Water cooler: Difference between revisions

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{{divbox|blue|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]].}}
{{divbox|green|WMUK Grants programme - a piece of cake?[[file:Tile wmuk.jpeg|75px|left]]|<center>Applying for a grant is easy.<p>If Wikimedia UK can help you improve Wikimedia projects, check out our [[grants|grants page]].</center>}}
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==Initial==
__TOC__
We need somewhere for random chatter, so here is somewhere! --[[User:Tango|Tango]] 22:52, 26 January 2009 (UTC)


==Gift Aid==
== Kanban for editathons ==
Typo: "Don't forget that if you pay Income Tax at the higher rate you are likely to be able to claim ..."
should read "likely". [[Special:Contributions/92.5.50.132|92.5.50.132]] 10:20, 14 November 2011 (UTC)


So if you want to do a direct debit and claim gift aid what then? There is no box on the form for this.
[[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.


If you honestly want people to enter personal details into this form, you need to encrypt the website. [[Special:Contributions/78.105.210.252|78.105.210.252]] 22:59, 17 November 2011 (UTC)
Who was involved with that editathon?  Who has used it elsewhere?  I would love to hear how it has been used in practice.


:Apart from the typo, I'd like to say also as far as I understand it (and I have asked Her Majesty several times, the BBC Moneybox programme on a phone-in, and various charities) if you are a higher rate taxpayer you can declare the donation on the tax return (and should) but the charity does not get the difference of the basic rate and higher rate tax from Her Majesty &ndash; you do. (And then can give that to the charity if you wish, which presumably you could also claim as gift aided, ''in reductio ad infinitum ad nauseao''). I hope this may be heplful to anyone in a similar position, sorry I cannot be more definitive. [[Special:Contributions/82.29.185.61|82.29.185.61]] 17:03, 27 November 2011 (UTC) (More often [[:en:User:SimonTrew]])
[[User:Yaris678|Yaris678]] ([[User talk:Yaris678|talk]]) 15:09, 3 February 2017 (GMT)


== Powerpoint Presentations ==
: 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)


I'm new here, although not new to Wikimedia; did some anonymous editing from mid-2004 to end of 2005, haven't really had a proper account, did have some on http://en.wikipedia.org but never had email attached to any of them, so can't use them ever again, but I have just come back to Wikimedia now. Anyway, I'm someone who's into
::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)
IT and can create a PPT file, which could be uploaded here if anyone wants them, in LocalSettings.php, we'd have to enable .ppt files.


Anyone interested in the idea? --[[User:Kexford|Kexford]] 16:16, 19 October 2009 (UTC)
::: 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)
: It would be great if you could assist with creating presentations - as per the message I just left on your talk page, both the [[Initiatives/Schools project|Schools Project]] and [[Initiatives/Workplace Learning Lunches|Workplace Learning Lunches]] need presentations writing.
: Do we want to use powerpoint files for this, given that they're tied to software that isn't freely available? Would it be better to stick to PDF files here on the wiki? [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 15:26, 25 October 2009 (UTC)
::I agree, PDFs would be better. In addition to being a freer format they don't have the same negative connotations that Powerpoint presentations have. I was thinking about presentations a few days ago (in relation to that Italy thing that fell through) - should we put together a template so we can have a consistent look and feel to any presentations we give? That, and it would save time when make them if we didn't have to reinvent the wheel. --[[User:Tango|Tango]] 23:03, 25 October 2009 (UTC)


* Regarding PDFs, using Serif PagePlus's latest versions is a fairly low-budget, but high-quality way to do this. --[[User:Kexford|Kexford]] 09:49, 29 October 2009 (UTC)
::::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)
::Low budget? Why should we need any budget at all? There are plenty of free options. --[[User:Tango|Tango]] 15:01, 8 December 2009 (UTC)
:::for example? [[User:Saga City|Saga City]] 17:10, 4 January 2010 (UTC)
::::[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDFCreator PDFCreator] is a prime example. [[User:Quatermass|Quatermass]] 20:11, 19 November 2010 (UTC)


== Usability ==
== 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]]


Hi all. Two thoughts on usability: 1) should we switch to using the Vector skin (the beta) here as default? 2) should we use [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:LiquidThreads LiquidThreads]? [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 16:25, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
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.  
*Beta skin? Absolutely! enWN was first to go totally over to it, the biggest issues are getting used to the moved search box and page move/protect hidden in a drop-down.
*LiquidThreads? Not yet; "conventional" page history links don't work with this.


