Water cooler/2015

London Wikidata Meetup 2

Our next 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 Signpost article on Wikidata. This concerns Wikidata:WikiProject Wikidata for research page, which concerns a funding application for a 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 here, please join us. Fabian Tompsett (WMUK) (talk) 12:41, 5 January 2015 (GMT)

BETT UK 2015

Free tickets are available to colleagues/guests to attend Bett UK 2015 between 21 and 24 January at Excel London. This is "the world's leading learning technology event".

Jimmy Wales is delivering a keynote and I'm on a panel about 'The changing landscape of technology in higher education'. I believe that Diane Strassmann (from Wiki Ed Foundation) is also participating in this multi-day event.

Feel free to contact me directly if you need any further information. --Toni Sant (WMUK) (talk) 07:28, 7 January 2015 (GMT)

Volunteer Strategy Gathering Data

During the Volunteer Strategy Gathering, John Cummings led a workshop where participants provided all sorts of information on post it notes. This information had been collated and put into some sort of order. This now available as JPGs here. It would be great if you could look through the data and join in the discussion on the talk page. The more people who help with this, the clearer we can get about what we want out of the follow up Volunteer Strategy Gathering/February 2015. Fabian Tompsett (WMUK) (talk) 16:49, 8 January 2015 (GMT)

Harassment and Gender Gap: looking for a solution at the IdeaLab

"While Wikimedia projects are rightly criticized for failing to achieve gender diversity, it is less recognized in Wikimedia discussions that other online communities are similarly having gender diversity problems and that editors perceived as non-male in any online volunteer collaborative project also experience heightened risk of discrimination and harassment. To some extent, the problem goes beyond Wikimedia projects and is inherent in the act of groups meeting in virtual spaces."

This is from a contribution to the IdeaLab on Meta Human resources sharing in the open movement. Making the Wikimedian community more welcoming, particularly to female editors, is one of the strands to emerge from the Volunteer Strategy Gathering 1 (VSG1). I think putting the issue in the broader context of other online communities may be useful.

Another initiative on the IdeaLab is WikiProject Women: "There is currently no space on Wikipedia where a woman can go and be sure that she'll be able to participate in discussions without being dominated by men's voices. Wikipedia needs a place where women can feel safer and not always overwhelmed by male advice, criticism, and explanations." There is quite a long discussion, particularly on the talk page, which anyone interested in this topic would benefit from having a look at. Fabian Tompsett (WMUK) (talk) 14:32, 15 January 2015 (GMT)

Postponement of volunteer strategy day

Wikimedia UK has reluctantly decided to postpone the volunteer strategy day which was scheduled for Saturday 28 February. This will now happen later in the year. The primary reason for this postponement is that there is more value to the charity and its volunteers in holding the event later in the year when a budget will be in place, when the charity has a new CEO and any pending structural or other changes to the staff team have taken effect.

The event represents a significant investment of volunteer time and effort and so it is appropriate that we value that time respectfully. Like all other resources, volunteer time is limited and we do not wish to leave anyone feeling that their time was wasted because the event took place too soon.

Please do be assured that conversations that may have happened at the gathering will still take place. The charity is still very keen to consult with the volunteers and members on the proposed topics (and any others, of course) but for the time being these will be focused online rather than in person. We are looking at hosting regular group conversations online, either by Google Hangout, Skype or conference call. More information about the practical details will be made available presently.

Q: Why was the event postponed when it is only three weeks away?

A: We feel that the event will be more helpful later in the year. There will be more substantial matters upon which volunteers can have a meaningful influence. Furthermore, the new chief executive will be in post and they will welcome the chance to engage with as many members of the community as possible.

Q: When will the new event take place?

A: We are working on the basis that the next volunteer strategy gathering will take place in September. This will give the new CEO plenty of time to establish themself in the new role and have an understanding of our community and the charity's needs.

Q: What about the topics up for discussion?

A: The postponement will allow these conversations to be developed, with the Wikimedia UK Wiki, being the primary channel for this. We are also piloting using the Education Program Extension at the Cinema Museum editathon, Saturday 7th March and are looking at other opportunities to gain some experience. If you would like to participate piloting the Education Program Extension, or have some other innovation that you would like to see tested please contact: fabian.tompsett@wikimedia.org.uk

Q: I have already booked my travel. What happens to my ticket?

A: If you are able to get a refund, please do so. However if a full refund is not possible, please send us the documentation and we will ensure that you are not out of pocket.

For all inquiries regarding the ongoing development of our volunteer strategy, including the future gathering, please contact fabian.tompsett(at)wikimedia.org.uk