Wikimedia-l July 2024

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86 participants
48 discussions

February 2024 Update
by Maryana Iskander 30 Sep '25

30 Sep '25

This message will be translated into other languages on Meta-wiki <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chi…> ‎العربية • español • français • português • Deutsch• 中文 <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chi…> You can help with more languages <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chi…> Hi everyone, Since joining the Foundation I have tried to regularly write to you <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chi…> here and elsewhere, and I wanted to share a few updates since my last letter. In October 2023 <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Com…>, I reflected that we were in a period of compounded challenges across the world with escalating wars, conflict, and climate reminding us each week that global volatility and uncertainty was on the rise. That feels even more true now. My instinct then was to ask us to make more time to talk to each other and to try and pull closer together. This feels even more needed now. I noted that the return of in-person gatherings has been essential for a subset of our volunteers, providing spaces for reconnecting, recharging and working through difficult issues together in the same room. Foundation leadership has also been working harder to share organizational news and have individualized conversations on-wiki and in other digital forums. Our goal has been to put more effort and intentionality into communicating the right information, at the right time, and in the right way, even knowing that we can never meet everyone's expectations. Most importantly, we had to keep talking to each other – formally and informally – throughout the year. This was the basis of an open invitation to Talking: 2024 <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Com…>, an effort designed to listen intently to what is on your minds now, to share progress at the Foundation, and to also reflect on the needs for multi-year strategic plans. (A reminder that our priorities for long-range planning <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Comm…...>, informed by movement strategy, are Wikimedia’s financial model, product/technology needs, and roles/responsibilities.) So far, Wikimedia Foundation Trustees, executives, and staff have hosted 130 conversations <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Comm…> on-wiki, with individuals, and in small groups. These conversations have stretched across all regions of the world. We have learned from prolific community members to recent newcomers, from technical volunteers to stewards, event organizers, and affiliate leaders. Since these discussions were intended to improve deliberations at the Board’s strategic planning retreat next week, here is a summary of some of the feedback I've heard so far! Continue focusing the Foundation on supporting product/technology needs. As early as my first letter to you in January 2022, <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chi…> I understood that the central role of the Wikimedia Foundation is in enabling our projects, which is core to every aspect of our movement's mission. This was reinforced in most of the Talking:2024 conversations that we hosted over the last five months – from the need for the Foundation to remain focused on upgrading technical infrastructure to supporting volunteer needs for tool maintenance and metrics. Our annual planning continues to center the Foundation’s product and technology priorities. More deliberate conversations are taking place at the Foundation about what a multi-generational view of Wikimedia projects requires of us all. For me, this remains perhaps the most critical topic for our strategic efforts as we make tangible and practical a mission <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Mission> that calls for our work to continue in perpetuity. Recent discussions on this mailing list remind me that we can’t get to everything fast enough, but we continue to move more in the right direction. Chief Product & Technology Officer Selena Deckelmann recently shared <https://diff.wikimedia.org/2024/02/20/thinking-about-annual-planning-in-the…> that: “In the last couple of months, we shipped changes that enabled a better backbone for PageTriage <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:PageTriage>, and worked closely with volunteer developers to ensure future sustainability. Going forward, we have a number of initiatives ranging from projects like Edit Check <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Edit_check>, Discussion Tools <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:DiscussionTools>, Dark mode <https://diff.wikimedia.org/2023/11/24/dark-mode-is-coming/>, Patrolling on Android <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Team/Android>, Watchlist on iOS <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Team/iOS>, Automoderator <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Moderator_Tools/Automoderator>, Community Configuration <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Growth/Community_configuration>, the Wikimedia Commons Upload Wizard <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Upload_Wizard>, and others. We've resolved over 600 volunteer-reported issues in Phabricator in the last 6 months, and we're using research methods that solicit prototypes directly from volunteers <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Reading/Web/Accessibility_for_reading/Commun…> for informing typography decision making. And we're learning not just the basics of font size and spacing, we're also getting important information about context, devices and cultural aspects of the use of Wikipedia which are vital for helping make our software easier to use as how people use and access it changes (and it has changed a lot over 20 years!).” She has also already published draft objectives for the product and tech teams, and your input and on-wiki comments are always welcome <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Ann…> . ‘Human-led, tech-enabled’ means that the humans still lead. While tech featured prominently in most of these conversations, there remains no doubt that Wikimedia is a human-led movement (“It’s all about people.”). This led to exploring even more solutions that can address a familiar dilemma about how to balance the needs of existing editors with initiatives to welcome newcomers (“It’s always the war between ‘we need to protect the existing content’ and ‘do we care about new users with a tolerance for errors.’”). While some shared wonderful stories of their own journeys (“I wanna say that the Newcomer tools have been a really great project and very glad to see that energy was expensed there”), there was vocal urgency about the sustainability of the projects for generations