FYI, I asked WMF Communication Team about any plans of using Mastodon in future.
Here is their response [1] "The Digital Communications team has been researching Mastodon and considering our potential involvement with the platform in the future. At this time, we have no plans to create an account for the Foundation or Wikipedia. This is mainly because our observations show us that Mastodon is not yet reaching a large audience, which is one of the key objectives of our communications activity on social media. We will continue to monitor the situation and adjust our recommendations and practices to keep within our objectives."
[1]: https://meta.wikimedia.org/?diff=24262780
Regards,
SCP-2000
https://w.wiki/_zgcU
Hello friends
Short version : We need to find solutions to avoid so many africans
being globally IP blocked due to our No Open Proxies policy.
*https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/No_open_proxies/Unfair_blocking*
Long version :
I'd like to raise attention on an issue, which has been getting worse in
the past couple of weeks/months.
Increasing number of editors getting blocked due to the No Open Proxies
policy [1]
In particular africans.
In February 2004, the decision was made to block open proxies on Meta
and all other Wikimedia projects.
According to theno open proxiespolicy : Publicly available proxies
(including paid proxies) may be blocked for any period at any time.
While this may affect legitimate users, they are not the intended
targets and may freely use proxies until those are blocked [...]
Non-static IP addresses or hosts that are otherwise not permanent
proxies should typically be blocked for a shorter period of time, as it
is likely the IP address will eventually be transferred or dynamically
reassigned, or the open proxy closed. Once closed, the IP address should
be unblocked.
According to the policy page, « the Editors can be permitted to edit by
way of an open proxy with the IP block exempt flag. This is granted on
local projects by administrators and globally by stewards. »
I repeat -----> ... legitimate users... may freely use proxies until
those are blocked. the Editors can be permitted to edit by way of an
open proxy with the IP block exempt flag <------ it is not illegal to
edit using an open proxy
Most editors though... have no idea whatsoever what an open proxy is.
They do not understand well what to do when they are blocked.
In the past few weeks, the number of African editors reporting being
blocked due to open proxy has been VERY significantly increasing.
New editors just as old timers.
Unexperienced editors but also staff members, president of usergroups,
organizers of edit-a-thons and various wikimedia initiatives.
At home, but also during events organized with usergroup members or
trainees, during edit-a-thons, photo uploads sessions etc.
It is NOT the occasional highly unlikely situation. This has become a
regular occurence.
There are cases and complains every week. Not one complaint per week.
Several complaints per week.
*This is irritating. This is offending. This is stressful. This is
disrupting activities organized in _good faith_ by _good people_,
activities set-up with _our donors funds. _**And the disruption**is
primarlly taking place in a geographical region supposingly to be
nurtured (per our strategy for diversity, equity, inclusion blahblahblah). *
The open proxy policy page suggests that, should a person be unfairly
blocked, it is recommended
* * to privately email stewards(_AT_)wikimedia.org.
* * or alternatively, to post arequest (if able to edit, if the editor
doesn't mind sharing their IP for global blocks or their reasons to
desire privacy (for Tor usage)).
* * the current message displayed to the blocked editor also suggest
contacting User:Tks4Fish. This editor is involved in vandalism
fighting and is probably the user blocking open proxies IPs the
most. See log
So...
Option 1: contacting stewards : it seems that they are not answering. Or
not quickly. Or requesting lengthy justifications before adding people
to IP block exemption list.
Option 2: posting a request for unblock on meta. For those who want to
look at the process, I suggest looking at it [3] and think hard about
how a new editor would feel. This is simply incredibly complicated
Option 3 : user:TksFish answers... sometimes...
As a consequence, most editors concerned with those global blocks...
stay blocked several days.
We do not know know why the situation has rapidly got worse recently.
But it got worse. And the reports are spilling all over.
We started collecting negative experiences on this page [4].
