Wikimedia-in-mum October 2011

wikimedia-in-mum@lists.wikimedia.org

13 participants
10 discussions

[Press]: DNA : Want to display your photos? Donate them to Wikipedia
by CherianTinu Abraham 17 Oct '11

17 Oct '11

*DNA : Want to display your photos? Donate them to Wikipedia* http://epaper.dnaindia.com/epaperpdf/17102011/16main%20edition-pg8-0.pdf http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_want-to-display-your-photos-donate-th… *Kannan Shanmugam's grandfather was the first man to set up a photo studio in south Kerala at Kollam, giving the locals one of their first tastes of technology.Around 100 years later, Kannan is hoping to continue his legacy in a way that could be just as revolutionary in today's world — the act of giving something away, for free.* * * *Kannan is an active contributor to Wikimedia Commons, an online repository of free-use images, sound and other media files primarily used to supplement other Wikimedia projects, Wikipedia being the most popular.* * * *The project, which began in 2006 and to which anybody can contribute, has amassed over 11 million media files in five years. * *With the fast-growing interest in Indian topics on English Wikipedia and 20 Indian language Wikipedias already in existence, there is a dire need for images from India. In the run-up to WikiConference 2011 to be held in Mumbai in November, the India Loves Wikipedia initiative has been launched to encourage people to donate their photos for India-related articles.* * * *Kannan has been one of the biggest contributors in the initiative which has amassed 3,359 photos, but feels it is difficult convincing professional photographers to contribute their photos.* * * *"Photography equipment is costly. You don't get any returns from uploading images on Commons. Only those who share this idea of free information are willing to do it," said Kannan, a former press photographer.* * * *Tinu Cherian, executive committee member of the Wikimedia India Chapter, agreed. "Releasing images for free use isn't a popular concept in India. And once your image is in the public domain, you are allowing people to use, share, alter the images (provided it is attributed) for both free and commercial purposes."* *However, Wikimedians (contributors to Wikimedia projects) insist you don't have to be a professional to submit your images.* * * *Vaishak Kallore from Kannur in Kerala believes it is amateur photographers in remote villages and towns in India who can be the most useful and generous contributors. "Professionals might not see it worth their while to take photos of seemingly mundane things. But there is a desperate need for such images to substantiate and inspire articles on India."* * * *From images of panoramas tostructures on the verge of extinction, almost nothing lies beyond the scope of Commons. * *And being a free repository, the images can be picked up for use by news publications, portals and blogs. However, Kannan said, Indian media companies often tend to use these images without giving credit to the photographers. "There is a need for greater awareness about free licensing. If there is proper attribution, more people will be encouraged to donate their photos."* * * *Explaining how government bodies in the US, especially NASA, release images into the public domain (including Commons) for free public education and use, Cherian said: "The biggest goldmine for Commons from India is actually the government. We haven't approached them officially yet, but we should be lobbying with them to come up with a similar policy." Want to donate your photos to Wikipedia? Visit www.commons.wikimedia.org* Regards Tinu Cherian http://wiki.wikimedia.in/In_the_news * * *Important Note : *The publisher ( DNA / Dainik Bhaskar ) of the above news article owns the copyrights of the article / content. Request to not kindly reproduce or circulate the content further. The information is only shared only with an internal community who is been featured on this article. All copyrights are duly acknowledged.

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please remove me from the mailing list
by Samridhi Sharma 16 Oct '11

16 Oct '11

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WikiConference India 2011!!
by sagar gupta 09 Oct '11

09 Oct '11

Hi, I am Sagar Gupta, a software engineer by profession at Amdocs Inc. I regularly keep browsing Wikipedia for information and knowledge. I wish to take part in this Conference. However, I need to ask whether I will get any letter or certificate of participation if I attend this. Waiting for prompt reply. -- Thanks & Regards, Sagar Gupta

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Fwd: [Press]: DNA / Dainik Bhaskar : "The rise of the Wikimedians" , "WikiConference India 2011: Wikimedians to visit Mumbai in November"
by CherianTinu Abraham 09 Oct '11