to come (“We are sending away people who could be helpful to the projects”). In this regard, several discussions highlighted the value of the Universal Code of Conduct <https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Policy:Universal_Code_of_Conduct> as a “game changer” in signaling to all communities that they are actively invited and welcomed to safely contribute to the mission of free knowledge, while still acknowledging there is more to do (“It’s probably a good thing, but I don’t know if it will solve what I have faced.”). I learned in my initial listening tour that we have to make all contributions count <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chief_Executive_Office…>, and all contributors feel welcomed. I found that the Talking:2024 conversations deepened my own understanding of the peer support and mentorship needed for volunteers to thrive as active community members. (One example are these reflections <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Clovermoss/Editor_reflections> where 140 other editors participated). Finally, our human-led values came up in several conversations about Wikimedia’s role in shaping the next generation of artificial intelligence, a topic of ongoing discussion in the world <https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/18/magazine/wikipedia-ai-chatgpt.html?unloc…>, in our communities <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Future_Audiences>, and at the Foundation. This is complemented by ongoing discussions about the role of AI-generated content on our platform by various project communities. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Large_language_model_policy)> A recent effort to contribute to a shared research agenda on AI <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Artificial_intelligence/…>can be found here – including the need for more research to understand human motivation to contribute to the knowledge commons – it was created by a small group working in the open who rushed to publish a ‘bad first draft’ that will benefit from more input. <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Talk:Artificial_intellig…> Can our financial model provide more certainty, and also force difficult trade-offs? In my last letter, <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Com…> I shared that future projections indicate that, for a range of reasons, fundraising online and through banners may not continue to grow at the same rate as in past years. We have several long-term initiatives underway to help mitigate this risk and also diversify our revenue streams, including the Wikimedia Endowment <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Endowment> and Wikimedia Enterprise <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Enterprise>. Over the past two years, we have slowed the rate of growth <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Ann…> for the Foundation itself, while increasing financial resources <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Ann…> that support other movement entities. The Talking:2024 conversations provided a space for movement entities to share a need for multi-year financial certainty in their support from the Foundation, which we will take into our planning for next year. Other conversations highlighted the need to continue prioritizing limited resources and being more explicit about trade-offs (“[We must] use the money we have as wisely as we can”). These discussions have already improved the thinking for the Foundation’s current and upcoming planning cycles. <https://diff.wikimedia.org/2024/01/31/progress-on-the-plan-how-the-wikimedi…> Movement roles need more clarity. The task of defining a Movement Charter <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Movement_Charter> came up in several conversations with contributors of all kinds. These ranged from reflections about movement strategy recommendations and principles (“Will it always be first come, first served in this movement?”) to questions about the purpose of different structures (“What decisions do we need the global council to make? Why are decisions moving from one center to another?” “We are taking a hammer to solve this issue when they are simple screws.”). Unsurprisingly, there were varying perspectives (“The editing community in many regions doesn’t see an immediate benefit in affiliates, hubs, or other governance structures.” “The community still feels unheard by the Foundation.” “The good work that affiliates do in certain regions is commendable, especially where those affiliates are deeply engaged with the community.”) And a deep recognition of the complex task at hand (“The community is so huge and it’s hard to tie everyone together.” “How do we make change in the movement in a way that is understandable and doesn’t scare people.” “There has to be control and risk management with empowering the community, inviting everyone, and trying to grow while protecting what we have meticulously built over the past 23 years.”). Considering the investment of time and resources going into the charter, we need to make sure that this effort will provide us all with clearer strategic direction on what is needed to serve the future needs of our movement, and meet the expectations of a rapidly changing world around us. The Wikimedia Foundation recently shared these questions <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Movement_Charter#Wikimedia_Foundation_…> with the Movement Charter Drafting Committee to identify areas of key focus and concern. We will continue to review and comment on new drafts as they are produced in the weeks and months ahead. The Board of Trustees will dedicate time at its next Open Conversation with Trustees on March 21 <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Comm…> to talk more about this process and the Foundation’s hopes for a Movement Charter. +++ Talking: 2024 kicked off a useful check-in to hear how we are collectively doing, and it continues. Your voice and contributions would help add to the feedback we have already received—whether that is on-wiki, in 1:1 conversations, in small groups, in person. What we learn will continue to inform the Foundation's long-term planning. Please consider joining a conversation <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Com…'s_talk> . For me, each conversation has been a reminder that what drives this movement is the people. We remain at a pivotal moment, where the world needs Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects more than ever. As one of you shared, “I feel like there is a way because we have made a way, an experience of community that connects people across the world.” As always, I welcome your feedback either on my talk page <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/User_talk:MIskander-WMF> or emailing me directly at miskander(a)wikimedia.org. Maryana Maryana Iskander, Wikimedia Foundation CEO