''However'', I don't know if anyone has done a Vector skin for WordPress. That might be a prerequisite before changing - just so there's a consistent look-n-feel between blog and site. (I'd also like to "steal" such a blog skin for wikinewsie.org). --[[User:Brian McNeil|Brian McNeil]] 13:14, 7 December 2009 (UTC)
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:
: Considering I wrote the current (custom) monobook skin for WordPress, I don't think that putting together a vector version will be a problem... Although if you want to use it on other sites, I'll have to tidy it up first (it currently pulls stylesheets etc. from a fixed URL)... [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 14:03, 7 December 2009 (UTC)


::Havign just used LiquidThreads on the Strategy Wiki I thoughts it was a great improvement and would like to suggest it's adopted here. However, I saw Brian's comments above about it not working with conventional page history links - what does that mean? [[User:AndrewRT|AndrewRT]] 17:44, 15 July 2010 (UTC)
# Diverse content and contributors
# Promoting open knowledge
# Education and Learning


== Paying for images ==
These strands are directly related to our three strategic goals, which are to:


Sorry to bother everyone, just a quick question. On a point of principle, will the chapter consider requests for content partnerships which involve a monetary sweetener? I couldn't find any guidance on this from WMF HQ, but there must be some somewhere. Obviously, it would be done on a case-by-case basis, as a last resort and so forth, but are you - er - allowed to? Thanks, [[User:Jarry1250|Jarry1250]] 11:53, 30 December 2009 (UTC)
* Increase the quality and quantity of coverage of subjects that are currently underrepresented on Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects
: Direct money transfers, i.e. paying for the content: no. Cultural partnerships are all about two-way beneficial relationships; I don't see money helping particularly there. Plus, there's the obligation to make sure that all of the charity's money is spent on charitable activities. However, doing joint activities where WMUK pays some of the costs would seem reasonable to me - e.g. events, carrying out digitization, etc. [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 12:31, 30 December 2009 (UTC)
* 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
::I think there's also the problem of licensing: I don't think WMUK (or even the WMF) has the power to "buy" content off someone on behalf of Creative Commons or Free Software Foundation to make the content available as free stuff! --[[User:Deryck Chan|Deryck Chan]] 12:21, 14 December 2010 (UTC)
* 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.  


== Wikimania 2010 ==
There are several questions in particular that I’d like to ask:


Hey folks, just wondering if anyone would be interested in taking a group trip to Poland in the summer for Wikimania? [[User:Colds7ream|Colds7ream]] 08:33, 12 January 2010 (UTC)
* 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?


:I would be interested. I think we should try and organise a semi-official UK delegation. --[[User:Tango|Tango]] 16:28, 12 January 2010 (UTC)
With many thanks indeed for your input.  
:: Ditto. [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 16:43, 12 January 2010 (UTC)
 
:::Excellent! :-) Unless anyone else wants to do it, I'll volunteer to have a go at organising the thing (I took my entire AstroSoc over to Florida last summer to see STS-128). Could we discuss it at the next board meeting? [[User:Colds7ream|Colds7ream]] 11:45, 15 January 2010 (UTC)
[[User:LucyCrompton-Reid (WMUK)|LucyCrompton-Reid (WMUK)]] ([[User talk:LucyCrompton-Reid (WMUK)|talk]]) 13:39, 21 September 2017 (BST)
::::Sounds good. I've been thinking we should contact a few airlines and see if anyone wants to give us cheap/free flights. Let's discuss it at the meeting after next - the next one really needs to be about the budget, we've put it off too long already. --[[User:Tango|Tango]] 17:25, 15 January 2010 (UTC)
:::::Any more developments? [[User:Colds7ream|Colds7ream]] 16:46, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
:::::: Not yet. Perhaps it would be worth having a specific (short) IRC meeting to start planning this at some point, rather than waiting for a board meeting? [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 16:54, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
:::::::Yes, that's probably a good idea. I propose Monday evening, 8pm. --[[User:Tango|Tango]] 14:22, 11 February 2010 (UTC)
:::::::: I won't be able to make that. Counter offer: some time over the weekend? [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 14:24, 11 February 2010 (UTC)
:::::::::I'm very flexible. It would be best if you suggest a specific time. --[[User:Tango|Tango]] 14:59, 11 February 2010 (UTC)
::::::::::Had to cancel my reservation, such a pity. aleichem 17:14, 16 September 2010 (UTC)


== American English ==
== ACTRIAL and new users creating new pages at events ==


Is the usage of the word "license" as a noun on the wiki and blog posts intentional? I shudder every time I read it on a British site. But I could appreciate it if it were deliberate (internationalisation?). [[User:Jarry1250|Jarry1250]] 19:23, 4 July 2010 (UTC)
Hi All,
:It's probably a mistake. When you spend too much time online you end up accidentally picking up American spellings, however much you try to resist it. Can you give examples of where it is used? In some cases, it might be used because it is the WMF, an American organisation, granting the licence, so we use their name for it. In descriptions, rather than names, it should use the British spelling. --[[User:Tango|Tango]] 21:08, 8 July 2010 (UTC)


== Members userbox ==
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.


