I finally made a weather bot according to my wishes. Its characteristics are:
* It gathers information from wund.com, but it is possible to make
plugins for other sites and protocols.
* It may gather data from all over the world.
* It may be localized in any language.
The only problem is that one iteration takes at least 5-7 minutes just
for weather in Serbia and just for Wikinews in Serbian. Probably, I
would be able to run enough of instances for covering weather in
Serbia for all Wikinews editions (or, questionable, to run enough of
instances to cover the whole world for sr.wn). That means that I'll
need your help (people who are able to run bots as cron jobs), so we
may cover the whole world for all Wikinews editions.
My other ask is related to programming the bot. I prefer to make the
bot as a collaborative work because it is not reasonable to expect
maintenance of one relatively huge project by just one person. I may
make subversion repository at SourceForge (or at one of the servers in
the company where I am working). If anyone of you are willing to join
me, let me know that. Also, all other ideas are welcome.
You may see its output here [1] (in Serbian).
[1] - http://sr.wikinews.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%8…
One of the great frustrations of Wikinews for me is that it doesn't
have a system for identifying and pointing users toward opportunities
to get out into the offline world and do original reporting. A
fine-grained cross-project opt-in geonotice system could be a
solution.
Here's how I imagine it working: there is a new opt-in geonotice (in
addition to the current one that reaches everyone in the specified
geography). For the opt-in geonotice (which would hopefully be able
to reach across projects, since many causal Wikinewsies visit that
site only rarely) any trusted user could add new items to let nearby
people know about reporting or photography opportunities. For these
opt-in notices, we would not need to lock down the ability to add
items like we do for the current geonotice system (it's a fully
protected page), since people who opt-in will expect a bit a noise.
So, for example, I would set a notice that Senator Chris Dodd is
holding a public discussion about health care reform on such-and-such
date in Hartford, Connecticut. I mark this as a photo opportunity and
a reporting opportunity. The system sets a default radius (or better
yet, users specify the radius they want to be notified within) and
everyone within x kilometers of Hartford who has opted in to the
notice gets a watchlist message pointing to more details. I can
imagine a wide range of tips and events that could be spread to the
right people with such a system.
This would do a couple things: it would draw in new users to Wikinews,
and given enough participation it could provide a resource that is
useful for professional journalists. Journalists are eager to figure
out useful ways to tap the knowledge of amateurs, and a widely used
geography-based tip-line is something that Wikimedia still has a
chance to be the first organization to do well. I think finding a way
to play a major part in the ongoing changes in the journalism world
ought to be a high priority for the Foundation.
-Sage Ross (User:Ragesoss)
I cannot address issues with bans or access to Wikipedia. This is an issue
for Wikipedia administrators, the two projects - Wikinews and Wikipedia are
quite separate. Your IP address may well be banned because it is shared and
someone else has used it to abuse Wikipedia.
I note that the Kerosene 454 article you cite lists a discography of record
label released albums. Your own contribution - which is a conflict of
interest writing about yourself - did not cite such justification to meet
notability guidelines.
This is my last email response on this, please take your beef with Wikipedia
to Wikipedia.
Brian McNeil
-----Original Message-----
From: Liberty Acoustics and Services [mailto:lasprome@emirates.net.ae]
Sent: 29 July 2009 19:37
To: Brian McNeil
Subject: Re: Kerosene Band..
yeah but we saw alot of bands that actually put up their bio in wikipedia,
like Kerosene 454, etc..... do we need to pay for this ? please ... would
like to know how we can add the Band Kerosene in Wikipedia .. and can you
please lift our IP ban on wikipedia, since this is the 1st time we tried to
put something in wiki ... why where we banned?
----- Original Message -----
From: Brian McNeil <mailto:brian.mcneil@wikinewsie.org>
To: 'Liberty <mailto:lasprome@emirates.net.ae> Acoustics and Services'
Cc: 'Wikinews mailing list' <mailto:wikinews-l@lists.wikimedia.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 4:40 PM
Subject: RE: Kerosene Band..
