January 2021 - Wikimedia-l - lists.wikimedia.org

[Foundation-l] Improving search in Wikipedia through quality and concept discovery
by Brian J Mingus 10 Sep '22

10 Sep '22

This paper (first reference) is the result of a class project I was part of almost two years ago for CSCI 5417 Information Retrieval Systems. It builds on a class project I did in CSCI 5832 Natural Language Processing and which I presented at Wikimania '07. The project was very late as we didn't send the final paper in until the day before new years. This technical report was never really announced that I recall so I thought it would be interesting to look briefly at the results. The goal of this paper was to break articles down into surface features and latent features and then use those to study the rating system being used, predict article quality and rank results in a search engine. We used the [[random forests]] classifier which allowed us to analyze the contribution of each feature to performance by looking directly at the weights that were assigned. While the surface analysis was performed on the whole english wikipedia, the latent analysis was performed on the simple english wikipedia (it is more expensive to compute). = Surface features = * Readability measures are the single best predictor of quality that I have found, as defined by the Wikipedia Editorial Team (WET). The [[Automated Readability Index]], [[Gunning Fog Index]] and [[Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level]] were the strongest predictors, followed by length of article html, number of paragraphs, [[Flesh Reading Ease]], [[Smog Grading]], number of internal links, [[Laesbarhedsindex Readability Formula]], number of words and number of references. Weakly predictive were number of to be's, number of sentences, [[Coleman-Liau Index]], number of templates, PageRank, number of external links, number of relative links. Not predictive (overall - see the end of section 2 for the per-rating score breakdown): Number of h2 or h3's, number of conjunctions, number of images*, average word length, number of h4's, number of prepositions, number of pronouns, number of interlanguage links, average syllables per word, number of nominalizations, article age (based on page id), proportion of questions, average sentence length. :* Number of images was actually by far the single strongest predictor of any class, but only for Featured articles. Because it was so good at picking out featured articles and somewhat good at picking out A and G articles the classifier was confused in so many cases that the overall contribution of this feature to classification performance is zero. :* Number of external links is strongly predictive of Featured articles. :* The B class is highly distinctive. It has a strong "signature," with high predictive value assigned to many features. The Featured class is also very distinctive. F, B and S (Stop/Stub) contain the most information. :* A is the least distinct class, not being very different from F or G. = Latent features = The algorithm used for latent analysis, which is an analysis of the occurence of words in every document with respect to the link structure of the encyclopedia ("concepts"), is [[Latent Dirichlet Allocation]]. This part of the analysis was done by CS PhD student Praful Mangalath. An example of what can be done with the result of this analysis is that you provide a word (a search query) such as "hippie". You can then look at the weight of every article for the word hippie. You can pick the article with the largest weight, and then look at its link network. You can pick out the articles that this article links to and/or which link to this article that are also weighted strongly for the word hippie, while also contributing maximally to this articles "hippieness". We tried this query in our system (LDA), Google (site:en.wikipedia.org hippie), and the Simple English Wikipedia's Lucene search engine. The breakdown of articles occuring in the top ten search results for this word for those engines is: * LDA only: [[Acid rock]], [[Aldeburgh Festival]], [[Anne Murray]], [[Carl Radle]], [[Harry Nilsson]], [[Jack Kerouac]], [[Phil Spector]], [[Plastic Ono Band]], [[Rock and Roll]], [[Salvador Allende]], [[Smothers brothers]], [[Stanley Kubrick]]. * Google only: [[Glam Rock]], [[South Park]]. * Simple only: [[African Americans]], [[Charles Manson]], [[Counterculture]], [[Drug use]], [[Flower Power]], [[Nuclear weapons]], [[Phish]], [[Sexual liberation]], [[Summer of Love]] * LDA & Google & Simple: [[Hippie]], [[Human Be-in]], [[Students for a democratic society]], [[Woodstock festival]] * LDA & Google: [[Psychedelic Pop]] * Google & Simple: [[Lysergic acid diethylamide]], [[Summer of Love]] ( See the paper for the articles produced for the keywords philosophy and economics ) = Discussion / Conclusion = * The results of the latent analysis are totally up to your perception. But what is interesting is that the LDA features predict the WET ratings of quality just as well as the surface level features. Both feature sets (surface and latent) both pull out all almost of the information that the rating system bears. * The rating system devised by the WET is not distinctive. You can best tell the difference between, grouped together, Featured, A and Good articles vs B articles. Featured, A and Good articles are also quite distinctive (Figure 1). Note that in this study we didn't look at Start's and Stubs, but in earlier paper we did. :* This is interesting when compared to this recent entry on the YouTube blog. "Five Stars Dominate Ratings" http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2009/09/five-stars-dominate-ratings.html… I think a sane, well researched (with actual subjects) rating system is well within the purview of the Usability Initiative. Helping people find and create good content is what Wikipedia is all about. Having a solid rating system allows you to reorganized the user interface, the Wikipedia namespace, and the main namespace around good content and bad content as needed. If you don't have a solid, information bearing rating system you don't know what good content really is (really bad content is easy to spot). :* My Wikimania talk was all about gathering data from people about articles and using that to train machines to automatically pick out good content. You ask people questions along dimensions that make sense to people, and give the machine access to other surface features (such as a statistical measure of readability, or length) and latent features (such as can be derived from document word occurence and encyclopedia link structure). I referenced page 262 of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to give an example of the kind of qualitative features I would ask people. It really depends on what features end up bearing information, to be tested in "the lab". Each word is an example dimension of quality: We have "*unity, vividness, authority, economy, sensitivity, clarity, emphasis, flow, suspense, brilliance, precision, proportion, depth and so on.*" You then use surface and latent features to predict these values for all articles. You can also say, when a person rates this article as high on the x scale, they also mean that it has has this much of these surface and these latent features. = References = - DeHoust, C., Mangalath, P., Mingus., B. (2008). *Improving search in Wikipedia through quality and concept discovery*. Technical Report. PDF<http://grey.colorado.edu/mediawiki/sites/mingus/images/6/68/DeHoustMangalat…> - Rassbach, L., Mingus., B, Blackford, T. (2007). *Exploring the feasibility of automatically rating online article quality*. Technical Report. PDF<http://grey.colorado.edu/mediawiki/sites/mingus/images/d/d3/RassbachPincock…>

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[Foundation-l] Fwd: 18.1831, All: Call for Participation: Wikipedia Volunteers
by GerardM 09 Aug '22

