Wikimedia Girl Geek Dinner/Manchester November 2012

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Wikipedia and You - Learn How to Edit at the Girl Geeks event. See here for why you should have come!

Here is our blog post after the event, and here are the reflections from the trainers leading the session.

Manchester Girl Geeks Edit Day 2012

Basics

• Date: Sunday 25 November, 11am-4pm
• Venue: MadLab, 36-40 Edge St, Manchester, M4 1HN
• Cost: Free
• Twitter details: @wikimediauk, @mcrgirlgeeks
• Participants: Girl Geeks wanting to learn how to edit!
• Registration: now closed
• Photos from the day: here
• Any questions: Daria Cybulska on daria.cybulskawikimedia.org.uk, 0207 065 0994; Katie on katiestecklesgmail.com

Venue

The venue had desks, power and wi-fi, a projector.

Details for attendees

Manchester Girl Geek’s afternoon tea party was going ALL DAY for November, as we edited Wikipedia together with a focus on improving coverage female scientists. Of course, if there was anything else participants were particularly interested in, they were encouraged to edit whatever pages they like: "Is your favourite lady scientist a stub? Fix it!" With special guests from Wikimedia UK, lunch included and help with editing, plus of course our usual tea and cake and good Girl Geek company, it was a great event. Boy geeks were welcome, as long as they came with a girl. We were at Madlab in the Northern Quarter, from 11am until 4pm.

What attendees were asked to Bring:

• Your laptop, which you can plug in to our electricity and connect to our lovely hosts Madlab's Wi-fi
• Your favourite mug for tea and coffee
• As always, any homemade cakes or biscuits you've made
• If you have not done so already, please create an account on Wikipedia (by going here and clicking 'create account' on the top right).

Tickets were free, and included lunch, although donations to Madlab were welcome. We provided some extra laptops too. All ages were welcome, and all levels of experience.

Trainers

Some Girl Geeks also knew how to edit and could help others out.

1. KTC (talk) (possibly) - Main trainer
2. Yaris678 (talk) - I am fresh from Training the Trainers/October event and ready to use my new skills - Main trainer
3. RexxS (talk) -- I'll come and help, but you won't want me to bake.
4. Daria Cybulska (WMUK) (talk) Present to help.
5. Worm^TT(talk) Should hopefully be present to help, and bring along a girl geek too!
6. Harry Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? - present to help

   Julia W (talk) I wouldn't call myself a 'trainer' necessarily, but I intend to come and help. And I can bake! ^^ Unfortunately I have to focus on a university deadline today. Julia W (talk) 09:27, 25 November 2012 (UTC)

Info for trainers

• The venue with desks, power and wi-fi, a projector. Space for about 20 trainees
• Attendees were encouraged to think about editing pages from the Women in Science list (from the recent Ada Lovelace event), but if they have other interests that's fine too. Trainers were asked to bring a couple of books that may encourage people who don't know what they want to edit about.
• Lunch provided.
• Expenses covered, please contact Daria with any questions.

What participants learnt

Towards the end of the day, we asked each person to say one thing they learnt and wrote the answers on a flip chart. The answers we got back were as follows:

• Wikipedia is collaborative
• It all comes together!
• It's self regulating - doesn't need interventions from a site owner
• There are many different languages (285!)
  • Lots of translation opportunities
• Wikimedia commons is a good source of images
• Its easier than you think
• Other people add to your work
• We can do it!
• Research and references make good articles
• Wiki code is easy - especially if you've ever done any kind of programming

This exercise helped sumarise the day for the participants and helped then to share each others knowledge and excitement.

List of attendees

There were 12 new users:

1. abidena - two participants were using the same account
2. Ellazhai
3. wxg_2002
4. Helen The Geek
5. Juliej61
6. cazzward
7. Ruida
8. Chezrong
9. Linda Macaulay Manchester
10. Staceydolxx
11. Lizhardwick - not sure of the username
12. Liboeh