(Note: I'm creating a new thread which references several old ones; in the
most recent, "Profile of Magnus Manske," the conversation has drifted back
to Wikidata, so that subject line is no longer applicable.)
Andreas Kolbe has argued in multiple threads that Wikidata is fundamentally
problematic, on the basis that it does not require citations. (Please
correct me if I am mistaken about this core premise.) I've found these
threads illuminating, and appreciate much of what has been said by all
parties.
However, that core premise is problematic. If the possibility of people
publishing uncited information were fundamentally problematic, here are
several platforms that we would have to consider ethically problematic at
the core:
* Wikipedia (which for many years had very loose standards around citations)
* Wikipediocracy (of which Andreas is a founding member) and all Internet
forums
* All blogs
* YouTube
* Facebook
* The Internet itself
* The printing press
Every one of the platforms listed above created opportunities for people --
even anonymously -- to publish information without a citation. If we are to
fault Wikidata on this basis, it would be wrong not to apply the same
standard to other platforms.
I'm addressing this now, because I think it is becoming problematic to
paint Wikidata as a flawed project with a broad brush. Wikidata is an
experiment, and it will surely lead to flawed information in some
instances. But I think it would be a big problem to draw the conclusion
that Wikidata is problematic overall.
That said, it is becoming ever more clear that the Wikimedia Foundation has
developed big plans that involve Wikidata; and those big plans are not open
to scrutiny.
THAT, I believe, is a problem.
Wikidata is not a problem; but it is something that could be leveraged in
problematic ways (and/or highly beneficial ways).
I feel it is very important that we start looking at these issues from that
perspective.
-Pete
[[User:Peteforsyth]]
Hi everyone,
The Community Engagement department will be hosting an IRC office hour this
Friday, the 12th of February, at 1900 UTC. The topic of this office hour
will be the department's recent reorganization and personnel changes,
including discussion of what characteristics we should be seeking out in a
new department head. As usual, the office hour will be taking place in the
#wikimedia-office channel on the Freenode IRC network.
For more information on office hours, as well as a listing of upcoming
office hours and links to convert from UTC time to your local time, please
see https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/IRC_office_hours).
Best,
Karen
Hello, all.
As some of you know, Community Engagement had a small realignment last
quarter. Now that it’s further along, we thought it was a good time to
formally share. :)
So, welcome to the reformed Community Engagement!
What’s the major change?
We've restructured Community Engagement, to four primary groups:
-
Program Capacity and Learning (integrating Learning & Evaluation,
Education, and Library), under Rosemary Rein, tasked with supporting
community partnerships, programs and learning.
-
Resources, under Siko Bouterse, tasked with supporting community-led
impact through grants and other resources.
-
Support & Safety (formerly known as Community Advocacy), under me
(Maggie Dennis), tasked with helping improve trust, safety and collegiality
within our projects as well as facilitating communication and understanding
broadly between the WMF and contributors,
-
Technical Collaboration (grouping Community Liaisons and Developer
Relations), under Quim Gil, tasked with improving collaboration between
software development teams, Wikimedia contributors, readers, and volunteer
developers.
Four people within Community Engagement have changed which teams they
report to: Floor and Jake (to Program, Capacity, and Learning), Haitham (to
Support and Safety), and Sati (to Resources). This will more closely align
their leadership and reporting structure with the work they’re doing.
Rachel will also be stepping back from leadership of the Liaisons team and
supporting Quim in annual plan and strategic work.
Why did we do this?
For most people outside of the department, this will have very little
impact on your day-to-day relationships with Community Engagement, but
we’re hoping for major impact within our department! The main goal of the
reorganization was more responsive leadership, decision making and improved
lines of communication within, into and out of the department, with a
strong secondary goal of giving the affected teams more flexibility and
clarity around their missions, so that they can adapt better to our
evolving work. When we began this transformation last quarter, we expected
that it would mean most teams (and especially the affected leaders) would
be more engaged, receive more day-to-day mentorship, and that they'd be
able to work more constructively with peers to better craft shared goals
and projects. At the same time we hoped that the team executive would be
able to put more into handling upcoming planning efforts like the strategic
and annual plans. While we are still fine-tuning, this seems to be bearing
out, and we hope that it will continue.
Our ultimate goal, of course, is to figure out the best ways to serve our
communities and our movement through better internal and external
collaboration and through well-defined roles, responsibilities and
processes that are clear and work well for everyone. While this is one step
towards that goal, we are working on others through the strategic process
and the upcoming Annual Plan and through other conversations with you.