09 Aug '22

Hoi, I have asked and received permission to forward to you all this most excellent bit of news. The linguist list, is a most excellent resource for people interested in the field of linguistics. As I mentioned some time ago they have had a funding drive and in that funding drive they asked for a certain amount of money in a given amount of days and they would then have a project on Wikipedia to learn what needs doing to get better coverage for the field of linguistics. What you will read in this mail that the total community of linguists are asked to cooperate. I am really thrilled as it will also get us more linguists interested in what we do. My hope is that a fraction will be interested in the languages that they care for and help it become more relevant. As a member of the "language prevention committee", I love to get more knowledgeable people involved in our smaller projects. If it means that we get more requests for more projects we will really feel embarrassed with all the new projects we will have to approve because of the quality of the Incubator content and the quality of the linguistic arguments why we should approve yet another language :) NB Is this not a really clever way of raising money; give us this much in this time frame and we will then do this as a bonus... Thanks, GerardM ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: LINGUIST Network <linguist(a)linguistlist.org> Date: Jun 18, 2007 6:53 PM Subject: 18.1831, All: Call for Participation: Wikipedia Volunteers To: LINGUIST(a)listserv.linguistlist.org LINGUIST List: Vol-18-1831. Mon Jun 18 2007. ISSN: 1068 - 4875. Subject: 18.1831, All: Call for Participation: Wikipedia Volunteers Moderators: Anthony Aristar, Eastern Michigan U <aristar(a)linguistlist.org> Helen Aristar-Dry, Eastern Michigan U <hdry(a)linguistlist.org> Reviews: Laura Welcher, Rosetta Project <reviews(a)linguistlist.org> Homepage: http://linguistlist.org/ The LINGUIST List is funded by Eastern Michigan University, and donations from subscribers and publishers. Editor for this issue: Ann Sawyer <sawyer(a)linguistlist.org> ================================================================ To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.html ===========================Directory============================== 1) Date: 18-Jun-2007 From: Hannah Morales < hannah(a)linguistlist.org > Subject: Wikipedia Volunteers -------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2007 12:49:35 From: Hannah Morales < hannah(a)linguistlist.org > Subject: Wikipedia Volunteers Dear subscribers, As you may recall, one of our Fund Drive 2007 campaigns was called the "Wikipedia Update Vote." We asked our viewers to consider earmarking their donations to organize an update project on linguistics entries in the English-language Wikipedia. You can find more background information on this at: http://linguistlist.org/donation/fund-drive2007/wikipedia/index.cfm. The speed with which we met our goal, thanks to the interest and generosity of our readers, was a sure sign that the linguistics community was enthusiastic about the idea. Now that summer is upon us, and some of you may have a bit more leisure time, we are hoping that you will be able to help us get started on the Wikipedia project. The LINGUIST List's role in this project is a purely organizational one. We will: *Help, with your input, to identify major gaps in the Wikipedia materials or pages that need improvement; *Compile a list of linguistics pages that Wikipedia editors have identified as "in need of attention from an expert on the subject" or " does not cite any references or sources," etc; *Send out periodical calls for volunteer contributors on specific topics or articles; *Provide simple instructions on how to upload your entries into Wikipedia; *Keep track of our project Wikipedians; *Keep track of revisions and new entries; *Work with Wikimedia Foundation to publicize the linguistics community's efforts. We hope you are as enthusiastic about this effort as we are. Just to help us all get started looking at Wikipedia more critically, and to easily identify an area needing improvement, we suggest that you take a look at the List of Linguists page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_linguists. M Many people are not listed there; others need to have more facts and information added. If you would like to participate in this exciting update effort, please respond by sending an email to LINGUIST Editor Hannah Morales at hannah(a)linguistlist.org, suggesting what your role might be or which linguistics entries you feel should be updated or added. Some linguists who saw our campaign on the Internet have already written us with specific suggestions, which we will share with you soon. This update project will take major time and effort on all our parts. The end result will be a much richer internet resource of information on the breadth and depth of the field of linguistics. Our efforts should also stimulate prospective students to consider studying linguistics and to educate a wider public on what we do. Please consider participating. Sincerely, Hannah Morales Editor, Wikipedia Update Project Linguistic Field(s): Not Applicable ----------------------------------------------------------- LINGUIST List: Vol-18-1831

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WMF transfers $8.7 million to "Wikimedia Knowledge Equity Fund"
by Yair Rand 02 Jun '21

02 Jun '21

According to the recent Independent Auditors' Report of the WMF [1], at some point prior to the end of June 2020, an entity called the "Wikimedia Knowledge Equity Fund" was established, and $8.723 million was transferred to it by the WMF, in the form of an unconditional grant. The Fund is "managed and controlled by Tides Advocacy" (a 501(c)(4) advocacy nonprofit previously led by the WMF's current General Counsel/Board Secretary, who served as CEO, Board Secretary, and Treasurer there). Given that a Google search for "Wikimedia Knowledge Equity Fund" yields zero results prior to the release of the report, it is clear that the WMF kept this significant move completely secret for over five months, perhaps over a year. The Report FAQ additionally emphasizes that the WMF "has no right of return to the grant funds provided, with the exception of unexpended funds." The WMF unilaterally and secretly transferred nearly $9 million of movement funds to an outside organization not recognized by the Affiliations Committee. No mention of the grant was made in any Board resolutions or minutes from the relevant time period. The amount was not mentioned in the public annual plan, which set out rather less than this amount for the entire grantmaking budget for the year. No application was made through any of the various Wikimedia grants processes. No further information has been provided on the administration of this new Fund, or on the text of the grant agreement. I am appalled. -- Yair Rand [1] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/foundation/f/f7/Wikimedia_Foundation…

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Moving Wikimania 20201 to a Virtual Event
by Janeen Uzzell 25 Feb '21

