This press release is also available online here:
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/Wikimedia_Foundation_to…
And as a blog post here:
https://blog.wikimedia.org/2016/01/06/explore-new-ways-to-search-and-discov…
Wikimedia Foundation to explore new ways to search and discover reliable,
relevant, free information with $250,000 from Knight Foundation
*Funds support research and testing to improve how people find information
on Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects*
SAN FRANCISCO—Jan. 6, 2015— The Wikimedia Foundation will launch a new
project to explore ways to make the search and discovery of high quality,
trustworthy information on Wikipedia more accessible and open with $250,000
from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Funding will support an
investigation of search and browsing on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia
projects, with the goal of improving how people explore and acquire
information.
Wikipedia includes more than 35 million articles across hundreds of
languages. Its standards for neutral, fact-based and relevant information
have made it a reliable resource for nearly half a billion people every
month. With more than 7,000 articles created every day and 250 edits made
per minute, Wikipedia is constantly growing and improving. Its open,
nonprofit model, allows anyone to participate and contribute. This project
will help improve discoverability of this vast resource of
community-created content.
Over the last decade, the world has seen a surge in digital information.
People today can access vast amounts of information online, mostly through
a small number of closed technologies. Through this project, the Wikimedia
Foundation will test ways to make relevant information more accessible and
investigate transparent methods for collecting, connecting, and retrieving
this information consistent with the values of Wikipedia and the open web.
With Knight support, the Wikimedia Foundation has begun six months of deep
research, testing, and prototyping on user search habits and practices on
Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. Using these platforms as testing
grounds, the organization will examine questions around content
preferences, queries, the quality and relevance of results, and what
information people consume and why. It will conduct open discussions with
the Wikimedia community to help inform the project. A public-facing
dashboard will display results and metrics from this discovery and lessons
will be shared widely.
“Finding an article on Wikipedia is like opening the first page in the book
of knowledge. We have an obligation to our communities to make this first
experience captivating for every user. We share Knight Foundation’s belief
in the power of open information in building engaged, strong communities.
We are excited for the potential of this project to bring free, relevant,
trustworthy knowledge to every person,” said Wikimedia Foundation Executive
Director Lila Tretikov.
“As the amount of digital content continues to grow, helping people search
for and discover relevant information so they can make decisions important
to their lives is becoming increasingly essential,” said John Bracken,
Knight Foundation vice president for media innovation. “This project will
help uncover more effective, transparent ways to do just that, drawing on
the Wikimedia Foundation’s commitment to an open and free Internet.”
For more information visit:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Discovery/KnightFAQ.
About the Wikimedia Foundation
The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that supports and
operates Wikipedia. Wikipedia attracts more than 15 billion page views each
month. Every month roughly 75,000 people edit Wikipedia, collectively
creating, improving, and maintaining its more than 35 million articles
across hundreds of languages -- this all makes Wikipedia one of the most
popular web properties in the world. Based in San Francisco, California,
the Wikimedia Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity that is funded primarily
through donations and grants.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality
journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the
arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are
informed and engaged. www.knightfoundation.org
<http://www.knightfoundation.org/>
Wikimedia Foundation Press Contact
Katherine Maher
+1 415-839-6885 ext 6633
press(a)wikimedia.org
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Press Contact
Anusha Alikhan
305-908-2646
media(a)knightfoundation.org
--
*Juliet Barbara*
Senior Communications Manager I Wikimedia Foundation
149 New Montgomery Street I San Francisco, CA 94105
jbarbara(a)wikimedia.org I +1 (512) 750-5677
(To be unsubscribed from this press release distribution list, please reply to communications(a)wikimedia.org with 'UNSUBSCRIBE' in the subject line)
This press release is also available online here:
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/Wikimedia_Foundation_to…
And as a blog post here:
https://blog.wikimedia.org/2016/01/06/explore-new-ways-to-search-and-discov…
Wikimedia Foundation to explore new ways to search and discover reliable,
relevant, free information with $250,000 from Knight Foundation
*Funds support research and testing to improve how people find information
on Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects*
SAN FRANCISCO—Jan. 6, 2015— The Wikimedia Foundation will launch a new
project to explore ways to make the search and discovery of high quality,
trustworthy information on Wikipedia more accessible and open with $250,000
from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Funding will support an
investigation of search and browsing on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia
projects, with the goal of improving how people explore and acquire
information.
Wikipedia includes more than 35 million articles across hundreds of
languages. Its standards for neutral, fact-based and relevant information
have made it a reliable resource for nearly half a billion people every
month. With more than 7,000 articles created every day and 250 edits made
per minute, Wikipedia is constantly growing and improving. Its open,
nonprofit model, allows anyone to participate and contribute. This project
will help improve discoverability of this vast resource of
community-created content.
Over the last decade, the world has seen a surge in digital information.
People today can access vast amounts of information online, mostly through
a small number of closed technologies. Through this project, the Wikimedia
Foundation will test ways to make relevant information more accessible and
investigate transparent methods for collecting, connecting, and retrieving
this information consistent with the values of Wikipedia and the open web.