09 Oct '11

* DNA / Dainik Bhaskar : "The rise of the Wikimedians" , "WikiConference India 2011: Wikimedians to visit Mumbai in November"* http://epaper.dnaindia.com/epaperpdf/09102011/8sunday-pg4-0.pdf http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_wikimedians-to-meet-at-first-wikiconf… http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/MAH-MUM-wikiconference-india-2011-wikimedi… *Mumbai: This November, hundreds of Wikimedians will descend in Mumbai to plan their future course of action, convert the sceptics and inspire the believers. No, we're not talking about a foreign invasion although, if you ask a local Wikimedian, the concept of enabling free access to knowledge is still alien to most Indians.* * * *Wikimedians are contributors to any Wikimedia project, among which Wikipedia, the popular online encyclopedia generated wholly by user contributions, is just one component. And although the community here in India is still considerably small, the WikiConference India 2011, to be held between November 18 and November 20, is intended to become an annual national flagship event for Wikipedia/Wikimedia in the country.* * * *Already, 260 people have registered for the conference, many among whom, says Pranav Curumsey, chairperson of the conference, have never even edited on Wikipedia or attended the monthly community meet-ups that are held in various parts of the country. While this is encouraging news given the need for more awareness, the primary focus of the conference is to encourage offline connections and collaborations within the existing Wikimedia community.* * * *"We want to take the Wikimedian movement to the next step in India. We also want to share information on best practices that will help develop Indian language Wikipedias better," said Pranav, adding that a special track on Marathi Wikipedia is being planned for the conference which will be headed by the Pune community.* * * *As anyone who's ever edited an article on Wikipedia would acknowledge, it is the healthy exchange of opinions and its emphasis on neutral, verifiable information which has contributed to the online encyclopedia's success and its global appeal. But as more Wikimedians begin to interact offline, this utopian world-view is likely to get a reality check.* * * *As such, the Wikimedia movement in India is now at a crucial turning point. The Indian chapter in Bangalore was formally registered in January this year and the Wikimedia Foundation office in Delhi is currently in the process of hiring staff to begin a series of localised outreach activities to increase contributions and access to Indian language Wikipedias, many of which are languishing due to lack of awareness.* * * *In such a scenario, is a national conference premature? Most Indian Wikimedians would disagree. Arjuna Rao Chavala, president of the Wikimedia India Chapter and a contributor to Telugu Wikipedia, said, "When something is being done for the first time, challenges have to be faced. But there is a definite need for such a conference."* * * *Achal Prabhala, a Bangalore-based writer and member of the advisory board, Wikimedia Foundation, states, "In my involvement with Wikimedian communities in India and South Africa, I've found that personal connections made between people actually helps us achieve more. There are many active Wikipedians in different parts of India. This conference will be success if there are connections being made, say between someone in the northeast and somebody in Bangalore who decide to collaborate on a project."* * * *WikiConference India 2011 will be held at the Fort campus of Mumbai University between November 18 and November 20. To register as a participant, visit bit.ly/wci11 .* Regards Tinu Cherian http://wiki.wikimedia.in/In_the_news#Oct_2011 *Note : *The publisher ( DNA / Dainik Bhaskar ) of the above news article owns the copyrights of the article / content. Request to not kindly reproduce or circulate the content further. The information is only shared only with an internal community who have been featured on this article. All copyrights are duly acknowledged.

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Presenting "The India Chronicles"
by Hisham 08 Oct '11

08 Oct '11

cross-posting to reach pan-India; apologies if you have got it from other mailing lists. Hi Folks, A few months ago, the Foundation asked Tory Read to travel to India and listen and learn and write about the movement in India. The objective was to harvest experiences and learnings and to have an open discussion around what we could all do to further the movement. This isn't in the form of a (possibly) long & boring report - but in the form of a story. (Tory's a professional researcher, writer and former journalist.) To put this together, Tory travelled for a couple of weeks across Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and across towns in Kerala - attending community meet-ups and meeting up/speaking with a host of individual community members (in these cities and indeed beyond.) Tory's tale is called, "The India Chronicles", and is available on Wikimedia Commons: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_India_Chronicles_(150dpi).pdf Do have a read through and do share your views on it - positives and negatives - and do feel free to comment on any aspect of it. It would be wonderful to have an engaging conversation on this. Warmest Regards, hisham

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LOGO TYPO Re: FW: [Wikimediaindia-l] Feedback please: Logo concepts for India Hackathon
by Outofindia 06 Oct '11