25 Feb '21

Hi all, Earlier this year when we decided to cancel Wikimania 2020, many of us were hopeful that we would be able to postpone it a year to 2021. I was looking forward to connecting with all of you in Bangkok in August for our first ever Wikimania in Southeast Asia. However, as we look forward, in spite of promising developments in vaccine research it seems unlikely that we will all be able to travel freely and convene together by August 2021. Over the past several months, the Wikimedia Foundation Events team has been meeting with the Wikimania Steering Committee[1] and the ESEAP Core Organizing Team (East, South East Asia and Pacific regions)[2] to discuss how we can move forward with Wikimania in 2021. Together, these stakeholders have decided that next year’s Wikimania will be a virtual event. Instead of being hosted by the ESEAP Core Organizing Team, this virtual Wikimania will be hosted by a wider group of community members. Since there still is a strong wish to host Wikimania in the future from the ESEAP team, they will remain the hosts for the next in-person edition of Wikimania. For many of us, hearing that we won’t be gathering in person at Wikimania in 2021 is disappointing news. But I am encouraged by the success and creativity of all of the recent virtual movement events, from regional events like itWikiCon to the Wiki 20 event in Asia Pacific event to celebrate Wikipedia’s 20th birthday and the Movement Strategy Global Conversations held in December. I have gotten to hear from more of you over the past months than I could have imagined at the beginning of this pandemic. As always, Wikimedians have adapted and found new ways to connect with each other. We believe that this new virtual format will create opportunities for more people within our movement to be involved in putting together a movement event than ever before. We will further build on the collaborative, open process for creating a Wikimania program that we started during Wikimania in Sweden last year. Since this is our first virtual Wikimania, we will also be able to learn from this experience and hopefully include options for virtual participation in future in-person Wikimanias as well. Wikimania 2021 may not happen as any of us initially imagined, but it will still be an opportunity for celebration, especially as Wikimania 2021 will happen during Wikipedia’s 20th birthday year. We welcome ideas for this virtual Wikimania and in January, we plan to share more information about how you can get involved in the planning process. We will also be able to share more information in the coming months about what this means in terms of invitations, submitting sessions and scholarships. In the meantime, please share your thoughts, ideas and suggestions with the Wikimania Steering Committee on Meta[3]. As a movement, we value those opportunities to connect together in person, and look forward to when we can all gather in person again. Until then, stay safe and take care! Janeen Uzzell, on behalf of the - ESEAP Core Organizing Team - Wikimania Steering Committee - Wikimedia Foundation Events Team [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimania_Committee [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/ESEAP_Hub [3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimania_2021 -- ------------------------------ *Jáneen Uzzell* Chief Operating Officer Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/> @janeenuzzell

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[REMINDER] Call for projects and mentors for Google Summer of Code 2021 and Outreachy Round 22 is ongoing!
by Pavithra Eswaramoorthy 10 Feb '21

10 Feb '21

Hello everyone, TLDR; Wikimedia will soon be applying as a mentoring organization to Google Summer of Code 2021 <https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com> [1] and Outreachy Round 22 <https://www.outreachy.org/> [2]. The application submission deadline for GSoC is February 20th, and Outreachy is March 7th. We are currently working on a list of interesting project ideas to include in the application. If you have some ideas for coding or non-coding (design, documentation, translation, outreach, research) projects, share them here: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T270429 [3]. Timeline As a mentor, you will be engaging potential candidates in the application period for GSoC between March 10th – April 13th, and for Outreachy between March 15th – April 16th. During this time, you will help candidates make small contributions to your project and answer any project related queries. You will be working more closely with the accepted candidates during the coding period between May-August. Project ideas We have started compiling a list of projects that you can take a look at here: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Google_Summer_of_Code/2021 [4], https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Round_22 [5] If you don’t have an idea in mind and would like to pick one from an existing list, check out these projects: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/outreach-programs-projects/ [6] Through GSoC, you can mentor only coding but with Outreachy also non-coding projects (including design, documentation, translation, outreach, etc.). Note that GSoC has some changes this year, including: * Smaller project size ~175 hr project (previously 350 hr) * Shortened coding period ~10 weeks long (previously 3 months) * Eligibility criteria redefined; the program is now open to candidates participating in a variety of academic programs (previously accredited university programs only) Please keep these changes in mind while sharing your project ideas. Some tips for proposing projects * Follow this task description template when you propose a project in Phabricator: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/outreach-programs-projects [7]. Add #Google- Summer-of-Code (2021) or #Outreachy (Round 22) tag to it. * Remember, the project should require an experienced developer ~15 days to complete and a newcomer ~3 months for Outreachy and ~10 weeks for GSoC. * Each project should have at least 2 mentors, and one of them should hold a technical background. * When it comes to picking a project, you could propose one that is: * Relevant for your language community or brings impact to the Wikimedia ecosystem in the future. * Welcoming and newcomer-friendly and has a moderate learning curve. * A new idea you are passionate about, there are no deadlines attached to it; you always wanted to see it happen but couldn't due to lack of resources! * About developing a standalone tool (possibly hosted on Wikimedia Toolforge), with fewer dependencies on Wikimedia's core infrastructure, and doesn't necessarily require a specific programming language, etc. To learn more about the roles and responsibilities of a mentor, visit our resources on MediaWiki.org: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Mentors [8], https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Google_Summer_of_Code/Mentors [9]. Cheers, GSoC 2021 and Outreachy Round 22 Administrators [1] https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com [2] https://www.outreachy.org/ [3] https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T270429 [4] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Google_Summer_of_Code/2021 [5] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Round_22 [6] https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/outreach-programs-projects/ [7] https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/outreach-programs-projects/ [8] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Mentors [9] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Mentors

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Invitation for Wikimedia Research Office hours February 2, 2021
by Martin Gerlach 02 Feb '21

02 Feb '21

Hi all, Join the Research Team at the Wikimedia Foundation [1] for their monthly Office hours next week on 2021-02-02 at 17:00-18:00 PM UTC (9am PT/6pm CET). To participate, join the video-call via this Wikimedia-meet link [2]. There is no set agenda - feel free to add your item to the list of topics in the etherpad [3] (You can do this after you join the meeting, too.), otherwise you are welcome to also just hang out. More detailed information (e.g. about how to attend) can be found here [4]. Through these office hours, we aim to make ourselves more available to answer some of the research related questions that you as Wikimedia volunteer editors, organizers, affiliates, staff, and researchers face in your projects and initiatives. Some example cases we hope to be able to support you in: - You have a specific research related question that you suspect you should be able to answer with the publicly available data and you don’t know how to find an answer for it, or you just need some more help with it. For example, how can I compute the ratio of anonymous to registered editors in my wiki? - You run into repetitive or very manual work as part of your Wikimedia contributions and you wish to find out if there are ways to use machines to improve your workflows. These types of conversations can sometimes be harder to find an answer for during an office hour, however, discussing them can help us understand your challenges better and we may find ways to work with each other to support you in addressing it in the future. - You want to learn what the Research team at the Wikimedia Foundation does and how we can potentially support you. Specifically for affiliates: if you are interested in building relationships with the academic institutions in your country, we would love to talk with you and learn more. We have a series of programs that aim to expand the network of Wikimedia researchers globally and we would love to collaborate with those of you interested more closely in this space. - You want to talk with us about one of our existing programs [5]. Hope to see many of you, Martin (WMF Research Team) [1] https://research.wikimedia.org/team.html [2] https://meet.wmcloud.org/ResearchOfficeHours [3] https://etherpad.wikimedia.org/p/Research-Analytics-Office-hours [4] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Research/Office_hours [5] https://research.wikimedia.org/projects.html -- Martin Gerlach Research Scientist Wikimedia Foundation

