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| | align="center" |{{#ifexist:Water_cooler/2009|[[/2009|2009]]}}{{#ifexist:Water_cooler/2010|<br>[[/2010|2010]]}}{{#ifexist:Water_cooler/2011|<br>[[/2011|2011]]}}{{#ifexist:Water_cooler/2012|<br>[[/2012|2012]]}}{{#ifexist:Water_cooler/2013|<br>[[/2013|2013]]}}{{#ifexist:Water_cooler/2014|<br>[[/2014|2014]]}} | | | align="center" |{{#ifexist:Water_cooler/2009|[[/2009|2009]]}}{{#ifexist:Water_cooler/2010|<br>[[/2010|2010]]}}{{#ifexist:Water_cooler/2011|<br>[[/2011|2011]]}}{{#ifexist:Water_cooler/2012|<br>[[/2012|2012]]}}{{#ifexist:Water_cooler/2013|<br>[[/2013|2013]]}}{{#ifexist:Water_cooler/2014|<br>[[/2014|2014]]}}{{#ifexist:Water_cooler/2015|<br>[[/2015|2015]]}}{{#ifexist:Water_cooler/2016|<br>[[/2016|2016]]}}{{#ifexist:Water_cooler/2017|<br>[[/2017|2017]]}} |
| |} | | |} |
| __TOC__ | | __TOC__ |
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| == Tools for identifying Wikimedians at press events, etc == | | == Kanban for editathons == |
| [[File:Albin with Wikipedia microphone.jpg|thumb|Albin with Wikipedia microphone]]
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| Copied from a post I made to the UK mailing list at Michael Maggs's request:
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| <blockquote>
| | [[File:WCCWiki4.jpg|thumb|A {{wp|kanban board}} at the Women in Classical Studies editathon at Senate House, London]] |
| Reading [https://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/05/10/no-interviews-except-wikipedia-documenting-eurovision-song-contest-commons/ about the making of videos at Eurovison] I was stuck by the positive response to the "Wikipedia
| | I just saw the newsletter with a picture of the {{wp|kanban board}} used at the Women in Classical Studies editathon. What a great idea! It helps people share what they are working on. Helps to avoid edit conflicts. Enables organisers to list all the articles that have been improved. It could possibly work well for a recap session at the end too, where people talk about the changes they made. |
| representative", not least engendered by his use of a branded
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| microphone windshield (see third picture in the above post; that windshield is far too big for use on the Zoom H1 which I use for the voice project, but something smaller would be useful).
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| Similarly, my local branch of OpenStreetMap issues mappers with
| | Who was involved with that editathon? Who has used it elsewhere? I would love to hear how it has been used in practice. |
| branded high-viz vests; these often reassure the public (or at least
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| facilitate the opening of a discussion), when someone is walking down
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| their road noting house numbers and other features.
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| I suggest some thought is given to providing WMUK volunteers who are
| | [[User:Yaris678|Yaris678]] ([[User talk:Yaris678|talk]]) 15:09, 3 February 2017 (GMT) |
| likely to attend press calls and related events with something to
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| identify them in a crowd; this could include microphone windshields,
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| tabards, baseball caps, or perhaps something else.
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| I strongly suggest that the primary brand used should be Wikipedia, | | : Hi [[User:Yaris678|Yaris678]], I was the lead trainer at the [[ wikipedia:Meetups/UK/Institute_of_Classical_Studies_Jan_2017 |Women in Classical Studies editathon]]. I saw the kanban in an [https://www.instagram.com/p/BClfaSjhVdG/ Instagram post] for an [[wikipedia:Meetup/ArtAndFeminism|Art+Feminism]] editathon. It worked much better than expected - a fantastic indicator of the [https://youtu.be/bAWxTPZZNrg?t=2m27s achievements of the day].[[User:Eartha78|Eartha78]] ([[User talk:Eartha78|talk]]) 19:02, 3 February 2017 (GMT) |
| with Wikimedia and WMUK (or WikiNews or whatever) beings secondary, as
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| it is the former which the lay public recognise most readily; and
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| which elicits the positive response referred to above.
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| On a related note, are we ever going to get the promised business cards?
| | ::Cool. So how did you use it? Did you get people to brainstorm a load of post-its of articles to look at, at the beginning of the day? Did you just say 'if you have an idea, stick it on the board'? Did you come with the post-its filled out already? [[User:Yaris678|Yaris678]] ([[User talk:Yaris678|talk]]) 10:25, 11 February 2017 (GMT) |
| </blockquote>
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| Michael asked:
| | ::: The group were quite well prepared prior to the editathon. They had identified a number of articles to create - some had already done the research and started to writing in their sandbox. When we began the second part of the editathon they each committed to an article, wrote it on a sticky note and stuck it to the wall! Moving the notes from left to right was surprisingly motivating and a good excuse to stretch ones legs. Also used the sticky notes for an evaluation exercise at the end of the session. [[User:Eartha78|Eartha78]] ([[User talk:Eartha78|talk]]) 18:27, 16 February 2017 (GMT) |
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| <blockquote>
| | ::::Thank you Eartha78. That is really interesting. I will use this next time I do an editathon. [[User:Yaris678|Yaris678]] ([[User talk:Yaris678|talk]]) 09:39, 19 February 2017 (GMT) |
| perhaps you could kick off a discussion there by summarising the sort of recognition and/or materials that you would find it helpful for the charity to supply?
