On 2016-01-17 11:21 PM, Romaine Wiki wrote:
At the same time I sense something important is
missing. I miss in the
large plenary sessions the attention for specific users and their
projects that are of most value for the movement.
Yes, and no. I agree with you in principle (that is, the plenary
sessions tend to have too little focus on direct volunteer impact), but
that is not something that is missing by design but by lack of an actual
session to present.
I made a presentation on the featured speakers track in London that was
all about specific users and projects and it was very enthusiastically
received - by the programme committee and the audience - so it's clear
that there is desire to have such presentations. But they first have to
be proposed (please do so!).
That said, one idea I had been toying with for 2017 was to have an award
ceremony for the most impactful volunteers of the (2016) year - kinda
like Jimmy's Wikipedian of the year award, only selected by the
community and with a much wider scope. It's only half-baked, because
it's a really complicated and delicate thing to do *right* (who picks,
how are nominations made, how to avoid neglecting the
non-english-Wikipedia contributors, etc). If it can be made to work
right, I'd make it a big focus of the closing ceremony. And probably
try to find where Philippe found the actual physical barnstars to give
out. :-)
And I'd very much like this to become a yearly thing; not just a one-off
for 2017.
-- Marc