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We need more interactive content: we are doing it wrong
by Galder Gonzalez Larrañaga 01 Feb '25

01 Feb '25

Dear wikimedians, Nearly one year ago, the Graphs extension was disabled from all wikis, because there was a security issue that should be solved (https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T334940). A wide team from the WMF worked on a solution for some weeks, but after Northern Hemisphere spring ended, summer came, then the monsoon season, and now it is again summer in the Southern Hemisphere... and Graphs are still disabled. All the solutions proposed have been dismissed, but every two months there's a proposal to make a new roadmap to solve the issue. We have plenty of roadmaps, but no vehicle to reach our destination. Seven years ago, we were discussing our Strategy for 2030. We used thousands of volunteer hours, thousands of staff hours and millions of dollars to build a really well-balanced strategy. There we concluded that "By 2030, Wikimedia will become the essential infrastructure of the ecosystem of free knowledge". We also made some recommendations to improve the User Experience (https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement_Strategy/Recommendations/Improve_U…) and claimed that we wanted to Innovate in Free Knowledge (https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement_Strategy/Recommendations/Innovate_…). Well, the situation is now worse than it was seven years ago, let me give some examples: * Graph extension is used in thousands of pages, some of them highly relevant, as COVID or Climate Change information. There are thousands of graphs broken now, and the only partial solution give is loading these graphs as images, instead of promoting an interactive solution. * Meanwhile, a place like Our World in Data has been publishing data and interactive content with a compatible license for years. (Remember, "By 2030, Wikimedia will become the essential infrastructure of the ecosystem of free knowledge"). Trying to add this data and graphs to Wikimedia projects has been done by WikiMed, and it is technically possible, but still blocked to deploy (https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T303853). * Wolfram Alpha is like a light year ahead us on giving interactive solutions to knowledge questions, even the silliest ones (https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=how+many+oranges+fit+in+the+Earth%3F). We have good technical articles about a lot of things, but sometimes "becoming the essential infrastructure of the ecosystem of free knowledge" needs to provide solutions to exact problems, like the answer to an equation, and how to solve it. That's also "free knowledge". * Brilliant (https://brilliant.org/) is brilliant if you want to learn lots of things, like geometry or programming. Way better than Wikipedia. But... you need to pay for it. How could we even try if we can't add anything interactive to our platforms? * We can build interactive timelines using Wikidata, but we can't embed them at Wikipedia. Weird, because I can do it in any external page. Hopefully, Histropedia will do it better. http://histropedia.com/<http://histropedia.com/> * We could have something very special: inline links in video and audio subtitles. We used to have them, but the new video infrastructure doesn't allow it. Imagine a world where you can watch a video and link a link in the subtitles just to know more about that. * ... The list can go on an on ("which phase the moon is today?"), but I think that the idea is clear. We could have interactive content, but we are going in the opposite direction, and every year we are further from our goal, because other platforms are doing it better, way better. And this seems like some wild ideas, but then I read the 2023-2024 annual plan section called "Wiki Experiences" (https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2023-2024/…) and it looks like we should be going there. But we aren't. I'm sorry if this e-mail feels bitter. My experience in the last years is that we are now further of what we need that we were before, even if many chapters and volunteers are trying to overturn it. Thank to everyone who have been trying. Galder