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| </blockquote>
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| I've mentioned some items above; I welcome suggestions from others. <span class="vcard"><span class="fn">[[User:Pigsonthewing|Andy Mabbett]]</span> (User:<span class="nickname">Pigsonthewing</span>); [[User talk:Pigsonthewing|Andy's talk]]; [[Special:Contributions/Pigsonthewing|Andy's edits]]</span> 20:57, 15 May 2014 (BST)
| | == Wikimedia UK's plans for 2018 - community consultation == |
| | [[File:Programmes Consultation Video - Wikimedia UK.webm|centre|thumb|800x800px|Watch our video about our plans for 2018]] |
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| I sent an email yesterday to the UK list and it has not been posted. If any one wishes to read my summary of the background, please email me for a copy. There seems little point in re-sending emails to the list as I have been given no explanation. Be aware that any emails I send may misleadingly appear in the list archives as if it was posted at the time I sent it. Thanks --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] ([[User talk:Fæ|talk]]) 14:04, 16 May 2014 (BST)
| | Wikimedia UK is in the process of writing our proposal to the Wikimedia Foundation for funding during 2018/19. The deadline for the bid is 1st October after which it is assessed by staff at the Foundation, there is an opportunity for community feedback and questions, and the Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC) meet to consider proposals and make recommendations about grants. |
| :Or maybe the list admins haven't got round to dealing with it yet. Probably best not to speculate on motives. [[User:Richard Nevell (WMUK)|Richard Nevell (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Richard Nevell (WMUK)|talk]]) 14:30, 16 May 2014 (BST)
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| ::{{ec}} I have removed anything from my comment here that was more than bald facts, to make sure it is now extremely hard to read bad faith into it. The email of concern was posted on 15 May 2014 @14:16. If it does get posted, it will appear as if it were posted before six other emails in that thread that in practice were written afterwards. --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] ([[User talk:Fæ|talk]]) 15:20, 16 May 2014 (BST)
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| :::Thank you. [[User:Richard Nevell (WMUK)|Richard Nevell (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Richard Nevell (WMUK)|talk]]) 15:23, 16 May 2014 (BST)
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| === Business cards ===
| | As 2018/19 is the final year of our 2016 - 2019 strategy, our programme for next year is in many ways a continuation of our activities in 2017 and falls under three key strands: |
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| :I would hope that we can make the best possible use of this excellent suggestion to increase the range and scope of our charitable work.
| | # Diverse content and contributors |
| :If we were to supply business cards or other items implying accreditation, what should be on them? Something like "''Volunteer Photographer, Wikimedia UK''" or the equivalent, with the globe logo if we can persuade the WMF to allow us to use their trademark in that way? The wording "''Wikipedia representative''" may not be possible as we are not legally allowed to speak for the "''Wikipedia community''" as a whole, in the same way that we cannot control what goes into the encyclopedia. Just thinking aloud here; of course we will have to look into the legal issues of representation before we can be absolutely certain about what is safe. Ideally, it would be best if we can avoid having to print disclaimers, as any sort of legalise will tend to undermine the member and will scare people off.
| | # Promoting open knowledge |
| :What would members find useful, in practice?--[[User:MichaelMaggs|MichaelMaggs]] ([[User talk:MichaelMaggs|talk]]) 23:01, 15 May 2014 (BST)
| | # Education and Learning |
| ::Why the word "volunteer"? from comments on the mailing list there seems to be an assumption that it offers some form of legal indemnity to WMUK, or WMF; I remain to be convinced that that's the case. I've used my (voluntary) work with the RSPB as a yardstick before; when I appear in public alongside their paid staff, I have the same type of badge, and the same branded clothing, as they do. The voluntary nature of my participation is nowhere made apparent. [I've split this as a subsection of the above, lest that get bogged down]. <span class="vcard"><span class="fn">[[User:Pigsonthewing|Andy Mabbett]]</span> (User:<span class="nickname">Pigsonthewing</span>); [[User talk:Pigsonthewing|Andy's talk]]; [[Special:Contributions/Pigsonthewing|Andy's edits]]</span> 00:04, 16 May 2014 (BST)
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| :::That was just my suggestion. I suspect that the term, or something equivalent, might be needed on a formal business card, but as you say would seem unnecessary on clothing, badges and so on.--[[User:MichaelMaggs|MichaelMaggs]] ([[User talk:MichaelMaggs|talk]]) 07:39, 16 May 2014 (BST)
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| ::::as far as I'm aware Andy is right and defining someone as a volunteer does not limit the charity's liability. My view is that if we want to be a volunteer led organisation we should provide volunteers with cards. The charity would need to consider and take steps to limit any liability which might arise as a result. This would however possibly open up a distinction between 'officially-approved' volunteers and others doing the same kind of work on their own initiative. How would everyone feel about that? Any suggestions for the basis on which cards should/should not be issued? [[User:Mccapra|Mccapra]] ([[User talk:Mccapra|talk]]) 17:06, 17 May 2014 (BST)
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| :As I understand the logic of the previous debate, it was essentially that if we gave volunteers business cards, they would be representing WMUK. The board, in their infinite wisdom, thought that was an inherently bad thing, but there was also the small risk that somebody "representing" WMUK might say something silly, that somebody might take them seriously, and that WMUK's reputation might suffer as a consequence. That's a lot of ifs buts and maybes if you ask me. Volunteers representing WMUK should be seen as a Good Thing™, and the advantages of business cards to people like Andy and me (who talk to a lot of people and often need to follow up, or give others a way of following up should they wish) far outweigh the hypothetical drawbacks based on an overly conservative approach to risk. On a list of most useful things the chapter could d for its volunteers, business cards would be pretty high up on my list. If it's really necessary, we can sign some sort of agreement. [[User:HJ Mitchell|Harry Mitchell]] ([[User talk:HJ Mitchell|talk]]) 10:58, 24 May 2014 (BST)
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| ::Bear in mind that the composition of the board was almost totally different during that 'previous debate'. I can't speak for past boards, but I can say that the current board is more than open to discussing ideas such as this which could help volunteers be more effective in the work they want to do in association with the charity.--[[User:MichaelMaggs|MichaelMaggs]] ([[User talk:MichaelMaggs|talk]]) 13:32, 24 May 2014 (BST)
