On 04/11/2007, Gary Kirk <gary.kirk(a)gmail.com> wrote: I could put together an email if you wanted but well if I thought I could help beyond that I might be on that list -- geni

Gary, is this a general note of pessimism? I can understand that - but I would bear in mind that it really just takes one or two dedicated people to get a serious bid together - people will join as it gathers momentum, and then certainly if/when the bid is selected. For what it's worth, I'm still hopeful for 2009, and I will get working on it soon. (It will be easier for me to concentrate on Manchester, as I know the venue - if you can see a realistic option yourself, focus your energy there.) Cormac On 11/4/07, Gary Kirk <gary.kirk(a)gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks Simon - these are great points. I did in fact meet John Dehlin, and he was very enthusiastic about collaborating - particularly with Wikiversity. My major concern with regards Wikimania is with finding a good venue that will be easy to get to for members of our community, and comfortably host about 500 people, keeping accommodation and activity centres within easy reach of each other (as we've had in the past). The next thing would be to find sponsorship - so your ideas are most appreciated. (Are you able/willing to help in this regard? :-)) Finally, remote participation is something we have been working on thus far, but there's much room for improvement. However, I'm not sure about simultaneous conferences, as it could dilute from the diversity that has made each Wikimania so special. :-) Thanks, Cormac On 11/6/07, Sandy Dorotheo <sandyd(a)cols.com.au> wrote:

On 11/6/07, Gary Kirk <gary.kirk(a)gmail.com> wrote: That's great Gary. Yes, the main thing is whether the venue can actually hold a conference :-) - so a variety of rooms for hosting keynotes and simultaneous sessions, as well as other rooms/spaces, is a must. Accommodation is preferable to have on-or-adjacent-to-site, but there could be ways around this too (eg. shuttle buses)... Cormac

Thanks Cormac (and Gary - mate I see yu working so hard) Glad to see you met John D, who, if you read between the OCW forum lines. is having a hard time, like WM, with coming up with a form of governance that assists global groups get their interests (and content) together, and find ways to be sustainable. Yes the venue is important, but build a better mousetrap and people'll flock to it. The OU is a hub of (Uni) relationships who constantly run conferences, so they know better than anyone which venue would be adequate. National libraries are the same. So the British library would be another possible approach, especially with the Alexandria Bibliotech hosting next year. Librarians compete hugely, like all institutions (You know - me too! me too!) I used to wrap advertising/ sponsorships around content for a living, so with the Wikipedia brand, being the most influential library(ies) in the IP world, it's pretty easy to see who's a hit. Trouble is, if one thinks in terms of just one event, for one year, the Wikimania brand becomes sooo devalued = just one little group, in one little country, for a couple of days, just like an ordinary uni. So tens of thousands of volunteers never get the feeling that they are part of a new global institution. It's not so much a matter of remote 'simultaneous conferences'. It's a matter of having people like Tim Berners Lee being able to attend (virtually if necessary), and then having a few (or lots of) global 'break out sessions' - 'atelier' knowledge building as John Seely Brown would say. Am just watching the dog's breakfast called Megaconference. Room for improvement? You betcha. http://digitalunion.osu.edu/megaconference/streaming.html So forgive a grumpy old man for his incompetence with mail lists. I can see that if we were to run some sessions on the OU flashmeeting, and have this discussion on a couple of threads in their Labspace, and invite Mido to give us an idea of what he has in mind for content next year, and ask our Taiwanese friends to add their experience, along with others, then we won't have to go out and sell this too hard. As IBM have said for a decade now, we live in an on demand world. Trouble is no one seems to believe it. Regards, simonfj -----Original Message----- From: wikimediauk-l-bounces(a)lists.wikimedia.org [mailto:wikimediauk-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org] On Behalf Of Cormac Lawler Sent: Wednesday, 7 November 2007 9:03 AM To: wikimediauk-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org Subject: Re: [Wikimediauk-l] People to approach to help? Thanks Simon - these are great points. I did in fact meet John Dehlin, and he was very enthusiastic about collaborating - particularly with Wikiversity. My major concern with regards Wikimania is with finding a good venue that will be easy to get to for members of our community, and comfortably host about 500 people, keeping accommodation and activity centres within easy reach of each other (as we've had in the past). The next thing would be to find sponsorship - so your ideas are most appreciated. (Are you able/willing to help in this regard? :-)) Finally, remote participation is something we have been working on thus far, but there's much room for improvement. However, I'm not sure about simultaneous conferences, as it could dilute from the diversity that has made each Wikimania so special. :-) Thanks, Cormac No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.23/1114 - Release Date: 6/11/2007 8:05 PM