Hello colleagues,
I am pausing "What's making you happy this week?" emails; however,
other people are welcome to start threads. More detailed information
follows.
I hope to resume publishing emails but I do not know when this will
happen. I might send emails on alternating weeks. Also, I am
considering changing the subject line from "What's making you happy
this week?" to "For what are you grateful this week?"
Clovermoss is currently away.
The pause is due to three reasons: a shortage of available time for
volunteering; a preponderance of bad news; and concerns regarding
governance issues in the Wikiverse that are difficult to resolve and
push aside other tasks on which I would like to spend my Wikimedia
time.
As I mentioned above, while I am not starting these threads,other
people are welcome to do so.
I would appreciate comments regarding the possible subject line change
to from "What's making you happy this week?" to "For what are you
grateful this week?". You can email me on list or off list, or put
comments on my Meta user talk page at
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Pine.
Thanks,
Pine
( https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pine )
Hoi,
Hay Kranen created a proof of concept where Commons is searched for
pictures that (per standard) use a "depicts" statement.. The search is
limited to existing labels in Wikidata and to the search has as its result
whatever is available in commons..
Use for instance "appelmoes" and you get six results [1], [2].
At this time you can get a "detail" screen and it provides standard
functions available. The functionality can be prettified. Essential is that
everything will be internationalised / localised. The other thing is that
I hope is that functionality like this becomes standard Commons
functionality...
On a more philosophical note, we are a WIKI, it follows that we will work
to make more and more pictures searchable in this way and that we get more
and more labels in all of our languages. It is however NOT necessary that
from the start it needs to be perfect. Please do not let perfection be the
enemy of the good. Improvements is what we should aim for and perfection is
what we aspire to.
Thanks,
GerardM
Oh and again Hay, thank you so much.
[1] https://tools.wmflabs.org/hay/sdsearch/#q=haswbstatement:P180=Q618345
[2] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Appelmoes.png
Dear fellows,
Some time ago, Joseph Reagle wrote that an encyclopedia must be
progressive. In my personal view, something "progressive" sounds to me
intuitively more sympathetic than something "conservative". But of course,
these are only two words loaden with meaning, and reality is always more
complex.
It seems to me that many Wikipedians or Wikimedians think of themselves as
being progressive and modern. Our wikis are a tribute to science and
enlightenment. Spontaneity and a laissez-faire-attitude are held in high
regard; "productive chaos" and "anarchy" are typical for wikis.
When I had a closer look at our values and ideas, I got the impression that
the opposite is true. Many attitudes and ideals sound to me more like
bureaucracy and traditionalism:
* being thorough, with regard to content and writing about it
* community spirit
* treating everyone equally without regard of the person (the highest ideal
of the Prussian civil servant)
* individual initiative
* reliability
What do you think? Is this just my personal or national background, or has
Wikipedia been build up on a different basis than we usually tell ourselves
and others?
Kind regards
Ziko
Hello colleagues,
== Announcements for this month ==
The next Wikimedia Café meetup will occur on 30 May 2020 at 9:30 AM
Pacific / 11:30 AM Eastern / 4:30 PM UTC / 10 PM IST.
This month's meetup will focus on the recently announced 2030 strategy
recommendations. See
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Recomme….
The organizers of the Café have not finalized the format for this
month, but this is likely to be a two hour meetup with time for
discussions regarding each of the strategy recommendations.
The Café has been well attended during the past few months. There have
been multiple requests for an alternate meetup time for the Café. This
subject is being discussed on the Café talk page, and is also on the
agenda for May's meetup. One possibility under consideration is
offering an additional Café meetup on a different day of the week and
a different time of day. Please feel free to join the discussion on
the talk page if you cannot attend the Café in its current time slot
and would like to comment regarding this issue.
== General information about the Café ==
More information regarding the agenda and links to strategy documents
are available at https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Café.
As usual, the meeting style for the Café will emphasize discussion
rather than presentation. People are welcome to participate as
listeners only if they prefer.
Please see the page on Meta for more information about the Café.