We are hosting an office hour on IRC on Friday February 12th at 1900 UTC to
talk over the reorganization and also to discuss the qualities we should be
looking for in a new department lead.[1] (As announced earlier today, I
will be filling in during the search.) I hope you will be able to join us.
If not, we will of course publish the logs and will also be putting
together a brief FAQ to publish on Meta of emerging questions we may
receive about the department. If you have questions you’d like addressed
there, please feel free to ask. :)
Best,
Maggie
[1] For more on office hours and for local time conversions, please see
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/IRC_office_hours
--
Maggie Dennis
Director, Support and Safety
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
Hello
Wiki Loves Africa 2015 will celebrate 4 winning pictures. 3 have already
been selected by the jury. The 4th is to be selected by the community at
large.
Please help us decide and vote here :
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Africa_2015/Community…
Thanks
Anthere
***********************
About Wiki Loves Africa
Wiki Loves Africa (http://www.wikilovesafrica.org) is a public annual
contest where people across Africa can contribute media (photographs,
video and audio) about their environment to Wikimedia Commons for use on
Wikipedia and other project websites of the Wikimedia Foundation.
Wiki Loves Africa particularly encourages participants to contribute
media that illustrate a specific theme for that year. Each year the
theme changes and could include any universal, visually rich and
culturally specific topic (for example, markets, rites of passage,
festivals, public art, cuisine, natural history, urbanity, daily life,
notable persons, etc).
The 2015 theme is: Cultural Fashion and Adornment
The competition scope is: media that shows representations of cultural
dress and fashion; specifically fashion that is defined by local
cultural influences and determines cloth, styles, ways of wrapping and
hanging, etc. Adornment is also part of the theme, which means that
media of culturally defined jewellery, make-up, hairstyles and
headdresses, cloths, scarification and tattoos, woven materials, etc.
can also be entered.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Africa_2015
Dear All,
Throughout the discussion about the appointment of Arnnon Geshuri to the
Board of Trustees, the Board has carefully listened to you and discussed
internally. Earlier today, Arnnon decided to step down from the Board. To
paraphrase his words, he doesn't want to be a distraction for the important
discussions that the community and the Foundation need to face in the times
to come. We want to thank Arnnon for his ongoing commitment and for helping
us to move forward.
The Board Governance Committee is working to improve and update our
selection processes before we fill the vacancy left by Arnnon’s departure.
We are sorry for the distress and confusion this has caused to some in our
community, and also to Arnnon.
Patricio and Alice
----
Patricio Lorente
Chair, Board of Trustees
Alice Wiegand
Vice Chair, Board of Trustees
--
Dear all,
I am sad to let you know that Luis Villa, our lead for the Community
Engagement department, will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. A year
ago, Luis took on a big challenge, transitioning from the Legal Department
to lead the newly created Community Engagement organization. In that role,
Luis and our teams were tasked with many recent community initiatives, such
as the creation of the Community Tech team, gender-related and
anti-harassment programs, and improved alignment of WMF annual planning
with the Funds Dissemination Committee. Prior to that, as Deputy General
Counsel he was responsible for a number of legal initiatives, including
licensing, contracts, and product counseling. I’m grateful for his counsel,
and his leadership in the WMF movement throughout these years.
Later this month, Luis will transition out of his current position with the
Wikimedia Foundation to pursue other opportunities. He will remain in a
consulting role with the Foundation over the next few months, continuing to
support our ongoing strategy and annual planning processes.
I want to thank Luis for his commitment to the WMF mission, and for the
inspired energy and contributions he has brought to our movement. I’m
looking forward to his future accomplishments and staying in close touch as
he grows in his career.
Maggie Dennis will step in as the interim director for the CE team
effective immediately. Her deep community background, passion for our
mission, and outstanding teamwork are great assets in this transition. She
will also continue to serve as Director of Support and Safety. Maggie is a
respected leader, colleague, and community member. I am confident she will
bring critical insights, especially now as we plan for our next year.
The work of of the CE department will continue as planned, and the overall
structure of the department (including the Community Tech team, which will
continue to report into the Product organization) will stay on-course. Our
goal is to ensure a smooth transition as we continue our progress to
improve the WMF support for our communities.
It is my priority that the WMF continues to build upon the initiatives we
started in 2015 in support for the global Wikimedia community. Continued
leadership of the Community Engagement department at executive level in the
WMF is a part of delivering on those commitments. We will be looking to
fill the Community Engagement leadership role with someone with a strong
background in community programs, and an understanding of the Wikimedia
movement. We will also look to engage with you to find the right person for
this role. We will send an update on the next steps and the job description
shortly, which will include a further discussion of the role on-wiki.
