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