Please watch the page for any updates, particularly to the schedule or
the agenda. Signing up for the meeting is optional, but is helpful to
the organizers so that we can estimate how many people will attend.
Signing up for the meeting also informs us who we should notify
individually if there are significant changes.
If there are any problems with connecting to the meeting or if you
have any questions or comments, then please write on the Meta talk
page or send me an email.
Pine
( https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pine )
Dear friends,
Greetings,
We are excited to inform you that WikiGap Nigeria Online contest ends today
27 May 2020, 23:59 (WAT).
Submissions were received in the following languages ( in no particular
order) :
1.Yoruba
2.Hausa,
3. Igbo
4.English
5. Deutsch
6. French
7. Italiano
8. Tieng Viet
9. Suomi
10. Davvisámegiella
11.Bahasa Indonesia,
12. Nederlands
13. Malayalam
14. Aftabuzzaman,
15. Punjabi
Due to the influx of many international languages, the organizing team has
decided to seek the help of the global community members especially editors
speaking and writing any of the languages to serve on the panel of Jury. We
hope volunteers can spend between 3-4hrs over one week on the task.
If you are interested in joining the team of Jury, kindly send your User
name to info(a)wikimedia.org.ng on or before 30 May 2020.
NB: Contest participants are not expected to apply as a member of Jury.
Warm regards.
*Olaniyan Ishola Olushola*
*CEO. Data Access Systems LtdChairman Local Organizing Committee
(WikiIndaba2019)
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiIndaba_conference_2019/Team>Co-Producer,
Wikipedia
Campaign in Nigeria
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=AUBPd3PTas0> ( Winner of
the Best NGO in Africa ( African Excellence Award 2018)
<https://af-pr.excellence-awards.com/winnerlist/best-of-2018/>) Dublin,
Republic of Ireland. Co-Producer , Wiki Women Radio
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wiki_Women_Radio_Program>President, Wikimedia
Nigeria <https://wikimedia.org.ng/>Treasurer, FOSSFAMember, Affiliates
Committee ( Wikimedia Foundation)*
*Administrator, Wikimedia Programs & Events Dashboard*
*MD,Olbims ConsultingPhone: +2348167352512E: olaniyanshola15(a)gmail.com
<E%3Aolaniyanshola15(a)gmail.com>E: shola(a)wikimedia.ng.org
<E%3Ashola(a)wikimedia.ng.org>Facebook:Olaniyan
SholaTwitter:oluwanishola73Wiki User Name: Olaniyan Olushola*
* Wikipedia Campagn in Nigeria featuring Emmanuela *
* One on One with Olushola Olaniyan ( TV Plus Africa)
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGp_YqdOJzY&feature=youtu.be>*
* https://youtu.be/DwTUGVv6Qng <https://youtu.be/DwTUGVv6Qng>*
<https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…>
Virus-free.
www.avast.com
<https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…>
<#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
Hello everyone,
Today, the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees unanimously passed a
resolution and published a statement[1] regarding the urgent need to make
our movement more safe and inclusive by addressing harassment and
incivility on Wikimedia projects. The statement builds on prior statements
from 2016 and 2019,[2][3] affirms the forthcoming introduction of a
universal code of conduct, and directs the Wikimedia Foundation to rapidly
and substantively address these challenges in complement with existing
community processes.
This includes developing sustainable practices and tools that eliminate
harassment, toxicity, and incivility, promote inclusivity, cultivate
respectful discourse, reduce harms to participants, protect the projects
from disinformation and bad actors, and promote trust in our projects.
Over the past nearly twenty years, the movement has taken a number of
unique and sometimes extraordinary steps to create an environment unlike
anything else online: a place to share knowledge, to learn, and to
collaborate together. In order for the movement to continue to thrive and
make progress to our mission, it is essential to build a culture that is
welcoming and inclusive.
