Wikimedia-l February 2012

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[Foundation-l] Wikimedia India Chapter : Jan 2012 Report
by Naveen Francis 22 Feb '12

22 Feb '12

Dear all, Greetings from Wikimedia India !!! The Wikimedia Chapter (India) celebrated its first anniversary on 3rd January 2012. Organisational Updates Formation of Task Forces: The formation of the different task forces are still in progress. The various task forces are a) Fundraising, b) Special Projects, c) Administration, d) City and Language Special Interest Groups, and e) Communications, PR & Media Relations. We are seeking more volunteers for the task forces. If you are interested, please feel free to contact the respective task force stewards or find more information here [1] Membership: The Chapter membership stands at 196 members as of 31 January 2012. Six new members were added to the chapter membership in this month. We extend a very warm welcome to the family. Donations: Total donations received in Jan 2012 - INR 10700 Average donations in Jan 2012 - INR 3566 FCRA: Our application for prior permission under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act FCRA 2010, with the Government of India is under process. As the stated time for response is over recently, chapter will be following up with the authorities. [ As we write this report, our application was approved by the Government of India] Internet Relay Chat(IRCs): >From time to time, Wikimedia India conduct planned online IRC chat sessions. The IRC on Jan 05, 2011 was anchored by Sudhanwa Jogalekar with the focus on Chapter Specia Interest Groups (SIG) co-ordination [2]. The IRC on Jan 07, 2010, anchored by Arun Ramarathnam discussed on the Jan 15th Celebration plans, SIGs and GLAM projects. [3] Board Meetings: The Wikimedia Chapter Executive Committee had two tele-conference EC meetings (dated 04 Jan and 18 Jan, 2012) in the month of January.The Wikimedia India chapter and Wikimedia Foundation had one joint co-ordination call on 25 Jan 2012, which was attended by Arjuna Rao Chavala, Naveen Francis, Tinu Cherian and Hisham Mundol. The main agenda of the call was on Chapter - Foundation India programs Collaboration Framework . WikiConference 2011 The Chapter and Mumbai Conference organisers are working closely for the closure and audit of accounts related to WikiConference Mumbai 2011. Community & Special Interest Groups. SOPA and Wikipedia Blackout: The global community of volunteers who edit the English Wikipedia had decided to support the protest against the introduction of the “Stop Online Piracy Act” (SOPA) in the US House of Representatives and the “Protect IP Act” in the US Senate. To that end, the English Wikipedia was blacked out globally for a period of 24 hours on 18 January 2012. The black out in India commenced at 10.30am IST on 18 January 2012. The Press release and Communication to the members related to Wikipedia Blackout can found here [4],[5]. Wikipedia eleventh anniversary : Wikipedia turned eleven on the 15th of January 2012. The eleventh anniversary of Wikipedia was celebrated in different parts of the country [6]. More than 8 Indian cities and towns and over 200 Wikimedians & Wiki enthusiasts celebrated this occasion of Wikipedia anniversary, around the nation. Some of the meetups had a Wikipedia anniversary cake to celebrate the occasion. Google Hangout was also conducted between different cities celebrating at the same time. The New Wikimedia India portal ( wikimedia.in ) was launched on this day. It is designed to provide quick and rapid access to Indic wikimedia projects - Wikipedia, Wiktionary, Wikisource, Wikibooks, Wikinews, Wikiquote and Commons. A full collection of images related to the celebrations, around the nation, can be found here [7]. Events: A round-up of Wikimedia events, academies and initiatives around the nation is as follows. Wikipedia Takes Ahmedabad (3 Jan 2012): Wikipedia Takes Ahmedabad [8] is a scavenger hunt for free content photography in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, organised by Noopur Raval , Anirudh Bhati and Srikeit Tadepalli. The aim of this exercise is to encourage participants to compete to take photographs of as many local sights and city specific objects of cultural heritage as possible for Wikipedia articles. Over 75 participants attended and around 815 images were uploaded to the Wikimedia Commons as a part of this initiative [9]. Wikipedia Takes Mumbai II ( 28 Jan 2012) : This is the second photography drive in Mumbai. [10] The event was led by Nikita Belavate, Anshuman Fotedar and Karthik Nadar and other members of the Mumbai Community. Over 625 images were uploaded to the Wikimedia Commons as a part of this initiative [11] Wiki Academies/Workshops : Several Wiki Academies were held in different parts of the nation , organised and conducted by the Chapter, its members ,WMF India Programs and the Wikimedia community in India. . a) Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi , Kerala (05-Jan) [12] b) Workshop at Text100, Mumbai (webcast to Text100 Delhi and Bangalore) (06-Jan) [13] c) SSN College of Engineering, Chennai (11-Jan ) [14] d) P S R Rengasamy college of engineering for women, Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu. (20-Jan) [15] e) Netaji Subhash Engineering College, Kolkata, West Bengal (25-Jan) [16] f) Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal (25-Jan) [17] g) Amrita School of Communication, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu (28-Jan) (18) h) Jamia Millia Islamia, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Delhi (30-Jan) [19] i) Kerala Sahitya Academy, Trissur, Kerala (8-Jan) [20] j) Jnana Prabodhini - Wikiacademy, Pune (15-Jan) [21] A session on Commons was conducted for photography group called ‘Tassavurrati’. [22] They have successfully started uploading pictures of their trips (most recent: Surajkund Mela) to the Wkimedia Commons. Other News: - Telugu SIG celebrated the Wikipedia day on 29 Jan 2012 at Hyderabad. Top 10 contributors in the articles category and non article category were recognised at the function. [23] - Sanskrit Wikipedia saw an excellent editor growth (50%) compared to last month, and a 234% increase in the number of edits. - The 1st Delhi Odia Wikimeetup and Academy was conducted on 29 Jan 2012 by Odia SIG Chair and WMF India Programs Consultant , Subhashish Panigraphi. [24] - One of the first Assamese Wikipedia community meetup and Wikipedia Workshop was held on Jan 29 at Guwahati University, Guwahati, Assam [25] Milestones & Anniversaries January 2012 24 - The Sanskrit Wiktionary <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sa:> has reached 200 entries with the addition of over a dozen entries all apparently meaning "sun". 20 - The Divehi Wikipedia<http://wiki.wikimedia.in/index.php?title=Dv:&action=edit&redlink=1>has reached 100,000 page edits. - The Assamese Wikipedia<http://wiki.wikimedia.in/index.php?title=As:&action=edit&redlink=1>has reached 500 uploaded files. 17 - The Bengali Wikipedia<http://wiki.wikimedia.in/index.php?title=Bn:&action=edit&redlink=1>has reached 1,000 uploaded files. - The Oriya Wikipedia<http://wiki.wikimedia.in/index.php?title=Or:&action=edit&redlink=1>has reached 2,000 articles. 15 - The Bengali Wikipedia<http://wiki.wikimedia.in/index.php?title=Bn:&action=edit&redlink=1>has reached 1,000 uploaded files. - The Urdu Wiktionary <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ur:> has reached 10,000 entries. 13 - Wikimedia Commons <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/> has reached 12,000,000 files. - The Tamil Wikibooks<http://wiki.wikimedia.in/index.php?title=B:ta:&action=edit&redlink=1>has reached 10,000 page edits. 10 - The English Wikibooks<http://wiki.wikimedia.in/index.php?title=B:&action=edit&redlink=1>has reached 40,000 book modules. 7 - The Marathi Wikipedia<http://wiki.wikimedia.in/index.php?title=Mr:&action=edit&redlink=1>has reached 100,000 total pages. - The Assamese Wikipedia<http://wiki.wikimedia.in/index.php?title=As:&action=edit&redlink=1>has reached 1,000 articles. Media Coverage There was a huge coverage for Wikipedia on Indian media in this month, mainly related to Wikipedia Blackout. A comprehensive list of the coverage can be found here [24] We look forward to your continued support and active participation. Report compiled by Executive members,SIG chairs and The Communications team. Best, On behalf of Wikimedia Chapter (India) Naveen Francis Secretary Notes: 1) http://members.wikimedia.in/Main_Page#Task_forces 2) http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Internet_Relay_Chats/Jan_05,2012 3) http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Internet_Relay_Chats/Jan_07,2012 4) http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Press_Releases/2012/_English_Wikipedia_to_go_dark_… 5) http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Announcements/Communication_regarding_SOPA_and_Wik… 6) http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Eleven 7) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_11_in_India 8) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Takes_Ahmedabad 9) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Ahmedabad_1 10) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Takes_Mumbai_II 11) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_Takes_Mumbai_2 12) http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Wiki_Academy/Cochin_University_of_Science_and_Tech… 13) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Workshop/Mumbai_Workshop_2 14) http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Wiki_Academy/SSN_College_of_Engineering,_Chennai 15) http://wiki.wikimedia.in/P_S_R_Rengasamy_college_of_engineering_for_women,_… 16) http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Wiki_Academy/Netaji_Subhash_Engineering_College 17) http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Wiki_Academy/Jadavpur_University 18) http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Wiki_Academy/Amrita_School_of_Communication,_Coimb… 19) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:MDHJMI1 20) http://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:WATSR2 21) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/Pune/W11_celebration_Pune_wit… 22) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tassavurrati_1.jpg 23) http://te.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B0%B5%E0%B0%BF%E0%B0%95%E0%B1%80%E0%B0%AA%… 24) http://or.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:MDEL1 25) http://as.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A7%B1%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AA%… 24) http://wiki.wikimedia.in/In_the_news#Jan_2012

