== Looking for help setting up a MediaWiki distribution with Visual Editor and Flow (needs Parsoid) ==
== Kanban for editathons ==
Hi All
[[File:WCCWiki4.jpg|thumb|A {{wp|kanban board}} at the Women in Classical Studies editathon at Senate House, London]]
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.
I do some volunteer work for a charity called [http://www.wyse-ngo.org/ WYSE International], I'm trying to set a wiki to help young leaders around the world collaborate on projects. I'm happy with setting up a basic MediaWiki distribution but really struggling to get Visual Editor and Flow to work, I can work out the instructions for Parsoid at all. Ideally I'd really love someone to help me set up the wiki, I'm very happy to learn how to do it but realise it may be simpler and quicker for someone to just press the buttons to make it work.
Who was involved with that editathon? Who has used it elsewhere? I would love to hear how it has been used in practice.
Many thanks
[[User:Yaris678|Yaris678]] ([[User talk:Yaris678|talk]]) 15:09, 3 February 2017 (GMT)
[[User:Mrjohncummings|Mrjohncummings]] ([[User talk:Mrjohncummings|talk]]) 19:17, 16 October 2014 (BST)
: 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)
== Quick survey ideas ==
::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)
Hello everyone. As you might recall, Wikimedia UK is taking part in a Science Museum Late event in November, running a few sessions. One of the things we plan to be doing is asking people in queues a very quick couple of questions related to Wikipedia and Wikimedia UK. If you could ask one question about Wikipedia and one about Wikimedia UK, what would you ask? [[User:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|Stevie Benton (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|talk]]) 14:51, 20 October 2014 (BST)
::: 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)
:The wording might need a bit of thought but something like, "what topic(s) would you most like to see improved on Wikipedia?". We could then feed this in to some focused action on some of the more frequently mentioned topics. [[user:Thryduulf|Thryduulf]] (talk: [[user talk:Thryduulf|local]] | [[w:user talk:Thryduulf|en.wp]] | [[wikt:user talk:Thryduulf|en.wikt]]) 09:42, 27 October 2014 (GMT)
==xml users and potential users==
::::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)
In order to use the GLAM wiki toolset and do mass uploads of media from institutions such as museums we need their metadata to be in an appropriate xml format.
== 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]]
So we are looking for volunteers who know or would be willing to learn xml and are interested in helping museums do mass uploads to Commons.
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.
A good understanding of the Commons category structure is also useful as the idea is to format the xml in such a way as to enable the migration of metadata.
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:
If you'd like to get involved please email me whether or not you already know xml as if there is sufficient interest we can organise an xml training session. [[User:Jonathan Cardy (WMUK)|Jonathan Cardy (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Jonathan Cardy (WMUK)|talk]]) 17:53, 22 October 2014 (BST)
# Diverse content and contributors
# Promoting open knowledge
# Education and Learning
== Storytelling at the Science Museum ==
These strands are directly related to our three strategic goals, which are to:
Recently there has been a great deal of conversation about storytelling within the Wikimedia movement. We have a good opportunity to capture some compelling stories at the Science Museum Late event on 26 November. With the variety of events taking place being delivered by Wikimedia UK volunteers and staff, as well as a significant audience, there are many ways we can create video and photographic resources for us to use in future communications.