Neither Wikinews nor Wikipedia are sites where you can stick up any old
random stuff.
Band adverts or hagiographies? Nope. Not notable. In the dustbin.
Thank you for notifying me I can zap your page off Wikinews. I will also
block the account as single purpose.
Brian McNeil
-----Original Message-----
From: Liberty Acoustics and Services [mailto:lasprome@emirates.net.ae]
Sent: 29 July 2009 10:56
To: Brian.McNeil(a)Wikinewsie.org
Subject: Kerosene Band..
Hi, we are sorry to have posted Kerosene on Wiki News, since we where trying
to post it to wikipedia but for some reason our Ip was blocked .. i would
like to ask your assistance if you can help us move the article to wikipedia
.. thanks
The Wikimedia Foundation has begun a year long phase of strategic
planning. During this time of planning, members of the community have
the opportunity to propose ideas, ask questions, and help to chart the
future of the Foundation. In order to create as centralized an area
as possible for these discussions, the strategy wiki (http://strategy.wikimedia.org
) has been launched. This wiki will provide an overview of the
strategic planning process and ways to get involved, including just a
few questions that everyone can answer. All ideas are welcome, and
'''everyone''' is invited to participate.
Please take a few moments to check out the strategy wiki. It is being
translated into as many languages as possible now; feel free to leave
your messages in your native language and we will have them
translated (but, in case of any doubt, let us know what language it
is, if not english!).
All proposals (see http://strategy.wikimedia.org/wiki/Call_for_Proposals)
for the Wikimedia Foundation may be left in any language as well.
Please, take the time to join in this exciting process. The
importance of your participation can not be overstated.
[http://strategy.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Philippe --Philippe]
(please cross-post widely and forgive those who do)
____________________
Philippe Beaudette
Facilitator, Strategic Plan
Wikimedia Foundation
pbeaudette(a)wikimedia.org
Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in
the sum of all knowledge. Help us make it a reality!
http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Donate
Neither Wikinews nor Wikipedia are sites where you can stick up any old
random stuff.
Band adverts or hagiographies? Nope. Not notable. In the dustbin.
Thank you for notifying me I can zap your page off Wikinews. I will also
block the account as single purpose.
Brian McNeil
-----Original Message-----
From: Liberty Acoustics and Services [mailto:lasprome@emirates.net.ae]
Sent: 29 July 2009 10:56
To: Brian.McNeil(a)Wikinewsie.org
Subject: Kerosene Band..
Hi, we are sorry to have posted Kerosene on Wiki News, since we where trying
to post it to wikipedia but for some reason our Ip was blocked .. i would
like to ask your assistance if you can help us move the article to wikipedia
.. thanks
I've got information that it is possible to make a project related to
Wikinews. The main target will be sr.wn, but I want to make something
from which would benefit all Wikinews editions, too.
My main target is making programs. And my main idea is making bots
(completing Weather bot and making bots for harvesting different kinds
of data...). However, it may be a MediaWiki extension, too.
I expect that I'll have a budget for a programmer for 3-10 months.
(I'll do the best to have a programmer for 10 months.)
So, what are your opinions toward that? What would you like to have?
Also, if you have an idea how to spend money in other ways, please let
me know. (Keep in mind that it is not a lot of money, because I am
counting on programmer's salaries in Serbia.)
Besides that, Brian, you are/were manager in software development
group... I don't have a precise idea what can be made for, let's say,
one programmer/month and what we may realistically expect for 3, 5 or
10 months of programming.
I've remembered that one prominent German Wikipedian, Nina Gerlach, is
a biologist and I asked her is she able to give an interview about
H1N1. She is not, but she gave to me contacts of another German
Wikipedian, who is a medical scientist, virologist and who is working
on H1N1 prevention in Germany (w:de:User:Gleiberg).
So, we have the right person and we may make an interview about him.
I suggest one week for gathering questions. During that week I would
like that someone else takes this interview. (If no one else is
willing to do that, I'll do that.)