Lila
Hi All-
I am happy to announce that Joseph Seddon (User:Seddon) has joined the
Advancement team to lead up our Community Engagement! Many of you have been
asking for us to add a position like this to our team and we are thrilled
that Seddon agreed to join us because he has both a deep understanding of
the community and of our team’s work.
Many of you may already know Seddon, as he has been a Wikipedian since
2006, twice former WMUK trustee, and has helped the Fundraising team as a
contractor (on and off) since 2011. Seddon will be a first point of contact
for the community on all fundraising and partnerships work. Rest assured,
all of us on the fundraising team will still be engaged with the community
on meta, this list, etc. Seddon will simply be leading the effort in terms
communication and collaboration and making us better.
Welcome (back) Seddon!
Best,
Lisa Gruwell
P.S. For those of you who have never met him, here's an intro is his own
words:
Having been involved in the chapters, online community or working for the
foundation in some shape or form since 2007, I have stood on pretty much on
all sides of all the fences and even found myself straddling one or two in
that time. That has given me a pretty unique perspective in terms of
fundraising within the movement and one that I hope will serve both the
community and my colleagues well going forward. On a more personal note,
I’m based near London but originally from Wales. Interests include Rugby,
Formula 1 and Cooking and prefer the hills to the city.
If you ever have any questions relating to any of the work the Advancement
department does then feel free to drop me a message on my talk page [1], by
email [2] or right here on this list.
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Jseddon_(WMF)
[2] jseddon at wikimedia.org
Dear friends,
During the past three years, I have been privileged to be a part of this
movement and this organization.
I have been honored to be your colleague and to work with you in service of
the sum of all knowledge.
In particular, I wish to note particular projects that have inspired me
very much.
- Working with Philippe Beautdette, Maggie Dennis, James Alexander, and
Jan Eisfeldt to keep our community safe from threats of harm. [1]
- Working with Patrick Earley, Nick Wilson, Erica Litrenta, Sherry
Snyder, Oliver Keyes, and James Forester on the rollout of VisualEditor. [2]
- Working with Yana Welinder and Heather Walls to design a user-friendly
trademark policy. [3] [4]
- Working with Siko Bouterse to support Individual Engagement Grants and
movement diversity. [5] [6]
- Working with Jake Orlowitz to promote the Wikipedia Library and the
Wikipedia Adventure. [7] [8]
- Working with Jaime Anstee, Edward Galvez, Amanda Bittaker to encourage
evaluation and learning. [9]
- Working with Asaf Bartov to encourage regional cooperation in Central
and Eastern Europe. [10]
- Working with Floor Koudijs. Tighe Flanagan, Kacie Harold, Samir
Elsharbaty, Rodney Dunican, Sage Ross, Jami Mathewson, and LiAnna Davis on
the Wikipedia Education Program. [11]
The Wikipedia Education Program is especially near and dear to my heart. It
is a means of educating readers, recruiting contributors, and creating
quality content. Since 2014, the number of education initiatives around the
world has increased by 36%. [12] [13] And 25% of all education programs are
in one of the regions that I directly supported. [14] I am so proud of what
they have accomplished. And I am enthusiastic about what great things they
have yet to achieve.
I want to thank and compliment my current manager, Floor Koudijs. She is a
competent, considerate, conscientious leader, and her diplomacy skills are
unsurpassed. I am confident that the education team and the education
program will continue to excel under her leadership. They are in the best
hands.
I want to thank and compliment my hiring manager, Maggie Dennis. She had
faith that, although I wasn’t an active community member, I could be taught
to be a good community advocate. I am so proud that I proved her right. She
taught me how to work in accordance with and to have the utmost respect for
the wiki way. [15]
Wikipedia is a miracle, a monument to altruism. It is vital to the internet
ecosystem, and it is vital to the education system. I hope that more young
people especially will find their way to it and help out. And when they do,
I hope that they are met with wise mentorship from veteran community
members, just as I was.
I intend to remain a Wikipedian even after I am no longer a WMF staff
member. And, with that promise, I’ll see you on the wikis. [16]
All the best,
Anna Koval, M.Ed.