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Re: [Foundation-l] Communicating effectively: Wikimedia needs clear language now
by Chris Keating 22 Feb '12

22 Feb '12

I'd recommend George Orwell's essay on "Politics and the English Language". It's one of the most persuasive arguments to use clear language I've read. http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm We're a multi-lingual movement, and this makes clear English even more important. If something is unclear to a native speaker, it's even more difficult for someone who has English as a second or third language. Chris

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[Foundation-l] The 'Undue Weight' of Truth on Wikipedia (from the Chronicle) + some citation discussions
by Andrew Lih 21 Feb '12

21 Feb '12

Mike Godwin wrote: > I read the article in the Chronicle pretty carefully. The author's > experience struck me as an example of a pattern that may account for > the flattening of the growth curve in new editors as well as for some > other phenomena. As you may remember, Andrew Lih conducted a > presentation on "the policy thicket" at Wikimania almost five years > ago. The wielding of policy by long-term editors, plus the rewriting > of the policy so that it is used to undercut NPOV rather than preserve > it, strikes me as worth talking about. Mike, thanks for the re-mention, and that same thing definitely stuck out to me. We have hit upon perhaps the perfect Achilles Hell of Wikipedia with this case -- conscientious, non-combative user tries to reason with the veteran editor crowd and gets rebuffed. After two years comes back with well-crafted scholarship to support his case but gets tossed the book of overly-broad policy that has accumulated in the interest of combating specific cases of minority and fringe content. What winds up happening is that it filters out legitimate contributions and potential excellent contributors. I've buried the lede, but tomorrow (Wednesday) I'll be on NPR's Talk of the Nation radio show with Timothy Messer-Kruse himself, to talk about his experiences. Tune in, and feel free to send questions/comments my way (that are helpful!) -Andrew

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Re: [Foundation-l] [Langcom-l] EFE: Indigenous languages entering Wikipedia
by Osmar Valdebenito 21 Feb '12