Research has consistently shown that members of our communities have been
subject to hostility and toxic behavior in Wikimedia spaces.[4][5] The
Wikimedia 2030 movement strategy recommendations have also identified the
safety of our Wikimedia spaces as a core issue to address if we are to
reach the 2030 goals, with concrete recommendations which include a
universal code of conduct, pathways for users to privately report
incidents, and a baseline of community responsibilities.[6]
While the movement has made progress in addressing harassment and toxic
behavior, we recognize there is still much more to do. The Board’s
resolution and statement today is a step toward establishing clear,
consistent guidelines around acceptable behavior on our projects, and
guiding the Wikimedia Foundation in supporting the movement’s ability to
ensure a healthy environment for those who participate in our projects.
* Developing and introducing, in close consultation with volunteer
contributor communities, a universal code of conduct that will be a binding
minimum set of standards across all Wikimedia projects;
* Taking actions to ban, sanction, or otherwise limit the access of
Wikimedia movement participants who do not comply with these policies and
the Terms of Use;
* Working with community functionaries to create and refine a retroactive
review process for cases brought by involved parties, excluding those cases
which pose legal or other severe risks; and
* Significantly increasing support for and collaboration with community
functionaries primarily enforcing such compliance in a way that prioritizes
the personal safety of these functionaries.
Together, we have made our movement what it is today. In this same way, we
must all be responsible for building the positive community culture of the
future, and accountable for stopping harassment and toxic behavior on our
sites.
We have also made this statement available on Meta-Wiki for translation and
wider distribution.[1]
On behalf of the Board,
María, Board Chair
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/May_…
[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/Nove…
[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/Arch…'s_ban_of_Fram
[4] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Harassment_survey_2015
[5]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Insights/2018_Report#Experience_o…
[6]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Recomme…
== Statement on Healthy Community Culture, Inclusivity, and Safe Spaces ==
Harassment, toxic behavior, and incivility in the Wikimedia movement are
contrary to our shared values and detrimental to our vision and mission.
They negatively impact our ability to collect, share, and disseminate free
knowledge, harm the immediate well-being of individual Wikimedians, and
threaten the long-term health and success of the Wikimedia projects. The
Board does not believe we have made enough progress toward creating
welcoming, inclusive, harassment-free spaces in which people can contribute
productively and debate constructively.
In recognition of the urgency of these issues, the Board is directing the
Wikimedia Foundation to directly improve the situation in collaboration
with our communities. This should include developing sustainable practices
and tools that eliminate harassment, toxicity, and incivility, promote
inclusivity, cultivate respectful discourse, reduce harms to participants,
protect the projects from disinformation and bad actors, and promote trust
in our projects.
Specifically, the Foundation shall:
* Develop and introduce a universal code of conduct (UCoC) that will be a
binding minimum set of standards across all Wikimedia projects.
** The first phase, covering policies for in-person and virtual events,
technical spaces, and all Wikimedia projects and wikis, and developed in
collaboration with the international Wikimedia communities, will be
presented to the Board for ratification by August 30, 2020.
** The second phase, outlining clear enforcement pathways, and refined with
broad input from the Wikimedia communities, will be presented to the Board
for ratification by the end of 2020;
* Take actions to ban, sanction, or otherwise limit the access of Wikimedia
movement participants who do not comply with these policies and the Terms
of Use;
* Work with community functionaries to create and refine a retroactive
review process for cases brought by involved parties, excluding those cases
which pose legal or other severe risks; and
* Significantly increase support for and collaboration with community
functionaries primarily enforcing such compliance in a way that prioritizes
the personal safety of these functionaries.
Until such directives are implemented, the Board instructs the Foundation
to adopt and implement policies for reducing harassment and toxicity on our
projects and minimizing legal risks for the movement, in collaboration with
communities whenever practicable. Until these two phases of the UCoC are
complete and operational an interim review process involving community
functionaries will be in effect. In this interim period, the Product
Committee of the Board of Trustees will also advise the Trust & Safety team.
To that end, the Board further directs the Foundation, in collaboration
with the communities, to make additional investments in Trust & Safety
capacity, including but not limited to: development of tools needed to
assist our volunteers and staff, research to support data-informed
decisions, development of clear metrics to measure success, development of
training tools and materials (including building communities’ capacities
around harassment awareness and conflict resolution), and consultations
with international experts on harassment, community health and children’s
rights, as well as additional hiring.