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| :::I can speak with personal recall of board discussions (for goodness sake, it was hardly that long ago and plenty of discussion was publicly on this wiki), the issue was volunteers making up fantasy titles rather than being an "inherently bad thing", however the trustees wanted to care not to hurt anyone's feelings. Being open to discussing ideas with volunteers is not an invention of the "new" board of trustees, giving out that perception is unhelpful and truly smacks of {{w|damnatio memoriae}}, in most measurable ways past boards were far more engaged in discussion with volunteers than the current set. --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] ([[User talk:Fæ|talk]]) 14:16, 24 May 2014 (BST)
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| ::::Your last sentence is accurate, Fae, certainly. It wasn't the volunteers who made up the vanity titles, though (indeed, I Tip-Ex'd it out on my cards), but the phrase used for getting us replacements was "within a week"... [[User:HJ Mitchell|Harry Mitchell]] ([[User talk:HJ Mitchell|talk]]) 17:18, 24 May 2014 (BST)
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| :::::This is now on the agenda for the next Board meeting[[User:Mccapra|Mccapra]] ([[User talk:Mccapra|talk]]) 18:54, 24 May 2014 (BST)
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| :::::Thanks Harry. I have ''no idea'' why anyone promised to get replacements within a week. I doubt it was me, based on my personal experience of it taking almost a year to be supplied with replacement business cards, and by the time I actually had them in my possession I was on my way out the door, so they became an extremely expensive notepad. I never found out how much they cost, but I think it would have been in the region of £140? Enough to provide lunch and travel for a modest edit-a-thon. It's been said before, but I hope the board actually ask about costs this time around, as it seems fair to make these costs a matter of public record. --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] ([[User talk:Fæ|talk]]) 20:17, 24 May 2014 (BST)
| |
| ::::::I'm not sure I'd go along with the logic that the business cards would be a replacement for an editahon (nor, even, that the editathon would be the better investment, even if it has more tangible results), but I do take your point on costs. It seems reasonable for people to know how much they cost and weigh that up against the benefits for themselves, I agree. "Within a week" was the phrase used (just one of those things that sticks in the mind, I guess) but I guess recrimination for the events of yesteryear isn't really helpful, and I take Alistair's comment to mean that the board will consider the issue carefully, which is progress at least. [[User:HJ Mitchell|Harry Mitchell]] ([[User talk:HJ Mitchell|talk]]) 22:37, 24 May 2014 (BST)
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| This is an old conversation and I'm not sure of the outcome, but just wanted to give some factual background.
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| The Wikimedia Foundation specify a standard for business cards which involves rounded corners and two-sided cards. The cards that were printed a couple of years ago met this standard, but this was why the cost was so controversially high, which in turn was why the idea has not revisited again until this year. Our previous batch of business cards used a more standard format: rectangular and printed on one side. This is naturally cheaper and also meant we could approach a wider range of printing shops. When I was a trustee, I spent a day getting PDF-editing software, editing the template, ringing around Bristol printers for quotes and bussing out to the shop that could do it cheapest. The cost will be written down somewhere, but it was relatively cheap- I seem to recall 90 quid for 1500 cards, but don't rely on my memory. (There are special offers for business cards that seem much cheaper than this, but you can't use your own design). I still use this business cards at events today, with the "Trustee" part scratched out of course.
| | These strands are directly related to our three strategic goals, which are to: |
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| I like [[User:Pigsonthewing|Andy]]'s suggestion of microphone shields/ other props that are visibly Wikipedia-branded, but it could be costly for small numbers. Maybe the on-a-charity-budget solution is just to use stickers? [[User:MartinPoulter|MartinPoulter]] ([[User talk:MartinPoulter|talk]]) 15:34, 6 September 2014 (BST)
| | * Increase the quality and quantity of coverage of subjects that are currently underrepresented on Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects |
| | * Contribute to the development of open knowledge in the UK, by increasing understanding and recognition of the value of open knowledge and advocating for change at an organisational, sectoral and public policy level |
| | * Support the use of the Wikimedia projects as important tools for education and learning in the UK |
| | |
| | We would welcome input from the UK community into our plans for next year - which we are still shaping - and have created a short video to highlight our programme strands which you can watch [https://youtu.be/56s3Ch7sHbQ here]. You can give us feedback on our programme anytime, but if you’d like your views to be taken into account in our submission to the Wikimedia Foundation for funding, please do comment below by Friday 29th September. If you’d prefer to get in touch by email, feel free to contact me on lucy.crompton-reid@wikimedia.org.uk. |
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| === Clothing ===
| | There are several questions in particular that I’d like to ask: |
| :Anything visible, like t-shirts/hoodies (perhaps with writing on the back, rather than the front?), baseball caps, camera cases/straps, and other props that people would use anyway lends itself to being branded, which makes it visible. I do agree that the Wikipedia logo is the one that people recognise; if I have to spend ten minutes explaining the difference between Wiki'''m'''edia and Wiki'''p'''edia, we've defeated the point (which is to be recognisable, and to catch people's eye with something they immediately recognise and have positive thoughts about). [[User:HJ Mitchell|Harry Mitchell]] ([[User talk:HJ Mitchell|talk]]) 11:34, 24 May 2014 (BST)
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| :Camera straps would be good idea, if the brand is very prominent. Clothing would need a logo (perhaps breast-pocket sized) on the front, if the purpose is to identify the wearer to someone facing them. <span class="vcard"><span class="fn">[[User:Pigsonthewing|Andy Mabbett]]</span> (User:<span class="nickname">Pigsonthewing</span>); [[User talk:Pigsonthewing|Andy's talk]]; [[Special:Contributions/Pigsonthewing|Andy's edits]]</span> 19:49, 28 May 2014 (BST)
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| == Shaping our programme 2014-19 ==
| | * Is there anything that Wikimedia UK should be doing more of, or new activities that we should consider, in 2018/19? |
| [[File:Shaping our programme 2014.pdf|right|200px]]
| | * What work would you like to see us continue? |
| Dear community,
| | * Is there anything you think we should do less of or stop doing? |
| | * How would you like to be involved in Wikimedia UK’s programme next year? |
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| We are now preparing for plans for next year. This is a complicated task with many viewpoints and factors to consider. Your view are an important part of this and I am publishing today a discussion paper with suggestions for how the chapter can develop over the next year and beyond.