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A2K Progress Report
by Bodhisattwa Mandal 31 Jan '21

31 Jan '21

Hello all, On behalf of A2K, I want to inform you that A2K has submitted the progress report which can be found here. <https://meta.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Proposals/2019-2020_round_2/Th…> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Proposals/2019-2020_round_2/The_… <https://meta.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Proposals/2019-2020_round_2/Th…> The preface of the report is available in multiple languages: Bangla: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Proposals/2019-2020_round_2/The_… Hindi: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Proposals/2019-2020_round_2/The_… Punjabi: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Proposals/2019-2020_round_2/The_… Kannada: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Proposals/2019-2020_round_2/The_… (under construction) Thank you Bodhisattwa,

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Events Refresh: Community Input
by Joël Letang 28 Jan '21

28 Jan '21

Hello everyone, Following up on recent news [1] that was shared in regards to the Events Refresh [2] ,we are continuing our efforts to improve our processes, systems, accessibility and reevaluate our strategy. We are launching our first survey* and we are looking for your ideas, inputs and suggestions! With this survey we are zooming in on 4 areas of focus: - Capacity building - Newcomer strategy for first time event participants - Participation accessibility - Events team office hours In this survey you will be asked to identify and prioritize capacity building practices, identify needs and tools you believe are most needed for your local community’s development. The information you'll provide will provide a basis for new tools, training processes, services and resources we will build in the coming months. We would like to invite you to participate by completing our survey by *January 31st, 2021* at the latest [3]. The survey has 20 questions and should not take more than 10-12 minutes. If you wish you could also choose to participate in Focus Group Interviews, which are scheduled to take place during the first quarter of 2021. An option to self-select has been included in the survey. Please feel free to send this survey through to anyone you think would be interested. Thank you so much for your participation! On behalf of the Community Events Team, Joël L. *This survey will be conducted via a third-party service, which may subject it to additional terms. For more information on privacy and data-handling, see the survey's privacy statement [4] [1] https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2020-November/095903.html [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Events_Refresh [3] https://qfreeaccountssjc1.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1TdTlK50Z7l6GMJ [4] https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Engagement_Survey_Privacy_S… *Jo**ël Letang* (he/him) Senior Strategist Events Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>

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Call for Feedback: Community-and-Affiliate Board Seats
by Jackie Koerner 27 Jan '21

27 Jan '21

Hi there! As recently announced, the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees is organizing a call for feedback about community-and-affiliated seat selection processes between February 1 and March 14. You can find all the information on Meta: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Boa… We are offering multiple channels for questions and feedback. With the help of a team of community facilitators, we are organizing multiple conversations with multiple groups in multiple languages. I am the community facilitator for English language communities and Meta discussions about the Board Governance updates. During this call for feedback we will publish weekly reports and we will draft the final report that will be delivered to the Board. With the help of this report, the Board will approve the next steps to organize the selection of six community seats in the upcoming months. Three of these seats are due for renewal and three are new, recently approved. We are looking for a broad representation of opinions. We are interested in the reasoning and the feelings behind your opinions. In a conversation like this one, details are important. We want to support good conversations where everyone can share and learn from others. *How to participate* You can choose your preferred language and way of participation. A team of facilitators is watching multiple channels and capturing the outcome of conversations in weekly reports (see below). - Discuss in the Talk page for each idea, or in this Talk page [1] for general comments. Translated pages welcome discussions in their respective languages. - Discuss in the WM Board Governance Telegram [2] group created for this call for feedback. - Join a conversation or an online meeting near you. We are organizing multiple conversations on wiki projects, with affiliates, and other groups. If there are no conversations or meetings organized for your project or your affiliate, contact us here, on Telegram, or via email at community-board-seats-cff(a)wikimedia.org. A facilitator will contact you to organize one. Please do not hesitate to reach out if there is anything you suggest to better help me connect and gather feedback from your community. Thanks for taking the time to participate in this process. Best, Jackie -- *Jackie Koerner* *she/her* Communication Facilitator, Board Governance *English language communities and Meta* [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees… [2] https://t.me/wmboardgovernancechat

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Personal news // ED transition
by Abraham Taherivand 27 Jan '21

27 Jan '21

Dear fellow Wikimedians, Today I am informing you that I will not be renewing my contract with Wikimedia Deutschland, which runs until January 2022. This decision was not easy for me because Wikimedia has been such an important, even central, part of my life in the past nine years. After thorough introspection, I feel that this step is the right one for me and for our organisation. This means that a successor will have to be found for the position of the Executive Director. The search is managed by our Supervisory Board and me with support of an external executive search firm. The search process has been well prepared in recent weeks and I am working closely with our board on each of the steps. Together, we will ensure a good handover and transition to my successor. This point is very important to me, as is the fact that we will continue to work without losing focus on achieving our goals, on working with the entire movement, and on collaborating very closely on movement strategy implementation. That's why I don't want to say a big goodbye right now. What’s next - In cooperation with the external executive search firm Kienbaum, we have developed a search profile and a job posting that will go online shortly. - We strive to have someone on board well before the end of my term in January 2022. As we have commenced the procedure so early, we are on a very good track. - I also consider it essential to be available for a comprehensive transition and onboarding of a new Executive Director. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Best regards, Abraham -- Geschäftsführender Vorstand / Executive Director Wikimedia Deutschland e.V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin Tel. (030) 219 158 26-0 http://wikimedia.de

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Wikipedia & Education User Group Annual Report
by LiAnna Davis 27 Jan '21

27 Jan '21

On behalf of the Wikipedia & Education User Group, I'm pleased to announce we've published our 2020 Annual Report on Meta: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_%26_Education_User_Group/2020_Ann… Thank you to everyone who participated in our activities!