I've created a small userbox at [[Wikipedia:en:User:Fæ/Userboxes/WMUK]] rather than using the current page-wide banner. It would be neat if there were a way of confirming membership and at the same time protect privacy through some sort of Chinese wall process. [[User:|]] 09:59, 9 September 2010 (UTC)
[[User:Yaris678|Yaris678]] ([[User talk:Yaris678|talk]]) 14:44, 25 September 2017 (BST)


== Anonymous page creation ==
: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)


Hi all, I've had to delete three spam/vandalism pages in the past two days alone so was wondering about disabling page creation by anoymous users. I can't see any reason why to not do this, as any initiative proposals should be created by a logged-in member. Thoughts? [[User:Rock drum|Rock drum]] ([[User talk:Rock drum|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Rock drum|contribs]]) 19:27, 6 February 2011 (UTC)
: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)
:On :en I feel that {{w|WP:HUMAN}} tends to be frequently side-stepped, however I have no such feelings about WMUK which is a space intended for creation by its subscribing members though with (hopefully) much wider readership. Consequently I would not object to some constraints on contributions here, though something as weak as enforcing {{w|CAPTCHA}} for all IP edits might be sufficient to deter 80% of casual vandals. [[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 22:10, 6 February 2011 (UTC)
::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.
: This is something I've opposed in the past, as I think we should aim to be as open as possible to all. However, to be honest, over the last few years we've seen very little benefits from letting anonymous people edit the site at all, let alone the issue of creating new pages. Of course, I'm not suggesting that we stop all IP edits! So, I agree that it's sensible to disable new page creation by anon users, so long as that still lets them create talk pages. [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 22:26, 6 February 2011 (UTC)
::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)


== Chapter board meetings - format ==
==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.


Hi everyone, I am Alan Walker, a director from [http://wikimedia.ca Wikimedia Canada].  We are in the process of figuring out how to hold our directors meetings with respect to process and format.  I see this chapter has some seniority and I am interested in hearing from anyone who has any thoughts to share on this subject.  It seems your chapter uses a mix of mailing list, the wiki and Skype.  The best way to reach me is by email or by my [http://wikimedia.ca/wiki/User_talk:Alan.ca Wikimedia Canada Talk Page]. [[User:Alan.ca|Alan.ca]] 15:09, 3 April 2011 (UTC)
First place goes to '''Matthew Hoser''' for his image of the derelict West Pier in Brighton.


== Does any UK resident want a free 1 year subscription to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Review_of_Books London Review of Books]?  ==
In second place was '''Paul Stümke''', who captured the Glenfinnan Viaduct at Loch Shiel.


If so, let me know at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Johnbod my talk page]. You'll have to e-mail me your name & address, but otherwise no strings. [[User:Johnbod|Johnbod]] 14:50, 5 April 2011 (UTC)
Third was '''Oliver Tookey''' for the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill on Sea.


== Interwiki links ==
The special prize for the best image taken in Scotland was awarded to '''Keith Proven''' for Smailholm Tower.
Despite two requests above, w: still does not work as an interwiki link - eg. [[w:Haworth]]. Also, would it be possible to make en: also work - it does on the Commons - eg. [[:en:Haworth]]. &mdash; [[User:RHaworth|RHaworth]] 23:46, 13 April 2011 (UTC)


I have just discovered that &#123;{w}} is available (and now working properly) but I would still like the mods above. [[User:RHaworth|RHaworth]] 00:10, 14 April 2011 (UTC)
The special prize for the best image taken in Wales went to '''Sterim64''' for Craig-y-mor.


==Change Username==
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]].
Can anyone tell me how to change my userna,e on this wiki? Thanks.[[User:Harrypotter|Harrypotter]] 08:11, 23 April 2011 (UTC)
:As you are harmonizing all your accounts under your SUL, I would ask (again?) in one bite at {{w|Wikipedia:USURP}} or {{w|Wikipedia:CHU/S}}. Complex cases are sometimes worth discussing on the associated talk page to ensure there is no misunderstanding of what you are asking for. [[User:|]] 12:35, 23 April 2011 (UTC)


==Chapter scholarships==
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)
Hi there. I was wondering whether something like [http://wikimania2011.wikimedia.org/wiki/Scholarships#Chapter_Scholarships this] was ever considered by WMUK. I think it's viable, and might alleviate the foundation's burden by a bit. :-) [[User:Mentifisto|Mentifisto]] 21:09, 3 May 2011 (UTC)


== No privacy policy ==
== Effects of broadband ==


On IRC someone raised the issue of the lack of a page at [[Wikimedia:Privacy policy]] on this here wiki. I have no idea how to resolve this. Perhaps a board member can do so, or maybe we can nick something from Meta. Whatever. It's fairly likely that there's probably some legal requirement for us to have something in the privacy policy page. If not, it's still a link in the footer, so we should probably have something there or just have a page pointing to an overall Wikimedia privacy policy on Meta or on the Foundation site or something. [[User:Tom Morris|Tom Morris]] 13:03, 29 May 2011 (UTC)
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
:I think whatever Meta has to say is the default here. Is there a particularly good page to point to? [[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 23:45, 29 May 2011 (UTC)
::I've set the link to point the [[foundation:Privacy_policy|the WMF's general privacy policy]]. I figured it's better to have that than nothing at all. Regards, [[User:Rock drum|Rock drum]] ([[User talk:Rock drum|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Rock drum|contribs]]) 11:52, 30 May 2011 (UTC)


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)


== Should we bid for Wikimania 2014? ==
::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)
Do people think we should or should not bid for Wikimania in 2014, and crucially are there people out there willing to put the time in to make this happen? If so please signup at [[Wikimania bid]] Thanks (This is the end result of a mailing list thread) [[User:WereSpielChequers|WereSpielChequers]] 19:41, 27 July 2011 (UTC)
 
== Blog skin ==
 
Hi there, i am wondering if the [http://blog.wikimedia.org.uk/ blog]'s skin is released under a free licence and if so, where it can be downloaded.
 
