Wikimedia-l February 2025

wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org

73 participants
37 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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Subject: Request to Unblock Access to Wikimedia Commons in Pakistan
by Sindhi Wikipedia 25 Jul '25

25 Jul '25

Jogi Asad Rajpar Sindhi Wikipedia community/ Wikimedia Sindh. Thari Mirwah, Khairpur, Sindh, Pakistan Thari Mirwah - 66150 February 19, 2025 To, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) F-5/1, PTA Headquarters, Islamabad Email: Subject: Request to Unblock Access to Wikimedia Commons in Pakistan Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to formally request the unblocking of *Wikimedia Commons* ( https://commons.wikimedia.org) in Pakistan. Wikimedia Commons is a globally recognized platform that hosts freely licensed educational media files, including images, videos, and audio recordings, which are widely used for academic, cultural, and informational purposes. It has come to my attention that Wikimedia Commons is currently inaccessible or partially blocked in Pakistan, which is causing significant inconvenience for students, researchers, educators, journalists, and digital content creators. This restriction limits access to a vast repository of freely available knowledge and historical documentation that is beneficial for Pakistan’s educational and cultural institutions. Additionally, I am organizing *Wiki Loves Folklore*, an international photography competition that aims to document and share the rich folk culture of various countries, including Pakistan. This competition provides a platform for Pakistani participants to share photographs showcasing Pakistan’s diverse traditions, folk heritage, and cultural expressions with the global community. However, due to the restriction on Wikimedia Commons, participants from Pakistan are facing significant difficulties in uploading their photographs and contributing to this global initiative. Wikimedia Commons is a non-commercial and non-political platform that serves as a crucial resource for academic and cultural documentation. Its restriction negatively impacts the ability of Pakistani users to contribute and benefit from free knowledge. I kindly urge you to review this matter and restore access to Wikimedia Commons in Pakistan. If the blocking was implemented due to specific content-related concerns, I request that only the relevant content be reviewed rather than restricting the entire website. Please confirm receipt of this request and provide an update on any actions taken. I appreciate your time and consideration in ensuring Pakistan’s digital community has access to essential global knowledge resources. I'm providing the following link to Wiki Loves Folklore 2025 in Pakistan photography contest link and other related links. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Folklore_2025_in_Paki… https://www.google.com/search?q=wiki+Loves+Folklore+2025+in+Pakistan&oq=wik… Request on Wikimedia Phabricator Commons can't provide a secure connection / can't be reached in Pakistan. Link 👇 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T329264 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T329264 https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org… I'm looking forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, Jogi Asad Rajpar Phone 📱: +923152067927

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2025 Wikimedia Hackathon - registration is now open
by Deb Tankersley 01 Apr '25

01 Apr '25

*Registration for the 2025 Wikimedia Hackathon is now open! * *(with apologies for cross-posting)* The annual Wikimedia Hackathon <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Hackathon_2025> is organized by the Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/> in collaboration with Wikimedia User Group Turkey (WMTR) <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Community_User_Group_Turkey> and will be taking place in Istanbul, Turkey, from May 2nd through May 4th, 2025 at the Renaissance Polat Istanbul Hotel <https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/istrn-renaissance-polat-istanbul-hote…> . The Hackathon is an on-site, in-person event. Those people who cannot attend the Hackathon in-person will be able to follow some of the program content online, but should not register using the link provided below. More information will be provided closer to the event on how to participate remotely. Registration will be open until mid April 2025, or until we reach event capacity. The Hackathon event is free for all* to attend *and each person that attends the Hackathon is required to register. - Catering (lunch, dinner, snacks, and drinks) will be provided during the event. - Covid-related equipment will also be available upon request (e.g. self test kits and masks). - We’ll have discounted room codes for those that want to stay at the hotel venue, to be announced in the coming weeks. - Check if your passport is up to date and if you will need a visa (or an e-visa) to travel to Turkey, citizens of most countries can apply for an e-visa online <https://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-information-for-foreigners.en.mfa>. Participants are expected to book their own travel arrangements and accommodation. However, the Wikimedia Foundation is offering to take care of travel and accommodation for a limited number of scholars and you will be able to apply for a scholarship during the registration process. Scholarship applicants - please note: - *Scholarship application and Wikimedia Foundation staff sponsorship will only be available to request until December 10th, 2024. * - Priority will be given to scholars who can mentor or support in areas of high demand and staff with ambitious or impactful projects. - Those that have requested a scholarship or sponsorship will be notified by mid to late December 2024 about the status of their application. - All scholarships provided will adhere to the WMF travel policy <https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Policy:Scholarship_travel_policy> guidelines. *Scholarship to this event will cover:* - Roundtrip airfare between your city of residence and Istanbul, Turkey - arriving on May 1, 2025 and departing on May 5, 2025. - Private accommodation at the conference hotel for up to 4 nights - Medical Insurance Coverage for any scholars traveling outside of their home country. (Scholars local to Turkey will need to use their regular insurance coverage.). - Airport transfers between the Istanbul Airport (IST) and the conference hotel. - All meals will be provided for the duration of the event (lunch, drinks, snacks, and dinner will be provided on event days; breakfast will be provided by the hotel for guests staying there). In addition, dinner will be provided on Thursday before the Hackathon officially kicks off. - Fees associated with obtaining a visa to travel to Turkey (visa application fees, and travel to in-person travel visa appointment (if needed)). - Citizens of most countries can apply for an e-visa online <https://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-information-for-foreigners.en.mfa>. *Scholarship to this event will not cover:* - Per diem costs on travel days. - Ground transportation costs between your residence and home airport. - Insurance for your personal possessions. The Hackathon registration form runs on Pretix (a free, open-sourced third-party platform that helps organize and manage events) which may subject your data to additional terms <https://pretix.eu/about/en/privacy>. For more information on WMF’s privacy and data-handling for the Hackathon, please read the privacy statement <https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Legal:Wikimedia_Hackathon_Privacy_Sta…> . <https://pretix.eu/wikimedia/hackathon2025> If you encounter any issues while registering, or have questions about the registration process, feel free to contact the coordination team at hackathon(a)wikimedia.org. Cheers, Deb -- deb tankersley (she/her) developer outreach program management Wikimedia Foundation

