Wikimediauk-l December 2010

wikimediauk-l@lists.wikimedia.org

19 participants
14 discussions

Fwd: [Internal-l] Wiki Loves Monuments 2011 - Europe?
by Michael Peel 04 Feb '11

04 Feb '11

Forwarding with permission of the sender. I'm very eager to see the UK and Ireland participate in this if possible, but from my experience of running Britain Loves Wikipedia I'm very aware that this needs a team of people running it rather than just one person. So: is anyone interested in leading/helping with this project? Thanks, Mike Begin forwarded message: > From: Lodewijk <lodewijk(a)effeietsanders.org> > Date: 14 December 2010 20:20:15 GMT > To: "Local Chapters, board and officers coordination (closed subscription)" <internal-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org> > Subject: [Internal-l] Wiki Loves Monuments 2011 - Europe? > Reply-To: "Local Chapters, board and officers coordination \(closed subscription\)" <internal-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org> > > Summary of this email (sorry for long text): We did Wiki Loves Monuments (WLM) 2010 in the Netherlands, we would like to do Wiki Loves Monuments again in 2011, but now in Europe. This is only possible when many chapters participate, therefore this e-mail. To be clear: this event will only happen on a European level if there is sufficient chapter participation to combine efforts. Please feel free to forward to whomever you find appropriate. > > You might have heard before about Wiki Loves Monuments 2010 in the Netherlands. It was a highly successful photo scavenger hunt with 12.500 submissions and over 250 participants[0]. We recently completed a post mortem of this event with a more extensive description and analysis [1]. However, there are still many monuments in the Netherlands which can be photographed, so we are considering another run for next year - but then in a European context. Below we will explain a bit how we got where we are, what we have in mind, and what you could expect. > > So how did this all start? At the Dutch Wikipedia we have the windmill project. One of the main goals was to get an article with an image for every windmill in the Netherlands. Lists were created of windmills per province and statistics were made on a regular basis to track progress. This approach worked very well and made it possible to tackle a big problem; All the windmills have an article now. > > Some volunteers, in cooperation with the chapter, managed to get a dataset of all "Rijksmonumenten" (Dutch national monuments - 60.000 buildings/objects with some historical or cultural relevance) from the "Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed" (Dutch national heritage organisation, RCE). This marked the birth of the "Rijksmonumenten" project. The project uses the lessons learned in the windmill project. The data from the RCE was converted into lists by location and put on the Dutch Wikipedia. The community started improving the lists by adding missing information or adding photo's. > > In June 2009 Wikimedia Nederland ran Wiki Loves Art /NL [2] : A photo scavenger hunt in more than 40 museums. Also quite successful (5.400 photos), but much more work intensive because you need to keep contacts with all the museums and usually museums are further away from people's homes than the nearest monuments. > > For 2010 we were looking for a nice topic for a photo competition. The "Rijksmonumenten" project was running very well so we decided to organize Wiki Loves Monuments to give this Wikipedia project a boost. > > So, what would a European WLM most likely look like? Let me give you an idea of what we are thinking of, changes are open for debate of course. Trying to incorporate the main lessons from last year in the Netherlands into a European model, we think it might work best if Wiki Loves Monuments is organized on a national level primarily, but with cooperations, shared resources and international prizes on a European level. The national contests do not have to be identical, but some consistency would be practical. We are not sure yet what countries would be most successful, but our initial hope would be EU chapter countries and Switzerland. > > Basically, Wiki Loves Monuments would run 1-30 September 2011, and participants would be allowed to submit photos of monuments which are part of the object list. This object list includes the address and ideally geo-coordinates of all monuments which are allowed to participate. In each participating country there would be some prizes available, to be awarded by a jury for that country. The top-X of each could be competing for European prizes. > > You can find more information on how WLM 2010 was organized on the post-mortem [1]. That also lines out in more detail how much work it would be, and what the positive impact could be. > > Most of the local work would be to get a database with the objects, create object lists from that (possibly Dutch volunteers could support you with that, they have the experience [3]) and get the community involved on that. You would need to get communications going, both external to the press (press releases etc) as to participants (have a clear website in your language(s) with explanation, rules etc), find a jury and prizes for them to award. We can help each other with example press releases, best practices, template and list examples and community motivation. > > So, what to do when you like this idea? Well, it would be good to first of all check with your collegues (at the board, other members, community) what they think of it. You probably need several people to run such a competition over time to some extent. Next step would be to do some analysis on your local situation: who would be good partners (who keeps the lists of monuments?) for you, how many monuments are there in your country, are they well spread? What information/photos are already available of it roughly? Are there community members involved in that kind of topic? Definitely read the post-mortem and some relevant links from there [1]. > > For the time being, we registered www.wikilovesmonuments.eu and are in touch with CARARE and Europeana (European cultural heritage organizations) - who seem to be interested in laying contacts with local cultural heritage organizations. Hopefully that helps them to realize the European context and impact this could have. The most important partner in each country would be the one that governs the database with all monuments, and could release that to you. This database/list is crucial for the success of such an event. > > Please inform us (ideally through internal-l) when you would be interested in joining in such European event, if there is enough enthusiasm, we will create a special (easy to join) mailing list to coordinate efforts to allow more volunteers to join in the discussions. We already took the liberty of discussing this with some other chapters, and are hopeful that it will actually get to a first grand chapter cooperation program. Of course this does not mean you are bound, but that you think you would like to participate. You can also join #wikilovesmonuments on freenode irc of course if you like. > > With kind regards, > > Maarten Dammers > Lodewijk Gelauff > > [0]: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Monuments > [1]: > http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Monuments/post_mortem > [2]:http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Art_Netherlands > [3]: > http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Monuments/template_sys… > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Internal-l mailing list > Internal-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/internal-l