Thanks, [[Special:Contributions/78.144.19.28|78.144.19.28]] 15:14, 29 July 2011 (UTC)
 
== Addenda for July Reports? ==
 
Hi all, (first post on here)
Didn't realise there was a space to pass on this news but on 15th July Simon Smith [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Tagishsimon Tagishsimon] ran a Wikipedia workshop for post-graduate students of Archaeology, Cultural Heritage Management, Medieval Studies and Eighteenth Century Studies as part of the [https://kminterconference.wikispaces.com/Welcome King's Manor Interdisciplinary Conference] at the University of York.
Simon was invited to participate after I met him at GLAM/NRM the month before. He generously did so free of charge.
Feedback from the 15 participants was very positive and Simon stayed on for a workshop on interdisciplinary studies of the past and the conference's wine reception. [[User:PatHadley|PatHadley]] 08:26, 8 August 2011 (UTC)
: Thanks - we spotted that when it was happening, but forgot to include it in this month's report. I'll add it in to the [[Reports/2011/August|August report]]. :-) Congrats to Simon for doing the workshop, and thanks to yourself for arranging it. Also, welcome to the wiki! :-) [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 09:14, 8 August 2011 (UTC)
 
== An invitation that isn't mine to make ==
 
Hi all,
I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this but I was wondering about whether WMUK would be up for running a wikilounge/some sort of promo-presence at the year's biggest archaeology conference in Birmingham just before Christmas [http://centraltag.wordpress.com/ CentralTAG2010]? I'm not an organiser for the conference but am co-running a session on social media and other web 2.0 tech in archaeology. It'd be great to have some wikipedians to direct curious archaeologists to after our session! It would also be a great place to promote projects such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Johnbod User:Johnbod]'s [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:GLAM/BM/Ice_Age_art Ice Age Art] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:GLAM/BM/Bronze_Age Bronze Age] projects.
You'd have to contact the organisers (via the website above) soon as I believe they are trying to put together the schedule and facilities. It'd be a great thing to see! [[User:PatHadley|PatHadley]] 13:37, 13 August 2011 (UTC)
:Thanks Pat, I'm going to punt this around the right folks for follow-up. Cheers [[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 21:57, 14 August 2011 (UTC)
 
== Email watchlist notification ==
 
Anybody know why I can't set my preferences to notify me when a page on my watchlist is changed, and if that can be fixed? I could do without another watchlist to check! Thanks, [[User:HJ Mitchell|<font color="Teal" face="Tahoma">'''HJ&nbsp;Mitchell'''</font>]] &#124; [[User talk:HJ Mitchell|<font color="Navy" face= "Times New Roman">Penny for your thoughts? </font>]]  17:08, 18 August 2011 (UTC)
:That's interesting. I think there may be a dev around who knows why! (I suspect we're missing some extension or aren't running the same MW version as other WM projects. [[User:Deryck Chan|Deryck Chan]] 17:10, 14 September 2011 (UTC)
::This function is controlled by [[mw:Manual:$wgEnotifWatchlist|$wgEnotifWatchlist]] (and if you like [[mw:Manual:$wgEnotifMinorEdits|$wgEnotifMinorEdits]] too). I think it should take ~5 mins to do once someone gets around to it. (idk if they'll want "consensus" or maybe just some verifiable claim that the request came from a board member. or maybe no proof at all, really don't know. certainly something that looks official wouldn't hurt) [[User:Jeremyb|Jeremyb]] 05:39, 9 October 2011 (UTC)
::: I've put in [https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=31553 a bugzilla request to resolve this] - hopefully shouldn't take too long for them to do. :-) [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 10:06, 9 October 2011 (UTC)
:::: ... and, fixed. Thanks to [[User:Reedy]]. :-) [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 20:07, 12 October 2011 (UTC)
 
== Charity number ==
 
Worth mentioning?
 
:See [[Main page]]. --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 08:24, 19 November 2011 (UTC)
 
== [[Special:WantedTemplates]] ==
 
Can someone explain how this special page is created and why we want all the templates listed? Thanks --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 09:54, 8 December 2011 (UTC)
: It is generated based on calls to templates that don't exist. See the links for where the templates were called from, which hopefully shows why they're wanted. ;-) Note that those in blue that are struck through already exist (and will be removed from the WantedTemplates list when it's next updated). [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 12:20, 8 December 2011 (UTC)
:: As to why [[User:Rich Farmbrough]] is copying over lots of templates to the wiki at the moment (which I presume is the reason behind your message) - that's a separate question best asked to him. ;-) [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 12:22, 8 December 2011 (UTC)
::: Cool, I think some of these are a bit pointless on this wiki, but I'm happy with others so I'll focus on more urgent matters. --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 13:48, 8 December 2011 (UTC)
 
== Disclosure in sitenotice ==
 
Why has the disclosure been put in the sitenotice? It is really necessary to have it there? Isn't it normal to put those kind of things out of the way at the bottom of a page? Also, if it does need to be there, is it right that it should be dismissable? Either it needs to be there, or it doesn't, I can't see why it would be the choice of the visitor. --[[User:Tango|Tango]] 18:37, 9 December 2011 (UTC)
 