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Wikimedistas de Ecuador User Group activity reports.
by Edgar José Rosero Villacís 26 Jan '21

26 Jan '21

Greetings! After a different year which made us learn new ways of reaching our goals and re-discovering what being a Wikimedian is, Wikimedistas de Ecuador is proud to share our activity report for 2020. Wikimedistas de Ecuador's 2020 Annual Report <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedistas_de_Ecuador/Reportes> Even when it went different to planning, we were able to reach most of our goals this year, and we learned new ways and best practices to accomplish those that we couldn't reach now in 2021. Also, this past year was a time for us to cool down for a bit, take a deep breath and take care of ourselves. With everything going around and most of us living in one of the cities that were hit the hardest during the initial phase of the pandemic, we needed to take a step back to reflect and prioritize our mental health and well being. Hope this e-mail finds you well, and we're also glad we can share this with you all for feedback and hopefully it also helps you being inspired somehow. Best regards, *Edgar J. Rosero Villacís* Móvil: (+593) 96 934 4829

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Bylaws amendments and upcoming call for feedback
by María Sefidari 26 Jan '21

26 Jan '21

Hi everyone, The Board has discussed and approved some governance improvements in two recent meetings, on December 9 and January 8. As the governing body for the Wikimedia Foundation, we want to improve our capacity, performance, and representation of the movement’s diversity. We have amended the Bylaws in support of that goal. Please check the details in the announcement published on Meta and on the Diff blog: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/Janu… https://diff.wikimedia.org/2021/01/21/approval-of-bylaws-amendments-and-upc… Kind regards, María -- María Sefidari Huici Chair of the Board Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>

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Announcing the 2021 Ombuds Commission
by Karen Brown 25 Jan '21

25 Jan '21

Hello, everyone. I'm writing with information about the Ombuds Commission (OC), the small group of volunteers who investigate complaints about violations of the privacy policy, and in particular concerning the use of CheckUser and Oversight tools, on any Wikimedia project for the Board of Trustees. I apologize for the length of the announcement. :) The application period for new commissioners for 2021 recently closed. The Wikimedia Foundation is extremely grateful to the many experienced and insightful volunteers who offered to assist with this work. Because the OC may be asked to provide insights into community governance issues tied into UCoC[1] phase two this year, we are experimenting with expanding the Commission. This year’s OC will consist of ten members rather than eight, with a two-member advisory team who will guide the new commission and also, if necessary, fill in in the event that the OC is unable to act due to incapacity or recusal. [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct I am pleased to announce the composition of the 2021 OC: Acagastya <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Acagastya> Agastya has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2014, and is primarily active on English Wikinews serving as an administrator and has been accredited reporter since 2017. Agastya is also active on Commons, and speaks English, Hindi and Gujarati. AGK <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:AGK> AGK has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2008. He is primarily active on English Wikipedia, where he is an administrator, Checkuser, and Oversighter and has served as an Arbitrator. AGK has been a member of the Ombuds Commission since 2020. Ameisenigel <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Ameisenigel> Ameisenigel has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2015. He is primarily active on German Wikipedia, where he serves as an Arbitrator. He is also active as an translation admin on Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons and on Meta. Ameisenigel speaks German and English. Emufarmers <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Emufarmers> Emufarmers has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2005. He is a Metapedian who primarily edits the English Wikipedia; he is also a bureaucrat and sysop on MediaWiki.org, and has provided software support to many third-party, non-Wikimedia wikis over the years. He has served as an OTRS administrator since 2015. He has served on the Ombuds Commission since 2019. Faendalimas <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Faendalimas> Scott Thomson, user:Faendalimas, has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2006. Based in Brazil, he is a taxonomist and evolutionary biologist and his main editing interest is reptiles and amphibians. He is most active on WikiSpecies, where he is a bureaucrat, Checkuser, and administrator. JJMC89 <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:JJMC89> JJMC89 has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2015. He is primarily active on the English Wikipedia, where he has more than 300,000 edits and is an administrator and bot operator, and Commons. He also serves as a tool administrator on UTRS. Moheen <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Moheen> Moheen Reeyad, user:Moheen, has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2010. He is active on Commons, Bengali Wikipedia, Wikidata, and English Wikipedia and is an administrator on Commons and Bengali Wikipedia. He is currently a Board member of Wikimedia Bangladesh and lives in Chattogram. Moheen speaks Bengali and English. MrJaroslavik <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:MrJaroslavik> MrJaroslavik has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2017. He is primarily active on Czech Wikipedia and Meta. MrJaroslavik speaks Czech and English. ProtoplasmaKid <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:ProtoplasmaKid> Ivan has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2006. He is primarily active on Spanish Wikipedia and Spanish Wikinews and as an administrator on both of those projects. He helped found Wikimedia Mexico in 2011 and was the Wikimania 2015 Chief Coordinator. He has participated in a number of movement committees, including Grant Advisory Committee. He speaks English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Superpes15 <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Superpes15> Superpes15 has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2010. He is primarily active on Italian Wikipedia and are a member of the Small Wiki Monitoring Team. He is an administrator on Italian Wikipedia and serves as a global renamer. He speaks Italian and English. The 2021 OC advisors are: Ajraddatz <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Ajraddatz> Ajraddatz has been an active user on Wikimedia since 2010, and has served in various roles of community trust in that time, including as a Wikidata Oversighter since 2013, a steward between 2014 and 2020, and a Meta CheckUser since 2015. Galahad <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Galahad> Carlos, currently editing as user:Galahad, has been contributing to Wikimedia Projects since 2009. He is a member of Wikimedia Venezuela and a founding member of Wikimedia Small Projects User Group. He primarily contributes to Spanish-language projects including Spanish Wikipedia and Spanish Wikivoyage. He has been an administrator and bureaucrat of Spanish Wikivoyage since 2013. He has served on the Ombuds Commission since 2019. Their willingness to remain, to bring their familiarity with processes and their experience to the new arrivals, is greatly appreciated! Please join me in thanking the following volunteers who are leaving OC, who have given substantially of their time to serve the commission: DeltaQuad <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:DeltaQuad> Amanda has been editing Wikipedia since 2009, when she made her first edits to English Wikipedia. She has served many roles in the past including being a sysop, holding advanced permissions and serving on an Arbitration Committee for 4 years. She will continue to support the English Wikipedia and reach out to global communities through her service and tools she develops. Elmacenderesi <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Elmacenderesi> Elmacenderesi has been working on Wikimedia projects since 2007, primarily on the Turkish Wikipedia. There, he has been a CheckUser and a Bureaucrat since 2008 and an Oversighter since 2011. He is also a member of Wikimedia OTRS and serves as a global outreach coordinator, working with academic institutions and GLAMs, for The Wikipedia Library. He has served on the Ombuds Commission since 2018. Taketa <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Taketa> Taketa has been a Wikimedian since 2008 and has held a number of positions in his time here, including Administrator and Bureaucrat on the Dutch Wikipedia, Arbitrator on Dutch Wikipedia, Administrator on Wikidata, Steward, and member of the Ombuds Commission. He has created about 7000 new articles in several language Wikipedias. He currently serves on the board of Wikimedia Belgium. Teles <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Teles> Lucas became a Wikipedian in 2007 and started to engage with CheckUser rights in 2009, when he became a local CU on the Portuguese Wikipedia. He held both Oversight and Checkuser rights on Ptwiki between 2015 and 2017, when his term with the rights expired. He is currently an administrator on Commons and Ptwiki. His traditional main focus has been on anti-vandalism work. In 2012, the global community elected him as a steward, a position he held until 2020. He served on the Ombuds Commission for 2018. Uzoma Ozurumba <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Uzoma_Ozurumba> Uzoma Ozurumba has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2017. She contributes primarily to Meta, Commons, and the Igbo Wiktionary, of which she is a founder. She is a co-founder of the Igbo Wikimedians User Group and serves as a Strategy Liaison for that group. She served on the OC in 2020. Wikilover90 <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Wikilover90>Rupika has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2014. A free knowledge advocate, she edits primarily on Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata and is administrator on Punjabi Wikisource. She organizes events such as Wiki Loves Folklore <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Folklore> and Wiki Loves Women <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wiki_Loves_Women_South_Asia_2020>. She has been supporting in activating the Open Movement in North India via various Open GLAM initiatives such as Heritage GLAM <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Heritage_GLAM>. She has served on the Ombuds Commission since 2019. ------------------------ Thanks again to everyone who 's serving, is serving, or volunteered to serve. And thanks to all of you for reading this wall of text! -Karen -- Karen Brown Trust & Safety Specialist Wikimedia Foundation kbrown(a)wikimedia.org

