Dear all,
We had a very successful Wiknic on Saturday! Thanks to everyone for coming
out, especially Richard who came from NYC!!! (and whose cool sign made all
the difference).
We found a shady spot (even though it kept moving on us), ate great food
(including some Indian delicacies), and talked about all kinds of topics.
We had a total of 16 people throughout the afternoon, and several
passers-by noticed our sign and came over to talk about Wikipedia as well!
(Several people asked about joining the mailing list, so if there are any
new people here: welcome!)
We also talked about local Wikipedia outreach and our plans for the year.
There are several edit-a-thons in the works for the fall, so keep an eye
out for announcements. There is also interest in holding more regular
meetups, and Abhishek volunteered a space at Emerson, which is centrally
located right next to the Boston Common. We also talked about the
opportunity to take a leadership role in the group if anyone is interested
-- more on that soon.
Lastly, given the success of the big sign we also decided that Wikimedia
New England needs a popup banner of our own. If anyone wants to help work
on getting that (we can apply for a WMF rapid grant, but need to figure out
the artwork & vendor) let the list know and we'll coordinate.
Finally, I have some good pictures of the meetup -- if you were there and
object to having pictures on Commons, please let me know. Otherwise, I'll
upload them next week.
cheers,
Phoebe
p.s. for the record/ for next year: the southeast corner of the public
garden seems like an excellent spot to hold the Wiknic! Quite findable and
shady.
That should be 10 degrees cooler *in* the shade :)
On Jul 16, 2016 12:30 PM, "phoebe ayers" <phoebe.ayers(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> Made it! It's lovely and shady here, 10 degrees cooler than in the shade,
> and not crowded at all! Come on by, we have drinks! We're right by the
> corner of Boyleston and Charles.
>
> On Jul 16, 2016 12:02 AM, "phoebe ayers" <phoebe.ayers(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hello all! Given the festival on the Boston Common, we are thinking we
>> should have a slight change of venue.
>>
>> Let's meet in the public garden, near the corner of Boylston and Charles,
>> near the Wendell Phillips statue. It looks like there is open grass there,
>> good for picnicking! And hopefully it will be less crowded.
>> map:
>> http://tinyurl.com/hf8phyx
>>
>>
>> thanks,
>> Phoebe
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Jul 15, 2016 at 10:12 AM, phoebe ayers <phoebe.ayers(a)gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> A few more updates for the Wiknic tomorrow:
>>>
>>> * As I mentioned, it turns out there's a giant music festival happening
>>> on our chosen weekend on the Common.
>>>
>>> - On the plus side, we will have musical accompaniment and can take
>>> pictures of bands for Wikipedia.
>>>
>>> - On the minus side, it will be crowded and it may be hard to find a
>>> spot / find our group. Richard & I will go early, find a spot, and install
>>> the Wikipedia banner -- look for that! If you get lost, text me:
>>> 530-204-8302
>>>
>>> We will try for the south side of Frog pond, per the wiki page -- if
>>> that's impossible for some reason I'll update the wiki page & send an email
>>> here.
>>>
>>> * It will be HOT -- so bring water and other beverages as well as
>>> sunscreen, hats etc. Take care that your potluck items can't easily spoil.
>>> (I was going to make deviled eggs but am cancelling that, too hot).
>>>
>>> * If anyone has additional picnic blankets, please bring them! I only
>>> have one and it's not big enough for everyone. Also, please update the wiki
>>> page with your potluck dishes.
>>>
>>> I think that's it for now... looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow
>>> and hoping it's not too crazy.
>>>
>>> -- Phoebe
>>>
>>
>>
Hello all! Given the festival on the Boston Common, we are thinking we
should have a slight change of venue.
Let's meet in the public garden, near the corner of Boylston and Charles,
near the Wendell Phillips statue. It looks like there is open grass there,
good for picnicking! And hopefully it will be less crowded.
map:
http://tinyurl.com/hf8phyx
thanks,
Phoebe
On Fri, Jul 15, 2016 at 10:12 AM, phoebe ayers <phoebe.ayers(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> A few more updates for the Wiknic tomorrow:
>
> * As I mentioned, it turns out there's a giant music festival happening on
> our chosen weekend on the Common.
>
> - On the plus side, we will have musical accompaniment and can take
> pictures of bands for Wikipedia.
>
> - On the minus side, it will be crowded and it may be hard to find a spot
> / find our group. Richard & I will go early, find a spot, and install the
> Wikipedia banner -- look for that! If you get lost, text me: 530-204-8302
>
> We will try for the south side of Frog pond, per the wiki page -- if
> that's impossible for some reason I'll update the wiki page & send an email
> here.
>
> * It will be HOT -- so bring water and other beverages as well as
> sunscreen, hats etc. Take care that your potluck items can't easily spoil.
> (I was going to make deviled eggs but am cancelling that, too hot).
>
> * If anyone has additional picnic blankets, please bring them! I only have
> one and it's not big enough for everyone. Also, please update the wiki page
> with your potluck dishes.
>
> I think that's it for now... looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow
> and hoping it's not too crazy.
>
> -- Phoebe
>
Hi all,
A few more updates for the Wiknic tomorrow:
* As I mentioned, it turns out there's a giant music festival happening on
our chosen weekend on the Common.
- On the plus side, we will have musical accompaniment and can take
pictures of bands for Wikipedia.
- On the minus side, it will be crowded and it may be hard to find a spot /
find our group. Richard & I will go early, find a spot, and install the
Wikipedia banner -- look for that! If you get lost, text me: 530-204-8302
We will try for the south side of Frog pond, per the wiki page -- if that's
impossible for some reason I'll update the wiki page & send an email here.
* It will be HOT -- so bring water and other beverages as well as
sunscreen, hats etc. Take care that your potluck items can't easily spoil.
(I was going to make deviled eggs but am cancelling that, too hot).
* If anyone has additional picnic blankets, please bring them! I only have
one and it's not big enough for everyone. Also, please update the wiki page
with your potluck dishes.
I think that's it for now... looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow
and hoping it's not too crazy.
-- Phoebe
Hi all!
This is a reminder that we are planning to have the New England Wikimedians
Wiknic this Saturday, from 1-5pm or so, in Boston Common.
Details and signup:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/Boston/Wiknic
This is a potluck so please bring something to eat or drink, and also bring
a friend -- people new to Wikipedia are welcome!
Starting around 2pm we will also have a discussion about the New England
user group and our plans for the coming year, including group leadership.
The current group leaders, Amanda and Maia, would like to pass the torch on
to new people -- so, if you are interested in having a leadership role,
please consider volunteering!
The responsibilities are light and involve:
* facilitating recurring meetups and helping publicize events
* filling out a little paperwork and reporting, and facilitating the choice
of a representative to the Wikimedia conference in Berlin.
Questions? Please ask any of us!
best,
Phoebe