* Increase the quality and quantity of coverage of subjects that are currently underrepresented on Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects
In order to make the most of this chance it will require some planning and some thought as to what we would like to record and what we plan to use these materials for. I envisage us gathering lots of footage that we can use for different materials. Firstly, a collection of views on Wikipedia could be recorded with event attendees. These would act as a supplement to the survey that will be conducted during the event. Other footage would be of some of the sessions themselves, and interviews with some of the staff and volunteers, as well as colleagues form the Science Museum. Does anyone have any other particular thoughts? In order to complete these tasks, we will need some volunteers. We'd love for you to be involved, so sign up here! [[User:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|Stevie Benton (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|talk]]) 13:01, 24 October 2014 (BST)
* 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
== [[:en:Wikipedia:WikiProject Public Art/London|Wikipedia:WikiProject Public Art/London]] ==
A London task force of [[:en:Wikipedia:WikiProject Public Art|WikiProject Public Art]] was created recently. WMUK participants who are interested in public art are welcome to join. We have identified a list works without Wikipedia entries, so feel free to help us eliminate these red links! I hosted an art edit-a-thon here in Portland, Oregon once, which resulted in the creation of several new articles. WMUK might consider doing the same, if it hasn't already. Just a thought! :) -[[User:Another Believer|Another Believer]] ([[User talk:Another Believer|talk]]) 01:59, 26 October 2014 (BST)
== Suggested tasks for people with free time ==
Hello everyone. Something that we've spoken about before is creating a list of suggested jobs for people with varying amounts of time. It's about offering ways for people to help our open knowledge mission in as little as a couple of minutes, right the way through to having a couple of hours or days to spare. With some help, I've added some early suggestions to the [[volunteer jobs]] page, so you can see what I mean. Any and all suggestions welcome please! [[User:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|Stevie Benton (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|talk]]) 16:50, 31 October 2014 (GMT)
==Using accounts moved from the WMF infrastructure==
How do I set a new password for my real account, given that there seems to be no email associated with it? [[User:Megaphone Duck|Megaphone Duck]] ([[User talk:Megaphone Duck|talk]])
:Hi Megaphone Duck, sorry for not replying sooner. Could you send me an email about this as it will involve disclosing email addresses? I can be reached at richard.nevell{{@}}wikimedia.org.uk [[User:Richard Nevell (WMUK)|Richard Nevell (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Richard Nevell (WMUK)|talk]]) 10:36, 11 November 2014 (GMT)
With some sadness I have to tell you that I will be leaving Wikimedia UK, as an employee, if not as a volunteer, at the end of the year. I have achieved what I set out to do and leave WMUK in a good state. I now need to look for new challenges.
I was the first chief executive and it has been an amazing three years watching the chapter grow and develop. It has not always been smooth sailing but we have come through it together in good shape. Wikimania proved how professional we had become and the positive feedback from the participants makes all the work we put in worthwhile.
My heartfelt thanks to everyone in the community, particularly the volunteers who are at the heart of all we do, my great colleagues at the Foundation and the loyal and hardworking staff at WMUK who have supported me so ably and with such good humour over the years.
My best wishes go to my successor in all they seek to achieve.
'''Cyhoeddiad gan Jon'''
Gyda pheth tristwch rwy'n eich hysbysu y byddaf yn gadael Wikimedia UK, fel cyflogai, os nad
fel gwirfoddolwr, ar ddiwedd y flwyddyn. Dw i wedi cyflawni'r hyn roeddwn wedi'i obeithio a dw
i'n gadael WMUK ar delerau da. Edrychaf ymlaen rwan am sialensau newydd. Fi oedd y Prif Weithredwr cyntaf ac mae'r dair blynedd diwethaf wedi bod yn hollol anhygoel,
wrth i mi weld y siaptr yn tyfu a datblygu. Doedd y daith bob amser ddim yn llyfn, ond daethom drwyddi'n y diwedd yn ddianaf! Profodd Wikimania inni aeddfedu mewn modd proffesiynol a chafwyd adborth adeiladol gan y cyfranwyr oedd yn gwneud yr holl waith yn bleser.
Carwn ddiolch o waelod fy ngalon i bawb o fewn ein cymuned, yn enwedig y gwirfoddolwyr sy'n sylfaen i'n gwaith, fy nghydweithwyr bendigedig yn Sylfaen Wikimedia a'r staff sydd wedi bod mor driw i mi, wedi fy nghefnogi mor effeithiol ac wedi gweithio mor arbennig o galed dros y blynyddoedd a hynny gyda hiwmor iach.
Dymunaf pob llwyddiant i f'olynydd ym mhopeth y ceisiant ei gyflawni.
:Further to Jon's announcement that he will be leaving Wikimedia UK at the end of this year to pursue new challenges, I would like on behalf of the board to express our thanks for the exceptional levels of passion and commitment that Jon has brought to his role as CEO over the last three years.