:Oh, that's a weird thing to do with a sitenotice. I'd like to understand the rationale or if it was some sort of mistake. Reverted it back to empty in the meantime. --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 18:40, 9 December 2011 (UTC)
:I see nothing wrong with it being dismissable. Like lots of stuff, once you've read it you've read it. But maybe it should jusdt belong on [[About Wikimedia UK]]. ''[[User:Rich Farmbrough|Rich]]&nbsp;[[User talk:Rich Farmbrough|Farmbrough]]'', <small>14:09, 10 December 2011 (UTC).</small><br />
::I think those notices tend to re-appear every time you log back in which could be a pain. Otherwise the wiki would have to lay down local cookies, probably not a reliable or welcome way of doing things. --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 23:38, 12 December 2011 (UTC)
::: The ideal thing would be for this to go into the page footer - but I can't see how to do that aside from templates. As far as I understand matters, we have to include it wherever the content is formal/on behalf of WMUK, which probably means most pages here (e.g. it should probably be on the minutes, but probably not on the Wikimania bid pages). The site notice definitely isn't the best place for it, though. [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 00:28, 13 December 2011 (UTC)
::::We could try adding it to [[MediaWiki:Wikimedia-copyright]], I think that would pretty much do it. --[[User:Tango|Tango]] 05:21, 14 December 2011 (UTC)
::::: Yup, that did it, thanks for pointing it out. :-) [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 12:52, 14 December 2011 (UTC)
 
== [[User:WOSlinker]] ==
 
If WOSlinker is a bot, could its owner please create a user page explaining why and what it is up to? Thanks --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 21:53, 13 December 2011 (UTC)
 
:No, I'm not a bot.  What I'm doing is updating occurences of the -moz-border-radius style (which gives the boxes rounded corners) to use the {{tl|border-radius}} template instead which contains border-radius, -moz-border-radius & -webkit-border-radius styles.  This will then mean that the rounded corners, which used to only show up in Firefox & other Mozilla browsers, will also show up on IE 9+, Chrome & Safari. -- [[User:WOSlinker|WOSlinker]] 23:56, 13 December 2011 (UTC)
 
::Actually, a lot of the styling code that's on the pages could be moved into [[Mediawiki:Common.css]] which would make the pages a bit neater. -- [[User:WOSlinker|WOSlinker]] 23:57, 13 December 2011 (UTC)
:::That sounds like a good idea. If you leave detailed instructions on my talk page, I can make the necessary changes to Common.css (I know a little CSS, but I've never done much with Common.css). Thanks for your help! --[[User:Tango|Tango]] 05:27, 14 December 2011 (UTC)
 
== Admins ==
 
Hi, [[Wikimedia:Administrators]] is our currently very short and simple process for :wmuk sysops. I'm wondering if we should add a constraint that ''any administrator completely inactive on the site for more than 12 months will have their sysop privilege expire'' (they can request them again if they become active). This would avoid the risk of an indefinite number of floating unused sysop accounts. Any views on this change or suggestions for other, simple, improvements? --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 15:46, 17 December 2011 (UTC)
:I think that would be a good idea. In addition to the usual powers admins have on wikis, admins here also have a ability to edit "official" pages that are protected because the chapter has legal duties to make sure they say the right things. That's a serious power, so it makes sense to keep close tabs on who has it. Unused admin accounts carry two risks - the admin could come back but be out of touch so make serious mistakes, or the account could get hacked and the admin powers used for malicious purposes (of course, that can happen with active accounts too, but with active accounts the gain from them being able to do administrative tasks outweighs the risk, there isn't really any gain from inactive accounts). --[[User:Tango|Tango]] 17:33, 17 December 2011 (UTC)
::{{done}} --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 00:10, 12 January 2012 (UTC)
 
== Foundation listing ==
 
Could someone tweak http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Local_chapters to say that we are a charity? Not in my SUL for some reason. Thanks --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 22:04, 11 January 2012 (UTC)
: Done. The WMF wiki doesn't use SUL since it is closed for general editing - you need a separate login for it. [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 00:02, 12 January 2012 (UTC)
 
