Dear all, One recurring phenomenon we encounter when we present Wikidata to various audiences, is the enthusiasm with they react to the Wikidata Query Service, and the possibilities it offers for extracting specific information from the vast network of linked and structured data contained in Wikidata. This enthusiasm is not surprising, as the query feature of Wikidata is quite unique within the landscape of information services available today. The Wikidata Query Service is powered by SPARQL – a semantic query language for databases. Unfortunately, for users who are new to Wikimedia platforms, there is currently little instructional material on how to learn SPARQL for use in Wikidata. At Wikimedia Israel we believe that a user-friendly tutorial to Queries/SPARQL will attract new users to engage with Wikidata and help build a community around the project. In recent years, Wikimedia Israel has developed online instructional materials, such as the Wikipedia courseware and the guide for creating encyclopedic content. We plan to use our experience in this field, and in collaboration with Wikimedia Deutschland, we intend to develop a website with a step-by-step tutorial to learn how to use the Wikidata Query Service. The instructional material will be available in three languages (Hebrew, Arabic and English) but it will be possible to add the same instructions in other languages. We are quite confident that having a tutorial that explains and teaches the Query Service will help expand Wikidata to new audiences worldwide.
*Best regards,*
*Michal Lester,* *Executive DirectorWikimedia Israel*