Wiki Loves Monuments brainstorm/Detailed discussion

Notes for Workshop 18 February 2012.

Attended

User:Chase me ladies, I'm the Cavalry, User:Charles Matthews (CM), User:Effeietsanders (LG), User:Fæ (F), User:HJ Mitchell (HJM), User:Jdforrester (JF), User:Johnbod (JB), User:Maculosae tegmine lyncis (Mac), User:Marek69 (Mar), User:Mrjohncummings (JC), User:Prioryman (P), User:Rock drum (RD), User:The wub, User:WereSpielChequers (WSQ).

Business

The workshop started at 1 pm, and was wound up as a formal session at 5 pm, after a summary at 4.45 pm. It was run as alternating committee and free discussion sessions, with presentations from LG and WSQ. HJM was delayed, so that CM (note-taker) took the chair initially. These notes cover discussion up to the formation of the steering group of HJM, JF, JB, Mar, and WSQ.

After presentations by LG, on the "Wiki Loves Monuments" projects as run in the past, and a typical timeline month-by-month, and WSQ's report on the current situation of the Geograph imports of images on Wikimedia Commons, eight separable issues were identified:

1. Scope of the intended project;
2. Judging model and criteria, intended range of awards;
3. Jury recruitment and involvement of photographic professionals;
4. Search for partners and sponsors, in some cases linked to 2 and 3;
5. Immediate need to bring in wider community input and participation;
6. National split (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland), bearing in mind the separate national heritage structures; and the possibility of an invitation to Ireland to participate;
7. Guidance for participants (to draft, positive tone, not codified);
8. Support for participants in the form of passes/badges/letters of authority as seems appropriate, with use of the office phone number for authentication.

Detailed consideration of all points was passed to the steering committee, which assigned a number of actions (see etherpad).

Suggestions

A variety of points were raised by participants:

Benefit of experience

• Use clearly defined lists of neutral origin (LG).
• Seek local organisers, and have a kit ready to support them (LG). It was suggested that geonotices could be used in recruiting them. Weekend events.

Potential partners

• The National Amenity Societies (P), namely: Ancient Monuments Society; Council for British Archaeology; The Garden History Society; The Georgian Group; Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings; The Twentieth Century Society; The Victorian Society.
• Tourist boards.
• To consider partners who would reach potential participants (e.g. visitors to the UK): suggestion Metro.

Generating participants

• Scouts and Girl Guides (WSQ); to set up relevant badges.
• Ramblers.
• AgeUK.
• Industrial archaeology groups and similar.
• Those in a position to do aerial photography.

Opportunities

• GLAM-WIKI conference at the British Library 14-15 September, falls in European Heritage Month.
• Open House London and whatever similar exists in other places (early on timeline).
• Church of England (to do at diocese level).
• Denominational publications (The Tablet, Church of Scotland).
• Chief executives of local authorities.
• Mailout to Lords Lieutenant, per county.
• Time Team.
• 'British Archaeology.