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Open Call for Project Grants starts today Jan 21 - Feb 20, 2020
by Rupika Sharma 25 Jan '21

25 Jan '21

Hello everyone, Hope this email finds you well. Wishing you all a happy new year. This is a gentle reminder about the Project Grants Program open call that starts from today, January 11, with the submission deadline of February 10, 2021. < https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project>. This first open call will be focussed on Community Organizing proposals. A second open call focused on research and software proposals is scheduled from February 15 with a submission deadline of March 16, 2021. For the Round 1 open call, we invite you to propose grant applications that fall under community development and organizing (offline and online) categories. Project Grant funds are available to support individuals, groups, and organizations to implement new experiments and proven ideas, from organizing a better process on your wiki, coordinating a campaign or editathon series to providing other support for community building. We offer the following resources to help you plan your project and complete a grant proposal: Weekly proposals clinics via Hangouts during the Open Call Join us for real-time discussions with Program Officers and select thematic experts and get live feedback about your Project Grants proposal. We’ll answer questions and help you make your proposal better. We will update the dates, times and themes on this page by 15th January 2021 < https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project#Upcoming_events> We also offer these support pages to help you build your proposal: * Video tutorials for writing a strong application: <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Tutorial> * General planning page for Project Grants: < https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Plan> * Program guidelines and criteria: <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Learn> Program officers are also available to offer individualized proposal support upon request. Contact us at projectgrants(a)wikimedia.org if you would like feedback or more information. We are excited to see your grant ideas that will support our community and make an impact on the future of Wikimedia projects. Put your idea into motion, and submit your proposal by February 10, 2021! < https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Apply> Please feel free to get in touch with questions about getting started with your grant application, or about serving on the Project Grants Committee. Contact us at projectgrants(a)wikimedia.org. Please check more about the changes introduced in the Project Grants program in the forwarded email below. Best regards, Rupika *Rupika Sharma* Junior Program Officer Wikimedia Foundation Grants Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/> [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project#Upcoming_events [3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Tutorial [4] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Plan [5] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Learn On Wed, 23 Dec 2020 at 09:54, Marti Johnson <mjohnson(a)wikimedia.org> wrote: > > Hello Wikimedians, > > I’m writing to announce the next opportunity for funding through the > Project Grants program, and to share changes in how review will happen in > the coming year and beyond. > > Background context: > > Over the past few months, the Wikimedia Foundation has begun work on a new > strategy for how we will structure our grants programs in the future, with > the goal of aligning more closely with the Wikimedia Movement’s 2030 > Strategic Direction [1]. We’ve been having conversations with many > stakeholders in the Wikimedia community and we’re in the process of > brainstorming about possible frameworks to improve how we make grants. This > coming year, 2021, will be an experimental year in which we will pilot some > smaller changes as we move toward a larger redesign process later in the > year and beyond. > > How do I learn more about applying for project funding through Project > Grants? > > - > > You can learn more about the guidelines for the Project Grants program > here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Learn > - > > You can learn more about how to plan for a project proposal here: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Plan > - > > You can learn about how to apply here: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Apply > > > What will change in the grant review process for Project Grants in 2021? > > - > > In previous rounds, all Project Grant proposals have been reviewed in > one round, inclusive of proposals related to four themes: research, > software, and online and offline community organizing. In 2021, we will > experiment with offering two separate and dedicated rounds. One will be > focused on online and offline community organizing. A second round will > focus on review of research and software grant proposals. > - > > By offering separate, dedicated rounds, we hope to offer more tailored > support for applicants, with better integration with staff in the Wikimedia > Foundation who have relevant expertise, and with more focused Committee > recruitment to improve the quality of proposal review. We also hope it will > reduce the burden on volunteer committee reviewers in any given round. > > > When will community organizing grant proposals be accepted? > > - > > The open call will launch January 11, and the submission deadline is > February 10, 2021. > - > > The full schedule is posted here: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project > > > When will software and research grant proposals be accepted in 2021? > > - > > The open call will launch February 15, and the submission deadline is > March 16, 2021. > - > > The full schedule is posted here: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project > > > How will this affect currently funded Project Grants? > > - > > Our intention is to make sure that current projects will not be > interrupted by this change, both with regard to current or planned work. > > > Will there be other changes coming in the future? > > - > > After these rounds, we expect bigger changes for Project Grants. > - > > We are currently in a strategic design process and have been actively > engaging many stakeholders from around the world to help us think about > what these changes should look like. > - > > Once we have draft frameworks ready, there will be opportunities for > feedback from Wikimedia community members before any decisions are > finalized. We will keep you updated! > > > Please let us know if you have any questions about these changes or if you > would like to learn more about how to get involved in the strategic > redesign process for Project Grants. > > Warm regards, > > Marti > > [1] <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_2030> > > *Marti Johnson* > > *Pronouns: she/her/hersProgram Officer* > *Individual Grants* > *Wikimedia Foundation <http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Home>* > *1 Montgomery, Ste. 1600* > *San Francisco, CA 94104* > +1 415-839-6885 > Skype: Mjohnson_WMF > > Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the > sum of all knowledge. Help us make it a reality! > Support Wikimedia > <https://donate.wikimedia.org/> > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > New messages to: Wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> >

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Subhas Chandra Bose's 125th birth anniversary Wikimedia celebration
by Bodhisattwa Mandal 23 Jan '21