21 Feb '12

2012/2/21 Michael Everson <everson(a)evertype.com> > On 20 Feb 2012, at 18:23, Osmar Valdebenito wrote: > > > But there are several problems, especially with Mapudungun Wikipedia. > Currently, ISO code for Mapudungun is arn from Araucanian, an offensive > word used by the Spanish and Chilean conquerors till the past century. > > What is offensive about it? To an English-speaker it simply looks like > some sort of place-name. > > I'm not a Mapuche person so I'm not the one to say why are they offended. One of the etymologies for Araucanian is "savage", "barbarian" and "enemy", used first by the Incas and then by Spanish and Chilean conquerors. It is not longer used anymore and today is totally outdated. Not in English, not in Spanish. For me, it is not a big deal... but, as I said, I am not a Mapuche person... but I know it is important for them and we must deal with their sensitivities. Using "araucano" or any derivation would be like using the N-word, trust me. But these sentivities are important for all our movement, especially if we are dealing with different cultures and different backgrounds. We have seen those cases before with, for example, the portraits of Muhammed or other issues when our culture clashes with other. > > That name is also used by Unicode for their translation (and so, it is > used in our {{#language}} magic word). > > Unicode does not make "translations", so I do not know what you mean. I > also not know what "it is used in our {{#language}} magic word)" means. > Sorry, I meant localization. {{#language}} is a magic word for MediaWiki that shows the localized name of a language. {{#language:es}} would be <Spanish> at English Wikipedia, <Español> in Spanish Wikipedia and <Wingkazugun> in Mapudungun Wikipedia, just to name few. Currently {{#language:arn}} says <Araucanian> and <Araucano> for English and Spanish and, as I said before, it is not only pejorative and offensive but also outdated and wrong. In fact, as you said earlier, the name used by the ISO code for arn in English is Mapudungun and not Araucanian. To be honest, this is a minor issue and I just wanted to correct something it is wrong. The real problem is with the ISO code. > > The use of the code for the community is a serious issue... nobody would > like to work in a project with an offensive word attached to it. > > Standardization bodies have to deal with stability. If you retire a code > it can't be used by any one else. And if "arn" were retired and something > else were established for Mapudungun, that would result in one less > three-letter code available for *other* languages which do not yet have > codes. Those minorities also deserve a chance, do they not? > Although it is true that standarizations have to deal with stability, it also tries to reflect the truth. There have been several changes for different ISO standards; not sure about ISO 639 about languages (it is difficult that a language can change) but for example, there have been a lot of changes on ISO 3166 about contries: HV changed to BF when Alto Volta was renamed Burkina Faso, for example. Considering 26 letters on the alphabet and three letters per code, there are 17.576 different combinations. Currently, less than 500 are being used. I'm pretty sure a change on the code won't affect other minorities. > > We have been trying to contact the ISO authority and also the US Library > of the Congress (which is in charge of ISO 639-1) but we didn't get an > answer. > > LOC is in charge of 639-2, which is relevant. And if you look at > http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/code_list.php you will see that > by the code "arn" the name "Araucanian" does *not* appear. > No, Araucanian is not longer used, but the code is. And that is the code every Mapudungun speaker will use on their own Wikipedia. And "arn" doesn't seem like random letters to asign that language. Of course, they will (and are) upset. > > I know that the Language Committee has an strict rule about the use of > ISO code but I think this is an exceptional case where the use of that code > is a really sensitive issue that could damage any development. > > Why is this "really sensitive"? And what specific remedy do you want? > > Michael Everson * http://www.evertype.com/ > > I think I said before why it is sensitive and shouldn't be used. My proposal would be to look for an alternative language code for use on Wikimedia projects instead of arn. There are available codes at ISO (for example, mpg or mpn) although they can be used on the future. Other codes (for example, map) is used for a group of languages, not for a single language, so it probably won't be used on Wikipedia. And other option could be using a diferent code, for example mapu, that won't clash with any other project.

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[Foundation-l] Reminder: IRC office hours with the localization team tomorrow
by Steven Walling 21 Feb '12

21 Feb '12

Hi all! Just a quick reminder that you're invited to join the WMF localization team at 1800 UTC tomorrow. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Steven Walling <swalling(a)wikimedia.org> Date: Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 10:46 AM Subject: IRC office hours with the localization team, on International Mother Language Day To: Wikimedia Foundation Mailing List <foundation-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org> Hi everyone, I just wanted to give some advance notice about IRC office hours with the localization team [1] at the Wikimedia Foundation, which will be aptly held on International Mother Language Day.[2] Date: 2011-02-21 Time: 18.00 UTC Venue: #wikimedia-office As usual, more logistical info and time conversion links are available on Meta.[3] For a taste of what the localization team has been up to, I highly recommend the blog posts they've been writing regularly.[4] Thanks, and we'll talk to you later this month! -- Steven Walling, Wikimedia Foundation 1. https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Localisation_team 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Mother_Language_Day 3. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/IRC_office_hours 4. http://blog.wikimedia.org/c/technology/features/internationalization-and-lo… -- Steven Walling https://wikimediafoundation.org/

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[Foundation-l] EFE: Indigenous languages entering Wikipedia
by Osmar Valdebenito 21 Feb '12

