I agree they are but I'm interested in other volunteers who may or may not be editors.
Thanks, Richard
-------- Original message --------
From: Dirk Franke <dirk.franke(a)wikimedia.de>
Date: 22/06/2014 21:21 (GMT+10:00)
To: richard(a)ames.id.au,Wikimedia Mailing List <wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
Subject: Re: [Wikimedia-l] How many volunteers (not editors) does the movement have????
Hi Richard,
Just wondering: why are editors not volunteers?
best,
On Wed, Jun 18, 2014 at 6:58 PM, Fæ <faewik(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> In the meantime, it might be an idea for folks to avoid claiming that
> any issue that pops up on Commons can be solved in Wikidata, unless
> they can produce a working case study rather than discussion about
> proposals.
One of the Commons parts that could benefit most from Wikidata are the
content pages, aka Galleries. Right now they are volunteer-maintained and
they look like this:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia
But it doesn't need to be so, these pages could be automated, so the page
is composed by querying images and sorting them automatically. Of course
volunteer intervention would be also needed to define the queries, but it
would be more sustainable than now (i.e. the page would be automatically
updated with new images if they meet the query criteria).
To achieve this it would be necessary to re-think Galleries, and consider
other paradigms, like that used by IMSLP.
Check for instance:
http://imslp.org/wiki/Tristan_und_Isolde,_WWV_90_(Wagner,_Richard)
That is a page for the work, and the different expressions/files are
structured in one page. This structure however is volunteer-maintained, but
it is to consider each file as a metadata container, and the section as the
result of a query. This approach is not followed in Commons, that is more
"category-oriented".
Going back to the original "Sagrada Familia" gallery example:
- the header data can be extracted from Wikidata with a Lua template. That
can be done now, no need to wait, just needs a Lua template and connect
with Wikidata via sitelink.
- each section would be a query for instance "depicts:sagrada familia AND
depicts:exterior".
- each file would be needed to be tagged accordingly with structured data,
and it would show up in the gallery page.
Galleries, thus, would become the hub where all media related to a subject
could be accessed. That, of course, would be too many images, considering
that just the "Towers of Sagrada familia" category has 159 images:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Towers_of_the_Sagrada_Fam%C3%AD…
That means that it would be needed to limit query results and define
criteria to decide which images to show, and let the user expand the full
query when wished.
Or another page (gallery) could be created for the "Towers of Sagrada
familia", which in turn could contain more queries for further details
about the the towers "depicts:sagrada familia AND depicts:exterior AND
depicts:right tower AND NOT depicts:left tower".
Categories would be rendered superfluous, with the focus shifted towards
maintaining queries and the proper description of image files with
structured data.
Anyhow, these are just some ideas to show that there are different ways of
working with media that might be more effective in the long run.
Cheers,
Micru
Earlier today, I used the Gmane.org gateway to send a message to this
mailing list in response to the "Iraqi 2014 elections thread" started
by GerardM.
Here is the content of my message (typed from memory):
Have you tried Google yet? It is a search engine that lets
you search for information easily and accurately (most of
the time).
The Wikidata entry for Google is at
<https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9366>.
Hope this helps!
Tomasz
I was surprised to receive a notification saying that my e-mail was
rejected by an unnamed moderator (as all e-mails sent to the list
through Gmane have to be accepted before being sent on), with the
following reason: "Your message was deemed inappropriate by the
moderator."
I would like the unknown moderator to — please — explain to me what
was so inappropriate in my message that they had to reject it.
Thank you!
--
Tomasz
Hi,
I really liked the way the comments are implemented on this website
https://medium.com/the-physics-arxiv-blog/5e7ed624986d
Basically the comments are associated to each paragraph, and a little
number appears next to it. When clicking it, it displays the comments. I
can imagine that it would also make sense on wikipedia, where most comments
are related to specific points in the text.
The article itself is also worth a read ;-)
Cheers,
Micru
Hoi,
Where can I find a list of the results of the Iraqi elections of 2014 for
the Council of Representatives?
I am looking in the list for the names in English, preferably with Arabic
and Kurdish as well. The names of the parties represented, When it is known
that they are incumbent, it would be really nice :)
The objective is to include all of this information in Wikidata.
Thanks,
GerardM
As GerardM mentioned in the thread relating to the Berlin conference,
wikiconferences are an opportunity for wikimedians to come together to
share in knowledge.
New York Magazine published an article on the conference which gives
us great insight into everything that is wrong with the wiki
culture.[1]
Out of curiosity, what was the total cost to "the movement" for this
knowledge sharing opportunity, and do people consider it money well
spent given the golden sound bytes the conference generated in the
media?
