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.