For the people who were at Wikimania, there was a lengthy thank-you session at the end where we got to applaud the volunteers and staff who worked hard on the conference. But I would just like to reiterate that, and give my personal thanks to:
* Mido, for leading the bid and planning (with all of the stress for months on end that entails -- just ask any of the former organizers), thereby giving many of us the chance to meet our Egyptian colleagues and have a great conference
* Moushira -- I recognized and sympathized with the way you were frantically running around during the conference :)
* Nada, Abdel, Ahmed, and lots and lots of other people I didn't meet (and people I did meet but can't remember the names of); you guys pulled it off!
* The BA staff generally, but especially Drs. Ismail Serageldin and Noha Adly for being supportive of the conference, for putting the considerable organizational weight of the BA behind it, and for offering up your resources and space to us; I hope that we are able to work together in the future, as two organizations with truly shared goals.
* Delphine, as always, for tying up a thousand loose ends, coordinating Foundation-side work, making reconnaissance trips to Alexandria, and on and on :)
* The Foundation staff, especially Jay and Cary for getting little things done like press and scholarships
* Lodewijk and Jakob for doing nearly all the organizational work on the program, off-site and on; and all the program reviewers
But thanks especially to everyone who showed up, especially those who took the risk of flying in from far away, and those who came from nearby who didn't know much about Wikipedia and wanted to find out more. It was great to see old friends and make new ones. I did not work on the organization of this year's conference as much as in past years, so I got the somewhat novel experience of going as an attendee -- you get to attend sessions that way, it turns out :)
Here were some of my favorite parts of this year's conference:
* Learning more about the Arabic Wikipedia and the challenges it faces; listening to a heated debate in the lightning talks about whether educated Egyptians should contribute in Arabic or English * Learning about the Bibliotheca Alexandrina's efforts to digitize their Arabic-language collection, using OCR software they developed in-house * Meeting some of the librarians of the Bibliotheca Alexandria, especially the children's librarians and my compatriots the reference librarians; giving an ad-hoc talk to them about how Wikipedia works * teaching a dozen Egyptian children how to make sockpuppets * 75 piastre (15 US cents) falafel (especially hearing Mako wax enthusiastic about the falafel all weekend) * eating (delicious!) fish in a restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean while talking about academic impressions of Wikipedia * getting to applaud the third! Board Chair of the Foundation; it really does feel like the organization is finally mature * being in Egypt itself (despite being hot and sick): things like getting in a taxi then waiting for the driver to fix his engine before we could go; sitting out on the corniche in the evening along with everyone else; finally realizing how small the Sphinx actually is compared to the pyramids * Singing "I Will Revise" at the final party
In my personal view, Wikimania shouldn't be thought of as just a holiday, a chance to meet friends, a way to introduce the projects to people in the local community, or a way to have organizational business meetings, though of course it is all of those things.
Wikimania is above all a chance to start projects -- to take the relationships that we've all built by meeting people we knew online (and those we didn't) and make them stronger, and take the things we've collectively learned -- about the Foundation, the place where the conference was, and the various projects that the attendees represented -- and then make those projects stronger. For me, the success of this year's Wikimania will be measured for in large part not just by the last couple of weeks but by what happens next -- whether the Foundation collaborates with the BA to host public-domain Arabic texts, whether the Arabic-language media takes a stronger interest in writing about Wikipedia, whether the many new people who showed up start editing Wikipedia, and whether the rest of us who attended have renewed inspiration to work on Wikimedia projects and stay in touch with one another, to follow up on all those conversations.
Finally, do keep the comments coming about Wikimania, good and bad; as Patricio said, we do have another conference to work on and input is great. Beyond that, we have the future of Wikimania to plan -- 2010 and beyond. There is going to be an effort to formally collect feedback soon as well, and I hope all of you will participate. This conference is ultimately a community effort, for the community; and it's something that everyone interested should help shape.
-- Phoebe, who is already looking forward to next year
p.s. there's a whole lot of people that I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to in person. By the last night, I had entirely lost my voice and was basically unable to talk -- just at the moment when I most wanted to talk to many of you. So I guess I'm making up for it by writing this very long email :)
phoebe ayers wrote:
For the people who were at Wikimania, there was a lengthy thank-you session at the end where we got to applaud the volunteers and staff who worked hard on the conference. But I would just like to reiterate that, and give my personal thanks to:
- Mido, for leading the bid and planning (with all of the stress for
months on end that entails -- just ask any of the former organizers), thereby giving many of us the chance to meet our Egyptian colleagues and have a great conference
- Moushira -- I recognized and sympathized with the way you were
frantically running around during the conference :)
- Nada, Abdel, Ahmed, and lots and lots of other people I didn't meet
(and people I did meet but can't remember the names of); you guys pulled it off!
- The BA staff generally, but especially Drs. Ismail Serageldin and
Noha Adly for being supportive of the conference, for putting the considerable organizational weight of the BA behind it, and for offering up your resources and space to us; I hope that we are able to work together in the future, as two organizations with truly shared goals.
