Hello all,
The Wikimedia Foundation's Anti-Harassment Tools team is inviting all
Wikimedians to discuss new blocking tools and improvements to existing
blocking tools
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_health_initiative/Blocking_tools_…>
in December 2017 for development work in early 2018.
*Other ways that you can help*
*Spread the word that the consultation is happening; this is an important
discussion for making decisions about improving the blocking tools.
*Help with translation.
*If you know of current or previous discussions about blocking tools that
happened on your wiki, share the links
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_health_initiative/Blocking_tools_…>
.
*Help summarize the discussion and share back to your wiki.
.
For the Anti-Harassment Tools team,
Sydney
--
Sydney Poore
Community Advocate,
Wikimedia Foundation
Support and Safety team;
Anti-Harassment Tools team
Hi Everyone,
The next Research Showcase will be live-streamed this Wednesday, December
13, 2017 at 11:15 AM (PST) 18:15 UTC.
YouTube stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoVwus1Owtk
As usual, you can join the conversation on IRC at #wikimedia-research. And,
you can watch our past research showcases here.
This month's presentation:
*The State of the Article Expansion Recommendation System*
By Leila Zia
Only 1% of English Wikipedia articles are labeled with quality class Good
or better, and 37% of the articles are stubs. We are building an article
expansion recommendation system to change this in Wikipedia, across many
languages. In this presentation, I will talk with you about our current
thinking of the vision and direction of the research that can help us build
such a recommendation system, and share more about one specific area of
research we have heavily focused on in the past months: building a
recommendation system that can help editors identify what sections to add
to an already existing article. I present some of the challenges we faced,
the methods we devised or used to overcome them, and the result of the
first line of experiments on the quality of such recommendations (teaser:
the results are really promising. The precision and recall at 10 is 80%.)
--
Lani Goto
Project Assistant, Engineering Admin
Hello everyone,
The Independent Auditors’ Report of the Wikimedia Foundation for the fiscal
year ending 30 June 2017 is now available at: http://wikimediafoundation.
org/wiki/Financial_reports
We have also posted on Meta-Wiki answers to frequently asked questions
(“FAQ”) about the Independent Auditors’ Report: https://meta.wikimedia.org/
wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_reports/Financial/Audits/2016-
2017_-_frequently_asked_questions
The audit is conducted annually by an independent third-party audit firm
(KPMG) as a part of our financial oversight, and provides an overview of
basic information about the organization's financial position and its
financial activities. This Independent Auditors’ Report has been approved
by the Wikimedia Foundation Audit Committee -- a board subcommittee -- and
presented to the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees for their review.
Please contact us via email if you have any questions.
Saludos,
Jaime Villagomez
*Chief Financial Officer *
*Wikimedia Foundation*
*1 Montgomery Street*
*San Francisco, CA 94105*
*415.839.6885 ext 6628 <415.839.6885%20%C2%A0ext%206628>*
*Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the
sum of all knowledge. That's our commitment.Donate.
<https://donate.wikimedia.org/>*
Hey everyone,
The voting phase of the 2017 Community Wishlist Survey has now started.
Read the proposals and support the ones you want to support to make the
wikis better:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/2017_Community_Wishlist_Survey
Click on the categories to find the proposals. The voting will close on
December 10.
That's the important part of this email. Feel free to follow the link above
and starting voting right now.
The longer version:
The Community Wishlist Survey decides what the Wikimedia Foundation
Community Tech team will work on over the next year. The team is responsible
for addressing the top 10 wishes on the list, as well as some wishes from
smaller groups and projects that are doing important work, but don't have
the numbers to get their proposal into the top 10. The Wishlist is also
used by volunteer developers and other teams, who want to find projects to
work on that the community really wants.
Come help set the agenda.
If you want to see what the team has done in 2017, see the status report
from last month:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/2016_Community_Wishlist_Survey/Status_repor…
What you can do now:
*) Vote. This is the most important thing.
*) Spread the word. We really want people to find this, of course, and
we'll work on finding the best balance between spreading the news to
everyone and not being annoying, but please do help to spread the
information in your local community – Village Pump equivalents, IRC
channels, social media groups and so on.
*) Help translating the pages. We want the process to be as available as
possible for everyone. It's not every available if it's only in English.
*) If you want to get short updates through the notification system, you
can sign up for the Community Tech Newsletter:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Newsletter:The_Community_Tech_Newsletter
//Johan Jönsson
--
Saluton ĉiuj,
Despite the fact that reaching community consensus is an easy task, I'm
nonetheless wasting time at looking for tools which might help achieve
that. I just red /4 simplaj ideoj por direkti vian komunumon al
interkonsento/
<https://lasindias.blog/4-simplaj-ideoj-por-direkti-vian-komunumon-al-interk…>
(4 simple ideas to drive your community toward consensus, I'm not aware
of an available translation) written by David de Ugarte
<https://lasindias.blog/indianopedia/david-de-ugarte> (in Spanish),
which point to Loomio <https://www.loomio.org/> as a possible tool for
just that.
