On 12/12/2011, Noopur <
noopur.raval@gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear all,
> These are my insights from GLAMcamp Amsterdam. I have put them in form of
> some key questions. For me it was a brilliant learning experience. So, most
> of these answers are not mine, rather they have been generated as
> collaborative responses by various people from different chapters. I am
> grateful to WMF, WM-NL and WM-UK for their special interest in helping
> encourage GLAM participation in India.
> This is the link to the programs:
>
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/GLAMcamp_Amsterdam#Schedule and in each
> session you will find an etherpad link to the live discussion!
>
>
> Why GLAMwiki is becoming all the more important?
>
> Flickr: popular mass upload tool but is no longer available; it has pending
> requests and flickr commons has no money to support more file sharing.
> Wikimedia Commons allows almost the same functions and metadata sharing,
> open licensing with a bonus Wikipedia link (something that institutions go
> by). Since most institutions don’t really know what Wikimedia or commons
> is, the Wikipedia name leverages partnerships and allows them similar
> archiving benefits. For us, it is also outreach.
>
>
> Common questions by GLAM institutions in other countries:
>
> -
>
> Why Wikipedia, why not our own website?
>
> Because of the abysmal disparity in web-view. Simply, Wikipedia is the
> 5thmost visited, gives far more visibility in web traffic as compared> to your
> own website. However, integrating wikis and providing links is not hard
> either. So, it doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive.
>
> -
>
> This is complicated, is there an easier way to collaborate?
>
> Advice to GLAM and cultural/outreach people: Carry presentations (PPT),
> simple statistics, don’t go into metrics jargon, show in simple numbers,
> percentage, fractions how people can make a difference or vice versa. Use
> things like color coding, emphasize on the importance and seriousness of
> ‘free knowledge’, larger things that Wikipedia is also in service of. This
> helps people connect at different levels. Most importantly, break your
> hierarchies and trash your rule books (or make simpler ones that use less
> jargon). If you are concerned about quality editing there are two solutions
> (get content specific editathons and organize a Wiki academy EVERY week).
>
>
> What happens once partnership is over? How to sustain?
>
> This is why a GLAM coordinator is not simply a GLAM person. S/he is also
> someone who does massive outreach: Wikipedia takes your city; Wiki loves
> monuments, wikiacademies, PR and network building with local, regional and
> national resource persons outside the community. While in capacity as a
> fellow, the idea is also to do value addition, train employees (at least
> train in minor edits, article making, image uploading). Source one contact
> through another.
>
> (My take: As I see it, there has to be a crucial change in orientation.
> From exhaustive internal debates, discussions and tool building exercises,
> it has to move and adapt to the larger Open and free scene, involving
> people albeit on a temporary basis and expanding. Monopolizing Wikipedia as
> a city, state or indic language space is only going to create a highly
> concentrated yet a very niche community)
>
> -
>
> (Question asked to me) 52 cultural partnerships listed on GLAM request
> page, why not India?
>
> Frankly, I had no answers why. My hunch is that since traditionally science
> and technology oriented courses and vocations have been encouraged, few lay
> people really know their culture or feel as passionately about
> conservation. On the other hand, placement of government officials to
> unrelated departments (museums) included leaves them little motivation to
> go beyond their regular duties. On the other hand, there is also a large
> communication and visibility problem since Wikimeetups aren’t really a
> matter of common knowledge even to journalists. Wikimedia India really
> needs to carve out a place and get involved in academic and art spaces,
> have people just talk about their experiences, present smaller individual
> pilots (Sumanna)
>
> -
>
> Why no Indian participation in ‘This month in GLAM’?
>
> Because there is really no ‘Indian’ GLAM or ‘Indian’ community. As
> wonderful as the Indic language efforts are, it would be great if there
> were biannual national meet-ups, regional meets and more frequent local
> meets. Identify at least 4-5 cities that can act as pivotal regional
> meeting and resource points. This will also help generate smaller goals and
> activities and we can have our own newsletter as well as TMIG updates.
>
> -
>
> How do we identify, regulate and strengthen local community based
> interactions?
>
> Most important: Every chapter must have a national outreach coordinator.
> Have mandatory sections in agenda: Gender gap, Indic, English, GLAM, tools,
> updates, outreach. Invite guest speakers or professors who can give a talk
> or attend and that way get to see the internal workings of the local
> community. Try and concretize a press team, media releases, word of mouth,
> social networking channel so that every time news passes by, we have a
> loyal reader, enthusiast base.
>
> -
>
> What tools are used to digitize artifacts?
>
> Proposed GLAMtoolset, more on etherpad, apart from this proposal to move
> GLAM to a different portal from Outreach redirect. More on etherpad
>
> -
>
> Do people really know who a Wikipedian is, what Wikimedia projects are
> about?
>
> Andy Mabbett, Fae from UK chapter spoke about their fund raising and
> outreach activities, also on how to recruit new editors and how to recruit
> new Wikimedians
>
> Important task is to categorically do outreach and editor involvement
> together.
>
> -
>
> Who all do you invite in a wikimeetup?
>
> Go to institutions and say how can we help you
>
> Go with groups to cultural institutions and get volunteers so that you get
> focused group
>
> Organize a fb group and event
>
> Is there a monthly update?
>
> Need for a cultural outreach coordinator position
>
> Need for a monthly newsletter that binds all indic and English community
> members
>
> Need to look at GLAMs more seriously because women’s outreach and GLAM are
> intricately connected.
>
> Need to move to more friendly UIs and keep discussions going. Of course,
> mailing lists exist and they can be for people specifically involved in a
> community but for the novices and to attract more people, there is a need
> to get FB groups going, have more Wiki academies.
>
>
> These are a few salient questions. I will appreciate your suggestions,
> advice, comments and questions. Let us try and be civil about criticism,
> like mature, secure adults :) Look forward to your responses!
>
> Warmly
>
> Noopur
>
> --
> Noopur Raval
> Student
> Arts and Aesthetics
> Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
> Ph: 9650567690
>