program/Indic_Languages/Digitization_of_books_in_Wikisource_using_DjVu">http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/India_Program/Indic_Languages/Digitization_of_books_in_Wikisource_using_DjVu</a>) and Noopur's story of the Gujarati Wikisource (<a href="http://blog.wikimedia.in/2012/04/04/realizing-the-dreams-of-communities-3-years-6-users-1000-articles-counting-the-source-of-gujarati-wikisource/">http://blog.wikimedia.in/2012/04/04/realizing-the-dreams-of-communities-3-years-6-users-1000-articles-counting-the-source-of-gujarati-wikisource/</a>) <br><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1562c1"><br></font>In addition, Shiju has been engaged with other communities on how to start or accelerate their respective language Wikisources. <br><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1562c1"><br></font>Wikisource has some very important characteristics that make it attractive. <br><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1562c1"><br><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">It's a (relatively) easier way for newbies to start contributing than the respective Wikipedia</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">It's a great way to reach out to language lovers - and love for a language is an important motivator for contribution (on this and other projects)</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">There is a much lower gender gap on Wikisource, and it's easy for a wider age group to contribute</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">It's more "accessible" as an entry point to newbies because it has less policies than other projects</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">It's can act as a gateway to other projects</span></li></ul></font>In today's IRC, we'd like to talk through the work that's happening on Wikisource by many communities, discuss best practices and provide a channel of support for anyone interested in joining the project from any language. <br><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1562c1"><br></font>Speak soon.<br><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1562c1"><br></font><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; ">hisham</span></i></span></b><br><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>
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