| | With many thanks indeed for your input. |
| | |
| | [[User:LucyCrompton-Reid (WMUK)|LucyCrompton-Reid (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:LucyCrompton-Reid (WMUK)|talk]]) 13:39, 21 September 2017 (BST) |
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| It is based on previous year's work and interviews with trustees, community members and staff.
| | == ACTRIAL and new users creating new pages at events == |
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| You can access it [[:File:Shaping our programme 2014.pdf|here]]
| | Hi All, |
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| Please comment on the [[File_talk:Shaping_our_programme_2014.pdf|discussion page]].
| | Some thoughts on {{wp|WP:ACTRIAL}} and our events: |
| | *It makes sense to encourage new users to work in {{wp|Wikipedia:Drafts|Draft: name space}}. |
| | *This doesn't change the fact that it is worth asking people to create an account in advance (and to remember their password!) |
| | *We have to expect that some people won't create an account and most of those who have won't be auto-confirmed - this is OK. |
| | *If there are admins present at the event, they can make new users confirmed.... although I wouldn't stress over it - there is no harm in the Draft: name space. |
| | *All the above is less of an issue if we take the approach of [[#Training from the back of the room]] described above. If the group is split into teams that are deliberately set to have the full spread of ability, we can encourage people to help other team members, including the following: |
| | **Middle-ability people to show the people with no account how to create an account. |
| | **Experienced editors to help newer editors to find a page that might need editing. |
| | **Experienced editors to create pages that other team members are interested in editing. |
| | You could even get admins to confirm accounts of non-confirmed people in their team, but it might actually be better to not do that. If the experienced people in the team have actually created the article then at least we know it is in their contributions and so they can steward the article towards improvement. e.g. 1. the day after the event, they might go back to the article and tidy it up, 2. if the article gets tagged for deletion, they are better able to discuss it and improve it, whereas a new user may feel bitten. |
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| Thanks and hope to see many of you at Wikimania. [[User:Jon Davies (WMUK)|Jon Davies (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Jon Davies (WMUK)|talk]]) 12:16, 6 August 2014 (BST)
| | [[User:Yaris678|Yaris678]] ([[User talk:Yaris678|talk]]) 14:44, 25 September 2017 (BST) |
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| == New overlaying website is live ==
| | :Obvious question, where do we find data on how many non-autoconfirmed users and IPs actually make pages that satisfy Wiki Criteria? [[Special:Contributions/82.132.237.141|82.132.237.141]] 15:31, 26 September 2017 (BST) |
| | ::[[:meta:Wikipedia:New pages patrol/Analysis and proposal|According to WMF research]], of the 1,180 articles created every day on the English Wikipedia, about 7% are by non-autoconfirmed editors. [[User:Richard Nevell (WMUK)|Richard Nevell (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Richard Nevell (WMUK)|talk]]) 16:55, 2 October 2017 (BST) |
| | :Thanks for your input Yaris678. Working in Draft: or User: space is probably going to be integral to dealing with this. I've not used Draft: much myself, but I'm keen on getting people to use their sandbox to prepare material and then copy it over. It does mean a chunk of the pages people work on aren't copied over the to the mainspace but that's a reasonable trade-off. [[User:Richard Nevell (WMUK)|Richard Nevell (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Richard Nevell (WMUK)|talk]]) 16:59, 2 October 2017 (BST) |
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| Hello everyone, I'm very happy to report that our new overlay website is live. Just to reiterate that this is intended for people new to our work and encountering us for the first time. Experienced Wikimedians and our community are not the primary audience for this. But I'd like to know what you think, so please do take a look. [https://wikimedia.org.uk/ It's here]. I expect there are refinements needed and I have spotted a couple myself but on the whole I am happy with it. I hope you like it. [[User:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|Stevie Benton (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|talk]]) 09:14, 8 August 2014 (BST)
| | :The [[#Training from the back of the room]] sounds like a really interesting idea, I'm interested in this kind of collaborative/peer learning process. Sadly for the bulk of editathons I manage, this wouldn't be applicable, as I'm generally working with a whole bundle new users, trying to advocated for further use in their organisations. [[User:Lirazelf|Lirazelf]] ([[User talk:Lirazelf|talk]]) 14:07, 3 October 2017 (BST) |
| | ::Thanks Lirazelf. I guess you'll have to rely on the first four bullets - especially the draft namespace. I think it would be useful to have a non-new user move the drafts across. Preferably during the training session, so people can see their work "live" on Wikipedia, which will create excitement. Ideally, well before the end of the training so that people can continue to edit their articles in main space - seeing that this is a normal thing to do is important. |
| | ::I fringe benefit of this approach is that each article edited will be in the contributions list of at least one non-new user. That way, they can "steward" the article to a certain extent. This will be particularly important if the article is nominated for deletion - having someone who knows the ropes will help to get the article in a position to keep - and help to argue that it should be kept. But more generally it will be useful, to keep the article quality up. |
| | ::[[User:Yaris678|Yaris678]] ([[User talk:Yaris678|talk]]) 12:59, 19 October 2017 (BST) |
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| == Voting at the AGM == | | ==Wiki Loves Monuments UK 2017 awards announced== |
| | [[File:The Derelict West Pier of Brighton.jpg|thumb|1st prize: The derelict West Pier in Brighton, by Matthew Hoser]] |
| | I am very pleased to be able to announce the 2017 award winners for Wiki Loves Monuments in the UK. |
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| Yesterday a number of concerns were raised about expired membership and voting at the AGM. Evidently this year a number of people’s memberships have expired without their realising. We adopted a new procedure this year on AGM voting in response to concerns about security, and sent out voting forms in the post. It was obviously not clear to everyone that they needed the form posted to them in order to vote.
