Dear Wikitech-l Readers,

spreading open knowledge is not just about content, but also about tools. That's the reason we provide MediaWiki as an open source product. Fortunately, MediaWiki is used widely outside the Wikimedia world, so the mission is fulfilled, right? Well, not quite... Third party users of MediaWiki do have very specific needs that are naturally not in the primary focus when running Wikimedia sites.

Over the past few weeks, a group of people has been working on a proposal for a User Group that tackles exactly these issues: "We will advocate the needs of all users of MediaWiki. Our primary focus will be those who use MediaWiki outside the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF). We are a group of MediaWiki enthusiasts who care about the development and evolution of the MediaWiki as a tool for everyone." [1]

We have gathered quite a number of supporters and members. There were some meetings where we discussed the mission of this group and its purpose. Now we are ready to take the next step and apply for official recognition. Before we actually start, we are seeking your feedback. Any comments are welcome, here on the list and on the discussion page of the group [2].

Cheers, Markus (mglaser) and Mark (hexmode)

[1] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Groups/Proposals/MediaWiki_Cooperation [2] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:Groups/Proposals/MediaWiki_Cooperation