Cheers
Russavia
[1] http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/06/love-and-drama-at-the-wikipedi…
Hello all
We're looking for extra hands to help with he smooth running of this
year's Wikimania, so I and the rest of the team would be extremely
grateful if any of you would consider giving a few hours of your time.
We will need volunteers to:
staff the registration desk, especially on Wednesday, Friday, and
Saturday, when we expect to be at our busiest
moderate/invigilate sessions
direct attendees around the venue, and between the venue and other
points (eg tube stations and hotels)
staff the information desk, assisting attendees with queries
help with streaming/recording sessions.
That's a non-exhaustive list, but if any of those roles appeal to you, or
if you're interested in helping in another capacity, please complete the
form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1dzXSoAnHF6StkBA2mKIklse6gZA6Uw-EIT2egTLC3e…
or email me with any questions at harry(a)wikimanialondon.org. Being an
editor is not a prerequisite, so please do share this with anyone else
you think might be interested.
For those of you in or around London (which I appreciate is a minority on
this list), we are holding informal social events for volunteers in the
weeks running up to Wikimania so that volunteers can get to know each
other and get to know the the team, and these will be a great opportunity
to learn more about Wikimania and get involved. These are scheduled for
Sunday evenings: 22 June, 6 July, and 20 July (18:00-20:00); if there is
significant demand, we may consider scheduling further events. If you'd
like to come to any of these events, please let Harry know by email
(harry(a)wikimanialondon.org) or sign up on the wiki at
https://wikimania2014.wikimedia.org/wiki/Volunteer_drinks.
Any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Thanks,
Chris McKenna
Wikimania 2014 Support
Wikimedia UK
----
Chris McKenna
personal email: cmckenna(a)sucs.org
work email: chris.mckenna(a)wikimedia.org.uk
The essential things in life are seen not with the eyes,
but with the heart
Antoine de Saint Exupery
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Thanks!
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The Wikipedia Library
<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/The_Wikipedia_Library>
For those who have not seen it yet, on June 13th the third installment in a
series of regular blog posts by the members of the Wikimedia Foundation
Board of Trustees was posted on the Wikimedia blog. This month’s post was
written by Board member Bishakha Datta on the topic of leadership within
the complex structures of the Wikimedia Foundation. The post is available
in English.
From: https://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/06/13/through-thick-and-thin/
Through Thick And Thin
Posted by Bishakha Datta on June 13, 2014
*This post is part of an ongoing series of monthly blog posts by members of
the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees that aims to shed light on the
function, responsibilities and inner workings of the Board.*
I’ve often thought you need the thin skin of an amphibian and the thick
hide of a rhinoceros to be a trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation. Your skin
must be thin enough to allow different ideas, voices, thoughts and
perspectives to permeate, including those most distant or different from
your own – openness is an inherent aspect of leadership. At the same time,
it must be thick enough to weed out distractions and inessentials. And of
course, your mind must be capable of knowing the difference.
What makes leadership complex in Wikimedia is its vast, diverse and
decentralized nature. Like the movement itself, the 10 of us on the
Wikimedia Foundation board come from different cultures, continents,
backgrounds and experiences – all of which shape how we understand power
and leadership. And all of which determine, to some extent, the kinds of
leaders we aspire to be or will become.
Let’s dive a bit deeper into this. In companies or corporations where the
notion of hierarchy is accepted, power can flow directly up or down in a
straight line. In academics, the teacher-learner dynamic provides cues for
the exercise of power and leadership. In the women’s rights movement, which
is part of my background, power is a dirty word and erasing power
inequalities between genders is an explicit goal. Thus leadership here
cannot be overt or heavy-handed; it has to be subtle and implicit, more
circular and collective, sometimes even veiled. In the sex workers’ rights
movement, of which I am a long-time ally, we turn power on its head and
equip unlettered sex workers or the ‘powerless’ to become leaders. This
requires supportive ‘outsiders’ to consciously step back and transfer some
of their own skills and power to ‘insiders’.
As WMF trustees, we exercise leadership through a mix of methods, from the
invisible to the visible, the implicit to the explicit and the subtle to
the evident. One of our most commonplace, yet most profound, acts of
leadership is upholding shared values and principles, an everyday act that
we take almost for granted. Let’s take consensus, which is a movement-wide
principle. [1] On the WMF board, we regularly strive for consensus in our
decision-making, while understanding that consensus is not unanimity. This
is done through certain routinely followed processes. For example, at our
board meetings, virtual or physical, each trustee is given a chance to
speak on each agenda item. This may sound basic, but this is essential to
give everyone a voice. This round-robin technique ensures that newer
trustees are not hesitant to speak, brings diverse views to the table,
prevents any one trustee or viewpoint from dominating the discussion, or
the formation of cliques or lobbies advocating a particular perspective.