| | First place goes to '''Matthew Hoser''' for his image of the derelict West Pier in Brighton. |
| After Wikimania I’ll start a discussion on the wiki about whether we should continue to post voting forms in future years – unless anyone else wants to start it sooner. As far as voting at this year’s AGM is concerned the Board has asked me to say the following:
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| 1. If you are a member and for any reason have not received/forgotten to bring your voting paper, you can ask for a new voting paper shortly before the AGM. Papers will be available for any member who needs them. There will be a check to confirm that your membership is current.
| | In second place was '''Paul Stümke''', who captured the Glenfinnan Viaduct at Loch Shiel. |
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| 2. As in previous years, it will be possible for applications for membership to be considered in advance of the AGM, and for the Board to have oversight when it holds a meeting just before the AGM. If you have come to Wikimania believing that you are a member and just discovered that you aren’t any more, and you want to rejoin and vote: you can apply to rejoin up to noon tomorrow using the online form at https://donate.wikimedia.org.uk/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=4
| | Third was '''Oliver Tookey''' for the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill on Sea. |
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| If you are readmitted you will be given voting papers and may vote.
| | The special prize for the best image taken in Scotland was awarded to '''Keith Proven''' for Smailholm Tower. |
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| Apologies for any difficulty caused this year. I hope this answers the concerns raised.
| | The special prize for the best image taken in Wales went to '''Sterim64''' for Craig-y-mor. |
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| Thanks
| | You can see all of these images, and the other stunning pictures that were awarded Highly Commended status [[Commons:Wiki_Loves_Monuments_2017_in_the_United_Kingdom/Winners|at Wikimedia Commons]]. |
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|
| Alastair McCapra
| | Many congratulations to all of our prizewinners, and thanks to all who volunteered to help make the contest a success: contestants, judges, reviewers and Wikimedians in many roles. Thanks also for the kind support we received from the International team, from our friendly staff at Wikimedia UK, and from our 2017 prize sponsors, Wikimedia UK and Archaeology Scotland. [[User:MichaelMaggs|MichaelMaggs]] ([[User talk:MichaelMaggs|talk]]) 07:43, 31 October 2017 (GMT) |
| WMUK Secretary
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| == 2014 AGM == | | == Effects of broadband == |
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| In all the hubbub of Wikimania it could be easy to forget that we held our 2014 AGM! Unless I am mistaken we had 72 people through the door making it our best attended ever. The minutes are being written up and will be published as soon as possible. Holding it in the middle of Wikimania meant that an unusually large number of people could attend. For instance volunteers who had received WMUK or Foundation scholarships. We also attracted a number of observers from other countries.
| | Looks like BT wants to push more people to faster internet where it has fiber: https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-bt-group-broadband/bt-incentivises-operators-to-move-customers-to-faster-broadband-idUKKBN1KE0LR |
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| It is important to put on record my thanks to:
| | Is someone monitoring the trend of average internet speed and the impact it has on user activity in the Wikimedia projects? [[User:Nemo bis|Nemo bis]] ([[User talk:Nemo bis|talk]]) 08:43, 24 July 2018 (BST) |
| *The volunteer tellers, Richard Symonds and James Farrar.
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| *Michael Maggs for calmly chairing despite time restrictions and a packed agenda.
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| *Greyham Dawes for a concise and authoritative Treasurer's report.
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| *The Wikimania Team for accommodating us.
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| *Everyone who turned up, and those that were unable to who cast their votes by post or proxy.
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| *Those who contributed to the discussions and debates.
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|
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| Next year's will be on September 13th, venue to be decided.
| | ::Hi [[User:Nemo bis|Nemo bis]], I'm not sure that our small charity has the capacity to do something like this, or how it might benefit us. You are welcome to expand on why you think this would be a good idea if you like. [[User:John Lubbock (WMUK)|John Lubbock (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:John Lubbock (WMUK)|talk]]) 12:29, 2 April 2019 (BST) |
| [[User:Jon Davies (WMUK)|Jon Davies (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Jon Davies (WMUK)|talk]]) 10:10, 12 August 2014 (BST)
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| :Could someone add a link here to the parallel Facebook discussion that informed so many members and interested Wikimedians about events throughout the AGM? Unfortunately I was unaware that this was a feature of the AGM either beforehand, or at the time. Thanks --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] ([[User talk:Fæ|talk]]) 11:05, 12 August 2014 (BST)
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| == Applications for a Volunteer Support Organiser (Cover) ==
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| Hello everyone, Wikimedia UK is now accepting applications for a Volunteer Support Organiser (Cover). The role will involve managing the engagement and development of volunteers in the programme of activities and work of Wikimedia UK. This is a fixed term position for four months. If you are interested in applying, more details can be found [[Volunteer Support Organiser (Cover)|here]]. The deadline for applications is 5pm BST on Tuesday 26th August 2014. -- [[User:Katie Chan (WMUK)|Katie Chan (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Katie Chan (WMUK)|talk]]) 16:33, 12 August 2014 (BST)
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| == Am I able to fix problems with the new front end? ==
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| I have just spotted a small error on the new front end at https://wikimedia.org.uk/
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| Am I able to fix it myself? e.g. is there a wiki that it takes info from? Or do I have to request a change?
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| The error I spotted was that the link for Liverpool meetup is incorrect.
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| [[User:Yaris678|Yaris678]] ([[User talk:Yaris678|talk]]) 13:15, 15 August 2014 (BST)
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| : Actually, another link also simply returns you to the main page. I suspect that the links are waiting to be updated, but in general it's probably best to raise a bugzilla ticket at https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org.uk/ if we're all agreed that the issue has a workable fix. My recommendation for anybody who has the time is to compile a list of requested link changes, e.g.