Please note that people who added their names here are not random
newbies. They are known and respected members of our community, often
leaders of activities and/or representant of their usergroups, who are
confronted to this situation on a REGULAR basis.
I do not know how this can be fixed. Should we slow down open proxy
blocking ? Should we add a mecanism and process for an easier and
quicker IP block exemption process post-blocking ? Should we improve a
process for our editors to pre-emptively be added to this IP block
exemption list ? Or what ? I do not know what's the strategy to fix
that. But there is a problem. Who should that problem be addressed to ?
Who has solutions ?
Flo
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/No_open_proxies
[2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Log/Tks4Fish
[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Steward_requests/Global_permissions#Request…
*[4] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/No_open_proxies/Unfair_blocking*
You can find this message translated into additional languages on Meta-wiki.
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Leg…>
More languages
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Leg…>
• Please help translate to your language
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Translate&group=page-W…>
Hi everyone! The Ombuds commission (OC) and the Case Review Committee (CRC)
are looking for members. People are encouraged to nominate themselves or
encourage others they feel would contribute to these groups to do so. There
is more information below about the opportunity and the skills that are
needed.
About the Ombuds commission
The Ombuds commission (OC) works on all Wikimedia projects to investigate
complaints about violations of the privacy policy, especially in use of
CheckUser <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/CheckUser_policy> and Oversight
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Oversight_policy> (also known as
Suppression) tools. The Commission mediates between the parties of the
investigation and, when violations of the policies are identified, advises
the Wikimedia Foundation on best handling. They may also assist the General
Counsel, the Chief Executive Officer, or the Board of Trustees of the
Foundation in these investigations when legally necessary. For more on the
OC's duties and roles, see Ombuds commission on Meta-Wiki
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ombuds_commission>.
Volunteers serving in this role should be experienced Wikimedians, active
on any project, who have previously used the CheckUser/Oversight tools OR
who have the technical ability to understand these tools and the
willingness to learn them. They must be able to communicate in English, the
common language of the commission. They are expected to be able to engage
neutrally in investigating these concerns and to know when to recuse when
other roles and relationships may cause conflict. Commissioners will
serve two-year
terms (note that this is different from past years, when the terms have
been for one year).
About the Case Review Committee
The Case Review Committee (CRC) reviews appeals of eligible Trust & Safety
office actions. The CRC is a critical layer of oversight to ensure that
Wikimedia Foundation office actions are fair and unbiased. They also make
sure the Wikimedia Foundation doesn’t overstep established practices or
boundaries. For more about the role, see Case Review Committee on Meta-Wiki
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Case_Review_Committee>.
We are looking for current or former functionaries and experienced
volunteers with an interest in joining this group. Applicants must be
fluent in English (additional languages are a strong plus) and willing to
abide by the terms of the Committee charte
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Trust_and_Safety/Case_Review_Committee/Char…>r.
If the work resonates and you qualify, please apply. Committee members will
serve two-year terms (note that this is different from past years, when the
terms have been for one year).
Applying to join either of these groups
Members are required to sign the Confidentiality agreement for nonpublic
information
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Confidentiality_agreement_for_nonpublic_inf…>
and must be willing to comply with the appropriate Wikimedia Foundation
board policies (such as the access to non-public information policy
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Access_to_nonpublic_information_policy>
and the Foundation privacy policy
<https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Privacy_policy>). These positions
require a high degree of discretion and trust. Members must also be over 18
years of age.
If you are interested in serving in either capacity listed above, please
write in English to the Trust and Safety team at ca[image: @]wikimedia[image:
.]org (to apply to the OC) or to the Legal Team at legal[image:
@]wikimedia[image:
.]org (to apply to the CRC) with information about:
-
Your primary projects
-
Languages you speak/write
-
Any experience you have serving on committees, whether movement or
non-movement
-
Your thoughts on what you could bring to the OC or CRC if appointed
-
Any experience you have with the Checkuser or Oversight tools (OC only)
-
Any other information you think is relevant
There will be two conversation hours to answer any questions that potential
applicants may have:
-
17 October 2022, 03:00 UTC (other timezones
<https://iw.toolforge.org/zonestamp/1665975648>) (Zoom meeting link)
(add to calendar)
-
16 November 2022, 18:00 UTC (other timezones
<https://iw.toolforge.org/zonestamp/1668621642>) (Zoom meeting link)
(add to calendar)
The deadline for applications is 31 December 2022 in any timezone.