23 Jan '21

Hello all, 23 January 2022 will mark the 125th birth anniversary of Indian freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subhas_Chandra_Bose West Bengal Wikimedians User Group is planning to conduct a series of events to improve free-content related to Subhas Chandra Bose on different Wikimedia sites. Today, on the 124th birth anniversary of Bose, we have inaugurated the initiative and will continue to work for the next one year. Learn more about the program here- https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Subhas_Chandra_Bose%27s_125th_birth_anniver… (under construction and to be expanded gradually). You may also read a blog post on Diff: https://diff.wikimedia.org/2020/12/24/125th-birth-anniversary-of-subhas-cha… If you like, you can share your thoughts and good wishes here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Subhas_Chandra_Bose%27s_125th_birth_an… Regards, Bodhisattwa On behalf of West Bengal Wikimedians User Group

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Last date for Wikimedia Wikimeet India 2021 submissions
by Bodhisattwa Mandal 23 Jan '21

23 Jan '21

Hello all, Tomorrow is the *last date to submit* session proposals for Wikimedia Wikimeet India 2021, the upcoming online wiki-event which is to be conducted from 19 – 21 February 2021 during the occasion of International Mother Language Day. If you are interested to present, run a workshop or organize a panel discussion, you can check this link and submit a session proposal. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Wikimeet_India_2021/Submissions Regards, Bodhisattwa On behalf of WMWM India 2021

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Bylaws amendments and upcoming call for feedback
by Jackie Koerner 22 Jan '21

22 Jan '21

Hi SJ and Yair Rand, Thanks for your feedback. I have written down your feedback and will bring this up. You're right, we do want to have Bylaws that are as clear as possible, but language is a difficult thing. At some point, we may have to assume good faith. Best, -- *Jackie Koerner* *she/her* Board Governance Facilitator (English/meta)

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Open Call to Join the Project & Simple APG Grants Programs Committees
by Veronica Thamaini 21 Jan '21

21 Jan '21

(Apologies for cross-posting!) The Community Resources team is inviting you to an exciting opportunity to be a committee member as part of the grants programs' participatory grantmaking practice. Participatory grantmaking ensures that resourcing community efforts in the movement is diverse, equal and inclusive. This practice aligns with movement strategy recommendation 4. Ensure Equity in Decision-making: Establishing shared responsibility and accountability for decision-making and distribution of resources. Serving committee members will have the opportunity to inform and advise funding decisions and proactively share recommendations and mentorship to support grantees worldwide in their development, growth, and sustainability strategies; that contribute to a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. You will also strengthen your capacity in participatory decision-making processes while learning about our community's incredible work and the different contexts that influence their work. Here is statement by a current committee member, Thepwnco, on their experience; My experiences with Wikimedia Foundation grant programs have been very rewarding, and I feel fortunate to have served as a volunteer committee member since 2014. Grant programs contribute to equity and sustainability in our movement through funding unmet and under-resourced needs. Under our participatory approach to grantmaking, volunteers play a key role in decision-making. Volunteers also help support and strengthen community-led initiatives by reviewing grant proposals for impact and providing feedback and other support to prospective grantees. But being a volunteer committee member is much more than just a way to share your knowledge and insights, it’s also an incredible opportunity to learn and be inspired by the breadth of amazing and innovative work taking place across the movement and in diverse communities and regions. Here are the committees that are currently soliciting new members: * Project Grants:* https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project ** Project Grants Committee reviewing Community Organizing proposals: This committee reviews proposals for projects that inspire and coordinate volunteers, via campaigns, training, contests and other forms of community organizing. You can learn more about Project Grants here: ** Project Grants Committee reviewing Research and Software proposals: This committee reviews proposals for projects that create or maintain software that supports the Wikimedia movement, or that conduct research to answer questions important for Wikimedia communities and projects. *Simple Annual Plan Grants: *https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Simple/About ** Simple APG Committee: This committee reviews proposals to fund a group or organization's programs and operating expenses for 12 months. The groups and organizations need to have experience managing programs and grant funding already. Orientation and training is provided for new members, and you don’t have to have previous experience to sign up. Committee responsibilities include: - Providing review and constructive feedback to help support applicants and strengthen grant proposals - Evaluating and recommending promising proposals for funding - Helping recruit and spread the word about grants - Optional: Becoming a project advisor for proposals that interest you Eligibility requirements for committee members can be found here: * Project Grants: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Committee/Eligibility#commit… * Simple APG: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Simple/Committee You can sign up as a candidate for a committee here: * https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Committee/Candidates * https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Simple/Committee/Candidates Deadlines for submitting committee candidacy: - Project Grants Committee reviewing Community Organizing proposals --February 5, 2020 - Project Grants Committee reviewing Research and Software proposals -- March 5, 2020 - Simple APG Committee -- February 5, 2020 Please reach out to projectgrants(a)wikimedia.org for questions on the Project Grants Committee and simple(a)wikimedia.org for questions on the Simple APG Committee. Warm regards, Veronica Thamaini, Program Officer for Simple APG Marti Johnson, Program Officer for Project Grants -- <https://wikimediafoundation.org/> *Veronica Thamaini *(She/Her) Senior Program Officer, Community Resources Wikim <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>edia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>

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Invitation for Wikimedia Education Office Hours, January 2021
by Sailesh Patnaik 21 Jan '21

21 Jan '21

Dear Wikimedians, Join us for the January edition of the education office hours on 21st at 12:00 PM UTC <https://zonestamp.toolforge.org/1611230447>! The office hours are a dedicated time and an online space to have conversations and discussions related to Wikimedia and education activities, listen and learn from each other's projects and experiences. You can find more details and the agenda of the meeting here: https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Education/About/Office_Hours/January_21… . Looking forward to seeing you then, Please let me know if you have any questions. Do you want to reach out to the education team for a 1:1 consultation? Request for a slot for consultation for your education work ( ttps://outreach.wikimedia. org/wiki/Education/About/Office_Space <https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Education/About/Office_Space> ) by filling this google form ( http://bit.ly/EduOfficeSpace ) Dhanyabaad! -- *Sailesh Patnaik* Wikimedia Foundation | Program Associate, Education User:SPatnaik (WMF)

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[Wikimedia Research Showcase] January 20, 2021: Macro-level organizational analysis of peer production communities
by Martin Gerlach 20 Jan '21