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| :* "Open Scholarship Hack, Wikimania Fringe" -> https://wikimania2014.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fringe/Open_Scholarship_Weekend (although that was actually 19 ''July'', so probably needs removing)
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| :* "Liverpool meet up" -> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Meetup/Liverpool/13
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| : The new front page is made using WordPress, so anyone with admin rights on the installation (not me) can edit the content. perhaps we can be told whom to contact for that information. --[[User:RexxS|RexxS]] ([[User talk:RexxS|talk]]) 14:40, 15 August 2014 (BST)
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| ::Thank you for the comments. The new site is indeed built in WordPress. I am currently the only admin but I am going to create other accounts shortly (today / tomorrow). In the meantime, if you see anything else that you think needs updating please drop me a line and I will take care of it. [[User:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|Stevie Benton (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|talk]]) 10:56, 18 August 2014 (BST)
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| :::Just realised I hadn't followed this up with you, sorry about that. I've fixed the link now. Have a good weekend. [[User:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|Stevie Benton (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|talk]]) 18:08, 22 August 2014 (BST)
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| ::::I'd like an edit account please. [[User:MartinPoulter|MartinPoulter]] ([[User talk:MartinPoulter|talk]]) 18:45, 5 September 2014 (BST)
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| ==Free books about oil paintings in the UK==
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| Hi, Wikimedia UK has been talking to the Public Catalogue Foundation. They have offered us a dozen of their books on Oil Paintings in public ownership in the UK to give to FA writers who would find these useful reference material. If you would like one of these books, details of the [http://www.thepcf.org.uk/shop 85 titles available are here]. You do not need to be a member of Wikimedia UK or even resident in the UK to get one of these books, if you are an active editor who would find one of these useful just choose a book and [[Special:EmailUser/Jonathan_Cardy_(WMUK)|email me]]. Preference will be given to FA writers. [[User:Jonathan Cardy (WMUK)|Jonathan Cardy (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Jonathan Cardy (WMUK)|talk]]) 16:59, 20 August 2014 (BST)
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| == Upcoming Training for Trainers session in Edinburgh ==
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| [[File:Hyfforddir Hyfforddwyr Train the Trainers 2014 01.JPG|thumb|right|Attendees of the February 2014 Training the Trainers event]]
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| Wikimedia UK is committed to supporting our volunteers. To encourage them to teach others how to edit Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects, we are running a weekend training workshop. This will take place on the weekend of 1-2 November in Edinburgh, and we would particularly encourage anyone from Scotland and the north of England to attend.
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| The workshop will be delivered by a professional training company and aims to improve delegates’ abilities to deliver any training workshop. It’s especially relevant to anybody who already runs Wikimedia-related training, or is very interested in doing so in near future.
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| The workshop is a chance to:
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| * Get accredited and receive detailed feedback about your presenting and training skills
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| * Get general trainer skills which you can then apply when e.g. delivering specific Wikipedia workshops
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| * Share your skills with others
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| * Help design a training programme that serves Wikimedia UK in the long term.
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| The course will run from 9:30 am-6:30pm on Saturday and 9am-5pm on Sunday. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided. We should also be able to cover travel and accommodation if you let us know in advance.
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| If you are interested in attending, please indicate your commitment by registering on [[:wmukcivi:civicrm/event/info%3Fid%3D117%26reset%3D1|this page]] but please note that places are limited.
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| If you are not able to attend this time but would like to take part in the future, please let us know by email to {{nowrap|volunteering{{@}}wikimedia.org.uk}} – we will be offering more sessions in the future.
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| Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. We can also put you in touch with past participants who will be able to share their experiences with you. -- [[User:Katie Chan (WMUK)|Katie Chan (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Katie Chan (WMUK)|talk]]) 18:27, 22 August 2014 (BST)
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| {{clear}}
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| == Proposal: Science/STEM Conference ==
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| This is an idea I have had on the back burner for a long time. Note the following:
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| * We have [[Expert_outreach|existing relationships with many scientific bodies]] such as the Institute of Physics, Geological Society, Medical Research Council, and many more. However, individual societies are usually unwilling to take the risk of running a big event centred on Wikimedia because, although they have ''some'' interest from their members, they can't be sure that enough [physicists, geologists, psychologists, whatever] will turn up.
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| * Many scientists are pure researchers working in small research centres: they aren't associated with universities, or at least university teaching. These small research centres or groups can easily be missed in our outreach but they can be very receptive: e.g. [[European_young_researchers_network_Wikipedia_workshop|Sphingonet]]
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| * Scientists are under professional pressure 1) to engage with the public, 2) to make all the outputs of their research open-access and freely reusable. This is the case much more so now than just a few years ago. This makes them receptive to explanations of how they can achieve this. This has also led to a great expansion of science communicators/ public engagement professionals.
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| * Scientists are likely to do coding/markup in their daily work. This makes them "low-hanging fruit". It's not that they are more valuable to Wikipedia than arts/humanities experts: in fact I think WP is clearly ''more'' in need of content and expertise in arts/humanities areas. I mean that in the current atmosphere, outreach to scientists is more likely to result in enthusiasm and concrete outcomes.
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| * We have [[Wikimedia_as_a_public_engagement_tool_for_scientists|documentation]] and [[Expert_outreach/Jisc_Ambassador/Research_impact_and_open_education|workshops]] aimed at scientists and their bosses, explaining how Wikimedia relates to their goals of research impact and public engagement. These materials need continual improvement and wide publicity.
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| * There are articulate scientist-Wikipedians such as [http://blog.wikimedia.org.uk/2014/03/wikipedia-and-the-digital-enlightenment/ Peter Murray Rust], [[w:User:Daniel_Mietchen|Daniel Mietchen]], [http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v468/n7325/full/468765c.html Darren Logan, and Alex Bateman] who are great at demonstrating Wikimedia's relevance to scientific practice.