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Proposal to Strike off
by geni 27 Jan '11

27 Jan '11

I saw this post at the village pump suggesting wikimediauk's accounts are seriously late and this presents issues: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:VP/M#Wiki_UK_Ltd_to_be_struck_off.3F The company in question is wikimedia UK (the Company No. 06741827 is consistent with that given in past emails) According to companies house the accounts were due 05/08/2010 and the company's status was listed as Active - Proposal to Strike off. Whats going on? -- geni

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Question about the addition of BBC content to Wikipedia entries
by Steve Bowbrick 26 Jan '11

26 Jan '11

Hi all, I know we've been here before but this one's a bit more specific and I'd like the group's advice. The producer of Melvyn Bragg's In Our Time are wondering if there'd be any value in adding episodes from the In Our Time archive, which is now complete, to relevant Wikipedia entries? There are obviously many direct correspondences so it looks like it might make sense, for example, to add The Aristotle episode to the Aristotle entry, Anarchism to the Anarchism entry and so on. Archive: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/in-our-time/archive/ Should we just allow entry editors to link to In Our Time episodes from citations? or is there a systematic way that this could be done? Could episodes be automatically added to entries where there is a direct metadata correspondence, for instance? Would streaming audio be a useful addition to entries? Or would MP3s be better? Would it be useful if we added the whole In Our Time archive to the commons (I think that one's a bit of a longshot!). Are there any other clever things that In Our Time could be doing to improve entries? Steve -- Blogs at BBC A&Mi http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/radio4 http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/radio3 http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/5live 07768 257 570 http://www.bbc.co.uk/ This e-mail (and any attachments) is confidential and may contain personal views which are not the views of the BBC unless specifically stated. If you have received it in error, please delete it from your system. Do not use, copy or disclose the information in any way nor act in reliance on it and notify the sender immediately. Please note that the BBC monitors e-mails sent or received. Further communication will signify your consent to this.

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Wikinews reporters' workshop(s).
by brian.mcneil＠wikinewsie.org 09 Jan '11

09 Jan '11

I have been 'cultivating' good contacts with my local library staff (as all on-list should know, this is a smart move). Based on that, I would like to move on to developing a Wikinews reporters' workshop programme. The UK is fairly well represented in WN's small contributor base, and I believe I can tease some free sessions in one of Edinburgh's libraries to run a 3-4 x 3 hour workshop session to turn interested parties into effective citizen journalists. There would be a need to fund printed material; fliers, workbooks, reading lists &c. I'd like to know I'd some backing to do this. Then, approach the library, see about bloc booking their computer facilities, and doing the whole thing as cheaply as possible. Thoughts? Constructive criticism? What, such as editing tips, can I reuse? -- Brian McNeil http://www.wikinewsie.org | http://en.wikinewsie.org/wiki/Brian_McNeil

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Editathon at the British Library, 14-15 January
by Michael Peel 08 Jan '11

08 Jan '11

Hi all, I'm delighted to be able to announce that we'll be running an 'editathon' at the British Library on Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th January! I've put the details about the event up on the wiki at: http://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/Editathon,_British_Library If you can come, please sign up there. Please note that the details are still preliminary and may change. I'll be adding more info to the wiki page as I get it. A couple of key points: - Some British Library curators will be available on the Friday - if there are specific topics that you are interested in, then please let us know on the webpage so that we can make sure whether the appropriate curators will be coming or not. Sadly, we probably won't have many (any?) curators on the Saturday due to it not being a work day. - We're limited to around 20 people in the room at once, so it'll be first come, first served (with priority for Wikimedia UK members). We can overflow a bit into the reader rooms, but you'll need a reader pass to gain access to those rooms (info on how to pre-register for one of these is on the wiki page). You may also need a readers pass to be able to access the British Library's resources in general - I'm checking this with them at the moment. If you have any questions, please let me know - either directly, on this list, or on the wiki. Thanks, Mike

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Event calenders
by Rock drum 08 Jan '11

08 Jan '11

Hi all, This is just a quick email to let you all know about the new event calender that I've created on the Wikimedia UK wiki. I would like to know, would you prefer this or a Google Calender, both of which would use content from the events page? Regards, Rock drum

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Re: [Wikimediauk-l] Public Domain Day - Wikimedia UK press release
by Michael Peel 31 Dec '10