With Knight support, the Wikimedia Foundation has begun six months of deep
research, testing, and prototyping on user search habits and practices on
Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. Using these platforms as testing
grounds, the organization will examine questions around content
preferences, queries, the quality and relevance of results, and what
information people consume and why. It will conduct open discussions with
the Wikimedia community to help inform the project. A public-facing
dashboard will display results and metrics from this discovery and lessons
will be shared widely.
“Finding an article on Wikipedia is like opening the first page in the book
of knowledge. We have an obligation to our communities to make this first
experience captivating for every user. We share Knight Foundation’s belief
in the power of open information in building engaged, strong communities.
We are excited for the potential of this project to bring free, relevant,
trustworthy knowledge to every person,” said Wikimedia Foundation Executive
Director Lila Tretikov.
“As the amount of digital content continues to grow, helping people search
for and discover relevant information so they can make decisions important
to their lives is becoming increasingly essential,” said John Bracken,
Knight Foundation vice president for media innovation. “This project will
help uncover more effective, transparent ways to do just that, drawing on
the Wikimedia Foundation’s commitment to an open and free Internet.”
For more information visit:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Discovery/KnightFAQ.
About the Wikimedia Foundation
The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that supports and
operates Wikipedia. Wikipedia attracts more than 15 billion page views each
month. Every month roughly 75,000 people edit Wikipedia, collectively
creating, improving, and maintaining its more than 35 million articles
across hundreds of languages -- this all makes Wikipedia one of the most
popular web properties in the world. Based in San Francisco, California,
the Wikimedia Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity that is funded primarily
through donations and grants.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality
journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the
arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are
informed and engaged. www.knightfoundation.org
<http://www.knightfoundation.org>
Wikimedia Foundation Press Contact
Katherine Maher
+1 415-839-6885 ext 6633
press(a)wikimedia.org
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Press Contact
Anusha Alikhan
305-908-2646
media(a)knightfoundation.org
--
*Juliet Barbara*
Senior Communications Manager I Wikimedia Foundation
149 New Montgomery Street I San Francisco, CA 94105
jbarbara(a)wikimedia.org I +1 (512) 750-5677
(To be unsubscribed from this press release distribution list, please reply to communications(a)wikimedia.org with 'UNSUBSCRIBE' in the subject line)
This press release is also available online here:
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/Kelly_Battles_and_Arnno…
And as a blog post here:
https://blog.wikimedia.org/2016/01/05/new-wikimedia-foundation-trustees/
Kelly Battles and Arnnon Geshuri join Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
New Trustees bring deep financial, operational, and organizational
development expertise to Wikimedia’s free knowledge mission
San Francisco -- January 5, 2016 -- Today the Wikimedia Foundation
announced two new members to its Board of Trustees
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Board_of_Trustees>: Kelly Battles
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Board_of_Trustees#Kelly_Battles>
and Arnnon
Geshuri
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Board_of_Trustees#Arnnon_Geshuri>.
The new Trustees bring deep expertise in strategy and financial oversight,
and diversity and organizational development, as well as a commitment to
advancing Wikimedia’s vision of free knowledge for the world.
“We considered dozens of candidates from all over the world, with
not-for-profit and technology experience, and the highest professional
standards.” said Dariusz Jemielniak, Chair of the Wikimedia Foundation
Board Governance Committee and Board Trustee. “Kelly's finance and auditing
skills will be essential to the Board’s oversight and budgeting
responsibilities. Arnnon's expertise in talent development and cultural
diversity will be indispensable for the development of the Wikimedia
Foundation, and communications and transparency within the Wikimedia
movement. We look forward to partnering with them.”
A veteran financial executive, Kelly brings more than 25 years of
experience in financial management and administrative oversight for leading
technology companies and non-profit organizations. She currently serves as
Chief Financial Officer of Bracket Computing <https://brkt.com/>, a cloud
virtualization company in Mountain View, California. Her earlier roles
included Chief Financial Officer at Host Analytics, Vice President of
Finance at IronPort, and Director of Strategy and Corporate Development at
Hewlett Packard.
“As a non-profit supporting one of the most popular websites in the world,
the Wikimedia Foundation has a unique responsibility to practice
transparent, effective stewardship of donor resources,” said Kelly. “I am
excited to lend my financial and strategic experience to an organization
dedicated to making knowledge more freely available to the world.”
Arnnon brings more than 20 years of experience in developing strong
organizational cultures with diverse, passionate employees. He is currently
the VP of Human Resources at Tesla Motors, where he shepherds Tesla’s
unique culture and oversees all global people operations, analytics, and
staffing. Before joining Tesla, Arnnon served as Senior Director of HR and
Staffing at Google, where he built the company’s talent acquisition and
diversity strategy, growing the organization to more than 20,000 people in
five years. Earlier in his career, Arnnon served as Vice President of
People Operations and Director of Global Staffing at E*TRADE Financial.
“I have always believed in the power of open, transparent knowledge.
Wikipedia represents some of the best aspects of our changing world: deeper
knowledge, collaboration, and, ultimately, understanding,” said Arnnon.
“This opportunity is a true privilege for me and I am thrilled to help
support this powerful mission.”