The above efforts will be undertaken in coordination and collaboration with
appropriate partners from across the movement, seek to increase effective
community governance of conduct and behavioral standards, and reduce the
long-term need of the Foundation to act. It is the shared goal of the Board
and Foundation that these efforts advance a sustainable Wikimedia movement
and support, rather than substitute, effective models of community
governance.
We urge every member of the Wikimedia communities to collaborate in a way
that models the Wikimedia values of openness and inclusivity, step forward
to do their part to create a safe and welcoming culture for all, stop
hostile and toxic behavior, support people who have been targeted by such
behavior, assist good-faith people learning to contribute, and help set
clear expectations for all contributors.
--
María Sefidari Huici
Chair of the Board
Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>
Hello everyone,
I normally don't send out emails like this when we upgrade etherpad,
but 1.8.4 (which we just upgraded to), has brought in a UI change (one
that was introduced in 1.8.3) which, in my opinion, warrants a heads
up so that people aren't caught off guard. Etherpad-lite now has had a
new skin and that's what you will experience while using it. There's
also a number of other changes, you can have a quick look at
https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/blob/develop/CHANGELOG.md if
you are interested.
Regards,
--
Alexandros Kosiaris
Principal Site Reliability Engineer
Wikimedia Foundation
Hello,
This is an announcement about a new installment of the Language Showcase, a
series of presentations about various aspects of language diversity and its
connection to Wikimedia Projects.
This new installment will deal with the latest design research about the
upcoming section translation feature for Content Translation.
This session is going to be broadcast over Zoom, and a recording will be
published for later viewing. You can also participate in the conversation
on IRC or with us on the Zoom meeting.
Please read below for the event details, including local time, joining
links and do let us know if you have any questions.
Thank you!
Amir
== Details ==
# Event: Language Showcase #5
# When: May 27, 2020 (Wednesday) at 13:00 UTC (check local time
https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20200527T1300 )
# Where:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://wikimedia.zoom.us/j/97081030000
Meeting ID: 970 8103 0000
IRC - #wikimedia-office (on Freenode)
# Agenda:
The latest design research about the upcoming section translation feature
for Content Translation.
--
Amir Elisha Aharoni · אָמִיר אֱלִישָׁע אַהֲרוֹנִי
http://aharoni.wordpress.com
“We're living in pieces,
I want to live in peace.” – T. Moore
Hi everyone,
The Affiliations Committee (AffCom) – the committee responsible for guiding
volunteers in establishing and sustaining Wikimedia chapters, thematic
organizations, and user groups – is seeking new members!
The main role of the AffCom 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 update the Wikimedia Foundation
Board of Trustees as well as advise them on issues connected to chapters,
thematic organizations and Wikimedia user groups.
The committee consists of five to fifteen members, selected at least once
every year, to serve two-year terms. As the committee must hold mid-year
elections to replenish its members at this time, those joining the
committee during the current process will serve a slightly extended term
from July 2020 through December 2022.
AffCom continues to closely monitor the Wikimedia 2030 Strategy process
initiated in 2016. While the affiliation models continue to be discussed as
part of the broader strategy discussion, as no decisions have been made to
change the current affiliation models yet, AffCom continues to work in the
same manner with regard to affiliate recognitions and intervention support
for affiliates with issues of non-compliance in 2020. AffCom continues to
process applications for user group and chapter/thematic organization
creation, while we await the strategy next steps and begin to prepare for a
smooth transition of the committee and affiliates ecosystem to any changing
movement structures and systems in 2021.
Being a part of the AffCom requires communication with volunteers all over
the world, negotiating skills, cultural sensitivity, and the ability to
understand legal texts. We look for a mix of different skill sets in our
members.
==Responsibilities==
1.
Availability of up to 5-8 hours per month
2.
Participate in monthly one and two-hour voice/video meetings
3.
Commitment to carry out assigned tasks in a given time.
4.
Facilitate and support communications
5.