:Jon has been instrumental in urging WMUK and our sister chapters to aim for higher levels of professionalism, and has demonstrated the results of professionalism and hard work by delivering WMUK's widely-respected contribution to Wikimania London. We are proud of what was achieved at Wikimania, and Jon can justifiably be proud of his invaluable personal contribution to that success.
:The WMUK board will be taking some time to consider Jon's replacement, and will be consulting widely over the next few months. To provide continuity we will in the meantime be appointing an interim CEO, and we are extremely pleased that Jon has agreed to the interim CEO starting work this month to allow a smooth hand-over period up to the end of the year.
:We wish Jon all the best in his new chosen role, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with him as a friend and volunteer. --[[User:MichaelMaggs|MichaelMaggs]] ([[User talk:MichaelMaggs|talk]]) 08:36, 11 November 2014 (GMT)
::I have known Jon working as a volunteer, Wikimedian in Residence and as a WMUK staff member, I'm very sorry to see him leave.
::Jon has been a wonderful example of servant leadership, giving employees the freedom and tools needed to build partnerships and support volunteers to do amazing things.
::Jon's support of outreach with external organisations has helped others to realise the importance of the Wikimedia movement in educating the world and to find ways to contribute to this global endeavour. [[User:Mrjohncummings|Mrjohncummings]] ([[User talk:Mrjohncummings|talk]]) 13:06, 11 November 2014 (GMT)
:::I'll add here what I posted on Wikimedia-l a minute ago: I'd like to add my own thanks to Jon - for doing so much to transform the scale and impact of Wikimedia UK's work over the last three years, and for your invaluable steadiness and tenacity in dealing with the very significant challenges that the chapter's faced during that time. Many best wishes for the future! [[User:The Land|The Land]] ([[User talk:The Land|talk]]) 20:05, 11 November 2014 (GMT)
::::This is posted on behalf of all staff today - we first heard about Jon's decision on Monday.
::::We are sorry to see Jon go - we have worked with him over the past few years to make Wikimedia UK what it is today. He has shown quiet but effective leadership to keep together and inspire a close-knit staff team through the rough and the smooth. He has done that by managing in a way that has fostered our development as individuals and as a team, and by reminding us all along about the bigger picture, the mission and the vision we’re all working towards.
::::Under Jon's stewardship we have grown from being a small staff team with a focus on small events and basic administration to taking our first steps as a leading force in the open knowledge sector through our partnerships and projects. Along the way he has supported many of us in our personal lives and nurtured us to grow and seek opportunities as professionals. That has always been appreciated and we haven't taken for granted the humility he has shown by being prepared to offer help with even the smallest tasks in all of our roles.
::::We have had the chance to talk to the Trustees about the impact on the charity, and we will soon be working with Jon's interim and permanent successors. We will do what is needed to ensure our current programme is delivered and lay the groundwork for welcoming his permanent successor. We will continue to build on his legacy having stewarded the Chapter from before it was even a registered charity to its current successes.
::::Jon, on our behalf, thank you for the untold hours of overtime you have put in and for your encouragement, your understanding and humanity. You have made us feel valued and we’re proud to have worked with you, and for you. We wish you the very best for the future. [[User:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|Stevie Benton (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Stevie Benton (WMUK)|talk]]) 16:40, 12 November 2014 (GMT)
*Adding to the views above. Jon has brought WMUK a long way, culminating in a highly successful Wikimania 2014. We will miss his calm and measured approach, always keeping wider aims in view, & I'm sure we all wish him all the best for the future. [[User:Johnbod|Johnbod]] ([[User talk:Johnbod|talk]]) 16:15, 14 November 2014 (GMT)
* I know this is a bit late, but I also wish Jon the best of luck for the future. He has brought Wikimedia UK from being practically nothing to a successful and productive chapter, which is serving the UK Wikimedia community well and will continue to do so. I personally would like to thank him for his kindness when I applied for a staff role at Wikimedia UK. Goodbye Jon and thank you. [[User:CT Cooper|CT Cooper]]<small><span style="font-weight:bold;"> ·</span> [[User talk:CT Cooper|talk]]</small> 15:29, 9 December 2014 (GMT)
== Welcome to D'Arcy Myers ==
A big welcome to D'Arcy who has started as an Interim CEO at WMUK. I am finishing up jobs that make more sense for me up until the New Year while D'Arcy is quickly getting his feet under the table. He is an experienced CEO with specialist experience in being an interim CEO.
