Hello all -
I'm Monika, longtime reader of this list! I've been following this conversation on increasing the diversity of Wikipedias contributors with some interest, as well as the conversation on professional connections on Wikipedia spaces. It seems relevant and valuable to share with this group details about the project in working on -- and to invite your help.
I'm a WIR for Oclc's 18-month Wikipedia + Libraries project. http://www.webjunction.org/explore-topics/wikipedia-libraries.html
This fall the project is running an online training program for up to 500 US public library staff to learn about engaging Wikipedia in their libraries for their communities. The curriculum will cover a wide variety of subjects specific to English Wikipedia (it's history, pillars, community norms, issues of reliability, authority control, organization and user roles, editing and editorial flow, COI, etc.). Through observations, exercises, case studies and small assignments, the participants will slowly learn best practices, then gain strategies to apply what they know about Wikipedia to improve info literacy in their communities. By the end the goal is to have the participants be confident that they can engage Wikipedia, understand what they are doing and how it works, and make a plan for next step in editing and designing programming.
The course will take place on Webjunction, a learning place for libraries that's been serving 80,000+ library staff globally since 2003. By participating in the nine week course, US public library staff will earn a certificate and some can apply for continuing education credits for their participation. As a WebJunction course, the focus will be on how Wikipedia editing and programming is relevant to library work. Public library staff participating will see how Wikipedia make sense to them as information professionals and possibly, give them reasons to make Wikipedia editing and outreach a part of their staff duties. The curriculum will make suggestions about activities to try at their libraries and include guest speakers who have edited and done outreach as public library staff.
Given the interest in this thread on helping newcomers, and how that works, I wanted to share the specifics of this project and I invite folks in this list to participate in the program as a volunteer guide for one (or more) of the course modules.
When I reading Fluffernutter's story, and Pine's, I was smiling - thank you for sharing, I completely agree, the times I've felt most encouraged in trying something new have been when I am genuinely curious and feel comfortable in asking questions -- for me this has also been in a course environment; a safe learning space is critical to gaining the confidence to participate in something new. I think it holds for a big project like Wikipedia, which has many esoteric technical features and so many guides and policies.
For this reason I am interested in recruiting a few thoughtful, helpful editors to join this program to mentor / guide public library staff. Most of the participants in the nine week course (Sept 13 - Nov 15; six live online sessions) will be new to editing and the technical/community aspects of editing. ~77% of public library respondents in the preview webinar survey said they use Wikipedia weekly but have never edited Wikipedia. 98% said Wikipedia is relevant to their jobs. They would benefit from meeting and getting help and support from real human Wikipedians familiar with the social norms and features of the technical interface. In return, you can learn more about public libraries, what they do, their services and missions. Public libraries and Wikipedia share many values -- including commitments to civility and providing free open access to information.
The course will take place on WebJunction's learning platform. To ensure privacy, the interactive forums are all there. Guiding and mentoring would require about hour or three for a 2-week module (and you could help out in more than one module). Modules are (roughly): 1) about Wikipedia, 2) editing 101, 3) Wikipedia and information literacy programs, 4) Wikipedia and community outreach.
I am glad for the opportunity to share this with the gender gap list, and I hope that if you are curious you will reach out. I'm actually writing this en-route to Montreal (first time at Wikimania! Excited! Pls pardon grammar and informality, I'm writing this on my phone!) and will be presenting the project at 4pm on Thursday and Sunday at 11:00am... feel free to email me directly or attend if you are also coming. also share! There's also a simple form to fill out if you prefer too
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8XPTQXK
Thanks to the members of this list for your consideration / attention to my email and for the dynamic conversations over the years on tough-to-solve issues ...
/MSJ
Sent from my mobile phone possibly using voice control, please pardon errors
On Aug 8, 2017, at 5:00 AM, gendergap-request@lists.wikimedia.org wrote:
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Today's Topics:
- Re: FYI - GGTF case appeal (Neotarf)
- "Selective incivility" (Neotarf)
- Re: How to increase the diversity of Wikimedia technical contributors and staff? (Fluffernutter wiki)
- Re: How to increase the diversity of Wikimedia technical contributors and staff? (JJ Marr)
- Re: FYI - GGTF case appeal (Risker)
- Re: FYI - GGTF case appeal (Neotarf)
- Re: How to increase the diversity of Wikimedia technical contributors and staff? (Peter Southwood)
- Re: FYI - GGTF case appeal (Risker)
- Re: FYI - GGTF case appeal (Robert Fernandez)
- Re: FYI - GGTF case appeal (Neotarf)
Message: 1 Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2017 08:21:56 -0400 From: Neotarf neotarf@gmail.com To: "Addressing gender equity and exploring ways to increase the participation of women within Wikimedia projects." gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org Subject: Re: [Gendergap] FYI - GGTF case appeal Message-ID: CALikuNn1xBxX+YmfZcjfSZutu3=8ncW5=-OM2TBAsR511Hhfxw@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
I have no way of investigating something I was not supposed to find out about in the first place. Given Wikipedia's culture of retaliation against anyone who speaks out, I am unlikely to find out more, but it did seem credible. These agreements are becoming more common, for instance here a female employee wanted to get out of her non-disparagement agreement but Angel List said no. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/21/technology/silicon-valley-sexual-harassme... Also the internal Google gender manifesto that was just leaked "Until about a week ago, you would have heard very little from me publicly about this, because (as a fairly senior Googler) my job would have been to deal with it internally, and confidentiality rules would have prevented me from saying much in public.But as it happens, (although this wasn’t the way I was planning on announcing it) I actually recently left Google..." https://medium.com/@yonatanzunger/so-about-this-googlers-manifesto-1e3773ed1...
On Mon, Aug 7, 2017 at 3:16 AM, Risker risker.wp@gmail.com wrote:
On 6 August 2017 at 23:08, Neotarf neotarf@gmail.com wrote:
......
Women who do not want to interact on these terms, with individuals who are quite probably minors, are being silenced. I have heard that professional women are being recruited for Wikipedia, women whose employers would ordinarily be expected to protect them from a 'hostile work place', but they are being required to post their real identities on their talk pages, along with the names of their employers. and a COI form statement. They are also required to sign a non-disclosure agreement that prevents them from revealing any harassment they experience in Wikipedia, or from even revealing they have been required to sign an NDA. These women will join Wikipedia, and listen to the pitch and eat the bagels, and Wikipedia gets to count them as female editors, but very few of them go on to make that second edit, because it's their professional reputation on the line.
If Wikipedia wants women editors they are going to have to come to terms with this.
This is a very inflammatory thing to say, Neotarf, and I need to insist that you show some proof of this. Links to discussions or requirements, please. This is far too sensationalistic to allow it to sit here without serious evidence.
Risker/Anne
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