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From: Marc Riddell <michaeldavid86(a)comcast.net>
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2011 18:34:48 -0500
To: Sue Gardner <sgardner(a)wikimedia.org>
Subject: Re: [Gendergap] Nine Reasons Women Don't Edit Wikipedia
On 20 February 2011 14:24, Marc Riddell
<michaeldavid86(a)comcast.net> wrote:
Sue, as you know, this is the area of my greatest
concern regarding the
future of the Wikipedia Project. The gender gap is a part of the larger
problem you described above: That of a combative, hostile and defensive
culture that presents an unchecked arena for Community Member harassment and
abuse - that prevents the type of healthy, intelligent and productive
collaboration that can, and will, improve and maintain the quality of the
Project. Is there, are there, plans to mount a similar initiative to tackle
this larger problem? To approach it as a gender-neutral problem?
on 2/20/11
5:46 PM, Sue Gardner at sgardner(a)wikimedia.org wrote:
Yes, absolutely. And it's not just plans: people
are actively working
on the issue, today. This is the primary work of the Community
department at the Wikimedia Foundation -- the staff there are
currently working with community members on a bunch of projects and
activities to help make the Wikimedia projects more inclusive. A lot
of that is happening on the outreach wiki -- for example, the Account
Creation improvement project, the Bookshelf project, the Ambassador
program, support for student campus associations, and so forth.
http://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Account_Creation_Improvement_Project
http://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Bookshelf_Project
http://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_Ambassador_Program
http://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_student_clubs
There's also some outreach-related/outreach-supportive activities that
have been announced on the Wikimedia blog:
http://blog.wikimedia.org/blog/2011/01/12/new-wikimedia-fellow/
http://blog.wikimedia.org/blog/2010/11/30/upload-wizard-launches-beta-wikim…
a-commons/
ws> /
I agree with you Marc that our central challenge is the need for deep
culture change, to help Wikimedia be more inclusive and open. I think
the gender challenge is part of that, but it's obviously not the whole
story: we need more women, and we also need more editors from outside
North America and Europe, as well as other underrepresented groups.
And we want current editors to be having better, more positive
experiences on the projects, as well.
Thanks,
Sue
Thank you, for this, Sue. And, at the most basic level, we a faced with the
reality that this cultural change can only begin, and grow, at the most
basic level: The individual. Sue, there are key persons in the Project that,
by virtue of their official position or, simply because they are more
frequently vocal on the various Project conversation sites, who must lead by
example. Each one must be actively working toward this healthier culture.
They, and all of us, must set the tone. I truly believe that if the climate
is healthy, the culture will be also.
Marc