== Wikimania 2012 scholarships ==
 
The [http://wikimania2012.wikimedia.org/wiki/Scholarships Wikimania 2012 scholarships page] is now online. I'm aware that last year Wikimedia UK helped fund some scholarships on top of those provided by the Foundation budget. [http://wikimania2012.wikimedia.org/wiki/Scholarships/FAQ#Other_sponsored_scholarships According to the FAQ], this year chapter scholarships will universally use the same application system as Foundation scholarships, and that applicants will automatically be considered for chapter scholarships as well, where available. Is Wikimedia UK planning to participate in this? [[User:CT Cooper|CT Cooper]]<small><span style="font-weight:bold;">&nbsp;·</span>&#32;[[User talk:CT Cooper|talk]]</small> 21:29, 13 January 2012 (UTC)
: We have a budget that will support people's attendance at Wikimania 2012, but we haven't yet had chance to discuss the details (such as the number of scholarships, the criteria, and the application method). I'd personally love to see us participating in the main application system, but the timing of this may sadly mean that this isn't possible and we may have to make use of an independent application system. In particular, the board's attention is currently focused on the [[meta:Fundraising and Funds Dissemination|Fundraising and Funds Dissemination]] discussion, as well as UK-specific activities, that have prevented us from discussing Wikimania 2012 thus far. [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 21:51, 13 January 2012 (UTC)
:: I'm not to fussed about applying multiple times as necessary, and I understand the board has plenty of other things to think about. Thank you for your quick response. [[User:CT Cooper|CT Cooper]]<small><span style="font-weight:bold;">&nbsp;·</span>&#32;[[User talk:CT Cooper|talk]]</small> 22:22, 13 January 2012 (UTC)
:::Mike: If you want to do a separate application process, that's okay I guess. Or we can allow you to review UK applicants (after Feb 16) to the main scholarship system and select some. Either way, please let us know so we can plan accordingly. Cheers. [[User:Aude|Aude]] 21:06, 16 January 2012 (UTC)
:::: I'll see what we can do - but there's so much going on right now that this probably needs to wait at least a week or so before we can start to think about this in any detail. [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 00:55, 17 January 2012 (UTC)
::::: To wrap this up: we are offering scholarships via [http://wikimania2012.wikimedia.org/wiki/Scholarships the main Wikimania scholarships program] - so please apply there. :-) Thanks. [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 20:18, 6 February 2012 (UTC)
:::::: Excellent, that should make things easier for applicants. [[User:CT Cooper|CT Cooper]]<small><span style="font-weight:bold;">&nbsp;·</span>&#32;[[User talk:CT Cooper|talk]]</small> 23:07, 6 February 2012 (UTC)
 
== Huge foot ==
 
Every page on WMUK includes 3 lines saying <small>''"Wikimedia UK is the operating name of Wiki UK Limited, a Charitable Company registered in England and Wales. Registered Company No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513. Registered Office: 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT"''</small> in the footer. Do we ''really'' need to do this, it seems unsightly? By the way, the Main page duplicates all this information in the body, which seems doubly unsightly. --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 21:26, 19 January 2012 (UTC)
: Yes. Or at least: the information in that text needs to be on official pages (and correspondence). It doesn't need to be duplicated, though - so can probably be removed from the body of pages. [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 21:45, 19 January 2012 (UTC)
::I'm wondering if it can be shrunk down, I'm not sure the Co. no., C. no. and full postal address all need to be there as opposed to on a linked contact page. It might also just be shrunk to an even smaller font or just wrapped in a way that does not take up three separate lines. --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 22:57, 19 January 2012 (UTC)
:::I thought the address, charity number, and registered name had to be on all official pages and that seems to be the easiest way to put them there. I don't see the extra few lines at the bottom as a big deal&mdash;it's about the same as is taken up by <small>''This page was last modified on 16 January 2012 at 06:24. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.''</small> at the bottom of Wikipedia. [[User:HJ Mitchell|<font color="Teal" face="Tahoma">'''Harry&nbsp;Mitchell'''</font>]] &#124; [[User talk:HJ Mitchell|<font color="Navy" face= "Times New Roman">Penny for your thoughts? </font>]]  02:12, 21 January 2012 (UTC)
 
== Friendly Space policy ==
 
Does anyone have counter suggestions with regard to adopting the WMF policy for dealing with harassment at events ([[:wmf:Friendly_space_policy]])? A variation was recently created for DC [[m:GLAMcamp_DC/Friendly_space_policy]]. Unless we have a reason to create a UK variation, the WMF policy could be linked to from the Events page. --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 08:27, 21 January 2012 (UTC)
: I think the need to create a UK-specific version is pretty clear - e.g. from a quick look it needs to say 'Wikimedia UK' rather that 'Wikimedia Foundation', give the appropriate contact details, and be generalised to include all events rather than just conferences. It also needs to have links to the relevant UK law. There's also a couple of general changes that we'd need to make to our event organisation if we adopt this policy - e.g. ensuring that all organisers are clearly identified (by a badge according to that policy - we may want to go for T-shirts instead or similar). So I'd suggest creating a copy of it here and pointing people towards it for discussion, with the aim of putting it forward for adoption at the [[Agenda 11Feb12|11 February board meeting]]. [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] 14:11, 21 January 2012 (UTC)
::I've copied it over to [[Friendly space policy|here]] and adapted it a little for UK needs, although there is still more work to be done. Regards, [[User:Rock drum|Rock drum]] ([[User talk:Rock drum|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Rock drum|contribs]]) 15:24, 21 January 2012 (UTC)
:::Thanks, I suggest further discussion for improvement is at [[Talk:Friendly space policy]] rather than here. --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 15:40, 21 January 2012 (UTC)
 
== 2012 election ==
 
Would anyone care to look at setting up the 2012 election pages for questions and candidate statements? The Board Interest day (11th February) is not that far away and having these pages to refer to would probably be a good idea when explaining our election process. If anyone has ideas of how to improve the way this works, now might be a good time to put these forward. --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] 11:12, 23 January 2012 (UTC)
 
==[[UK Wikimedian of the Year 2012]]==
Thoughts? Corrections - Comments welcomed [[User:Victuallers|Victuallers]] 17:13, 8 February 2012 (UTC)
 