- Delphine, as always, for tying up a thousand loose ends,
coordinating Foundation-side work, making reconnaissance trips to Alexandria, and on and on :)
- The Foundation staff, especially Jay and Cary for getting little
things done like press and scholarships
- Lodewijk and Jakob for doing nearly all the organizational work on
the program, off-site and on; and all the program reviewers
But thanks especially to everyone who showed up, especially those who took the risk of flying in from far away, and those who came from nearby who didn't know much about Wikipedia and wanted to find out more. It was great to see old friends and make new ones. I did not work on the organization of this year's conference as much as in past years, so I got the somewhat novel experience of going as an attendee -- you get to attend sessions that way, it turns out :)
Looks like Phoebe beat me to the punch. I was working on my own thank-you note to write, after getting some help listing more of the names that should be thanked, but I want to echo everything she said. My participation seems to be moving in the opposite direction from hers - compared to my previous Wikimania experience in Boston, I made it to fewer sessions, not more - but I enjoyed all those I participated in and got a taste of many different aspects of the Wikimedia community.
As Phoebe mentions, this is a bit similar to the appreciation expressed in the closing ceremonies, but many people who will read this were not there for that, and some of the people who deserve thanks were not physically present either. It's a testament to our collaborative spirit that even when some of the community gathers in person, it will be backed by the work of others who aren't in attendance themselves. So I'd like to again thank those Phoebe named and add a few more, although there are inevitably some whose names I may not know to recognize their contributions.
In addition to Mido, others from the planning team that developed the Alexandria bid and had the vision and belief in Wikimedia's potential in Egypt and the Arab world - thanks to Shipmaster (an example of someone who was not at Wikimania, but helped put it together), Hamdy, Amr, and the Egyptian Wikimedia community.
Along with Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and Dr. Noha Adly - thanks to the staff of the ICT department, especially Moushira, Monia, and Omneya. They were a great help before, during, and after the conference.
For those who contributed their hard work throughout Wikimania, either in preparation or the day-by-day activities - thanks to the amazing local volunteers, especially Nada, Ashraf, Mohamed, and Ahmed. Thanks also to the dedicated international volunteers, such as Jakob, Lodewijk, Casey, Mark, Aphaia, and many more (including those who could not attend), for things like working on the program committee, helping with the website, and a variety of other places help was needed. Not to mention the foundation staff: Delphine, Cary, and Jay working in Alexandria, and Lisa and Erica for their help from San Francisco.
On behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation, I'd like to again thank all of these people, along with the speakers and attendees who helped make Wikimania a success. Without all of you, none of this would have been possible. I look forward to another exciting Wikimania next year in Buenos Aires.
--Michael Snow
Michael Snow wrote:
So I'd like to again thank those Phoebe named and add a few more, although there are inevitably some whose names I may not know to recognize their contributions.
See, I knew I could never get all the names. I'm adding one that I missed.
In addition to Mido, others from the planning team that developed the Alexandria bid and had the vision and belief in Wikimedia's potential in Egypt and the Arab world - thanks to Shipmaster (an example of someone who was not at Wikimania, but helped put it together), Hamdy, Amr, and the Egyptian Wikimedia community.
Along with Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and Dr. Noha Adly - thanks to the staff of the ICT department, especially Moushira, Monia, and Omneya. They were a great help before, during, and after the conference.
For those who contributed their hard work throughout Wikimania, either in preparation or the day-by-day activities - thanks to the amazing local volunteers, especially Nada, Ashraf, Mohamed, and Ahmed.
I've been reminded that I overlooked Abdel Rahman, who wasn't on the list the staff helped me put together. But since he's one of these I know I met in person, I should have remembered. Thanks again to him and anyone else we've failed to thank personally.
--Michael Snow
phoebe ayers wrote:
For the people who were at Wikimania, there was a lengthy thank-you session at the end where we got to applaud the volunteers and staff who worked hard on the conference.
I think these thank yous are important, and the criticisms that may develop as we plan for the future should not detract from the appreciation that we all feel for the wonderful effort made by the Alexandria team. Whatever discomforts some of us may have felt in Egypt, I still believe that choosing to have Wikimania 2008 in Alexandria was a good one.
I should add too that despite the security concerns expressed by some before the conference, I never felt unsafe in Egypt. Some of the habits were extremely annoying, but none of this ever suggested any malicious intent.
Here were some of my favorite parts of this year's conference: ...
- being in Egypt itself (despite being hot and sick): things like
getting in a taxi then waiting for the driver to fix his engine before we could go; sitting out on the corniche in the evening along with everyone else; finally realizing how small the Sphinx actually is compared to the pyramids
In Luxor I was riding in a horse-drawn carriage when the horse fell over trying to make a turn. Horseshoes are really not suited to smooth pavement. The carriage had to be removed so that the horse could get up again. Fortunately, he did not appear to be injured. Life in the modern west does not prepare us for this kind of incident.
Somehow, the sickness and other discomforts we have faced add a special texture to the happier moments.
Ray
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