https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymological_fallacy called Micromania (based on microcomputer and mania), who targeted video game player (I don't think the name of the company is confused by anyone as a medical condition or an insult). should be called the Wikimedia Conference and what is call now the Wikimedia Conference should probably be called Wikimania -- ------------------------------ It can be done! --------------------------------- Please email me as schulz(a)eprover.org (Stephan Schulz) ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------- _______________________________________________ Wikimania-l mailing list Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l

Well, the idea of "-mania" meaning "collective outpouring of enthusiasm" rather than "mental illness" dates to at least the 1960s with Beatlemania, even if the original use of the formulation - https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Lisztomania - was intended to have clinical meaning. I am unaware of any actual objections to this usage from, for instance, psychiatrists or mental health organisations. Chris On Thu, Nov 3, 2016 at 1:16 PM, Stuart Prior < stuart.prior(a)wikimedia.org.uk&gt; wrote: _______________________________________________ Wikimania-l mailing list Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l

On 3 Nov 2016, at 15:26, Lodewijk &lt;lodewijk(a)effeietsanders.org&gt; wrote: I think we haven't had this discussion for at least five years, so I guess it's fine to have it again. I don't feel a particular need to change either, but there's no other way to find out if many people do feel such need, than to have this discussion. I'm fine with people putting arguments together in a constructive fashion like this, and then after that, seeing whether there's a widely shared sentiment to change, based on that. Lodewijk 2016-11-03 16:13 GMT+01:00 Luca Martinelli &lt;martinelliluca(a)gmail.com&gt;om>: _______________________________________________ Wikimania-l mailing list Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l

Sorry for my bluntness, but... are we REALLY having this conversation? We're about to question our annual summit's name after 12 editions? Is it really a problem?

I respectfully disagree. The "-mania" suffix is used in tons of non-medical situations to describe a frenzy, a buzz about something, it's a well established metaphor. Think of "Beatlesmania": nobody will think of it as a *real* disease, though some old-fashioned columnist would have thought it to be so.

Sorry for my bluntness, but... are we REALLY having this conversation? We're about to question our annual summit's name after 12 editions? Is it really a problem? L. Il 03 nov 2016 14:29, "Chris Keating" &lt;chriskeatingwiki(a)gmail.com&gt; ha scritto: > Well, the idea of "-mania" meaning "collective outpouring of enthusiasm" > rather than "mental illness" dates to at least the 1960s with Beatlemania, > even if the original use of the formulation - > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisztomania - was intended to have > clinical meaning. > > I am unaware of any actual objections to this usage from, for instance, > psychiatrists or mental health organisations. > > Chris > > > > On Thu, Nov 3, 2016 at 1:16 PM, Stuart Prior < > stuart.prior(a)wikimedia.org.uk&gt; wrote: > >> "Mania" is not a word where the meaning has completely changed, and is >> still evidently used in current psychiatry. https://en.wikiped >> ia.org/wiki/Mania#References >> >> A prescriptivist view of the word would be deciding what it *doesn't* >> mean, as much as what it *does*. >> Gordo is rightly pointing out that nowadays it just has more meanings, >> and has stigmatising qualities like the words "lame", "retard" etc. And we >> should think about that as a movement that tries to be inclusive. >> >> Personally I've always thought that Wikimania needed a name change >> (Wikimedia Conference needs a name change too). WikiGlobal? WikiSummit? >> WikiFest? >> >> S >> >> >> >> On 3 November 2016 at 12:54, Stephan Schulz &lt;schulz(a)eprover.org&gt; wrote: >> >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymological_fallacy >>> >>> > On 03 Nov 2016, at 13:52, Pierre-Selim &lt;pierre-selim(a)huard.info&gt; >>> wrote: >>> > >>> > I'm not specially shocked. In France we have a video game retail >>> company called Micromania (based on microcomputer and mania), who targeted >>> video game player (I don't think the name of the company is confused by >>> anyone as a medical condition or an insult). >>> > >>> > Long time ago I heard a good joke about the naming of the conference: >>> it should be called the Wikimedia Conference and what is call now the >>> Wikimedia Conference should probably be called Wikimania >>> > >>> > 2016-11-03 13:28 GMT+01:00 Gordon Joly &lt;gordon.joly(a)pobox.com&gt;om>: >>> > >>> > >>> > Is it proper and correct to use the term "mania"? >>> > >>> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mania >>> > >>> > Would we say "WikiMad" or WikiCrazy"? >>> > >>> > Gordo >>> > >>> > _______________________________________________ >>> > Wikimania-l mailing list >>> > Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org >>> > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > -- >>> > Pierre-Selim >>> > >>> > >>> > _______________________________________________ >>> > Wikimania-l mailing list >>> > Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org >>> > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l >>> >>> -- >>> ------------------------------ It can be done! >>> --------------------------------- >>> Please email me as schulz(a)eprover.org (Stephan Schulz) >>> ------------------------------------------------------------ >>> -------------------- >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Wikimania-l mailing list >>> Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l >>> >>> >> >> >> -- >> *Stuart Prior* >> *Project Coordinator* >> *Wikimedia UK* >> +44 20 7065 0990 >> >> Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and >> Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513. Registered >> Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT. >> United Kingdom. Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a global Wikimedia >> movement. The Wikimedia projects are run by the Wikimedia Foundation (who >> operate Wikipedia, amongst other projects). >> >> *Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit charity with no legal control >> over Wikipedia nor responsibility for its contents.* >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimania-l mailing list >> Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimania-l mailing list > Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l > >