To quote his Linkedin biography:
I was educated at Douai Abbey ( a community of monks of the English Benedictine Congregation ), the Berkshire College of Agriculture and Cranfield University. I spent about eight years working in marketing and business development. In 1993 I went out to the independent Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific with VSO. This experience led me to work in 32 countries around the world from Africa, the Far East, Europe, the former Soviet Union, and the USA. I am passionate about professionalism within the voluntary sector and believe that the leadership within the sector is key to this change. I am active within the sector and amongst other things I am the founder of the Corporate Social Partnership and a trustee for the Small Charities Coalition. I am a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, a member of various third sector institutes, the IoD, and a school governor.
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.
I am sure he will be keen to met members of the community. You can email him on darcy.myers /at/ wikimedia.org.uk.
==Pelican Books donates reference E-books for Wikipedians==
We are delighted to announce that [[:en:Pelican Books|Pelican]] has given us 50 free Ebooks for Wikimedians to use. Applications are open now, details are on [[:en:Wikipedia:Pelican_Books|a page on the Wikipedia Library]]. Giving reference books to Wikipedians is one of the most practical ways to improve Wikipedia, and we are delighted to have Pelican's support in this. [[User:Jonathan Cardy (WMUK)|Jonathan Cardy (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Jonathan Cardy (WMUK)|talk]]) 15:01, 26 November 2014 (GMT)
==Map finding - one last push==
Over 16,000 old maps and plans have been found in the last 27 days as part of the British Library map tagathon, and with just 22% of the images to check and we might still complete this in a single month. Maps found so far are from all over the earth, come and join us or just come to enjoy what we have [[:Commons:British_Library/Mechanical_Curator_collection/map_tag_status|found so far]]. [[User:Jonathan Cardy (WMUK)|Jonathan Cardy (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Jonathan Cardy (WMUK)|talk]]) 16:08, 26 November 2014 (GMT)
== Final governance audit report published ==
The WMUK board is today pleased to announce publication of the third and final report on the charity's governance. The report has been prepared by Rosie Chapman and Sarah Loader of Belinda Pratten and Rosie Chapman Associates.
Today's report (the [[:File:Final governance audit report, Nov 2014.pdf|second Chapman review]]) is a follow-up independent audit of the progress that Wikimedia UK has made to improve its governance since January 2013. It comes 18 months after completion of the initial 2013 governance review (the [[:File:Wikimedia UK gov review rpt v5.pdf|Hudson review]]) and nine months after the first follow-up audit (the [[:File:Interim governance audit report, Oct 2013.pdf|first Chapman review]]) which covered progress in addressing the Hudson review’s recommendations.
In summary, Chapman's findings are that
There are several questions in particular that I’d like to ask:
:"''the charity has very largely addressed the 50 recommendations found within the original review. WMUK has developed very quickly, and the charity has clearly put a lot of effort into ensuring that its governance now meets best practice expectations. It has a cohesive, skilled and experienced board in place. They have a clear understanding of the charity’s vision and mission''".
* Is there anything that Wikimedia UK should be doing more of, or new activities that we should consider, in 2018/19?
* What work would you like to see us continue?
* 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?
In the section comparing WMUK with similar UK charities, we were pleased to note Chapman's conclusion (para 42) that:
:''"for the stage that Wikimedia is in its lifecycle it compares well with similar UK charities. Its transparency about its procedures is a beacon of best practice, and its conflicts of interest procedures are robust and well-tested"''.
== ACTRIAL and new users creating new pages at events ==
She further observes (paras 14 and 15) that:
Hi All,
:"''Inevitably, a lot of the Board’s efforts have to-date been internally focussed; putting in place robust governance arrangements and agreeing the new strategy that was published in March this year. Whilst there is still some fine-tuning to bed in the strategy, for example linking particular outcomes with detailed objectives, targets, budgets and performance measurement through-out the organisation, there is also the chance for WMUK’s Board to become more outward focussed in its time and efforts. This will, in turn, enable the Board to consider opportunities and choices for what the organisation does to deliver its strategy, and how it should be resourced to do so''.