21 Feb '12

Hi everyone! Yesterday, news agency EFE published a note about the work done mainly by Wikimedia Argentina about the development of projects in Native American languages like aymara, guarani and mapudungun. The news have been replied in the largest newspapers and websites of Latin America and Spain. The work to develop Wikimedia projects in Native American languages have been taken as a priority for the chapters members of Iberocoop (Wikimedia Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Venezuela) and we expect this year 2012 to work in the development of those communities of users and editors. But we expect also the support of the Language Committee and the Wikimedia Foundation for this work. http://www.que.es/201202171651-lenguas-indigenas-abren-paso-wikipedia-efe.h… Here is a fast translation to English of the article (sorry for my English btw): Indigenous languages like Guaraní and Mapuche are making their way into Wikipedia with the help offered by the editors of the colorful encyclopedia to teachers and students of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), the largest in Argentina. These presentations for teachers and students of Guaraní and Mapuche in the Language Center of the UBA wants to "promote the development of content in versions that are underrepresented on the Internet," said Patricio Lorente, president of Wikimedia Argentina, local official of the encyclopedia. The training courses were held at the headquarters of the university in late 2011 and are planned to be repeated this year to expand the initiative. The editors of this South American country contacted with users of neighboring Bolivia promote the incorporation of content in Aymara, one of the main indigenous languages of that country, but is also spoken in parts of Argentina, Peru and Chile. According to Unesco, language preservation is a challenge considering the danger of extinction that half of the 6,000 languages in the world are facing. "We are concerned about the preservation of culture. That is why we teach to those who speak these languages about Wikipedia editing rules," said the head of the subsidiary in Argentina, with an indigenous population of about 600,000 people, according to official estimates. Currently, the encyclopedia has about 1,500 items in Guaraní and another 1,700 in Aymara, while the Mapuche or Mapudungun, as is known, is still in "experimental phase", he said. However, in other Indian languages such as Quechua, used in Argentina and six other South American countries, the experience is more extensive, with some 16,000 articles entered. "With the Mapudungun there are some additional problems because until recently it had no writing. And, according to the communities, they have different ways of writing by region. So we are seeing the possibility of applying a technical solution so everyone can view the articles in their own dialect," said Lorente. The main Mapuche community is in Chile, where some 600,000 members concentrated mainly in the region of La Araucania, and also extends to the Argentine Patagonia, with a hundred thousand members. For its part, the Guarani is one of the two official languages of Paraguay, alongside Spanish, but also has strong presence in northern Argentina, especially in the province of Corrientes, which is valid for the authorities. In general, articles entered in "Vikipeta", the Guarani version of the encyclopedia, are small in size and are mostly associated with geo-referenced with data on Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil, among others. The editors of the site believe that the poverty facing these peoples should not be an obstacle to greater difussion of their languages, especially when those are the only languages some of them know. "They have a very strong linguistic identity and vocation for the preservation of the language. And Wikipedia is an encyclopedia in permanent construction that seeks to incorporate more and more content like this," he said Lorente. For that, the local site editors also prepared a manual for editing in Wikipedia to be delivered to recipients of the training. Osmar Valdebenito Gaete Presidente de Wikimedia Chile http://www.wikimediachile.cl

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Re: [Foundation-l] The 'Undue Weight' of Truth on Wikipedia (from the Chronicle) + some citation discussions
by Mike Godwin 21 Feb '12

21 Feb '12

Jussi-ville writes: >> The policy, misused in the course of POV struggle, is a way of excluding >> information with interferes with presentation of a desired point of view. > > I think you are being way too generous. ... Let me repeat in more concise form. > The policy was written to enable serious work on hard topics, it as it > stands, hinders work, making it hard to edit simple facts. I think the article in The Chronicle of Higher Education is a must-read. Here you have a researcher who actually took pains to learn what the rules to editing Wikipedia are (including No Original Research), and who, instead of trying to end-run WP:NOR, waited years until the article was actually published before trying to modify the Haymarket article. To me, this is a particularly fascinating case because the author's article, unlike the great majority of sources for Wikipedia articles, was peer-reviewed -- this means it underwent academic scrutiny that the newspapers, magazines, and other popular sources we rely on never undergo. I think the problem really is grounded in the UNDUE WEIGHT policy itself, as written, and not in mere misuse of the policy. --Mike

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[Foundation-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] The Signpost -- Volume 8, Issue 08 -- 20 February 2012
by Wikipedia Signpost 20 Feb '12

