Dear Wikiclan,
Some wonderful folk from the WMF are visiting Boston today to chat w/
Berkmanites and see our fair city. Are people up for drinks somewhere this
evening, say around 8pm?
Copying my friend and translator Cillin who is also here and thinking wiki
thoughts :)
SJ
--
Samuel Klein @metasj w:user:sj +1 617 529 4266
Dear Wikimedia-Boston-ers, FYI. Thanks for all your input into the
elections process. Here are the results for the two board seats that were
elected by the affiliates (user groups and Wikimedia chapters).
best,
Phoebe
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Ad Huikeshoven <ad(a)huikeshoven.org>
Date: Wed, Jun 12, 2019 at 6:55 PM
Subject: [All-affiliates] ASBS results
To: <all-affiliates(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
*Dear Wikimedians, We are writing to let you know the result of the
election for the 2 Affiliate Selected Board Seats on the Wikimedia
Foundation board. The successful candidates were Nataliia Tymkiv and Shani
Evenstein Sigalov. A total of 122 affiliates voted, 85% of the 143 eligible
to vote, which is a record. As you know the election was conducted under a
variation of the Single Transferable Vote, which meant that prorated votes
were redistributed between candidates to come up with the final result. In
the 10th step of counting the final place, after Nataliia Tymkiv was
elected, was between Shani Evenstein Sigalov (40.519678) and Richard Knipel
(40.480322). We have put the full count narrative on meta so that others
can verify it if they wish.[1] It is the closest ASBS result for some time,
and all candidates brought very valuable perspectives to the work of the
WMF. In the 9th step of counting Reda Kerbouche lost by a very small
margin. Adding a ballot with rank #1 for Richard or Reda would result in
them being elected instead of Shani. The same goes for removing a ballot.
Changing the ranking on one of the ballots in a specific can way can result
in a different outcome for the second seat. This is an election in which
every vote counts. As in any election, there is a chance that some voters
misinterpreted the instructions and voted wrongly. We don't see a
justification for an action as extraordinary and controversial as opening
votes for review after the vote period is over. The instructions were
visible and clear: "Rank any candidate from 1 (your preferred candidate) to
11 (your least preferred candidate)." After voting, voters received a
confirmation email stating the name of each candidate they voted with the
number of their rank: Rank 1, Rank 2, ... The agency of voters should be
respected. As part of the retrospective we may identify areas of
improvements on our side, but still the process was quite simple and
documented. Some voters realized they made a mistake and requested a new
ballot. New ballots were issued in those cases. This choice was done
because of the specific situation of this election, since the process was
complex for new affiliates and participation, diversity and inclusion were
a clear goal.[2] We have published on meta information about who got a new
ballot within the voting deadline.[3] The Election Facilitators have been
available nearly 24 hours a day monitoring the various communication
channels to answer any questions affiliates might have. We did our best at
answering all of them. After our own scrutiny of the data, and based on our
experience in community processes, we strongly advise the community to
respect the integrity of the process, and advise against allowing any
modifications of votes at this point. If the votes had been reopened for
modification with or without publishing vote results, that would have
caused significant confusion and criticism that could have jeopardized the
entire election. We will publish a debrief with recommendations for a next
ASBS process on meta.[4] We invite all representatives of affiliates to a
feedback session at Wikimania.[5] We would like to congratulate Nataliia
Tymkiv and Shani Evenstein Sigalov and thank everyone who stood. Regards,
Ad Huikeshoven, Lane Rasberry, Jeffrey Keefer, Neal McBurnett, Abhinav
Srivastava, Alessandor MarchettiElection Facilitators [1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliate-selected_Board_seats/2019/Results
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliate-selected_Board_seats/2019/Results>
[2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliate-selected_Board_seats/Resolution_2…
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliate-selected_Board_seats/Resolution_2…>
[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliate-selected_Board_seats/2019/New_bal…
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliate-selected_Board_seats/2019/New_bal…>
[4]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliate-selected_Board_seats/2019/Debrief
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliate-selected_Board_seats/2019/Debrief>
[5]
https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/ASBS_Feedback
<https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/ASBS_Feedback>*
_______________________________________________
All-affiliates mailing list
All-affiliates(a)lists.wikimedia.org
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/all-affiliates
Hi all,
The election cycle for Wikimedia Foundation board seats is open this year
for affiliates: that is, user groups & chapters. The Wikimedia Foundation
is the non-profit organization that hosts Wikipedia & her sister projects,
& they have a board of trustees that is partially composed of people from
the Wikimedia community. This election is part of the process for choosing
those people.
Wikimedia New England is eligible to vote in this election. The basic
process is:
* candidates were nominated / could self-nominate: (today is the last day!)
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliate-selected_Board_seats/2019/Nominat…
* there are open questions/answers from each candidate that will be posted
here:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliate-selected_Board_seats/2019/Questio…
* voting will happen in late May. I volunteered to be the main point of
contact for Wikimedia New England this year, which means I will be voting
on behalf of the group. The total list of groups voting is here:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliate-selected_Board_seats/2019/Eligibl…
We don't have a process in our user-group for internal voting on
candidates, as some user groups do, and I realize not everyone getting this
message realizes that they might be considered part of a user group! (we
also don't have formal membership, but if you are doing Wikipedia work in
the New England area you can be part of the group if you want!). However,
despite not really having a process, I don't want to vote on our behalf
without talking to the other members of the group. What I propose is this:
* take a look at the candidates (above) and email me (phoebe.ayers(a)gmail.com)
if you have a preference for or against any of the candidates. Two of the
candidates are currently on the board and are running for re-election.
* if you don't have a preference, but want to be involved/learn more about
the election, let me know that. Let me know by the end of next week please.
