Rupert, I don't see mobile editing replacing the conventional desktop editing experience but I disagree with your claim that mobile editing is "unusable". This assertion is certainly not true. Personally, I created over 500 articles on Wikipedia with thousands of edit to other articles through a mobile phone. In fact, I promoted an article I created with a mobile phone to a GA-status. Yoruba Language is one of the most difficult language to write yet there was a day I wrote 2 articles in that language Wikipedia. I and Olaniyan later wrote some articles there on mobile device.
I will also like to mention that the fact that Africa is a mobile connected continent is not a major reason for the poor contributions from this region. The poor contributions from Africa may be attributed to low number of contributors from this region which could be as a result of unwillingness of Africans to participate in volunteering activities, poor internet facilities, lack of basic understanding of Wikimedia projects and how it works, lack of awareness that any one can contribute, among other reasons. The difficulty of bringing on new volunteers from Africa has resulted in seven straight years of declining editor participation from this region. Thanks for the emergency of new usergroups in Nigeria, Ghana, Tunisia, Algeria and the significant contributions of WikiAfrica Centre. Kudos to Florence and Isla for their efforts!
However, a recent Pew Research Center report found that 39 of the top 50 news sites received more traffic from mobile devices than from desktop and laptop computers, sales of which have declined for years.
This is a challenge for Wikipedia, which has always depended on contributors hunched over keyboards searching references, discussing changes and writing articles using a special markup code. Even before smartphones were widespread, studies consistently showed that these are daunting tasks for newcomers (Not even our youngest and most computer-savvy participants accomplished these tasks with ease)
There is no doubt that the pool of potential Wikipedia editors could dry up as the number of mobile users keeps growing; it’s simply too hard to manipulate complex code on a tiny screen. This is not about Africa but the entire continents.
In 2014, the WMF under Lila Tretikov took the unprecedented step of forcing the installation of new software on the German-language Wikipedia. The German editors had shown their independent streak by resisting an earlier update to the site’s user interface. Against the wishes of veteran editors, the foundation installed a new way to view multimedia content and then set up an Orwellian-sounding “superprotect” feature to block obstinate administrators from changing it back.
Before Lila left the Foundation, she has been hiring developers from the world of open-source technology, and their lack of experience with Wikipedia content has concerned some veterans.
These are existential challenges, but they can still be addressed. There is no other significant alternative to Wikipedia, and good will toward the project — a remarkable feat of altruism — could hardly be higher. If the foundation needed more donations, it could surely raise them.
The real challenges for Wikipedia are to resolve the governance disputes — the tensions among foundation employees, longtime editors trying to protect their prerogatives, and new volunteers trying to break in — and to design a mobile-oriented editing environment. One board member, María Sefidari, warned that “some communities have become so change-resistant and innovation-averse” that they risk staying “stuck in 2006 while the rest of the Internet is thinking about 2020 and the next three billion users.”
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.
-----Original Message----- From: african-wikimedians-request@lists.wikimedia.org Sender: "African-Wikimedians" african-wikimedians-bounces@lists.wikimedia.orgDate: Sat, 12 Mar 2016 23:38:28 To: african-wikimedians@lists.wikimedia.org Reply-To: african-wikimedians@lists.wikimedia.org Subject: African-Wikimedians Digest, Vol 8, Issue 42
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1. Re: Wikimania Scholarship 2016 (Olatunde Isaac) (reachout2isaac@gmail.com) 2. Re: Wikimania (rupert THURNER)
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Message: 1 Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2016 20:44:48 +0000 From: reachout2isaac@gmail.com To: african-wikimedians@lists.wikimedia.org Subject: Re: [African Wikimedians] Wikimania Scholarship 2016 (Olatunde Isaac) Message-ID: 823653853-1457815494-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-1785644118-@b18.c1.bise7.blackberry Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
That should not be on this thread. You can start a new thread on "Wikimedia Project in Africa". The thread on Wikimania 2016 Schorlarship remain the same. Don't divert attention, please!.
Best,
Olatunde Isaac. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.
-----Original Message----- From: african-wikimedians-request@lists.wikimedia.org Sender: "African-Wikimedians" african-wikimedians-bounces@lists.wikimedia.orgDate: Sat, 12 Mar 2016 20:33:05 To: african-wikimedians@lists.wikimedia.org Reply-To: african-wikimedians@lists.wikimedia.org Subject: African-Wikimedians Digest, Vol 8, Issue 41
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1. Re: Wikimania 2016 Schorlarship (Nkansah Rexford) 2. Re: Wikimania (rupert THURNER) 3. Wikimania (Nkansah Rexford)
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Message: 1 Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2016 22:31:44 +0000 From: Nkansah Rexford seanmavley@gmail.com To: Mailing list for African Wikimedians african-wikimedians@lists.wikimedia.org Cc: Wikimedia Mailing List wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, olaniyanshola@yahoo.com Subject: Re: [African Wikimedians] Wikimania 2016 Schorlarship Message-ID: CAAh37trUEcnx2s8eev69otzKkHJVhHTd-G_wDLEt5gRza63azA@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
Awesome!
Asaf throws an invite to all. I start my clock and bookmark this thread.
If you would take me up on this invitation, I would love to hear your thoughts on work in Africa, beyond Wikimania scholarships.
Well said, Asaf, well said!
I personally would love to also hear the thoughts of everyone on the invite above. On 11 Mar 2016 10:03 pm, "Asaf Bartov" abartov@wikimedia.org wrote:
I hear you, Olaniyan, and understand you are feeling alienated and demotivated by not receiving a scholarship. Regarding your assertion that the selection criteria are unfair, I think that to agree with it would require you to present an actual argument against one or more of those criteria, and I invite you to do so.
I also invite you to think about what else might be done to support and promote the creation and sharing of free knowledge in Africa, beyond awarding a few more scholarships to Africans. I remind you that the Wikimedia Foundation is eager to support mission-aligned work, including experimentation, through the various grants programs[1], and that there is a wealth of written materials about program design and best practices[2][3][4], for African volunteers motivated to do more programmatic work in Africa.
If you would take me up on this invitation, I would love to hear your thoughts on work in Africa, beyond Wikimania scholarships.
A.
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Start [2] https://outreach.wikimedia.org/ [3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Learning_patterns [4] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Evaluation/Program_Toolkits
On Fri, Mar 11, 2016 at 6:32 AM, shola ishola olaniyanshola@yahoo.com wrote:
Hi All,
I am writing this mail in solidarity with all active Wikipedians in Africa . I felt rather alienation and de-motivated by the announcement of the result of Wikimania Scholarship 2016. I have reviewed the parameters for the selection of candidacy for the above mentioned event and I came to the conclusion that the selection is not fair to us (WUGN) and Africa in general. Considering what we did withinn the shortest period of the recognition of our group, we are more than qualify to be represented at the event.
Perhaps, we may be considered to be too young... I wish to state here... what's the benefit of an event that won't be developmental in nature. We are the future of the movement. Frankly speaking, Africa remains Virgin in term of the wikimedia concepts and projects compare to other continents. In my opinion, resources should be channel to assist the continents rather than the already developed one.
Lastly, if indeed we are so serious about the projects and the movement. Then, special quota and interest should be created for developing continents rather than the developed ones.
Submitted.
Olaniyan Olushola Director, WUGN Treasurer, FOSSFA MD, Olbims Consulting Phone: +2348154876844 Email: olaniyanshola15@gmail.com Email: olaniyanshola@yahoo.com Email:treasurer@fossfa.net User page: Olaniyan Olushola Facebook: Olaniyan Shola Twitter :Olaniyan73
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