We're looking a year ahead, so we should have plenty of time to sort
things out. But, the UK has some particularly-talented Wikinewsies
(I'm looking at Iain Macdonald, Tom Morris and Paul Williams in
particular).
It would be short-sighted, in the extreme, not to ask the UK-resident
Wikinewsies to get involved. Given the direction I've seen Paul
heading off in (to Wikinews' great loss) I suspect he would make a
great 'Head of Broadcasting' for next year's Wikimania; and, with
Wikimedia UK's support, could help make sure Wikimania 2014 is the
'most-online' annual conference to-date. [All sessions webcast live,
all recordings thereof online faster than the BBC does with iPlayer.]
The major snag for me, a Wikinewsie in Edinburgh, is it looks-like
Wikimania 2014 clashes with the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe. (I
already have interest from a local community Radio station, which
might lead to free use of high-end gear, and a few other things
in-the-works).
But, anyone who is planning to travel to the UK for Wikimania should
bear that in-mind!
If you want to come up to The Athens of The North, post-conference,
start looking at those accommodation bookings right now. Otherwise,
you'll be camping somewhere in the vicinity of Arthur's Seat.
Regardless, and no-matter how hard Wikimedia UK tries to promote their
London Wikimania, I can promise you "us lot up in Scotland" will keep
knocking you off the front page when it comes to headlines in the
press. Does anyone else have some 'creative ideas' about Wikimania
2014 having a 'token presence' in Edinburgh? (The Fringe venue I want
to 'hijack' is close-enough to the Edinburgh Uni CS facilities I was
hacking - 25 years ago - that, we could run an armoured fibre straight
into JANET).
It's simply too-good an opportunity to miss. And, where I strongly
agree with the broad-criticisms Jimmy made of mainstream media in his
HK keynote, I know that "the news division of the WMF" (i.e. Wikinews)
could wipe the floor with the Mainstream on the independence debate.
Brian.