If there's interest in this process, I'll make some sort of local poll &
convene a usergroup meeting in May. If there's no replies, I will consult
with other active members of the group one on one and then vote on our
behalf.
Sound OK? Let me know if you have any questions. Also, I was once a WMF
board member appointed through this process, so if you have any questions
about the board in general let me know.
cheers,
Phoebe
Hi all,
I just wanted to send a quick note that Wikimania, the annual conference of
the Wikimedia movement, will be this year in Stockholm, Sweden, from 14-16
August, with two days of hackathon/pre-conference learning days (workshops
about Wikimedia) beforehand.
If you are planning to go, early bird registration deadline is May 31:
https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/2019:Registration
and submission deadline for the program is June 1st:
https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/2019:Submissions
Unlike past years, the program this year is arranged into "spaces" which
are various tracks, each with their own coordinator. Submit to the space
that you think fits the theme of your presentation the best and it will be
reviewed alongside others in that theme.
If anyone has any questions about what Wikimania is like in general,
although I am not involved in planning this year, I and several others on
the list have been to the conference many times and would be happy to
answer questions!
Phoebe
Hi Wiki New Englanders,
There is an Art+Feminism Editathon being planned for the Portland Museum of
Art in Maine on Saturday May 18.
Is there anyone here interested in helping out there, or know of wiki
people who might be able to assist at that location?
Thanks,
Richard
(User:Pharos)
Dear Wikipedians,
Please join us on Friday, April 5, from 2-5pm for Art+Feminism Edit-a-thon: Makers at Boston University.
Space is limited, so please an RSVP below if you’re interested:
https://bu.libcal.com/event/5234169
The meet-up page can be found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/Boston/Art%2BFeminism_at_BU
Hope to see you soon!
Best wishes,
Laura/Rachel/Ellen
Laura Jenemann, Communication, Media, & Film Librarian, ljeneman(a)bu.edu<mailto:ljeneman@bu.edu>
Rachel Dwyer, Assistant Head of the African Studies Library, rdwyer(a)bu.edu<mailto:rdwyer@bu.edu>
Ellen Phillips, Open Access Specialist, ephillip(a)bu.edu<mailto:ephillip@bu.edu>
Boston University
Dear Wikipedians,
Please join us on Friday, April 5, from 2-5pm for Art+Feminism Edit-a-thon: Makers at Boston University.
Space is limited, so please an RSVP below if you’re interested:
https://bu.libcal.com/event/5234169
The meet-up page can be found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/Boston/Art%2BFeminism_at_BU
Hope to see you soon!
Best wishes,
Laura/Rachel/Ellen
Laura Jenemann, Communication, Media, & Film Librarian, ljeneman(a)bu.edu<mailto:ljeneman@bu.edu>
Rachel Dwyer, Assistant Head of the African Studies Library, rdwyer(a)bu.edu<mailto:rdwyer@bu.edu>
Ellen Phillips, Open Access Specialist, ephillip(a)bu.edu<mailto:ephillip@bu.edu>
Boston University
Dear all,
Wiki Education will be in town next week, and they are having a workshop at
MIT on Monday 3/4, 1:00p-2:30p. Sorry about the late notice, but if you are
interested in teaching in the classroom with Wikipedia, I encourage you to
come by - all are welcome. Please feel free to send this to colleagues who
teach as well.
best,
Phoebe
======
Teaching with Wikipedia
https://libcal.mit.edu/event/5195759
With the sheer volume of information now available on the internet, having
trustworthy, accurate digital resources is more important than ever. The
general public no longer only turns to publishers, subject matter experts,
or even news outlets for most of their information; they also look to
Wikipedia. But Wikipedia is edited by volunteers, with varying interests,
educational contexts, and access to academic publications. The site still
lacks detailed and accurate articles about all topics, in all languages,
and many articles are inaccurate, misrepresented, or missing altogether.
That's why Wiki Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving
Wikipedia's quality, equity, and reach, is working to amplify the impact of
courses, libraries, and student research. By joining one of Wiki
Education's programs, you can help add reliable, accessible academic
information to the worlds largest free encyclopedia. Any instructor,
librarian or staff member may participate by assigning students to edit
Wikipedia's content, learning how to contribute to Wikipedia themselves, or
providing Wikipedia volunteers with remote access to scholarship related to
your field.
During this workshop, we will discuss content gaps on Wikipedia, and we
will encourage attendees to join our initiatives to close these gaps and
make information more accessible and comprehensible to the public. Wiki
Education staff will share: assignment templates for student research
projects; learning benefits for students and scholars; and details about
Wiki Education's suite of tools, trainings, and Wikipedia expertise
available to program participants. We will also talk about Wikipedia
instructional initiatives at MIT, and support for getting involved in
editing Wikipedia at MIT and in the Boston area.
The workshop will be held in 14N-132, located in building 14 near Lewis
Music Library. A map to building 14 on the MIT campus is here:
http://whereis.mit.edu/?go=14
Presenters: Samantha Weald & Ian Ramjohn, Wiki Education
Monday 3/4, 1:00p-2:30p
Register: https://libcal.mit.edu/event/5195759
Phoebe Ayers
Librarian for EECS & IDSS
Barker Library, 10-500
617-253-4442
psayers(a)mit.edu
http://libraries.mit.edu
pronouns: she/her/hers
Dear New Englanders,
In honor of Wikipedia's birthday, after today's editathon we will go out
for a drink at Miracle of Science, in memory of our first-ever meetup, w/ a
round on us. Ping me or Phoebe if you can join :)
Warmly,
SJ
--
@metasj w:user:sj +1 617 529 4266