Please feel free to pass this invitation along to any users who you think
may be qualified and interested. Thank you!
On behalf of the Committee Support team,
Karen
--
Karen Brown
Trust & Safety Specialist
Wikimedia Foundation
kbrown(a)wikimedia.org
Dear all,
The WMF appears to have made contradictory statements about the Wikimedia
Endowment. Earlier this week, Rai 3, a channel of the Italian national
broadcaster, aired a program about Wikimedia and Wikipedia.[1] On their
website, they also link to responses the WMF gave to various questions the
programme makers asked.[2]
One of these questions concerned the Endowment. I quote:
*Q: The Endowment has reached $33 million and passed them reaching $100
million today. Why the Wikimedia Foundation didn’t move it to a separate
501e3 entity? Being entrusted into the Tides Foundation is not available to
the public any financial report about Wikipedia Endowment. Don't you think
there is a lack of information and transparency about a fund that is
created through worldwide donations? *
*A: Your information is incorrect. The Wikimedia Endowment was established
as a separate entity and received its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in 2022
following a 2021 board resolution. *
This answer was given to Rai in November 2022. Now I do recall an October
2022 blog post from the WMF reporting that the WMF's application for a
501(c)(3) non-profit had received approval and that the WMF was "in the
process of setting up the Endowment's strategic and operational policies
and systems".[3]
Has the money actually been moved from the Tides Foundation to this new
501(c)(3)?
At the time of writing, the Endowment website continues to tell its readers
that the funds are held and administered by the Tides Foundation.[4]
Is the information on the Endowment website obsolete?[5] If it isn't, and
the money is still with Tides, wasn't the answer given to Rai last November
substantially misleading?
Andreas
[1]
https://www.rai.it/programmi/report/inchieste/La-community-8bb003fb-d8cd-42…
[2]
http://www.rai.it/dl/doc/2023/01/16/1673895524547_RISPOSTE%20WIKI%20MAIL%20…
and
http://www.rai.it/dl/doc/2023/01/16/1673895525034_TRADUZIONE%20RISPOSTE%20W…
[3]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2022-10-31/News_…
[4] https://archive.ph/S8iI0#selection-2949.0-2949.1007
[5]
https://diff.wikimedia.org/2023/01/11/adding-expertise-to-the-wikimedia-end…
refers to the "fact that we met – and even surpassed – our expected
timeline for the Endowment’s maturation into a 501(c)(3)."
BIng with ChatGPT is now released by Micrsoft.
And from what I understand they use Wikipedia content considerably. If
you ask Who is A B and A B is not widely known, the result is more or
less identical to the content from the Wikipedia article (but worse, as
it "makes up" facts that is incorrect).
In a way I am glad to see Wikipedia is fully relevant even in this
emerging AI-driven search world. But Google search has ben careful to
always have a link to Wikipedia besides their made up summary of facts,
which here it is missing (yet?). And for licences, they are all ignored.
So if this is the future the number of accesses from users to Wikipedia
will collapse, and also their willingness to donate... (but our content
still a cornerstone for knowledge)
Anders
(I got a lot of fact from an article in Swedish main newspaper by their
tech editor. He started asking fact of himself, and when he received
facts from his Wp article plus being credited to a book he had noting to
do with, he started to try to tell/learn ChatGPT of this error. The
chatPGT only got angry accusing the techeditor for lying and in the end
cut off the conversation, as ChatGPT continued to teat the techeditor as
lyer and vandal..).