20 Feb '12

Special report: The plight of the new page patrollers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2012-02-20/Specia… News and notes: Fundraiser row continues, new director of engineering http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2012-02-20/News_a… Discussion report: Discussion on copyrighted files from non-US relation states http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2012-02-20/Discus… WikiProject report: WikiProject Poland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2012-02-20/WikiPr… Featured content: The best of the week http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2012-02-20/Featur… Arbitration report: Civility enforcement closed, proposed decision in TimidGuy, two cases remain open http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2012-02-20/Arbitr… Technology report: Major strands of development cycle coalesce as 1.19 is deployed to first wikis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2012-02-20/Techno… Single page view http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signpost/Single PDF version http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book:Wikipedia_Signpost/2012-02-20 http://identi.ca/wikisignpost / https://twitter.com/wikisignpost -- Wikipedia Signpost Staff http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost _______________________________________________ Please note: all replies sent to this mailing list will be immediately directed to Foundation-L, the public mailing list about the Wikimedia Foundation and its projects. For more information about Foundation-L: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l _______________________________________________ WikimediaAnnounce-l mailing list WikimediaAnnounce-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaannounce-l

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Re: [Foundation-l] foundation-l Digest, Vol 95, Issue 73
by Mike Godwin 20 Feb '12

20 Feb '12

Fred Bauder writes: > We're talking past one another. It is obvious to me that the author of > the Chronicle article should have been able to add his research without > difficulty, at least after it was published. You're right, Fred. We actually were talking past each other, and primary blame for that belongs to me: I read your posting standing alone without fully grasping the context. My apologies for my misreading it, Fred. --Mike

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Re: [Foundation-l] The 'Undue Weight' of Truth on Wikipedia
by Robin McCain 19 Feb '12

19 Feb '12

On 2/19/2012 8:19 AM, foundation-l-request(a)lists.wikimedia.org wrote: > Message: 4 > Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:12:09 -0300 > From: Sarah<slimvirgin(a)gmail.com> > To:mnemonic@gmail.com, Wikimedia Foundation Mailing List > <foundation-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org> > Subject: Re: [Foundation-l] The 'Undue Weight' of Truth on Wikipedia > (from the Chronicle) + some citation discussions > Message-ID: > <CAM4=keLJS_1-tRdFruVXzzA48dJAzB0wgmK+ArCaLf_oDnxyJQ(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > On Sun, Feb 19, 2012 at 6:44 AM, Mike Godwin<mnemonic(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> > Jussi-ville writes: >> > >>>> >>> The policy, misused in the course of POV struggle, is a way of excluding >>>> >>> information with interferes with presentation of a desired point of view. ... >>> >> >> > >> > I think the article in The Chronicle of Higher Education is a >> > must-read. Here you have a researcher who actually took pains to learn >> > what the rules to editing Wikipedia are (including No Original >> > Research), and who, instead of trying to end-run WP:NOR, waited years >> > until the article was actually published before trying to modify the >> > Haymarket article. To me, this is a particularly fascinating case >> > because the author's article, unlike the great majority of sources for >> > Wikipedia articles, was peer-reviewed -- this means it underwent >> > academic scrutiny that the newspapers, magazines, and other popular >> > sources we rely on never undergo. >> > >> > I think the problem really is grounded in the UNDUE WEIGHT policy >> > itself, as written, and not in mere misuse of the policy. >> > >> > >> > --Mike > I agree. It's the way UNDUE is written that is problematic, and it has > led, for years, to significant-minority viewpoints being excluded -- > on the grounds that the views are not sufficiently well-represented by > reliable sources; or that the reliable sources, even if peer-reviewed, > belong to the wrong field. > > Sarah > The origin of these policies in theoretical physics is mind boggling - how can you stretch something that applies to unproven theoretical entries to also apply to real world facts? To claim that a subject is inconsequential, advertising or not important as a basis for killing a new entry is a BIG reason why_new contributors are so discouraged_ that they go away rather than deal with the obstacles to making a new entry stay active and be available for others to add to in the future. The learning curve is steep enough without someone telling you your efforts aren't wanted. I've fought several of these battles with pig headed editors who claim that a new factual or biographical entry isn't important enough to be accepted. Sometimes it is easy to refute them, but they often ignore evidence based in brick & mortar publications of a reputable nature. For example - lookup "virtual valley" on Wikipedia. The closest result currently up is "Metro Silicon Valley", which is related. However the editor who killed the virtual valley entry did not bother to find this entry (and perhaps suggest they be merged). Instead that person claimed it was blatant advertising and could not be bothered to look at historical evidence online and elsewhere to the contrary. I lost that time - and it put such a bad tase in my mouth that I haven't troubled myself to spend any more time trying to publish anything on Wikipedia. Who won?

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Wikimedia-l February 2012