A couple of days ago, Mile, the most active sr.Wikinewsian, made an
interview about Djavolja Varos. (To bi honest, last two years I was
sick of mentioning that place for the so called "new seven wonders of
the world".) He tried to find someone from the organization, but when
he didn't succeed in that, he interviewed Ana, a Wikipedian and a
student of geology. [1]
The interview became a real success. Mile asked "popular questions"
and Ana gave very hard scientific answers. Interview on sr.wn became,
probably, the only journalist article on the Net in Serbian with so
rational answers on ordinary questions.
I realized one more thing: We (not just sr.wn) have a very strong
background in many professionals and students in many areas (from
Wikipedia). A geologist is especially interesting because she may give
a short analysis of every tectonic movement, volcano or similar. But,
we have a geneticist, too, which may give some rational answers about
pig flu; and so on and so on.
I don't think that it is necessary to keep the form of interview.
Instead of that, we may ask such experts to write journalistic
articles about relevant events. And, this is not original reporting.
This is analytic text about some event.
So, my question is: How do you see that kind of journalism? Of course,
NPOV should be followed, but what more? Is something like that already
defined on some Wikinews edition? If not, is there any specific reason
for that? If yes, how did you do that?
[1] - http://sr.wikinews.org/wiki/Vikivesti_intervju:_Djavolja_varos_-_prirodni_f…
All,
For those of you that have been living under a rock, the new Mediawiki
Usability Initiative team released a new skin called "Vector" ( Original
announcement:
http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/mediawiki-l/2009-June/031330.html ).
Many of us like Monobook (many also hate it), Vector is supposed to be the
new more friendly layout (you can read more about it here:
http://usability.wikimedia.org/wiki/Acai_Designs ). I would really
appreciate it if everyone took just a few minutes to give Vector a shot, you
can try it on any single page by adding ?useskin=vector ( For example:
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Main_Page ). You can also turn it on for
yourself (While logged in) on your user account by following: My Preferences
> Appearance > Vector > Save
What is the end goal? We would like to see this become the default on
Wikinews here in the short order. While the concern has been raised that
vector is still "Beta", it really isn't. It has been released on all WMF
wiki's as an option for all users & the code isn't being changed on a
regular basis any more (other than to fix rendering compatibility & that is
basically completed also:
http://usability.wikimedia.org/wiki/Releases/Acai/Compatibility_Matrix )
Who is this going to effect? Only new & anonymous users. Registered users
will continue to be able to choose what Skin they use. So if you try
Vector, think it is nice, but like your good old Monobook - not to fret -
you can keep it.
How much pain is this going to cause? Not as much as you'd think. Most of
the gadgets & what toys work perfectly fine in Vector. Our resident expert
of all things Javascript (Bawolff), fixed most everything a few weeks back.
Myself and many others have been running Vector for a few weeks now without
incident.
How was this marketed? We've had the /topic in #wikinews on IRC talking
about vector for more than 2 weeks. We've had the Anonnotice set. It has
been tweeted about on @en_wikinews several times. Recently I changed the
Sitenotice. Enwn.net had been temporarily hacked to make all URLs append
?useskin=vector . Also this is the last step, notifying wikinews-l and
scoop.
Why are we doing this? I love Monobook, I thought it was the best skin there
was.... That being said, Vector looks nice, is cleaner and most importantly
IS NOT a major rearrange. It took me about 2 minutes to acclimate to the
minor adjustments, then I was off. I believe that is a true improvement and
that it will bring more users and keep them around hopefully just a little
bit longer. In addition to that, Wikinews has a small but involved use base
- I think it would be quite the PR coup for us to be the first WMF site
running Vector as the default.
Cut to the chase? Please try out Vector and vote on it. We've got enough
community input already (theoretically) to submit the bug, but it would be
nice for a few more people to chime in --
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikinews:Water_cooler/proposals#Make_Vector_Def…
If you've got any questions, email me, email the list or ask on the Wiki.
--
Jon
[[User:ShakataGaNai]]
http://snowulf.com/ - Blog
http://snowulf.imagekind.com/ - Pictures
This has been a test of the emergency sig system.