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| * Wikimania 2014 and other events have shown that Wikimedia has useful friends in the scientific sphere, including the Public Library of Science and the many Open Access/Open Science advocates.
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| * We have raised a lot of awareness of Wikipedia as a platform for dissemination or for education, but not so much yet about WP as a platform for research itself.
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| * Wikimedia UK volunteers have run sessions at science conferences but there is just too much overlap between Wikimedia and science to cover in a single session.
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| I think all these facts suggest that a large conference (aiming at 100 attendees) on Science and Wikipedia would have a lot of impact. The themes of the conference would be:
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| * Wikipedia and Wikimedia as platforms for promoting informed public discussion of scientific topics and theories (acknowledging that the public have a curiosity about all sorts of scientific topics, and overwhelmingly use Wikipedia as a starting point to self-educate).
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| * Wikipedia and Wikimedia as a platform for research (e.g. the [[:meta:Research:Index|Research portal]]).
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| * Wikipedia and Wikimedia as a model for scientific publishing and citizen science (including Wiki-to-Journal publication, [http://wikiambassador.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2014/03/28/publishing-scholarly-wikipedia/ Journal-to-Wiki publication], altmetrics, machine-extraction of data from published research, open bibliographic data, data citation, [http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/crowdsourcing/practice/ crowdsourced enhancement of scholarly databases], integration of Wikipedia with open/free services such as Figshare, ORCID, Flickr...)
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| * Wikipedia and Wikimedia as a platform for scientific education. (The answer to "I haven't time to edit Wikipedia." is "Allocate your students to do it and assess them.")
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| * Women in Science and Technology: is Wikipedia reinforcing stereotypes or providing role models? What is being done?
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| * Since a lot of the attendees will be personally interested in editing Wikipedia, the event should include training.
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| I see this as potentially a day or day-and-a-half event, on the model of EduWiki. Much as I advocate for geographic diversity, the scholarly societies and science communicators are so concentrated in London that this event would realistically have to be in London. This means that for it to be financially feasible we'd need a host organisation to provide a cheap venue. It would need about a year's lead time to organise and publicise.
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| I realise that WMUK's funding makes it hard to plan costly activities in advance, that staff have a lot on their plate and that at this point the suggestion of organising another conference may come like fatty food after a powerful hangover. On the other hand, I think an event like this could be a great success, would continue the partnerships we've already worked to build up, could spawn more editors and more partnerships, and could involve shared effort with other Open Coalition organisations, such as Open Knowledge. Feedback welcome on this suggestion. [[User:MartinPoulter|MartinPoulter]] ([[User talk:MartinPoulter|talk]]) 14:20, 29 August 2014 (BST)
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| :Sounds like a good idea in principle. Wearing my "Wikipedian-in-Residence at ORCID" hat, I'm in. We should consider whether there are other events to which this could be attached (to save/ share costs), and whether we need a traditional or "unconference" format (or a blend). Does the medical project do anything like this? What about the open access/ open publishing folk? <span class="vcard"><span class="fn">[[User:Pigsonthewing|Andy Mabbett]]</span> (User:<span class="nickname">Pigsonthewing</span>); [[User talk:Pigsonthewing|Andy's talk]]; [[Special:Contributions/Pigsonthewing|Andy's edits]]</span> 21:36, 29 August 2014 (BST)
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| ::Would be great to have you involved, Andy. Yay for a blend of keynotes/ scheduled sessions/ unconference blocks! That way we have appealing stuff to publicise, but lots of attendees get a chance to speak and people can talk about very new activities. I think medicine on Wikipedia could be a conference itself, but throwing the net wider means a wider potential audience, and STEM is a wide net. A conference like this is probably a necessary step on the way to more specialised conferences, and that's a big reason I'd like us to do it.
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| ::There are relevant conferences where we've previously been represented, like Science Online London and the national public engagement conference, and we've run workshops adjacent to major subject conferences (you may well have done this yourself), but I think the interesting work going on under the above themes has outgrown one subject or one session in a conference. [[User:MartinPoulter|MartinPoulter]] ([[User talk:MartinPoulter|talk]]) 23:55, 29 August 2014 (BST)
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| :: Worth noting that the Science Online London (now branded as SPOTON) has gone silent - no word whether there will be a 2014 event so I guess that means there won't. There is certainly a gap waiting to be filled. I would be happy to help out. [[User:fnorman|Frank Norman]]
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| :::Love the idea of the conference. I have organised and facilitated an unconference as part of a wider conference before, so could do similar for this. [[User:Yaris678|Yaris678]] ([[User talk:Yaris678|talk]]) 19:15, 30 August 2014 (BST)
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| ::::I think this is a great idea, thank you for sharing. Wikimedia UK's proposal to the FDC needs to be complete and handed in on 1st October. If we wanted to include something like this in our proposal we would need to get a handle on how much it would cost and where it would fit into our [[Strategic Goals|strategic goals]] - which of course it does. If anyone is keen to start a wiki page for the proposed event where we can thrash out some details, I would be happy to help. We'd need to be fairly quick about it. If there is anything the office can do to help please do let me know. [[User:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|Stevie Benton (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|talk]]) 11:24, 1 September 2014 (BST)
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| I think this is a great idea and would happily help out17:30, 2 September 2014 (BST)[[Special:Contributions/143.65.196.4|143.65.196.4]] <-- this is HenryScow, unfortunately I'm having login probs on WMUK!
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| Sounds a great idea. There's only so much you can do in a day (or 1.5) though, especially if training is included. Some narrower focus might be a good idea, leaving space for the next year .... [[User:Johnbod|Johnbod]] ([[User talk:Johnbod|talk]]) 22:27, 4 September 2014 (BST)
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| :@[[User:Johnbod|Johnbod]]: I agree that pursuing each of these themes at length would make the conference too big. The idea is that we invite contributions on these themes and the conference participants decide which to prioritise. Also, the unconference format would mean that there could be sessions that cover a lot of ideas in a short time, eg. lightning talks or round-table discussions. I share the hope that follow-up events would have a different emphasis.