Loomio offers free use for community cases. But it's non-free software,
as far as I can see, but I didn't made deep inquiry. So I wondered if
anyone was aware of a free software equivalent.
Ĝis baldaŭ
Hello everyone,
The next Wikimedia Foundation metrics and activities meeting will take
place on Thursday, December 14, 2017 at 7:00 PM UTC (11 AM PST). The IRC
channel is #wikimedia-office on https://webchat.freenode.net, and the
meeting will be broadcast as a live YouTube stream.[1]
During the November/December metrics meeting, we will be doing something
different to help reflect on all that we accomplished together in 2017.
This meeting will feature a set of lightning talks on exciting activities
that took place across the Wikimedia movement in 2017.
Meeting agenda:
* Welcomes and introduction to end of year format
* Lightning talks
* Questions and discussion
* Highlights from year from audience (aka WikiLove: End of Year Edition)
Please review the meeting's Meta-Wiki page for further information about
the meeting and how to participate:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_metrics_and_activities…
We’ll post the video recording publicly after the meeting.
Thank you,
Lena
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFA53YlM9Q4
Lena Traer
Project Coordinator // Communications // Advancement
Wikimedia Foundation
Hi Kirill and other AffCom members,
I believe about ten people or more applied for the position recently and
almost all of them are good candidate. Is there a reason why you can't
appoint some of the candidates? Are they still eligible to apply?
Regards,
Isaac.
Why can't you appoint one or more of those people tha
On Dec 7, 2017 8:44 PM, "Kirill Lokshin" <kirill.lokshin(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> The Affiliations Committee – the committee responsible for guiding
> volunteers in establishing Wikimedia chapters, thematic organizations, and
> user groups – is looking for new members!
>
> The main role of the Affiliations Committee is to guide groups of
> volunteers that are interested in forming Wikimedia affiliates. We review
> applications from new groups, answer questions and provide advice about the
> different Wikimedia affiliation models and processes, review affiliate
> bylaws for compliance with requirements and best practices, and advise the
> Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees on issues connected to chapters,
> thematic organizations and Wikimedia user groups.
>
> The committee consists of twelve members, six of whom are selected every
> twelve months for staggered two-year terms. Those joining the committee
> during the current process will serve a two-year term ending in December
> 2019.
>
> *Key skills*
>
> Being a part of the Affiliations Committee requires communication with
> volunteers all over the world, negotiating skills, cultural sensitivity,
> and the ability to understand legal texts. We look for a healthy mix of
> different skill sets in our members, including the following key skills and
> experience:
>
> - Willingness to process applications through a set, perhaps bureaucratic
> process.
> - Readiness to participate in political discussions on the role and future
> of affiliates, models of affiliation, and similar topics.
> - Availability of up to 5 hours per week, and the time to participate in a
> monthly two-hour voice/video meeting.
> - International orientation.
> - Fluency in English.
> - Ability to work and communicate with other languages and cultures.
> - Strong understanding of the structure and work of affiliates and the
> Wikimedia Foundation.
> - Knowledge of different legal systems and experience in community
> building and organizing are a plus.
> - Skills in other languages are a major plus.
> - Experience with or in an active affiliate is a major plus.
> - Strong track record of effective collaboration (such as evidenced skills
> at facilitation, mediation, negotiation, and so forth) are a major plus.
> - Willingness to use one's real name in committee activities (including
> contacts with current and potential affiliates) when appropriate.
>
> We are looking for people who are excited by the challenge of empowering
> volunteers to get organized and form communities that further our mission
> around the world. In exchange, committee members selected will gain the
> experience of supporting their world-wide colleagues to develop their
> communities as well as personal development in guiding organizational
> development, facilitating affiliate partnerships, and professional
> communications.
>
> *Selection process*
>
> As a reflection of our commitment to openness, transparency, and bilateral
> engagement with the Wikimedia community, the 2017 member selection process
> will include a public review and comment period. All applications received
> by the committee will be posted on Meta at https://meta.wikimedia.org/wik
> i/Affiliations_Committee/Candidates/December_2017, and the community will
> be invited to provide comments and feedback about each candidate.
>
> At the end of the public comment period, the applications will be voted on
> by the members of the committee who are not seeking re-election, taking
> into account comments put forward by the committee's members, advisors,
> Wikimedia Foundation staff and board liaisons, and the community. A final
> decision will be made by mid-January 2018, with new members expected to
> join later that month.