Affiliate Support and growth
== Required and Recommended Abilities, Skills, Knowledge for Affiliations
Committee Members ==
Strong interpersonal relationship among members of the committee and also
with the Wikimedia community members. Across all committee members, there
are additional relevant skills as well as requirements which help to
support the committee and its sustainability which include both required
and relevant general skills
===Required===
* Fluency in English
* Availability of up to 5 hours per week, and the time to participate in a
monthly one and two-hour voice/video meetings.
* Willingness to use one's real name in committee activities (including
contacts with current and potential affiliates) when appropriate.
* Strong track record of effective collaboration
* International orientation
===Relevant for all members===
* Public Communications (English writing and speaking skills)
* Skills in other languages are a major plus.
* Understanding of the structure and work of affiliates and the Wikimedia
Foundation.
* Documentation practices
* Interviewing experience
* Experience with, or in, an active affiliate is a major plus.
* Teamwork: Project and people management skills to coordinate and
collaborate with different parties on a shared plan and see it through to
completion.
* Problem-Solving: Ability to evaluate various solutions, consider multiple
interests and points of view, revisit unresolved issues, seek compromise
and work and communicate across languages and cultures.
Given the expectations for maintaining the course in 2020 and preparing for
potential 2021 transitions, it is important that we are also clear about
two different skill sets critical to committee support at this time. The
first skillset is oriented to understanding affiliate dynamics and
organizational development patterns to successfully process affiliate
applications for recognition; the other is oriented to conflict prevention
and intervention support for affiliates in conflict.
=== Relevant to Affiliate Recognitions===
* Administration & Attention to detail
* Readiness to participate in political discussions on the role and future
of affiliates, models of affiliation, and similar topics.
* Awareness of the affiliates ecosystem and models and understanding of
community building, organizational development, and group dynamics
===Relevant to Conflict Prevention & Intervention===
* Communication skills for active listening, clear instruction and
turn-taking.
* Stress Management skills for maintaining patience and positivity
* Emotional intelligence to maintain awareness of emotions of oneself and
others to practice empathy,
impartiality, and mutual respect.
* Facilitation, negotiation, and mediation skills to guide diverse
individuals and groups toward cooperation.
* Ability to work within a team
Do you have relevant skills and an interest to support movement affiliates?
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 2020 member selection process
will include a public review and comment period. Along with this, in order
to facilitate the process of nomination peruse, we are introducing a self
assessment survey for candidates to share about their skills and their
experience. This self assessment information will help the committee to
identify the skill sets relevant and supportive to our affiliate support
processes. We invite you to apply for membership to the committee and join
us in supporting the affiliates. The data shared in the self assessment
will be only be made available to the committee and the relevant staff
support The nomination,candidate Q&A, and endorsementswill still take place
posted on Meta for public review at
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliations_Committee/Candidates/June_2020.
Here the global community is welcome to provide comments and feedback about
each candidate.
Once the nomination window closes June 30, 2020, the sitting members who
are not candidates for re-election in this cycle, will deliberate and then
vote, taking into account all inputs from the meta page, self assessment,
advisors, Wikimedia Foundation staff and board liaisons, and committee
member discussion.
A final decision will be made in late-July 2020, with new members to be
notified for onboarding in August.
Respectfully,
Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight (she/her)
Chair, Affiliations Committee
Awhile back I saw a joke that when reading a newspaper someone had
difficulty distinguishing between the business section and the crime
section. These days, the politics section could cause similar
confusion. Recently I have wondered about the extent to which WMF and
the affiliates take steps to prevent conflicts of interest in
financial decisions.
I am not aware of any evidence of recent financial conflicts of
interest, but I think that taking steps to prevent and detect any
problems would be prudent.
For example, is there any monitoring of the bank accounts of board
members and executives to ensure that they are not receiving kickbacks
from companies that have contracts with the organizations? Also, are
there "cooling off periods" which contractually require that
executives and board members of WMF and Wikimedia affiliates not
become employees of companies that have had financial relationships
with their organizations until at least a few years after their
employment or board membership with the Wikimedia organization?
Pine
( https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pine )