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Feedback invited on proposed requirements for affiliates & user groups recognition changes
by Nataliia Tymkiv 18 Nov '24

18 Nov '24

Dear all, I would like to share with you the outputs of the Wikimedia Foundation Affiliate Strategy process [1], and to invite you to give feedback on the proposed changes to requirements for all affiliates & to user groups recognition process (more below). The 2017 Strategic Direction <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017> says that we, the Wikimedia Movement, would build “the services and structures that enable others to … advance our world by collecting knowledge that fully represents human diversity” while carrying on “our mission of developing content”. As Wikimedia affiliates are a key and integral part of the Wikimedia movement and have knowledge and expertise to share, the movement’s success depends greatly on affiliates as they help people join us in doing mission-aligned work. The Wikimedia Foundation Affiliates Strategy report [2] identified a need to streamline the role of the Affiliations Committee (AffCom) on recognition of Wikimedia Affiliates, and identified issues with the current state of the process. After conversations with AffCom, the Board liaisons to AffCom identified two areas for improvement. These areas are about the relevant work and mandate of the Board related to affiliate recognition: 1) requirements for affiliates; and 2) improving the workflows around the process for the creation and recognition of a user group. The proposal on Meta [3] is suggesting to change the requirements for all existing Wikimedia affiliates, not just the legal entities. There are ten proposed criteria for a healthy affiliate. Examples include focusing on continuity by being an active group and welcoming new users, having good governance, and actively delivering on mission goals. Compliance with these requirements would be self-reported by the affiliates. The Board liaisons will work with the Affiliations Committee to publish a resolution outlining how affiliates would be expected to fulfill these requirements to remain in good standing. Throughout the Wikimedia Foundation Affiliate Strategy process, there was also feedback about user groups. Initially, user groups were meant as a first step toward creating chapters or thematic organizations. Over the years, user groups have evolved and there are now legally incorporated user groups, user groups with boards, etc. Getting started does need to be easy, but also needs to make sense, and so there is a proposal for changes to the current workflow. The recommendations [3] include an outline of the sequential steps of a revised process. The feedback can be given from today up till March 20, 2024 (Anywhere on Earth). Hopefully a fairly long feedback period will allow affiliates to consult with their membership, thinking it through practically. To provide your feedback, please review the page here, on Meta, [3] and leave comments on the talk page. Alternatively, you can join an open call (February 14 and 28 at 14:00 to 14:30 UTC) or request a conversation as a part of Talking:2024 <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Comm…>. You can use the Wikimedia Foundation Community Affairs Committee/Talking: 2024#Let’s Talk|Let’s Talk <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Comm…'s_talk> feature to sign up for a time to speak with me and other trustees about this conversation or any other topic regarding the Wikimedia Foundation Board, Movement Strategy, and more. Note: New user group applications will be placed on hold for the duration of this conversation – but the ones received before will be reviewed according to the current process. Best regards, Nat & Mike & Lorenzo Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees Liaisons to the Affiliations Committee [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Affiliates_Strategy [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/Wiki… [3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Affiliates_Strategy/Re… Best regards, antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv Chair, Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees *NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal working hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You should not feel obligated to answer it during your days off. Thank you in advance!*