06 Oct '11

Is the "TON" typo in all the logos deliberate? Isn't it a hack-a-thon Like a Marathon? I would avoid a religious or political symbol Regards Harriet Harriet Vidyasagar www.outofindia.net www.womenofindia.net INDIA: 91-99011 66276 USA: 1-301-649-2240 On Thu, Oct 6, 2011 at 10:40 AM, <wheredevelsdare(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > fyi > > ------------------------------ > From: alolita.sharma(a)gmail.com > Date: Wed, 5 Oct 2011 22:02:58 -0700 > To: wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org > CC: bharris(a)wikimedia.org > Subject: Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] Feedback please: Logo concepts for India > Hackathon > > Erik - thanks for posting these logo concepts. > > The rendering of "Mumbai" in devanagari is incorrect so that needs to be > fixed. > > My vote on designs: 4 or 3. > > It would also be great to get other suggestions from the local Mumbai / > India community. > > With best regards, > Alolita > > > On Wed, Oct 5, 2011 at 9:40 PM, Erik Moeller <erik(a)wikimedia.org> wrote: > > As GerardM noted the other day, we're planning a hackathon adjacent to > the WikiConference in Mumbai. > > We'd love feedback on some logo ideas that one of our designers put > together, particularly with an eye to picking a design that resonates > with the largest number of people without triggering any particular > sensibilities. As noted, ignore the script -- these are just concepts, > and we're looking for feedback on the visuals at this stage: > > http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/India_Hackathon_2011/Logo_concepts > > Any comments are welcome -- there's a comments section below each logo > concept. > > (If you'd like to add your own suggestion, please do so!) > > Thanks! > Erik > > > -- > Erik Möller > VP of Engineering and Product Development, Wikimedia Foundation > > Support Free Knowledge: http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Donate > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimediaindia-l mailing list > Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org > To unsubscribe from the list / change mailing preferences visit > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l > > > > _______________________________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing > list Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org To unsubscribe from the list / > change mailing preferences visit > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-in-mum mailing list > Wikimedia-in-mum(a)lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-in-mum > >

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WikiAcademy Mumbai 1 notes
by Pradeep Mohandas 06 Oct '11

06 Oct '11

hi, Warning: This is a loooonggg email. We held our first WikiAcademy in Mumbai on October 1, 2011 at the Center for Education and Documentation, Colaba. The session was attended by 24 attendees. Roughly, the sessions were: 1. Introduction 2. Creating accounts on Wikipedia 3. Introduction to the interface 4. Rules related to Wikipedia (5 Pillars, AGF etc.) 5. Go out and edit This was our first experience with such an Academy and hence this note is a bit detailed. Many of the folks who came had used Wikipedia but had hardly ever edited Wikipedia. There was a lot of questioning around the reliability of Wikipedia as a resource. We had the services of Vickram Crishna to answer these questions. After the round of introductions, we got them acquainted with accessing Wikipedia, familiarising them with the English Wikipedia main page. The attendees were very interested in learning how to edit Wikipedia and wanted to learn right from the creating accounts on Wikipedia stage. This we did, only to realise the limitation existed on creation of not more than 6 accounts per IP address. We got around this limitation by allowing people to register with dongles that a few people carried with them. Next time, perhaps making an upfront request to allow more account creations from a single IP address before the Academy might be a wise thing to do. Any other suggestions? Even after logging in the attendees appreciated a "Get to know your Screen" session. Pranav then shed some light on the rules of the Wikipedia (frankly, I have never read this until a few days before the Academy!). Kundan Amitabh also pitched in to help with a few that Pranav didn't know about. Kundan also urged them to not give up on Wikipedia if their articles or sections of articles were deleted. Keep trying! was the call! In the last go out and edit session, we allowed participants to edit what they liked. We moved among the audience helping where help was needed. We encouraged the users to use the various icons on the WYSIWIG editor rather than learn the Wikisyntax. We think that working on this for a few days will help them learn things on their own. There was a diverse audience with requests for specific follow up sessions. We think that we could have concluded more properly than we did. warm regards, Pradeep Mohandas PS: Apologies for the delay in posting this! -- Pradeep Mohandas How Pradeep uses email - http://goo.gl/6v1I9