Hi Everyone,
How is underrepresented knowledge on wikimedia projects addressed through
new ways of contributions? Intangible cultural heritage of different tribes
in Africa is one such knowledge facing underrepresentation on wikimedia
projects. As indigenous people migrate to cities; face an aging population
of cultural guardians and a strong tradition of oral storytelling, it is
important to save the voices of knowledge at the brink of extinction.
See how
<https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PLcKx0IEGrBKnp455hFAxxv5AFNz5GeY?us…>
the Wikimedia Foundation is supporting community efforts to digitize
endangered igbo dances in Nigeria through the AID project
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Audiovisuals_of_Igbo_Dances_(AID)_Project>.
Kind regards,
Euphemia Uwandu,
On behalf of the Project Team
Friends of education in the Wikimedia universe,
We in the Wikipedia & Education User Group are happy to share our 2022
annual report, now available: [[meta:Wikipedia & Education User Group/2022
Annual Report
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_%26_Education_User_Group/2022_Ann…>
]]
Highlights include:
* Our diverse membership of 378 Wikimedians and 20 affiliates
** Not a member? Join us! [[meta:Wikipedia & Education User Group/Members
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_%26_Education_User_Group/Members>
]]
* Open meetings of our membership, highlighting educational activities
happening all over the world
* Our mentorship program, with 36 participants this year
* Planning for the EduWiki Conference 2023, which will be held in Belgrade,
Serbia, in May
** Remember, the deadline for application to attend, with or without a
scholarship, is Sunday! More info: [[meta:EduWiki Conference 2023
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/EduWiki_Conference_2023>]]
* A forthcoming book chapter about the global Wikipedia Education Program
* And more!
We are happy to answer questions on the talk page.
LiAnna
Chair, Wikipedia & Education User Group
Hi Everyone,
*The WikiforHumanRights 2023 campaign is delivering capacity building
sessions *to support campaign organizers and participants to build their
capacity in leading the campaign.
*Are you a WikiforHumanRights 2023 organizer, participant or someone
interested in learning how to build a topic list using available tools?*
*The training sessions on 24 & 28 February are just for you.*
Register for both sessions in the links below:
*Tools for finding the right articles24 February 2023*
https://wikimedia.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIof-CqrjssGNz6wPUNUSZQAMAHj6vT…
*Building Article List with Petscan28 February 2023*
https://wikimedia.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAudeygqD8oEtFHDdxNypzLVeRz9_3b…
We are happy to answer any questions or comments you might have.
Best,
Euphemia
مرحبا بالجميع,
تقدم حملة ويكي تغير المناخ 2023 جلسات لبناء القدرات لدعم منظمي الحملة
والمشاركين لبناء قدراتهم في قيادة الحملة.
هل أنت منظم لحملة ويكي تغير المناخ لعام 2023 أو مشارك فيها؟ أو حتى تهتم
بتعلم كيفية إنشاء قائمة المواضيع باستخدام الأدوات المتاحة؟
الدورات التدريبية في 24 و 28 فبراير هي لك تماماً.
سجل في كلتا الدورتين في الروابط أدناه:
أدوات للعثور على المقالات الصحيحة
24 فبراير 2023
https://wikimedia.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIof-CqrjssGNz6wPUNUSZQAMAHj6vT…https://wikimedia.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIof-CqrjssGNz6wPUNUSZQAMAHj6vT…
قائمة
المواضيع عبر أداة Petscan
28 فبراير 2023
https://wikimedia.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAudeygqD8oEtFHDdxNypzLVeRz9_3b…
(
https://wikimedia.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAudeygqD8oEtFHDdxNypzLVeRz9_3b…
تترددوا
بالتواصل معنا لأي استفسار..
Bonjour à tous,
La campagne WikiforHumanRights 2023 organise des sessions de renforcement
des capacités afin d'aider les organisateurs et les participants de la
campagne à construire leur campagne en la dirigeant.