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Wikidata’s 12th birthday & decentralized events in October 2024
by Léa Lacroix 26 Aug '24

26 Aug '24

Hello all, Every year, the month of October is dedicated to celebrating Wikidata’s birthday, as our favorite Wikimedia project went live on October 29th, 2012. Since then, we’ve been celebrating together the achievements of the community, bringing together active editors and newcomers, and taking this opportunity to do outreach and bring more people onboard. This year, for Wikidata’s 12th birthday, we would love to see many decentralized community events taking place all around the world in October and November. Whether you are involved in a local chapter or user group, or in touch with another organization that could organize an event, or simply interested in connecting with other Wikidata editors, we invite you to start thinking about organizing a Wikidata birthday event in the upcoming months! On the Twelfth Birthday page <https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Twelfth_Birthday>, you will find more information about the birthday and how to organize an event. Wikidata birthday decentralized events are organized by local groups within the Wikidata community, onsite as well as online. They can take many forms and can be adapted to the wishes, languages, favorite topics and interests of the local group. It can be for example: - A meetup / get together with your local/regional community to share a piece of birthday cake ; - An online editing campaign to improve Wikidata together on a specific topic ; - A moment dedicated to celebrating Wikidata’s birthday during a Wikimedia conference ; - A “translathon” to improve the labels of Wikidata in your language ; - A workshop in a library or university to get more people aware of Wikidata ; - A livestream presentation to showcase interesting tools ; - …and many other things! On the How to run an event page <https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Twelfth_Birthday/Run_an_event>, you will find many other examples of events, and you can take inspiration from the past years and what other people have been organizing. You will also find a communication kit with visuals that you can use to communicate about your event, and instructions on how to add your event to the global schedule. If you are planning an event for Wikidata’s birthday, you may need some financial support in order to run the event smoothly. On the Funding page <https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Twelfth_Birthday/Run_an_event/Funding>, you will find some useful information about how to get funding, to help your participants join or to provide equipment or refreshments. What is new this year: Wikimedia Deutschland will run an experiment on providing microgrants to fund projects related to the Wikidata birthday. These grants, of a maximum amount of 1,000€, will be provided to the selected projects after an application process that is running until September 1st. You also have the option to ask for WMF’s Rapid Fund if the amount or eligibility criteria work better for you. You will find all the information about how to apply and what to prepare on the Funding page <https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Twelfth_Birthday/Run_an_event/Funding> . If you are interested in organizing an event, we strongly encourage you to do it together with other people. We suggest that you reach out to your local affiliate to get logistical and communication support, or to other Wikidata editors who share similar interests, for example your favorite WikiProject. You are also very welcome to join the Wikidata Events Telegram group <https://t.me/joinchat/HGjGexK8LA2wJZEk1x1p_A>, in which you will find other community organizers who have been running events in the past and can answer your questions or provide inspiration. On top of that, we are running organizers office hours <https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Twelfth_Birthday/Run_an_event#Connec…> from July to October: you can join these online meetings to connect with other organizers and ask questions to the coordination team. I’m looking forward to hearing about your Wikidata birthday events, and I’m available at lea.lacroix_ext(a)wikimedia.de if you have any questions. Best, -- Léa Lacroix Community Engagement & Events Consultant Contractor for Wikimedia Deutschland e.V.