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.
:"''From our discussion with trustees and staff it is clear that there is a real appetite for this shift in the board’s focus, and to consider more external opportunities''".
[[User:Yaris678|Yaris678]] ([[User talk:Yaris678|talk]]) 14:44, 25 September 2017 (BST)
The report is worth reading in its entirety, as it includes a wealth of advice, analysis and commentary that will be of interest and use not only to WMUK itself but also to the community at large and to other organisations within the movement.
: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)
The WMUK board would once again like to thank Rosie Chapman for her comprehensive and insightful analysis which will be of great help in enabling us to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead. --[[User:MichaelMaggs|MichaelMaggs]] ([[User talk:MichaelMaggs|talk]]) 11:56, 28 November 2014 (GMT)
: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)
== The charity's plans for 2015 ==
==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.
The WMUK board's regular two-day strategy overview meeting was held in Cambridge last weekend. This is the time of year when we focus on future plans and we were joined by our interim CEO, D’Arcy Myers, who provided us with fresh perspectives from the point of view of a relative newcomer.
First place goes to '''Matthew Hoser''' for his image of the derelict West Pier in Brighton.
The minutes of the meeting are being prepared, and should be available within the next week, but the board felt that it would be useful to publish a guide to the broad challenges that face us, and how we are tackling them.
In second place was '''Paul Stümke''', who captured the Glenfinnan Viaduct at Loch Shiel.
One of the tasks of the meeting was to review the third quarter financial report, which included a consideration of the full impact of Wikimania. The WMUK office ended up playing a larger role than had originally been anticipated, and the charity's costs on both staff and Wikimania-related programmes in the third quarter of the year has been significantly higher than anticipated. At the same time, the Funds Distribution Committee of the Wikimedia Foundation has indicated that it will not recommend granting WMUK the full amount we requested for the 2015-16 financial year.
Third was '''Oliver Tookey''' for the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill on Sea.
These factors mean that the board needs to review our plans for the coming year in the light of the reduced funds available to us, and to ensure that in spite of financial constraints our reserves are not allowed to drop to an unacceptably low level.
The special prize for the best image taken in Scotland was awarded to '''Keith Proven''' for Smailholm Tower.
It is inevitable that over the next year the charity will need significantly to reduce its direct expenditure, both on overheads and on programmes, and over the next few weeks our CEO will be working on his recommendations for a detailed action plan to achieve that. The focus will be not on 'business as usual' and salami-slicing our existing expenditure, but on the opportunity we have to re-direct our energies towards those programmes that are most able to provide us with high charitable impact when weighed against the resources required (direct costs, staff costs, number of willing and skilled volunteers available and so on).
The special prize for the best image taken in Wales went to '''Sterim64''' for Craig-y-mor.
We need to prioritise, and to accept that we no longer have the luxury of being able to support highly-resourced programmes that do not provide a commensurate level of direct charitable impact when measured against our strategic goals. There are an almost infinite number of useful free knowledge projects we could be involved in, including many which are directly aligned with our goals. But we have to have the courage to turn projects down and acknowledge that our charitable aims are best met by doing a limited number of projects exceptionally well than accepting a multitude of ideas that we don't have the resources to follow up on.
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]].
Of course, the resources available to us are not fixed, and we will be making significant directed efforts to increase both volunteer resources and also locally-sourced finance via UK-based fundraising and gifts in kind. The extent to which we are able to accept and support project ideas for which we have insufficient core funding is likely to depend on whether the project has a sufficiently large and skilled group of enthusiastic volunteers who are able to lead and run it with minimal staff help, and whether it is of interest to external grant-makers who can be persuaded to cover the non-core costs.
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)
Once the CEO has a draft action plan and 2015-16 budget prepared, they will be shared with the community for comment and suggestions before coming to the board for approval of a financially sustainable package of activities geared to achieving our agreed strategy. We are happy to accept general questions on this, but of course we can't discuss anything relating to internal HR or staffing issues.