“Kelly and Arnnon bring a special combination of expertise, integrity, and
love for our mission. From Arnnon’s people and culture expertise to Kelly’s
strong financial management background, both members bring valuable skills
to strengthen our Board and help grow the Wikimedia movement for future
generations. Most importantly, they bring a deep commitment to making
knowledge more freely available for people around the world,” said
executive director Lila Tretikov.
Kelly and Arnnon were approved unanimously by the Wikimedia Foundation
Board of Trustees. Both terms are effective Jan 1, 2016 and will last for
two years.
Please see the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Board_of_Trustees> for complete
biographies.
About the Wikimedia Foundation
The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that supports and
operates Wikipedia. Wikipedia attracts more than 15 billion page views each
month. Every month roughly 75,000 people edit Wikipedia, collectively
creating, improving, and maintaining its more than 35 million articles
across hundreds of languages -- all of which makes Wikipedia one of the
most popular web properties in the world. Based in San Francisco,
California, the Wikimedia Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity that is funded
primarily through donations and grants.
*Wikimedia Foundation Press Contact*
Katherine Maher
+1 415-839-6885 ext 6633
press(a)wikimedia.org
--
*Samantha Lien*
Communications | Wikimedia Foundation
149 New Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
slien(a)wikimedia.org
(To be unsubscribed from this press release distribution list, please reply to communications(a)wikimedia.org with 'UNSUBSCRIBE' in the subject line)
Dear colleagues,
The annual report for Cascadia Wikimedians User Group is available on
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cascadia_Wikimedians/4Q_2014_and_CY_2015_re…
The information there includes our activities report, balance sheet, and
income statement.
This information includes our activities in the latter portions of 2014,
after our recognition from the Affiliations Committee but before we had a
bank account.
Please also note that we held our first post-formation board elections. The
new board and officer assignments are below:
3 year terms (January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2018)
* Peaceray (continuing from 2015 board)
* Benjamin Mako Hill (continuing from 2015 board)
* Pine (continuing from 2015 board)
2 year terms (January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2017)
* SounderBruce (new to the board for 2016)
* Jmabel (new to the board for 2016)
* Brianhe (continuing from 2015 board)
Board appointment to fill a vacant seat; 1 year term (January 1, 2016
through December 31, 2016)
* Another Believer (continuing from 2015 board)
We have 2 remaining open seats on our board that may be appointed by the
other board members, or may be filled during the next regular election.
Officer appointments:
*President: Peaceray (continuing from 2015)
*Vice President: Benjamin Mako Hill (continuing from 2015)
*Secretary: Pine (interim appointment, concurrent with role as Executive
Director)
*Treasurer: Brianhe (continuing from 2015)
I am available via email or my talk page for questions.
Happy new year,
Pine
Executive Director and Interim Secretary
Dear all,
The next WMF metrics and activities meeting will take place on
Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 7:00 PM UTC (11 AM PST). Please note, on
this occasion, we are holding this meeting on the second Thursday in
January. We will resume holding the meetings on the first Thursday of
each month beginning in February 2016.
The IRC channel is #wikimedia-office on irc.freenode.net, and the
meeting will be broadcast as a live YouTube stream.
Meeting agenda:
* Welcomes
* Community update
* WMF top-level metrics
* Research showcase
* Feature presentation
* Product demo
* Questions/discussions
Please review https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Metrics_and_activities_meetings
for further information about the meeting and how to participate.
We’ll post the video recording publicly after the meeting.
Thank you,
Praveena
--
Praveena Maharaj
Executive Assistant to the VP of Product
Wikimedia Foundation \\ www.wikimediafoundation.org
Dear all,
Today the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees voted to remove one of the
Trustees, Dr. James Heilman, from the Board. His term ended effective
immediately.
This was not a decision the Board took lightly. The Board has a
responsibility to the Wikimedia movement and the Wikimedia Foundation to
ensure that the Board functions with mutual confidence to ensure effective
governance. Following serious consideration, the Board felt this removal
decision was a necessary step at this time. The resolution will be
published shortly.
This decision creates an open seat for a community-selected Trustee. The
Board is committed to filling this open community seat as quickly as
possible. We will reach out to the 2015 election committee
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections_2015/Committ…>
to discuss our options, and will keep you informed as we determine next
steps.
Patricio Lorente
Chair, Board of Trustees
Wikimedia Foundation
--
Hi everyone,
Sorry for crossposting :)
I'm thrilled to tell you all that the registration for Wikimedia Hackathon
2016 is now open!
The Hackathon will be held in Jerusalem, between March 31st to April 3rd,
2016, by Wikimedia Israel.
Scholarship applications are open until January 22nd.
You know the drill!
Registration here -
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/17WFRHTCX5_dnCD5hFk1gHEQUz6pTrKp85QsX01rJGa…
More info and updates on
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Hackathon_2016
If you have any questions, please contact us at
hackathon2016(a)wikimedia.org.il
Hope to see you all in Jerusalem!
Chen Davidi-Almog,
Activity & Resources Coordinator.
Wikimedia Israel
* [image: תמונה מוטבעת 3]*