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Internet shutdown in Bangladesh
by Farah Jack Mustaklem 13 Aug '24

13 Aug '24

Dear fellow Wikimedians, Following the violent and deadly repression of student protesters in Bangladesh <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Bangladesh_quota_reform_movement> that has claimed the lives of about 150 people, the Bangladeshi government has shut down the Internet throughout the country. The Internet shutdown began on the 18th of July and remains in place to this day <https://mastodon.social/@netblocks/112830348166788483>. This has affected access to Wikipedia and other sources of free knowledge. Traffic to the Bangla Wikipedia has dropped to less than half the usual rate <https://stats.wikimedia.org/#/bn.wikipedia.org/reading/total-page-views/nor…> . Several organizations of the #KeepItOn coalition (which includes the Wikimedia Foundation) have signed an appeal <https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/keepiton-restore-internet-during-st…> to the Bangladeshi authorities to restore the Internet. I wish our Wikimedian colleagues a speedy return to their online activities, and most importantly safety in these troubling times. Farah

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Meetup about Video in Wikimania 2024
by Butch Bustria 08 Aug '24

08 Aug '24

Hi Folks, You are all invited to the Wikimania 2024 meetup about video. Thursday, 8 August 17:00 – 18:00 local time Belgrade Room 8, ICC, Katowice, Poland https://wikimania.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/2024:Meetups/Commons_Video_Meetup It is an open room for those who are interested. Kind regards, Butch Bustria

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Announcing the opening of voting for the U4C Special Election
by kpeterzell＠wikimedia.org 06 Aug '24

06 Aug '24

Dear all, I am writing to you to let you know the voting period for the Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C) is open now through 10 August, 2024. Read the information on the voting page on Meta-wiki to learn more about voting and voter eligibility [1]. The Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C) is a global group dedicated to providing an equitable and consistent implementation of the UCoC. Community members were invited to submit their applications for the U4C. For more information and the responsibilities of the U4C, please review the U4C Charter [2]. Please share this message with members of your community so they can participate as well. 1. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Coordinating_Comm… 2. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Coordinating_Comm… In cooperation with the U4C, Keegan Peterzell Committee Support, Wikimedia Foundation

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Recognition of Wikimedians of Singapore User Group
by Affiliations Committee 02 Aug '24

02 Aug '24

Hi everyone! I'm very happy to announce that the Affiliations Committee has recognized [1] Wikimedians of Singapore User Group [2] as a Wikimedia User Group. The group aims to promote Wikipedia and various Singapore Wikimedia projects throughout Singapore, as well as Collaborate with other regional affiliates in the ESEAP Hub and worldwide. Please join me in congratulating the members of this new user group! Regards, Jeffrey Keefer Chair, Affiliations Committee [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliations_Committee/Resolutions/2024/Rec… [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedians_of_Singapore_User_Group

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Recognition of Wikimedistas Wayuu
by Affiliations Committee 30 Jul '24

30 Jul '24

Hello everyone! I'm very happy to announce that the Affiliations Committee has recognized [1] Wikimedistas Wayuu [2] as a Wikimedia User Group. The group aims to promote the development and creation of content in the Wayuunaiki language in the northwest of Venezuela and the northeast of Colombia. Please join me in congratulating the members of this new user group! Regards, Jeffrey Keefer Chair, Affiliations Committee [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliations_Committee/Resolutions/2024/Rec… [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiMedistas_Way%C3%BAu

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Blocking anonymous IP addresses
by Robert Levenstein 30 Jul '24

30 Jul '24

Dear Wikimedia Community: I am writing to express my concerns about the current practices regarding the blocking of anonymous IP addresses on Wikimedia projects. While I fully understand and support the necessity of preventing trolls, disinformation, and vandalism, I believe that the approach to blocking anonymous addresses may need reconsideration. It appears that IP addresses are sometimes blocked preemptively, based on the possibility of misuse, without concrete evidence of abusive activity. This practice, while well-intentioned, can inadvertently discourage genuine contributors who prefer or need to edit anonymously. The potential for such contributors to be excluded from participating in the Wikimedia projects is a serious issue that warrants attention. I believe it is essential for our community to find a balance between safeguarding the integrity of our content and maintaining an open, inclusive environment for all contributors. I urge the community to review and discuss these policies to ensure they are both effective and fair. Thank you for considering these concerns. I look forward to a constructive discussion on how we can address this issue together. Regards, Robert Levenstein

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Wikimedia-l July 2024