>
> *How to apply*
>
> If you are interested in joining the committee, please post your
> application on the nomination page and send an email announcing your
> application to affcom(a)lists.wikimedia.org by 31 December 2017. Your
> application must include the following information:
>
> - Your full name and Wikimedia username
> - A statement describing your relevant experience, skills, and motivation
> for joining the committee.
> - Answers to the following three questions:
> (1) How do you think affiliates work best together to partner on
> effective projects and initiatives?
> (2) What do you see as the role of affiliates in the Wikimedia
> movement in the next three years?
> (3) What do you feel you will bring to the committee that makes
> you a uniquely qualified candidate?
>
> If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me and/or the
> committee as a whole. We are happy to chat or have a phone call with
> anyone about our work if this helps them decide to apply. Please distribute
> this call among your networks, and do apply if you are interested!
>
> Regards,
> Kirill Lokshin
> Chair, Affiliations Committee
>
> _______________________________________________
> Affiliates mailing list
> Affiliates(a)lists.wikimedia.org
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/affiliates
>
>
Hi everyone,
The Affiliations Committee – the committee responsible for guiding
volunteers in establishing Wikimedia chapters, thematic organizations, and
user groups – is looking for new members!
The main role of the Affiliations Committee is to guide groups of
volunteers that are interested in forming Wikimedia affiliates. We review
applications from new groups, answer questions and provide advice about the
different Wikimedia affiliation models and processes, review affiliate
bylaws for compliance with requirements and best practices, and advise the
Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees on issues connected to chapters,
thematic organizations and Wikimedia user groups.
The committee consists of twelve members, six of whom are selected every
twelve months for staggered two-year terms. Those joining the committee
during the current process will serve a two-year term ending in December
2019.
*Key skills*
Being a part of the Affiliations Committee requires communication with
volunteers all over the world, negotiating skills, cultural sensitivity,
and the ability to understand legal texts. We look for a healthy mix of
different skill sets in our members, including the following key skills and
experience:
- Willingness to process applications through a set, perhaps bureaucratic
process.
- Readiness to participate in political discussions on the role and future
of affiliates, models of affiliation, and similar topics.
- Availability of up to 5 hours per week, and the time to participate in a
monthly two-hour voice/video meeting.
- International orientation.
- Fluency in English.
- Ability to work and communicate with other languages and cultures.
- Strong understanding of the structure and work of affiliates and the
Wikimedia Foundation.
- Knowledge of different legal systems and experience in community building
and organizing are a plus.
- Skills in other languages are a major plus.
- Experience with or in an active affiliate is a major plus.
- Strong track record of effective collaboration (such as evidenced skills
at facilitation, mediation, negotiation, and so forth) are a major plus.
- Willingness to use one's real name in committee activities (including
contacts with current and potential affiliates) when appropriate.
We are looking for people who are excited by the challenge of empowering
volunteers to get organized and form communities that further our mission
around the world. In exchange, committee members selected will gain the
experience of supporting their world-wide colleagues to develop their
communities as well as personal development in guiding organizational
development, facilitating affiliate partnerships, and professional
communications.
*Selection process*
As a reflection of our commitment to openness, transparency, and bilateral
engagement with the Wikimedia community, the 2017 member selection process
will include a public review and comment period. All applications received
by the committee will be posted on Meta at
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliations_Committee/Candidates/December_…,
and the community will be invited to provide comments and feedback about
each candidate.
At the end of the public comment period, the applications will be voted on
by the members of the committee who are not seeking re-election, taking
into account comments put forward by the committee's members, advisors,
Wikimedia Foundation staff and board liaisons, and the community. A final
decision will be made by mid-January 2018, with new members expected to
join later that month.
*How to apply*
If you are interested in joining the committee, please post your
application on the nomination page and send an email announcing your
application to affcom(a)lists.wikimedia.org by 31 December 2017. Your
application must include the following information:
- Your full name and Wikimedia username
- A statement describing your relevant experience, skills, and motivation
for joining the committee.
- Answers to the following three questions:
(1) How do you think affiliates work best together to partner on
effective projects and initiatives?
(2) What do you see as the role of affiliates in the Wikimedia
movement in the next three years?
(3) What do you feel you will bring to the committee that makes you
a uniquely qualified candidate?
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me and/or the
committee as a whole. We are happy to chat or have a phone call with anyone
about our work if this helps them decide to apply. Please distribute this
call among your networks, and do apply if you are interested!
Regards,
Kirill Lokshin
Chair, Affiliations Committee