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Threats_of_harm
[2] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/VisualEditor
[3] https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Trademark_policy
[4]
http://blog.wikimedia.org/2013/10/29/designing-a-user-friendly-trademark-po…
[5] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:IEG
[6] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Diversity_Conference
[7] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/The_Wikipedia_Library
[8] https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/The_Wikipedia_Adventure
[9] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Evaluation
[10] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Central_and_Eastern_Europe
[11] https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Education
[12]
https://outreach.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Education/Countries&oldid=…
[13] https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Education/Countries
[14]
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3ACEE_2015_State_of_th…
[15] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/The_wiki_way
[16] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Msannakoval
--
Anna Koval, M.Ed.
Manager, Wikipedia Education Program
Wikimedia Foundation
+1.415.839.6885 x 6729
Skype: annakoval.wiki
akoval(a)wikimedia.org
education.wikimedia.org
Your presence was one of few really good things I could remember about WMF. I hope you indeed stay an active volunteer wiki(p|m)edian and we can collaborate again. It was a pleasure :)
--Base
> Dear friends,
>
> During the past three years, I have been privileged to be a part of this
> movement and this organization.
>
> I have been honored to be your colleague and to work with you in service of
> the sum of all knowledge.
>
> In particular, I wish to note particular projects that have inspired me
> very much.
>
> - Working with Philippe Beautdette, Maggie Dennis, James Alexander, and
> Jan Eisfeldt to keep our community safe from threats of harm. [1]
> - Working with Patrick Earley, Nick Wilson, Erica Litrenta, Sherry
> Snyder, Oliver Keyes, and James Forester on the rollout of VisualEditor. [2]
> - Working with Yana Welinder and Heather Walls to design a user-friendly
> trademark policy. [3] [4]
> - Working with Siko Bouterse to support Individual Engagement Grants and
> movement diversity. [5] [6]
> - Working with Jake Orlowitz to promote the Wikipedia Library and the
> Wikipedia Adventure. [7] [8]
> - Working with Jaime Anstee, Edward Galvez, Amanda Bittaker to encourage
> evaluation and learning. [9]
> - Working with Asaf Bartov to encourage regional cooperation in Central
> and Eastern Europe. [10]
> - Working with Floor Koudijs. Tighe Flanagan, Kacie Harold, Samir
> Elsharbaty, Rodney Dunican, Sage Ross, Jami Mathewson, and LiAnna Davis on
> the Wikipedia Education Program. [11]
>
> The Wikipedia Education Program is especially near and dear to my heart. It
> is a means of educating readers, recruiting contributors, and creating
> quality content. Since 2014, the number of education initiatives around the
> world has increased by 36%. [12] [13] And 25% of all education programs are
> in one of the regions that I directly supported. [14] I am so proud of what
> they have accomplished. And I am enthusiastic about what great things they
> have yet to achieve.
>
> I want to thank and compliment my current manager, Floor Koudijs. She is a
> competent, considerate, conscientious leader, and her diplomacy skills are
> unsurpassed. I am confident that the education team and the education
> program will continue to excel under her leadership. They are in the best
> hands.
>
> I want to thank and compliment my hiring manager, Maggie Dennis. She had
> faith that, although I wasn’t an active community member, I could be taught
> to be a good community advocate. I am so proud that I proved her right. She
> taught me how to work in accordance with and to have the utmost respect for
> the wiki way. [15]
>
> Wikipedia is a miracle, a monument to altruism. It is vital to the internet
> ecosystem, and it is vital to the education system. I hope that more young
> people especially will find their way to it and help out. And when they do,
> I hope that they are met with wise mentorship from veteran community
> members, just as I was.
>
> I intend to remain a Wikipedian even after I am no longer a WMF staff
> member. And, with that promise, I’ll see you on the wikis. [16]
>
> All the best,
> Anna Koval, M.Ed.
>
> [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Threats_of_harm
> [2] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/VisualEditor
> [3] https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Trademark_policy
> [4]
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2013/10/29/designing-a-user-friendly-trademark-po…
> [5] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:IEG
> [6] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Diversity_Conference
> [7] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/The_Wikipedia_Library
> [8] https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/The_Wikipedia_Adventure
> [9] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Evaluation
> [10] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Central_and_Eastern_Europe
> [11] https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Education
> [12]
> https://outreach.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Education/Countries&oldid=…
> [13] https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Education/Countries
> [14]
> https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3ACEE_2015_State_of_th…
> [15] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/The_wiki_way
> [16] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Msannakoval
>
> --
>
> Anna Koval, M.Ed.
> Manager, Wikipedia Education Program
> Wikimedia Foundation
> +1.415.839.6885 x 6729
> Skype: annakoval.wiki
> akoval(a)wikimedia.org
> education.wikimedia.org
> _______________________________________________
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