*Êtes-vous un organisateur de la campagne WikiforHumanRights 2023, un
participant ou quelqu'un qui souhaite apprendre comment construire une
liste de sujets en utilisant les outils disponibles ?*
*Les sessions de formation des 24 et 28 février sont faites pour vous.*
Inscrivez-vous aux deux sessions en cliquant sur les liens ci-dessous :
*Outils pour trouver les bons articles*
*24 février 2023*
https://wikimedia.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIof-CqrjssGNz6wPUNUSZQAMAHj6vT…
*Construire une liste d'articles avec Petscan*
*28 février 2023*
https://wikimedia.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAudeygqD8oEtFHDdxNypzLVeRz9_3b…
Nous sommes heureux de répondre à toutes vos questions ou commentaires.
Meilleur,
Euphemia
Hi everyone,
To respond to the gender gap and create opportunities to strengthen the
gender diverse content on Wikipedia, the Gender Organizing community in the
Wikimedia Movement hosts an annual campaign
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Celebrate_Women> during International
Women’s Month. This campaign is an important opportunity for the Wikimedia
movement to engage with the work of different communities highlighting the
gender gap in each Wikimedia project.
On 16 February 2023, the Campaigns Programs team held an office hour with
Gender Organizers from across the movement. Some key highlights from the
discussion included:
-
An overview of the volunteer-led Central Notice banner for this year’s
International Women’s Day campaign, with a request for translation support
for the banner and feedback.
-
An overview of the new event registration tool to support gender
organizers with an improved user-experience for newcomers joining events.
-
An overview of community planned campaign events surrounding gender on
the Projects for this year’s campaign.
Participants to the event also highlighted a desire for more strategic
support in:
-
Ensuring an intersectional approach to gender content on the Projects,
including facilitating gender visibility on key content areas such as
climate and sustainability, and elevating LGBTIQ+ content to ensure that
gender campaigning was inclusive, reflexive and expansive.
-
Facilitating and coordinating ongoing gender campaigning on Wikipedia,
and other projects (like WikiData), to ensure lively and ongoing content
curation in this important area beyond Women’s History Month (March).
-
Bringing in strategic partnerships at an international, regional and
local level to support and amplify gender campaigns on the projects e.g. a
similar partnership to the UNHRC and #Wiki4HumanRights.
Specific Product Support requested by gender organizers in the office hour
included:
-
A request for an on-Wiki calendar of events that allowed participants to
view and plan their contributions more systematically.
-
A request to review the Women in Red redlists
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Women_in_Red/Redlist_in…>,
which are updated by Listeria Query service, but are not updating often any
more. This is an issue connected to ongoing maintenance of key
volunteer-built listbuilding tools.
You can learn more about the discussion by watching the recording here.
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:Women_History_Month_Conversation>
What happens Next?
As an immediate priority, there is a request for support with translating
the Central Notice <https://w.wiki/6NPg>banner, and adding planned campaign
events to the Event landing page.
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Celebrate_Women> There is also a request
for support for updating translations of the event page itself.
During March, there is also an opportunity to share your events with the
WMF for amplification with the movement and external audiences via social
media. Have an event you’d like to share or have profiled? Get in touch
with the Campaigns team <campaigns(a)wikimedia.org>for more information.
On 15 March 2023, you are also invited to join the Wikimedia Research
Showcase, <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Research/Showcase> which
will be focused on gender and equity on Wikipedia. The session will feature
research presentations by Sneh Gupta, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha
University, and Jiao Sun, University of Southern California. You can join
the livestream <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw4MzJgDIzo> and ask
questions in the chat..
Lastly, look out for future announcements for how we plan to address the
identified gaps and opportunities elevated in the Office Hour.
*Masana Mulaudzi (She/Her)*
Senior Manager, Campaigns Programs
Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>