31 Dec '10

Hi Juan, Thanks for getting in touch. We've been talking about whether we should put out another press release this year, however last year we discovered that things aren't quite as simple as we hoped with public domain day and Wikimedia. The servers for Wikimedia sites are based in the US, which means that US copyright also has to be followed - and thanks to the US joining the Berne Convention in 1989, works later than 1923 that weren't in the public domain pre-1996 are still copyright protected regardless of whether they enter the public domain this year (unless they were never published in the US, I believe). If only copyright laws were simpler. :-( So: I'm not sure whether we'll be putting out a release or not yet. I've cc'd the Wikimedia UK mailing list, as well as Gemma (our Head of Public Relations), to see what they think. You might also be interested in the discussion on Wikisource - Wikimedia's repository and proof-reading project for out-of-copyright books - on this topic, which you can find at http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Wikisource:Scriptorium#Public_Domain_Day_2011 Thanks, Mike Peel Wikimedia UK On 26 Dec 2010, at 21:07, J.C. DE MARTIN wrote: > Hello Mike, > > Do you plan to issue a press release this year too for the Public Domain Day? > > Do you plan any other initiative? > > We are trying, with some success, to celebrate the PD a bit louder > this year: http://publicdomainday.org/ > > Thanks, > best > juan carlos > > > On 31/12/09 23:44, Michael Peel wrote: >> Hello, >> >> You may be interested in a press release that we (Wikimedia UK) have put out today on Public Domain Day, at: >> http://blog.wikimedia.org.uk/2009/12/wikipedia-celebrates-public-domain-day… >> >> Thanks, >> Mike Peel >> Chair, Wikimedia UK - http://uk.wikimedia.org/ >> Tel: +44 (0)7988 013 646 >> Email: michael.peel(a)wikimedia.org.uk >> >> Wikimedia UK is a local chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation (who operate Wikipedia, amongst other projects). It has no legal control over Wikipedia, nor responsibility for its contents. >> >> Wikimedia UK is the operating name of Wiki UK Limited. >> Wiki UK Ltd is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales, Registered No. 6741827. >> The Registered Office is at 23 Cartwright Way, Nottingham, NG9 1RL, United Kingdom. >>

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[PRESS] Jimmy Wales: 'It's not about how many pages. It's about how good they are'
by Michael Peel 22 Dec '10

22 Dec '10

"The Monday Interview: As Wikipedia celebrates 10 years as an unrivalled source of knowledge, its founder talks to Ian Burrell": http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/jimmy-wales-its-not-about… Mike

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Museum of London paid Internships
by Liam Wyatt 21 Dec '10

21 Dec '10

This might be of interest to some here who are a) between 18-24, live in London, interested in GLAMs and are on school/university break in the new year. It's not specifically a Wikipedia thing, but potentially could have a Wikipedia angle to it if a Wikipedian was awarded the gig.... I've also put this notice on the Wikiproject London talkpage. The Museum of London <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_London> is offering two paid internships<http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=150699278312205&ref=mf>for their "stories of the world" project: "The Museum is looking to take on two interns to be part of the Stories of the World: London project, part of the MLA’s national Stories of the World programme, one of the major projects of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. In this project the Museum is working with young people aged between 14-24 to explore the theme of place through Roman history and its legacy today. It will involve working as part of a team and representing the voice, views and aspirations of young people in 2010. The role will involve exhibition planning, events management and youth engagement work. You will take part in a wide range of duties including helping deliver creative workshops, planning a festival of events and exhibition research and development. An interest in working in the museum/arts/heritage sector is necessary. Strong creative, organisation and communication skills are vital to this role. An interest in London and its history and its ability to engage young people is important." For young people aged 18 – 24 £7.85 per hour /35 hours per week 8 week placement starting Monday 31st January 2011. Unfortunately there is very little time before the deadline closes: 31st December. Check out the full details at their facebook page if you are interested: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=150699278312205&ref=mf Merry Christmas, Liam wittylama.com/blog Peace, love & metadata

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A mapping issue of possible more general interest
by Charles Matthews 18 Dec '10

18 Dec '10

An innocent-enough question on the demographics of WMUK's membership has led me a merry dance so far. I'm sharing it with this list since it seems interesting in its own right, and (judging by chat at Sunday's meetup) someone may well know more than I do about it. The idea is to start with postcodes, rounded off like CB2, for each member, and then do a graphical plot. Since the so-called postcode centroids are well known data, that part isn't hard. But the big urban areas will not be clearly represented. The key word here seems to be "cartogram": see WP article. What I really would like is a "population cartogram", of area type, so a smoothing out of population density to be more even in a distorted map. There are examples as Figure 9 and Figure 10 in http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/SMPS58.pdf Those, though, are not based on postcode areas, but on census data done by wards. Anyone (I'm sure we have some experts) on the list who understands the point here? Locating the postcode centroids within their census ward, once an for all, (i.e. just some matching that may have been done already) looks to be enough for the basic purpose of displaying membership data to find clusters. Alternatively some sort of population cartogram based on postcode areas could do it. Doesn't look like rocket science. Locating the postcode centroid by district so that the Figure 10 map of the PDF could be used as a basis could be done with the list on the next page (p. 24 of document). Comments, please. Charles

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Wikimediauk-l December 2010