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[cross-posting] Call for Projects and Mentors for Outreachy Round 30 is open!
by Lani Goto 07 Mar '25

07 Mar '25

Hi all - Wikimedia is participating in Round 30 of the Outreachy program <https://www.outreachy.org/> [1] that runs from June 2025 through August 2025! The deadline to submit projects on the Outreachy website is March 4, 2025 at 4pm UTC and the project list will be finalized by March 14, 2025. We are currently gathering a list of interesting project ideas. If you have some ideas for coding or non-coding (design, documentation, translation, outreach, research) projects, please share them on this task: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T386245 [2]. (Note that tasks will be hidden until the application period begins.) About the Outreachy Program Outreachy is a paid, remote three-month internship program. Outreachy's goal is to support people from groups underrepresented in tech. We help newcomers to free software and open source make their first contributions in Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), coding, and non-coding projects with experienced mentors. Interns are paid a stipend of USD 7000 for the three months of work. Outreachy internship projects may include programming, user experience, documentation, illustration, graphical design, or data science. Interns often find employment after their internship with Outreachy sponsors or in jobs that use the skills they learned during their internship. Outreachy expressly invites the following people to apply: - women (both cis and trans), trans men, and genderqueer people to apply. - residents and nationals of the United States of any gender who are Black/African American, Hispanic/Latin@, Native American/American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander - anyone who faces under-representation, systematic bias, or discrimination in the technology industry of their country More details and eligibility criteria can be found here: https://www.outreachy.org/apply/eligibility/ [3] Tips for mentors for proposing projects As a mentor, you will engage with potential candidates in the application period from February to March and help them make small contributions to your project. You will work more closely with the accepted candidates during the internship period from June through August. Each mentor will need to submit an intern project proposal: https://www.outreachy.org/communities/cfp/wikimedia/ [4] The project proposal will then be reviewed and approved by the FOSS community coordinators. Additional co-mentors for the intern project will be able to sign up for the project after it has been approved by the community coordinator. Guidelines for Crafting Project Proposals - A proposal should include: - Brief summary - Skills required - Learning outcomes - Possible mentor(s) - Microtasks - Each project should have at least two mentors, with one of them holding a technical background. - Ideally, the project has no tight deadlines, a moderate learning curve, and fewer dependencies on Wikimedia's core infrastructure. Projects addressing the needs of a language community are most welcome. - Project should require an experienced developer ~15 days and a newcomer ~3 months to complete. - To learn more about the roles and responsibilities of mentors, visit the resources: - https://www.outreachy.org/mentor/mentor-faq/ [5] - https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Mentors [6] Thanks! - Developer Outreach team [1] https://www.outreachy.org/ [2] https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T386245 [3] https://www.outreachy.org/apply/eligibility/ [4] https://www.outreachy.org/communities/cfp/wikimedia/ [5] https://www.outreachy.org/mentor/mentor-faq/ [6] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Mentors -- Lani Goto (they/them) Senior Technical Program Manager