And it ensures we don’t get entrenched in our individual positions – as
long as we are honest enough to admit we may not have all the answers in
our heads. And open enough to changing our minds in the face of better
evidence, arguments and insights.
And as each trustee voices his or her thoughts, never repeating what has
already been said, but plus-oneing, adding, sifting, sorting, shading,
unconsidered points and nuances appear on the table, the conversation
starts to round out – and commonalities, or the building blocks of
consensus, start to emerge. I find this process almost magical – and
Wikipedian in the sense that our collective decisions are built through our
individual contributions that we share with one another, just like our
articles.
Another way we exercise leadership is by using our influence, but this is
done sparingly, modestly and in a peer-to-peer manner that fosters equality
in keeping with our values. An encouraging nod, supportive email or helping
hand where it can make a difference, a candid behind-the-scenes
conversation when it’s called for, sometimes calling a spade a spade, or a
banana a banana rather than an elongated yellow fruit. There is
satisfaction at having done the right thing, even though no one may be
there to witness it.
Leadership is often misunderstood only as flaunting one’s power, but it is
as much about recognizing and accepting the impact, and the limits of
power. As WMF trustees, we entrust the Executive Director to make or
implement certain decisions; that is what delegation of power is all about.
In theory, delegating power is easy, like building consensus. In practice,
it means exercising a different kind of leadership, one which knows how and
when to step back just as much as it knows when and how to step forward.
You have to keep moving between the spotlight and the shadows to be an
effective leader.
In this sense, good leadership also means allowing others to lead and
creating the space and conditions to do so; as Board liaisons or observers
to Board-created committees such as the Affiliations Committee or the Funds
Dissemination Committee we must constantly ensure that our presence
encourages accountability but does not prevent others from exercising their
leadership. At the same time, we must know when to step in and provide
needed guidance or suggest improvements. Ask tough questions when they must
be asked. And explain Board decisions that may not be popular but that we,
as trustees, consider meaningful for the movement.
All in all, leadership is a balancing act, a bit like walking on a
tightrope. Lean too far ahead and you’re too much of a leader. Lean too far
back and you’re not enough of a leader. How can one command leadership
while continually deconstructing hierarchies of power? How can one
challenge thinking that has fossilized and inspire others to think in
different ways? How can one bring one’s personal experiences and influences
to the boardroom while putting aside one’s personal agendas? How can one
have skin that is both thick and thin? How can one see the trees without
missing the woods – or the big picture – in the same gaze? And finally, how
can we think not just of the needs of today, but also those of tomorrow?
As trustees the ultimate challenge before us is to be many-splendoured
things, as per this Buddhist model of leadership: sometimes “visionary (or
mission-driven, mission above all else, including constituent interests and
noise),” sometimes “role model (exemplary figure, does what he says,
someone who can be respected and emulated, lead by example),” sometimes
balanced “(impartiality in judgement rather than resolving conflict),”
sometimes “manager (ability to delegate),” sometimes “protector (of the
movement, wellbeing of the community),” sometimes “showing the way (inspire
others to their full potential).” [2] Or as one 11-year-old girl simplified
it to her mother: “Leadership is helping others, particularly through
difficult times. They need to show that this is the way you could go for
your future.” [3] I’ll plus one her on that.
*Bishakha Datta (User:Bishdatta) has been serving on the WMF Board of
Trustees since 2010. *
--
Carlos Monterrey
Communications Associate
Wikimedia Foundation
+1.415.839.6885 ext 6881
www.wikimediafoundation.orgblog.wikimedia.org
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Hi, everyone.
I just wanted to let you know, so you could mark your calendars if
interested, that the June and July IRC office hour to discuss VisualEditor
will be held on Thursday June 19th at 1500 UTC and on Saturday July 19th at
2100 UTC. (See https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/IRC_office_hours for time
conversion links.)
The logs will be posted on meta after the office hour completes. You'll
find it, along with logs for older office hours on the topic, at
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:VisualEditor_office_hours_logs
Please see https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/IRC_office_hours for more
information on what office hours and how to join in.
Hope to see you there. :)
Thanks!
Maggie
--
Maggie Dennis
Senior Community Advocate
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.