== Comparison of UK NDA with WMF NDA ==
 
According to [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2012-02-20/Special_report]], the WMF is in the habit of asking Wikimedians to sign a NDA for access to some data. Perhaps someone could track it down on-wiki (assuming it has been openly published) so that we can review [[Non Disclosure Agreement]] against their best practice? Thanks --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] ([[User talk:Fæ|talk]]) 11:09, 25 February 2012 (UTC)
:I signed their NDA when I was helping out with some fundraising stuff while visiting their office. I don't have an electronic copy, and I don't know where the paper copy is. I made them modify their standard one before I would sign it (to make it clearer than it referred onto to things related to what I was doing in the office). While the non-disclosure stuff in pretty much what you would expect, they also have a non-disparagement clause. I discussed it with Mike Godwin (who was general counsel at the time - Geoff might have changed the standard agreement after he took over), who explained that they idea was to stop people using their privileged information to attack the WMF (as Danny Wool once did, if your wiki-memory goes back that far). I can see the logic in that (which is why I did eventually sign it, once appropriately restricted). --[[User:Tango|Tango]] ([[User talk:Tango|talk]]) 14:33, 25 February 2012 (UTC)
:: I was talking to Geoff about this at the finance meeting last weekend. I've dropped him an email to follow up on that and to see what's available here. Thanks. [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] ([[User talk:Mike Peel|talk]]) 18:06, 25 February 2012 (UTC)
 
== House style ==
 
For this website and WMUK reports (e.g. the next Annual Report in production) and documents it would be useful to define a local [[Manual of Style]] including topics such as colour, plain English, when to use logo variations and so forth. Obviously if it can piggy-back on existing WMF or Wikipedia guidelines then we can simply defer to those pages. Has any of this been mentioned on another page or would it be useful to start creating it from scratch? --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] ([[User talk:Fæ|talk]]) 11:21, 9 March 2012 (UTC)
:Perhaps the new comms person could prepare something? It would be good to have some community consultation, but most of it should be pretty uncontroversial. --[[User:Tango|Tango]] ([[User talk:Tango|talk]]) 19:15, 16 March 2012 (UTC)
 
== Compliance with blocks and bans elsewhere ==
 
At the moment blocks or bans on :wmuk would be considered on a case by case basis. Is there any reason for us to consider the status of long term blocks or bans on Wikimedia projects such as the English Wikipedia or Wikimedia Commons? Considering that :en is so closely entwined with most of our events, it might be sensible to take the status of a contributor on that project into account when considering how an account should be handled on this wiki. In particular someone with a history of deliberately disrupting those main projects can be argued to be in a default status of failing to comply with the :wmuk defined mission and values. --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] ([[User talk:Fæ|talk]]) 10:37, 16 March 2012 (UTC)
: As and when situations arise, then that information should be taken into consideration - but I don't think there's a need for us to take any sort of proactive approach here. [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] ([[User talk:Mike Peel|talk]]) 10:53, 16 March 2012 (UTC)
:: No disagreement and should it arise, then I think we ought to take into account any long term disruptive history elsewhere to judge how accounts can be trusted for this wiki. In contrast, for Commons the community deliberately ignore the status of current blocks or bans on other projects as irrelevant unless there has been agreement on :meta for a global ban (which we ought to comply with). In general, our contributor community is likely to stay small, so I doubt this will become a significant policy matter. --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] ([[User talk:Fæ|talk]]) 12:36, 16 March 2012 (UTC)
:::Sounds good to me. We should consider each case on its own merits, but it makes sense to take conduct on other sites into account. --[[User:Tango|Tango]] ([[User talk:Tango|talk]]) 19:18, 16 March 2012 (UTC)
 
== Request for bot flag ==
 
Hi all! Please may [[User:Thehelpfulbot]] have the bot flag, I can run a double redirect fixer to empty [[Special:DoubleRedirects]], this already runs without problems on the English Wikipedia and Meta-Wiki. On a site note, could an admin tweak [[MediaWiki:Sidebar|Sidebar]] from ''Membership|Join'' from '''Membership|Join us''? The latter sounds a bit more friendly. It may also be a good idea to add a link to the Board itself, so directly under "Organisation". [[User:Thehelpfulone|<font color="red">'''The'''</font>]][[User_talk:Thehelpfulone|<font color="black"> '''Helpful'''</font>]][[Special:Contributions/Thehelpfulone|<font color="red"> '''One'''</font>]] 23:47, 8 April 2012 (UTC)
: Sure, sounds good, thanks for volunteering to fix these. :-) The only problem is that [[User:Thehelpfulbot]] is not currently registered on this wiki, though (the userpage exists, but not the user account). If you can create the account, then I'll set the bot flag for it.
: On the sidebar changes: I've changed it to read 'Join us'. I'm not sure about linking to [[Board]] since there's already rather a lot of links in the sidebar...
: Thanks. [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] ([[User talk:Mike Peel|talk]]) 10:04, 9 April 2012 (UTC)
:: Huh! I was sure that I had logged in on this wiki. [[User:Thehelpfulbot|Thehelpfulbot]] ([[User talk:Thehelpfulbot|talk]]) 10:48, 9 April 2012 (UTC)
::: Done. [[User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]] ([[User talk:Mike Peel|talk]]) 00:50, 10 April 2012 (UTC)
 