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FW: [Wikimediaindia-l] Feedback please: Logo concepts for India Hackathon
by wheredevelsdare＠hotmail.com 06 Oct '11

06 Oct '11

fyi From: alolita.sharma(a)gmail.com Date: Wed, 5 Oct 2011 22:02:58 -0700 To: wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org CC: bharris(a)wikimedia.org Subject: Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] Feedback please: Logo concepts for India Hackathon Erik - thanks for posting these logo concepts. The rendering of "Mumbai" in devanagari is incorrect so that needs to be fixed. My vote on designs: 4 or 3. It would also be great to get other suggestions from the local Mumbai / India community. With best regards, Alolita On Wed, Oct 5, 2011 at 9:40 PM, Erik Moeller <erik(a)wikimedia.org> wrote: As GerardM noted the other day, we're planning a hackathon adjacent to the WikiConference in Mumbai. We'd love feedback on some logo ideas that one of our designers put together, particularly with an eye to picking a design that resonates with the largest number of people without triggering any particular sensibilities. As noted, ignore the script -- these are just concepts, and we're looking for feedback on the visuals at this stage: http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/India_Hackathon_2011/Logo_concepts Any comments are welcome -- there's a comments section below each logo concept. (If you'd like to add your own suggestion, please do so!) Thanks! Erik -- Erik Möller VP of Engineering and Product Development, Wikimedia Foundation Support Free Knowledge: http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Donate _______________________________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing list Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org To unsubscribe from the list / change mailing preferences visit https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l _______________________________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing list Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org To unsubscribe from the list / change mailing preferences visit https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l

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volunteering
by ramesh kamath 02 Oct '11

02 Oct '11

hello, My name is Ramesh Kamath I am interested to become a volunteer for the Wiki conference in Mumbai next month please consider my request regards ramesh kamath

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Re: [Wikimedia-in-mum] Indic Languages: Shiju Alex
by Shiju Alex 01 Oct '11

01 Oct '11

Dear Indic wikimedians, Thank you very much for the welcome messages and for making me feel at home. Over the past few years I have interacted with many of you for the various Indic Wiki related activities and we have done many successful projects. Thank you very much for all those wonderful projects. Now when we are moving to a different phase of growth of Wikimedia in India, I request more support from your side. To get started we shall together develop a plan for Indic language wikis and design few pilot projects to gain learnings to drive growth. I propose to develop this plan collaboratively and openly - in true wiki style. This will include focused Indic language meetups, virtual meetings, desk research and constantly synthesizing the findings from all of these into learnings. These learnings will then flow into pilots that we will implement and review and learn from. For this purpose, I will be using the following page http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_-_India_Programs/Indic_…. It is very preliminary right now - but will keep updating it. The page will give you a flavor of the kind of process and methodology I plan to use - and also give you a hint of the end output. However, I stress that is nothing more than a stub right now. So please provide your suggestions. I will be in touch soon and regularly on the next steps and I will keep you constantly posted on progress - both positive and whenever we face setbacks. The task is huge. The potential is even more massive. I will need a lot of your help. I invite and welcome and urge all of you to contribute to this process - during physical meetups, in virtual meetings, one-on-one conversations or meetings, on the talk page to the Indic Languages page and in any and every manner that you can imagine. As part of the India Programs of WMF, my official ID is shiju(a)wikimedia.org. You can reach me anytime regarding any WMF's Indic wiki related topic. Thanks Shiju On Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 7:24 AM, Hisham <hisham(a)wikimedia.org> wrote: > cross-posting to reach pan-India; apologies if you have got it from other > mailing lists. > > Dear All > > As I had mentioned in a previous posting (and as was so touchingly welcomed > by so many of of you), Shiju Alex is joining us to lead our Indic Languages > initiatives. In this mail ( > http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimediaindia-l/2011-July/003845.html), > I had indicated that he would join around September-October. > > I'm really pleased to inform you that he has now joined India Programs (on > September 24th.) > > Indic Languages is an important priority for us - and Shiju intends to > start work on this urgently. He'll be in touch shortly on this matter. > > Welcome aboard, Shiju! > > Warmest Regards, > > hisham > >

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Wikimedia-in-mum October 2011