20 Jan '21

Hi all, The next Research Showcase will be live-streamed on Wednesday, January 20, at 9:30 AM PST/17:30 UTC. In this month’s showcase, Aaron Shaw will present ongoing research illustrating the values and challenges of macro-level organizational analysis of peer production and social computing systems. Specifically, he will give an overview on different studies showing convergent trends of formalization in large Wikipedias; divergent editor engagement in small Wikipedias; and commensal patterns of ecological interdependence across communities. Youtube stream: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9Wcc-TeaEY> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujd8S82YfmA As usual, you can join the conversation on IRC at #wikimedia-research. You can also watch our past research showcases here: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Research/Showcase <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Research/Showcase>*Speaker*: Aaron Shaw (Northwestern University) *Title*: The importance of thinking big. Convergence, divergence, and interdependence among wikis and peer production communities *Abstract*: Designing and governing collaborative, peer production communities can benefit from large-scale, macro-level thinking that focuses on communities as the units of analysis. For example, understanding how and why seemingly comparable communities may follow convergent, divergent, and/or interdependent patterns of behavior can inform more parsimonious theoretical and empirical insights as well as more effective strategic action. This talk gives a sneak peak at research-in-progress by members of the Community Data Science Collective <http://communitydata.science/> to illustrate these points. In particular, I focus on studies of (1) convergent trends of formalization in several large Wikipedias; (2) divergent editor engagement among three small Wikipedias; and (3) commensal patterns of ecological interdependence across communities. Together, the studies underscore the value and challenges of macro-level organizational analysis of peer production and social computing systems. -- Martin Gerlach Research Scientist Wikimedia Foundation

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Follow-up discussions and Global Conversations reminder
by Kaarel Vaidla 19 Jan '21

19 Jan '21

Hi everyone, This is a reminder that on January 23 and 24, we will be having a Global Conversation on the Interim Global Council. Please register <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdxy7RhHBXSx4wZsuNVqrhQVO_ONpLpkKO…> if you haven’t done so already [1]. Registration closes on Jan 22. Interpretation will be provided in multiple languages and support is available to overcome barriers to online participation, such as data packages or childcare reimbursement. The Interim Global Council The Interim Global Council (IGC) <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Transit…> [2] is an initiative from Movement Strategy recommendation 4. It is described as a temporary committee to oversee the development of a Movement Charter and the establishment of a Global Council. Some of the key actions and attributes were already discussed in December. Please see the discussion space <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Transit…> [3] — including text and video summaries. On January 23 and 24, we will be building on the existing discussions to focus on (1) the structure of the council; (2) representation; and (3) the selection process. It is important that communities from across the movement take part in the discussions and help shape the way forward for distributed leadership and inclusive decision-making. Other priority initiatives There will be follow-up discussions for the other priority initiatives as well. You can see the list on the central page for the Global Conversations <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Transit…>. [4] We will update the page with links to the calls. Please note that the times may change as we receive feedback and adapt. - Improving user experience and resources for newcomer: Friday January 22, 15:00 to 17:00 UTC - Funding for underrepresented communities: Friday Jan. 29 - Regional and thematic hubs: Saturday Jan. 30 - High-impact topics and content gaps: Friday Feb. 5 - Skills and leadership development: Saturday Feb. 6 - Alignment with environmental sustainability initiatives: Sunday Feb. 7 Priority initiatives were identified by communities and affiliates <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Transit…> [5] and discussed globally for movement-wide collaboration in November <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Transit…> [6]. Please indicate on Meta if you are interested to take part in any of the follow-up discussions. We look forward to continued conversations and movement-wide collaboration as we put movement strategy into service of our mission. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Movement Strategy Support Team if you have any questions or comments <strategy2030{{at}}wikimedia.org>. On behalf of the Support Team, Kaarel [1] IGC registration form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdxy7RhHBXSx4wZsuNVqrhQVO_ONpLpkKO… [2] Overview of the Interim Global Council: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Transit… [3] Cluster A discussion space on Meta: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Transit… [4] Central page for the global conversations and follow-up discussions: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Transit… [5] Priorities from communities and affiliates: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Transit… [6] Report from the November Global Conversations: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Transit… -- Kaarel Vaidla (he/him) Movement Strategy <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/2030> Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>

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WMWM India 2021 submission: 6 days remaining
by Bodhisattwa Mandal 18 Jan '21

18 Jan '21

Hello all, The *last date to submit* session proposals for Wikimedia Wikimeet India 2021, the upcoming online wiki-event which is to be conducted from 19 – 21 February 2021 during the occasion of International Mother Language Day is just after 6 days i.e. on *24th January 2021*. If you are interested to present, run a workshop or organize a panel discussion, you can check this link and submit a session proposal. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Wikimeet_India_2021/Submissions Regards, Bodhisattwa On behalf of WMWM India 2021

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Wikimedia Community Ireland Strategic Plan 2021-2024
by Rebecca O'Neill 15 Jan '21

15 Jan '21

Dear all, Over the course of November 2020, the committee of Wikimedia Community Ireland held 4 meetings dedicated to the development of the group's first 3 year strategic plan. It was formally adopted by the committee on 11 January 2021, and can be found on Commons here <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wikimedia_Community_Ireland_Strateg…> . We are very excited by many of the elements of the new plan, and would love to hear from anyone interested in working with us to achieve the goals set out. Hope everyone is enjoying Wikipedia's big day! (Next January Vicipéid, the Irish language Wikipedia turns 18, so watch this space!) Kind Regards, Rebecca O'Neill on behalf of Wikimedia Community Ireland -- PhD in Digital Media Project Coordinator Wikimedia Community Ireland <http://wikimedia.ie> Vice Chair of Women in Technology and Science <https://witsireland.com/> Secretary of the National Committee for Commemorative Plaques in Science and Technology She/Her

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Call for nominations! Steward Elections 2021
by Martin Urbanec 15 Jan '21

15 Jan '21

Hello everyone, I am pleased to announce the Steward Elections 2021 [1]. We are now taking nominations from eligible candidates. Interested candidates can check their eligibility and procedure to submit the nomination on the guidelines page [2]. We are open to candidate submissions till January 31, 2021, 23:59 (UTC). As always, the confirmation of existing stewards [3] will take place at the same time as the election, which begins on February 5, and will finish on February 26, 2021. Please remember, the voting has not yet begun and will not until February 5, 2021, 14:00 (UTC). We will poke you once again when the voting starts. If you have any questions regarding the elections, feel free to contact me or any other member of the Election Committee. You can also ask any question in the #wikimedia-stewards-elections-chat IRC channel, or watch updates in #wikimedia-stewards-elections. Best regards, Martin Urbanec (On behalf of the Election Committee) [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Stewards/Elections_2021 [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Stewards/Elections_2021/Guidelines [3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Stewards/Confirm/2021

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Wikimedia-l January 2021