== Effects of broadband ==
--[[User:MichaelMaggs|MichaelMaggs]] ([[User talk:MichaelMaggs|talk]]) 07:19, 17 December 2014 (GMT) for the board.
==Bodleian Library WIR==
The Bodleian Libraries and Wikimedia UK are delighted to announce that we will be supporting a part time Wikimedian in Residence at the Bodleian library in Oxford. The post provides the opportunity to work with some of the world’s richest collections to improve content on Wikipedia and its sister projects and to share with the world the resources held in the Bodleian Libraries. More details including how to apply at [http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/about-us/jobs#vacancy-115944 bodleian.ox.ac.uk]
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
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)
==London Wikidata Meetup 2==
::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)
Our next [[:meta:https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Meetup/London/Wikidata2|London Wikidata Meetup]] will be on Wednesday 5th January 2015 at Development House (where Wikimedia UK is based). Some of you may already be familiar with the recent [[:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2014-12-31/News and notes|Signpost article on Wikidata]]. This concerns [[d:Wikidata:WikiProject Wikidata for research|Wikidata:WikiProject Wikidata for research page]], which concerns a funding application for a [[:en:virtual research environment|virtual research environment]] with a deadline for 14th January. One of the topics we hope to discuss is how we might like to be involve in this. If you are interested, but can't make it to the event, we have a list for organising activities [http://lists.wikimedia.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/wikidata-l here], please join us. [[User:Fabian Tompsett (WMUK)|Fabian Tompsett (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:Fabian Tompsett (WMUK)|talk]]) 12:41, 5 January 2015 (GMT)
Latest revision as of 19:35, 13 August 2022
Welcome to the water cooler
This is a place to find out what is happening and to discuss our external projects and activities. Feel free to suggest ideas that could help our charitable mission or ask questions about how you can help. To discuss the inner workings of the charity, head over to the engine room.
WMUK Grants programme - a piece of cake?
Applying for a grant is easy.
If Wikimedia UK can help you improve Wikimedia projects, check out our grants page.
A kanban board at the Women in Classical Studies editathon at Senate House, London
I just saw the newsletter with a picture of the 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.
Who was involved with that editathon? Who has used it elsewhere? I would love to hear how it has been used in practice.
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? Yaris678 (talk) 10:25, 11 February 2017 (GMT)
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. Eartha78 (talk) 18:27, 16 February 2017 (GMT)
Thank you Eartha78. That is really interesting. I will use this next time I do an editathon. Yaris678 (talk) 09:39, 19 February 2017 (GMT)
Wikimedia UK's plans for 2018 - community consultation
Watch our video about our plans for 2018
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.
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:
Diverse content and contributors
Promoting open knowledge
Education and Learning
These strands are directly related to our three strategic goals, which are to:
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 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.
There are several questions in particular that I’d like to ask:
Is there anything that Wikimedia UK should be doing more of, or new activities that we should consider, in 2018/19?
What work would you like to see us continue?
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?
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.
Obvious question, where do we find data on how many non-autoconfirmed users and IPs actually make pages that satisfy Wiki Criteria? 82.132.237.141 15:31, 26 September 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. Richard Nevell (WMUK) (talk) 16:59, 2 October 2017 (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. 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.
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.
First place goes to Matthew Hoser for his image of the derelict West Pier in Brighton.
In second place was Paul Stümke, who captured the Glenfinnan Viaduct at Loch Shiel.
Third was Oliver Tookey for the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill on Sea.
The special prize for the best image taken in Scotland was awarded to Keith Proven for Smailholm Tower.
The special prize for the best image taken in Wales went to Sterim64 for Craig-y-mor.
You can see all of these images, and the other stunning pictures that were awarded Highly Commended status at Wikimedia Commons.
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. MichaelMaggs (talk) 07:43, 31 October 2017 (GMT)
Is someone monitoring the trend of average internet speed and the impact it has on user activity in the Wikimedia projects? Nemo bis (talk) 08:43, 24 July 2018 (BST)
Hi 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. John Lubbock (WMUK) (talk) 12:29, 2 April 2019 (BST)