==Random ideas page==
 
[[Random ideas]]<-- things we could consider.[[User:Geni|Geni]] ([[User talk:Geni|talk]]) 23:01, 22 April 2012 (UTC)
 
== Request for comment ==
 
I am drafting a proposal at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Pine/drafts/ENWP_Board_of_Education and would like input from chapters. I would appreciate comments on the talk page. Thank you! [[User:Pine|Pine]] ([[User talk:Pine|talk]]) 10:52, 4 May 2012 (UTC)
 
== How do we reduce the creeping "legalese" of our constitution and policy documents? ==
Hi, I have raised a question around how better to handle difficult wording on our key documents at [[Talk:Articles_of_Association#Difficult_legal_language]], though I'm thinking that this is a more general problem that could do with rather more plain English advocacy. Anyone have good ideas on how to make this guff a bit more digestible? Cheers --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] ([[User talk:Fæ|talk]]) 11:17, 13 May 2012 (UTC)
 
== Does Navigation popups work for you on WMUK? ==
 
I just tried out Navigation popups (check your preferences, gadgets) but it does not display correctly for me, in fact it leaves a nasty mess of un-wiped text for every internal link I hover over. Anyone have a fix? --[[User:Fæ|Fæ]] ([[User talk:Fæ|talk]]) 13:46, 31 May 2012 (UTC)
: I've had a look and they don't work for me either. Pretty nasty! --[[User:Stevie Benton|Stevie Benton]] ([[User talk:Stevie Benton|talk]]) 15:34, 31 May 2012 (UTC)
:::This is something I've noticed with the popups on some other wikis, too. Does some custom CSS need to be added to [[MediaWiki:Common.css]]? [[User:Rock drum|Rock drum]] ([[User talk:Rock drum|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Rock drum|contribs]]) 15:53, 31 May 2012 (UTC)
 
== How commonly is the water cooler used? ==
 
Hello everyone. As you may be aware I'm working on reviewing our communications and writing our comms strategy at the moment. One thing I wanted to take a look at in my examination of the WMUK wiki is the water cooler. I'd like to get a handle on how many people come here. So, if you're reading this before Friday 8 June, would you please pop a note here? Many thanks. --[[User:Stevie Benton|Stevie Benton]] ([[User talk:Stevie Benton|talk]]) 15:36, 31 May 2012 (UTC)
:I'm afraid this test isn't going to work. A lot of us follow this wiki by keeping an eye on recent changes, so having lots of people posting here will attract more people. It's not the kind of page that you specifically go to to see if anything interesting has been posted. You come here when you notice it on recent changes or your watchlist. --[[User:Tango|Tango]] ([[User talk:Tango|talk]]) 15:58, 31 May 2012 (UTC)
:: That in itself will have some value for me actually. I want to see how something on here develops in real time and how many people will respond to something without being directly pointed there. Thanks for the heads-up though, I appreciate it :) --[[User:Stevie Benton|Stevie Benton]] ([[User talk:Stevie Benton|talk]]) 16:06, 31 May 2012 (UTC)
:::You might be better off looking through the page history and seeing how actual discussions here developed. Asking people to respond is very artificial, which will severely limit the usefulness of your results. (I'm an actuary in real life, so I have a thing about statistically well-designed studies!) --[[User:Tango|Tango]] ([[User talk:Tango|talk]]) 17:33, 31 May 2012 (UTC)
::::I have recent changes on my RSS feed and that led me here. If the wiki gets busier and this becomes the place to announce new stuff I might switch to just having this page on my RSS (every history page is an RSS feed). [[Special:Contributions/93.96.237.210|93.96.237.210]] 20:29, 31 May 2012 (UTC)

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?
Tile wmuk.jpeg
Applying for a grant is easy.

If Wikimedia UK can help you improve Wikimedia projects, check out our grants page.

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Kanban for editathons

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.

Yaris678 (talk) 15:09, 3 February 2017 (GMT)

Hi Yaris678, I was the lead trainer at the Women in Classical Studies editathon. I saw the kanban in an Instagram post for an Art+Feminism editathon. It worked much better than expected - a fantastic indicator of the achievements of the day.Eartha78 (talk) 19:02, 3 February 2017 (GMT)
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:

  1. Diverse content and contributors
  2. Promoting open knowledge
  3. 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?

With many thanks indeed for your input.

LucyCrompton-Reid (WMUK) (talk) 13:39, 21 September 2017 (BST)

ACTRIAL and new users creating new pages at events

Hi All,

Some thoughts on WP:ACTRIAL and our events:

  • It makes sense to encourage new users to work in 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.

Yaris678 (talk) 14:44, 25 September 2017 (BST)

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)
According to WMF research, of the 1,180 articles created every day on the English Wikipedia, about 7% are by non-autoconfirmed editors. 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. 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.
Yaris678 (talk) 12:59, 19 October 2017 (BST)

Wiki Loves Monuments UK 2017 awards announced

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)

Effects of broadband

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? 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)