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| :@[[User:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|Stevie Benton (WMUK)]]: I want to take up your offer. I'm kind of worn out writing stuff, but I'm clear in my head how this relates to the strategic goals. If we talk over Skype and you ask me some questions, can you write down the details you need?
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| :@all: So we need to decide quickly if this is actually happening, and it's not happening unless we have a venue we can use freely or very cheaply. That means that we must get a suitable host organisation. The Wellcome Trust/Wellcome Library would be an ideal location, as would the Royal Society, as would the British Library, as would the Science Museum (where we've previously had an AGM). My recollection of the Institute of Physics building is that its rooms are not quite big enough for the conference I envisage, but there are other scholarly societies that have suitable venues and would like to do a jointly badged event with Wikimedia UK. I'm assuming that once we have a venue, WMUK could pay for refreshments, handle bookings and we volunteers can organise programme and publicity. So let's all pump our respective contacts and try to get at least an in-principle agreement. This could be a headline-making event, especially with the right controversial speakers. [[User:MartinPoulter|MartinPoulter]] ([[User talk:MartinPoulter|talk]]) 15:02, 6 September 2014 (BST)
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| :An additional thought: the one-and-a-half-day format assumes people are staying overnight. This will be more difficult in London than in other places. Perhaps it would be better to run the conference for two days, with a late start both days so that people can commute in (e.g. from Cambridge or Oxford) on off-peak trains. [[User:MartinPoulter|MartinPoulter]] ([[User talk:MartinPoulter|talk]]) 17:27, 6 September 2014 (BST)
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| ::Okay, good news everyone: contacts have been pumped and we have a willing host organisation which is absolutely ideal: the Wellcome Trust (who hosted the [[Wellcome_Library_editathon|Medical Humanities editathon]] earlier this year)! Next important task is to decide *dates* for the conference. This would appeal to scientists, academics, science communicators, librarians and of course Wikimedia volunteers- very much the same bunch who would have attended SpotOn. For those based in universities, it's hard to find a convenient slot. May-to-mid-June will be difficult because of exams/marking. Mid-September onwards is the start of term. July is when people are usually away on holiday. The first week of August is out because Wikimedians will be in Mexico for Wikimania. We need to suggest some dates to Wellcome. [[User:MartinPoulter|MartinPoulter]] ([[User talk:MartinPoulter|talk]]) 14:13, 8 September 2014 (BST)
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| :::Awesome. Great work and great location. I am flexible on date. [[User:Yaris678|Yaris678]] ([[User talk:Yaris678|talk]]) 14:24, 8 September 2014 (BST)
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| ::::@[[User:Yaris678]]: Thanks. I'll be taking you and everybody else up on their offers of help. :) [[User:MartinPoulter|MartinPoulter]] ([[User talk:MartinPoulter|talk]]) 17:10, 8 September 2014 (BST)
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| @all: We now have a planning page for the conference, at [[Wikipedia Science Conference]], so please join in there. As the page develops, I hope we can move some planning stuff to sub-pages. [[User:MartinPoulter|MartinPoulter]] ([[User talk:MartinPoulter|talk]]) 17:10, 8 September 2014 (BST)
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| == Automated membership welcomes and renewal process - feedback sought ==
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| Dear all,
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| We are now working with a contractor to improve the way our database supports membership applications, approvals and renewals and reminders!
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| I have created a flowchart to describe what we are currently planning as a process - you can see it [[:File:Draft - membership welcome and reminder process.pdf| here]]. The shapes that are not green represent different email templates that are customised by linking to member details held on each person's database record.
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| I would love feedback about:
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| *What stages are missed
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| *What else might we include in these emails in terms of content
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| *What problems can you see with this
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| I will review comments on Friday 12th September so '''please get back to me by then - the talk page for the flow chart would be best or you can email me directly.''' Unfortunately I am on holiday Saturday 6th - Thursday 11th so won't reply on those days but other members of staff will keep an eye out for any requests for info and if I can check in from a French campsite I will :-) [[User:Katherine Bavage (WMUK)|Katherine Bavage (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Katherine Bavage (WMUK)|talk]]) 15:33, 3 September 2014 (BST)
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| == Tweaks to the front page Wordpress template ==
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| I just did some testing of the WMUK home page. Well done for embedding the Youtube video in a way that doesn't track the users!
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| A few quite minor things that could be changed in the template:
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| The "Welcome" top-level heading on the front page is a common error: it suggests to search engines that the word "welcome" is relevant to the content of the site. The heading does nothing at best, or dilutes the relevance of content search terms to the content of the site. Better to have "Wikimedia UK" as the h1 on that page: we want people searching for "Wikimedia UK" to find that page, don't we?
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| The source code contains <nowiki><link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="wikimedia.org.uk » Welcome Comments Feed" href="https://wikimedia.org.uk/wellcome/feed/" /></nowiki> but this is a broken link, as is /welcome/feed/ and /feed/ . I don't think there's any need for this tag at all.
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| This og:description meta tag includes a sentence fragment: "We can teach you how to ...". The description would be fine without this.
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| These are minor quibbles but fixing them would help the appearance of the site in search engines. [[User:MartinPoulter|MartinPoulter]] ([[User talk:MartinPoulter|talk]]) 18:34, 5 September 2014 (BST)
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| == Lyon Declaration on Access to Information and Development ==
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| Hello everyone. Wikimedia UK is considering signing the [http://www.lyondeclaration.org/ Lyon Declaration on Access to Information and Development]. This is a very common sense document that calls on members of the EU to work to make access to information a priority as it is key to sustainable development and democracy. There is nothing controversial in there and I strongly recommend that we sign. Please do take a look and let me know if you have any serious objections. Thank you. [[User:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|Stevie Benton (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|talk]]) 15:45, 8 September 2014 (BST)
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