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Welcome to Wikimedia Brasil!
by Affiliations Committee 27 Feb '25

27 Feb '25

Hi everyone, It is with immense excitement and pride that we announce the WMF Board of Trustees’ approval of the Affiliations Committee recommendation to formally recognize Wiki Movimento Brasil as a Wikimedia Chapter, to be known as Wikimedia Brasil effective Jan 31, 2025. This recognition marks a significant milestone in their journey, reflecting their unwavering dedication, collective efforts, and commitment to advancing the Wikimedia mission in Brazil. The path to becoming recognized as a Wikimedia Foundation Chapter is a complex process that takes significant time and collective effort. Wikimedia Brasil has a strong history of fostering community engagement, promoting free knowledge, and leading impactful initiatives. Over the years, it has demonstrated: - A deep commitment to knowledge equity and community-driven projects. - A proven track record of organizing events, advocacy efforts, and partnerships. - A governance structure that ensures inclusivity and long-term sustainability. - The ability to navigate challenges and continue growing as a resilient and adaptive organization. As a Chapter, Wikimedia Brasil now operates as a legally recognized non-profit organization, strengthening its ability to: - Build strategic partnerships with institutions, policymakers, and cultural organizations. - Advocate for open knowledge at national and regional levels. - Provide leadership and support for the broader Wikimedia community in Brazil. With this new status, Wikimedia Brasil is poised to expand its reach, strengthen its initiatives, and continue empowering communities to contribute to free knowledge. We celebrate this achievement and look forward to seeing its continued contributions to the Wikimedia movement. Please join us in congratulating the members of Wikimedia Brasil on this significant achievement! Best wishes, Jeffrey Keefer Chair, Affiliations Committee

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WIkimedia Norway's 2024 Annual Report
by elisabeth＠wikimedia.no 27 Feb '25

27 Feb '25

Dear fellow Wikimedians, Earlier this month, 22 of Wikimedia Norway’s members convened for our Annual General Assembly. The 2024 Annual Report was unanimously passed, and we have now translated it into English. If you want to read up on events and results in the northern outskirts of Europe, you can find the link on our website: https://www.wikimedia.no/en/about-us/ Best regards, Elisabeth Vennlig hilsen / Kind regards, Elisabeth Carrera daglig leder/Executive Director │ Wikimedia Norge <https://bidra.wikimedia.no/> Støtt kunnskapsdugnaden vår!

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Updates on resource distribution proposal and creation of interim Global Resource Distribution Committee
by Jorge Vargas 26 Feb '25

26 Feb '25

Hello everyone, I'm Jorge Vargas, Director of Community Resources and Partnerships. I will be sharing an update on the Wikimedia Foundation's July 2024 proposal to create an experimental Global Resource Distribution Committee (GRDC) and to update the resource distribution models of the movement. This new version of the proposal comes after months of conversations with different stakeholders in the movement. The Wikimedia Foundation will create the interim Global Resource Distribution Committee <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Global_Resource_Distribu…> (GRDC) in March, as a 2-year experiment, in another step to decentralize the distribution of funds across the Wikimedia Movement. This body will be responsible for making decisions over the Community Fund <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Grants:Start#Wikimedia_C…> and the structures and processes to distribute it. It will also oversee the Regional Fund Committees <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Grants:Committees> (RFCs). The interim GRDC will advise the Foundation on how to allocate grants across regional, and if determined, thematic allocations. It will also provide recommendations and insights to the Foundation on how much of its budget should be made available for grants distribution. The final decision on the total budget allocation for grants to later be allocated in different portfolios will remain with WMF, with the interim GRDC advising and working jointly with the Foundation throughout all the steps of the process. We will recruit the initial 13 members of the committee through self-nominations and invitations made in collaboration with the RFCs and affiliates. Last July, the Board of Trustees proposed <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Boa…> an experimental resource distribution committee as part of their resolution and vote on the Movement Charter <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard…> . We have gathered community and affiliate feedback through several conversations at Wikimania, regional events, consultations with affiliates, Regional Fund Committees, and online. These are the main changes based on this feedback: - Form the interim GRDC in March with a diverse group of specialized volunteers and staff. The initial proposal was to start in January and only with former RFC members. - Empower the interim GRDC to evolve the Regional Fund Committees after its creation. The initial proposal was to create the GRDC and evolve the RFCs at the same time and on a tighter schedule. For more detailed information, please check the updated proposal <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Global_Resource_Distribu…> (Diff version <https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_Resource_Distribution_C…>) and the reasoning <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Global_Resource_Distribu…> behind the changes. We continue to welcome feedback to improve the plan and polish details, and we will finish the plan to create the new committee <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Global_Resource_Distribu…> in the next few weeks. We want to start the call for self-nominations at the beginning of February. If you or someone you know might be a good fit, we encourage you to stay tuned and get involved. Let us know if you have any comments or questions here or in the respective Meta talk pages. Kind regards, Jorge -- *Jorge Vargas* (he/him) Director of Community Resources and Partnerships Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/> M: (+1) 415.404.9536 I work from San Francisco, USA. My time zone is PST: UTC/GMT -8.