From Wikipedia article about Beatlemania:

Am 04.11.2016 um 22:34 schrieb Nkansah Rexford: Second meaning: "extreme enthusiasm for something that is usually shared by many people". -- http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mania Sounds about right to me... -- Daniel Kinzler Senior Software Developer Wikimedia Deutschland Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e.V. _______________________________________________ Wikimania-l mailing list Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l

On 4 Nov 2016, at 20:37, Asaf Bartov &lt;abartov(a)wikimedia.org&gt; wrote: A word on process: quite apart from the fact we've had this conversation before (it's fine to have it again, as Lodewijk says), what bothers me is that there is *no clear way it could have a result*. There is no identified group or person empowered with deciding on a name change, so however persuasive your arguments might be, on either side, this conversation is doomed to end the way all the others had: with zero change. It seems to me that the only way the name would ever change is if some year's *hosting team* were to decide to change it. They would be able to de-facto determine the name of the conference and literally effect it, in branding, merchandise, etc. It follows that if you want change, you should focus on advocating to the Montreal team, or to a future year's team, once determined. A. On Fri, Nov 4, 2016 at 2:40 PM Nicholas Michael Bashour &lt;nicholasbashour(a)gmail.com <mailto:nicholasbashour@gmail.com>> wrote: From Wikipedia article about Beatlemania: "The use of the word mania to describe fandom pre-dates the Beatles by more than 100 years. Beginning in 1841, fans of Hungarian pianist and composer Franz Liszt showed a level of fanaticism similar to the Beatles. Poet Heinrich Heine coined the word "Lisztomania" to describe this...The term later became the name of various tribute bands dedicated to singing the songs of the Beatles, many with impersonators of the group.[19][20] The term has had a number of derivatives with the suffix "mania", usually short-lived, to describe a similar phenomenon toward other bands, such as "Rollermania"[21] in the early 1970s for the Scottish band Bay City Rollers, "Menudomanía" in the 1980s to describe frenzy across Latin America for the boyband Menudo, "Spicemania" in the 1990s[22][23] for the Spice Girls and "Jedwardmania" in the 2010s for Jedward. More recently, the "mania" suffix is often placed at the end of sports figures' names when they acquire sudden popularity, such as Hulkamania during the professional wrestling career of Hulk Hogan, or "Tebowmania" for football player Tim Tebow in 2011. It is also used to describe the following of other public figures, such as politician Jeremy Corbyn - Corbynmania - at the height of his popularity, as well as actor Leonardo DiCaprio - Leomania - in the period following his breakthrough performance in the hit film Titanic.[24]" 2016-11-04 17:37 GMT-04:00 Daniel Kinzler &lt;daniel.kinzler(a)wikimedia.de <mailto:daniel.kinzler@wikimedia.de>>: Am 04.11.2016 um 22:34 schrieb Nkansah Rexford: Second meaning: "extreme enthusiasm for something that is usually shared by many people". -- http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mania <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mania> Sounds about right to me... -- Daniel Kinzler Senior Software Developer Wikimedia Deutschland Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e.V. _______________________________________________ Wikimania-l mailing list Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org <mailto:Wikimania-l@lists.wikimedia.org> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l <https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l> _______________________________________________ Wikimania-l mailing list Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org <mailto:Wikimania-l@lists.wikimedia.org> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l <https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l> _______________________________________________ Wikimania-l mailing list Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l

Am 04.11.2016 um 22:34 schrieb Nkansah Rexford: Second meaning: "extreme enthusiasm for something that is usually shared by many people". -- http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mania Sounds about right to me...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymological_fallacy

Agree with Andrew - when I was organising it in 2014 I usually called it "The Global Wikipedia Summit" because Wikimania doesn't sound important.

I still think this topic would benefit from input on branding from WMF Communications; perhaps Samantha could be a resource since Zach seems to be unavailable? Also, hopefully Ellie can incorporate this branding issue into her discussion of Wikimania strategy with other folks at WMF. Pine On Tue, Nov 8, 2016 at 8:26 AM, Gordon Joly &lt;gordon.joly(a)pobox.com&gt; wrote: On 07/11/16 14:04, Edward Saperia wrote: Not quite a catchy? :-) Gordo _______________________________________________ Wikimania-l mailing list Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l _______________________________________________ Wikimania-l mailing list Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l