[Gendergap] FW: Nine Reasons Women Don't Edit Wikipedia

[Marc Riddell]

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From: Marc Riddell <michaeldavid86 at comcast.net>
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2011 18:34:48 -0500
To: Sue Gardner <sgardner at wikimedia.org>
Subject: Re: [Gendergap] Nine Reasons Women Don't Edit Wikipedia


> On 20 February 2011 14:24, Marc Riddell <michaeldavid86 at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
>> Sue, as you know, this is the area of my greatest concern regarding the
>> future of the Wikipedia Project. The gender gap is a part of the larger
>> problem you described above: That of a combative, hostile and defensive
>> culture that presents an unchecked arena for Community Member harassment and
>> abuse - that prevents the type of healthy, intelligent and productive
>> collaboration that can, and will, improve and maintain the quality of the
>> Project. Is there, are there, plans to mount a similar initiative to tackle
>> this larger problem? To approach it as a gender-neutral problem?
> 
on 2/20/11 5:46 PM, Sue Gardner at sgardner at wikimedia.org wrote:

> Yes, absolutely. And it's not just plans: people are actively working
> on the issue, today. This is the primary work of the Community
> department at the Wikimedia Foundation -- the staff there are
> currently working with community members on a bunch of projects and
> activities to help make the Wikimedia projects more inclusive. A lot
> of that is happening on the outreach wiki -- for example, the Account
> Creation improvement project, the Bookshelf project, the Ambassador
> program, support for student campus associations, and so forth.
> 
> http://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Account_Creation_Improvement_Project
> http://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Bookshelf_Project
> http://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_Ambassador_Program
> http://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_student_clubs
> 
> There's also some outreach-related/outreach-supportive activities that
> have been announced on the Wikimedia blog:
> 
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/blog/2011/01/12/new-wikimedia-fellow/
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/blog/2010/11/30/upload-wizard-launches-beta-wikimedi
> a-commons/
> 
http://blog.wikimedia.org/blog/2010/09/30/two-new-community-department-fello
ws> /
> 
> I agree with you Marc that our central challenge is the need for deep
> culture change, to help Wikimedia be more inclusive and open. I think
> the gender challenge is part of that, but it's obviously not the whole
> story: we need more women, and we also need more editors from outside
> North America and Europe, as well as other underrepresented groups.
> And we want current editors to be having better, more positive
> experiences on the projects, as well.
> 
> Thanks,
> Sue

Thank you, for this, Sue. And, at the most basic level, we a faced with the
reality that this cultural change can only begin, and grow, at the most
basic level: The individual. Sue, there are key persons in the Project that,
by virtue of their official position or, simply because they are more
frequently vocal on the various Project conversation sites, who must lead by
example. Each one must be actively working toward this healthier culture.
They, and all of us, must set the tone. I truly believe that if the climate
is healthy, the culture will be also.

Marc