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[Wikimedia Research Showcase] Wikipedia Administrators- February 26 at 17:30 UTC
by Kinneret Gordon 26 Feb '25

26 Feb '25

Hi all, The February Research Showcase will be live-streamed next Wednesday, February 26, at 9:30 AM PT / 17:30 UTC. Find your local time here <https://zonestamp.toolforge.org/1740591000>. The theme for this showcase is *Wikipedia Administrators*. We invite you to watch via the YouTube stream: https://www.youtube.com/live/r88qrgi6ozA. As always, you can join the conversation in the YouTube chat as soon as the showcase goes live. We have one longer presentation this month: *Where have all the admins gone? Wikipedia administrator recruitment, retention, and attrition*By *Eli Asikin-Garmager, Yu-Ming Liou, Claudia Lo, Caroline Myrick (Wikimedia Foundation)* Wikipedia administrators are users with extra rights who do work beyond editing, such as settling disputes and preventing repeated vandalism. The tens of thousands (sometimes hundreds of thousands) of administrative actions taken every month are vital to the healthy operation of any language version of Wikipedia. We will present results from a project investigating reasons administrators come, stay, and leave the role. We obtained baseline metrics of administrator in/outflow and activity, and conducted a mixed method, cross-comparative study of potential, current, and former administrators. Results show that the number of active administrators on larger Wikipedias has been declining since 2018, with some exceptions. Our presentation will unpack these findings and explore topics such as what motivates administrators to stay in the role, and what barriers may prevent new administrators from joining. Best, Kinneret -- Kinneret Gordon Lead Research Community Officer Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/> *Learn more about Wikimedia Research <https://research.wikimedia.org/>*

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Fwd: Invitation to KWUG WikiConnect Discussion Hour 2
by Bharathesha A B 26 Feb '25

26 Feb '25

Hello everyone, I’m excited to invite you to the 2nd edition of the KWUG WikiConnect Discussion Hour, featuring *Neechal Karan <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Neechalkaran>*. In this session, we will explore the *Language Computing* discussion, Language computing enables the processing, understanding, and generation of human language for applications like translation, content creation and more. The discussion hour is scheduled for *Thursday, 26 February 2025, at 19:30 IST * 📍 *Venue:* https://meet.google.com/rng-ysnp-thu 🔗* Save your spot here:* https://w.wiki/DCHS <https://w.wiki/CrvC> We look forward to your participation in this inspiring conversation. Warm regards, *Bharathesha AlasandemajaluKaravali Wikimedians User Group*

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Upcoming Language Community Meeting (Feb 28th, 14:00 UTC) and Newsletter
by Oscar Costero 25 Feb '25

25 Feb '25

Hello everyone! We’re excited to announce that the next *Language Community Meeting* is happening soon, *February 28th at 14:00 UTC*! If you’d like to join, simply sign up on the *wiki page <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Language_and_Product_Localization/…>* . This is a participant-driven meeting where we share updates on language-related projects, discuss technical challenges in language wikis, and collaborate on solutions. In our last meeting, we covered topics like developing language keyboards, creating the Moore Wikipedia, and updates from the language support track at Wiki Indaba. *Got a topic to share?* Whether it’s a technical update from your project, a challenge you need help with, or a request for interpretation support, we’d love to hear from you! Feel free to *reply to this message* or add agenda items to the document *here <https://etherpad.wikimedia.org/p/language-community-meeting-feb-2025>*. Also, we wanted to highlight that the sixth edition of the Language & Internationalization newsletter (January 2025) is available here <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Language_and_Product_Localization/…>. This newsletter provides updates from the October–December 2024 quarter on new feature development, improvements in various language-related technical projects and support efforts, details about community meetings, and ideas for contributing to projects. To stay updated, you can subscribe to the newsletter on its wiki page <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Language_and_Product_Localization/…> . We look forward to your ideas and participation at the language community meeting, see you there! Cheers,

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Wikimedia-l February 2025