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;Catch and Release – My Secret Adventure into the World of GLAM-WIKI
;Who cares about Wikimania 2014?


''The below was originally published by Dr Melodee Beals. [http://melodeebeals.co.uk/catch-and-release-my-secret-adventure-into-the-world-of-glam-wiki/ You can see the original here].''
[[File:London_WM2014_Logo.jpg|200px|thumb|right|alt=A logo for Wikimania 2014|Wikimania 2014 logo]]


[[File:French Angelfish off Grand Cayman.JPG|200px|thumb|right|alt=A picture of an angelfish|"Knowledge is a fish"]]
''This blog post was guest written by [http://mailto:edsaperia@gmail.com Ed Saperia] of the [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimania_2014_bids/London Wikimania 2014] organising team.''
There are countless ways to catch a fish. It can be pursued, actively, aggressively. It can be stalked, quietly, thoughtfully. It can be trapped, methodically, patiently. It can be stumbled upon, unexpectedly, fortuitously. It can be devoured, hungrily, passionately. It can be shared, graciously, equitably. It can be released, the enjoyment of the hunt and capture acknowledged, but the object itself set free to grow and mature, and to be chased and caught again.


Knowledge is a fish, and last month I made an uncommon catch.
Those of us who are a part of the Wikimedia movement already understand, as if by instinct, the value of the Wikimedia projects. It is not the millions of articles, nor the billions of pageviews, but the magical combination of ethos and platform that has allowed a deeper perspective on knowledge.


On 12-14 April 2013, the Wikimedia UK and then [http://www.bl.uk/ British Library] hosted a three-day conference to facilitate the exchange of new technologies, innovative modes of engagement, and long-standing curatorial rigour between [https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedian Wikimedians] and GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) practitioners.
Now that our bid has been accepted and we’re going cap in hand to sponsors, we’ve been forced to think hard about how to communicate this value to the outside world. Our chosen theme for Wikimania 2014 is outreach, and it is fitting that it is exactly the same struggle that the movement is also facing in its outreach efforts - how can we make strangers see the value in what we are doing, and have them join us?


As a history lecturer who remains completely unaffiliated with any GLAM, and who had made only very rudimentary edits to Wikipedia in the past, I was certainly not the target audience of the event. Yet, with the surprisingly low conference fee (£15/£40), and the promise of new insights into the digital humanities, I journeyed south and hoped for the best.
Every sponsor we approach asks “Who will come to Wikimania?”. It’s a question that we (as a community) have always struggled to answer in the past, offering the evasive “Wikimedians”, which is no answer at all. In a change from previous years, our Wikimania has a public promotional element, and so in a way we get to choose. What groups of people do we want to attract, who don’t already consider themselves Wikimedians? People already interested in what we do, people with something to offer us back, people who will be inspired to become full blooded members of our movement.


When I arrived, I was greeted by a gaggle of British Library and Wikimedia staff (and volunteers), handed a not unsubstantial tote-bag full of Wikimedia goodies, and directed towards some much needed tea. As I watched, dozens of men and women from around the world ran up to each other, shaking hands (and occasionally hugging). It was clear that many of the delegates were already well acquainted. After a moment or two, I began to sidle up to on-going conversations. The room was quickly buzzing with chat over the latest GLAM digitisation projects, intellectual property and copyright law, and the newest toys in the Wikimedia tool kit.
We believe that understanding and correctly articulating who these people are is the key to not only our public marketing effort, but also our fundraising strategy. Corporations don’t sponsor because they’re kind, they sponsor to access particular audiences. That “Wikimedians” is not a recognised audience goes some way to explaining the failure of previous years to meet their targets. In order to succeed, we need to truly understand who we are.


When asked whether I was GLAM or Wiki, I shyly admitted that I had registered under slightly false pretences. Having previously heard that the event had sold out, I became oddly nervous that I had somehow denied entry to a more deserving delegate; I need not have been. Both GLAM professionals and Wikimedian volunteers were extremely welcoming to the slightly clueless lecturer wandering in their midst, and did their best to let me know, in the 30 seconds which remained before the keynote lecture, the entire history of the [https://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cultural_partnerships GLAM-Wiki project].
We’ll put forward our thoughts in our keynote presentation at the [[WikiConference_UK_2013|WikiConference UK 2013]], being held in Lincoln next weekend, where we’ll be launching this discussion on the brand new Wikimania 2014 wiki.
<span class="plainlinks">[http://blog.wikimedia.org.uk/2013/05/catch-and-release-my-secret-adventure-into-the-world-of-glam-wiki/ <nowiki>[</nowiki>Continues...<nowiki>]</nowiki>]</span>
<span class="plainlinks">[http://blog.wikimedia.org.uk/2013/06/who-cares-about-wikimania-2014/ <nowiki>[</nowiki>...<nowiki>]</nowiki>]</span>


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|events=<!--Aim to have between 8 and 10 events listed to avoid this section taking up too much or to little space-->

Revision as of 17:10, 3 June 2013

Cymraeg | English

Wikimedia UK

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If you'd like to see what Wikimedia UK is working on, our website is the best place for our community of volunteers, donors and members to stay up to date.

About Wikimedia UK

The Wikimedia projects are special: they are written and curated by thousands of volunteers. They are also supported by voluntary donations, through Wikimedia UK, the Wikimedia Foundation and other international chapters.

Wikimedia UK is a charity registered in England and Wales that supports and promotes Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects such as Wikimedia Commons. Our mission is to help people and organisations create and preserve open knowledge, and to help provide easy access for all. We do this by supporting volunteer editors and contributors ('Wikimedians'), by working in partnership with cultural and educational institutions, by hosting training sessions and editing events, and by acting to advocate the benefits of open knowledge generally.

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