Water cooler

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Why did you volunteer or become a member? Why should anyone else?

Hi all!

I've started a drafting page today (see here) to put together the content and ideas for a dual purpose handout the chapter can use to get expressions of interest from volunteers or potential members.

You can all help massively by dropping by and adding a sentence or two about how either volunteering and membership has led to interesting experiences, projects, or other outcomes. Also, I'm happy for use to draft section content - what would YOU say to get people to get involved?

There is no hard deadline on completing this, though I will probably be running around at the AGM session on writing the new members pack asking similar sorts of questions, so I would hope to see the first draft of that and this ready by the end of June!

Ping me on talk page or email me if you have questions - happy to answer and listen to advice :-)

Katherine Bavage (WMUK) (talk) 10:48, 22 May 2013 (UTC)

Update! I've now added this into the mix - http://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/Membership/Promoting - do have a look and add your thoughts :) Katherine Bavage (WMUK) (talk) 13:03, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

Ada Lovelace 2013

Hi All, I am working on setting up an Ada Lovelace event for 2013 - for now together with FindingAda we are feeling the ground to see if there is interest for running small events WMUK could support (via a blog post [1]. A while before there is progress, but if you are interested in helping get in touch. Daria Cybulska (WMUK) (talk) 10:36, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

Does my Y chromosome disqualify me? If not, I'm happy to help setting something up. Harry Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 15:14, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

Not at all. Let me know what stage of organising you are interested in. Daria Cybulska (WMUK) (talk) 14:04, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

Do you think it would be a good idea to get in touch with the Girl Geeks? This seems like something they'd be interested in. Yaris678 (talk) 16:07, 1 June 2013 (UTC)

The Manchester cohort is already working on an event for October - I will be letting you know! If you have contacts for other groups, it would be good to get in touch. Daria Cybulska (WMUK) (talk) 17:02, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

Welsh main page

In case people miss it above, Main Page/cy now exists. It would help if someone with the appropriate authority could check it out. If everything is OK, please can someone add {{language bar}} to the English-language Main Page and Membership, otherwise no one will know about the non-English pages and site navigation will be difficult. Cheers, AdamBMorgan (talk) 12:41, 5 June 2013 (UTC)

Hi Adam, this looks great! I'm really pleased that someone has taken the time to put together something in Welsh. I do have a quick question which you may be able to help with. Firstly, is there any intention to populate the Welsh language version of the homepage with the content from the blog or the events section? If so, how will this be maintained? Also, the page links to the Wikimedia UK Twitter and Facebook, which is great. But I don't think we're able to Tweet in Welsh at the moment. Is there an alternative Twitter that could be used? I don't know if @WikimediaCY (or similar) exists. If not, could be worth registering one for all things Wici - we can encourage followers for the account, too. Of course, if we have a follower or two that are fluent in Welsh and are willing and happy to translate tweets into Welsh then we can, of course, share those. Thank you! Stevie Benton (WMUK) (talk) 14:35, 5 June 2013 (UTC)

I actually have very poor language skills, so I can help with structure but not content. Communicating in Welsh looks like a job for Llywelyn2000 or Rhyswynne. Further up this page Llywelyn2000 did write, "I certainly would be willing to answer any phonecalls, emails or other correspondance passed on to me and I know that other would also do this." I expect there is an intent to populate the page but that might partly depend on WMUK's communication policy. For example, how do you want it to work? They should also know if there are any preexisting Wici social media. - AdamBMorgan (talk) 16:20, 5 June 2013 (UTC)

Hi both. Let's keep things simple for now. I suggest the page goes on as it is. Yes we Tweet in Welsh - it's called Trydar, yes we could translate the WMUK Blog and WM Foundation link, but let's keep it simple. The Office have my phone numbers, email etc and could in theory ask me to discuss any Welsh language queries on their behalf, should they wish to do so in the future. All that's needed now is a link from WMUK's home page to this. Let's then discuss whether we can take it further in any way. Any internal dialogue can be done in English; this Welsh home page is a statement of intent, a warm welcome for potential members and enquiries and a recognition that our community is inclusive and that these islands of ours (which are today called UK) has a rich, diverse, colourful rainbow of different cultures and people. Llywelyn2000 (talk) 17:15, 5 June 2013 (UTC)

Blog: Ideally, it would be nice to have blog posts in Welsh, but for the time being, having English language blog posts appear on the Welsh version is OK IMHO. I couldn't personally promise to be able to translate them into Welsh (even with a flexible timescale), although having posts in Welsh could provide WMUK with a good avenue for publicity, as the aggregator Blogiadur gathers RSS for a wide range of Welsh language blogs/news sites and has decent readership - something to consider. Posts don't have to appear simutaneously, so timing isn't all that important.

Twitter: I've set up @wicipedia which automatially pumps out RSS for new articles created on the Welsh Wicipedia. Its not pretty, but its better than nothing. Again, having a Welsh account for WMUK would be nice. As WMUK's tweets don't appear on the wiki (as far as I've seen) this isn't such an issue for this discussion, but we have two opptions:

1. WMUK press officer e-mails content of Tweets to Llywelyn2000 or/and myself, and then sends out the tweet (on a Welsh WMUK account) when one of us finally get round to translating it. As tweets are so short and only 2-3 a day are sent out, it should not be a burden. The first one to translate should 'Cc' the other translator in the reply in case we duplicate work for ourselves.

2. Llywelyn2000 and I could get access to the WMUK_cy Twitter account and just translate and then tweet ourselves when we see something appearing on the English account (problem here is trusting us with access, and we have to be sure we don't miss anything - I sometimes only check my Twitter account every few days and I don't think Llywelyn2000 currently uses the service at all.

Both these are issues that can be incorportated in the proposed Welsh language police/guide discussed above, something I'm hoping to work on in a few weeks. Thanks again Andy for your work thus far.--Rhyswynne (talk) 09:59, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

It's just occurred to me that the Welsh language homepage could use a Welsh language banner. If someone could post the text here - "Supporting free and open knowledge" - in Welsh then I can create the image. Stevie Benton (WMUK) (talk) 12:00, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

Cool. "Yn cefnogi gwybodaeth agored a rhydd" --Rhyswynne (talk) 13:04, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

Done. I used Linux Libertine (OC) as font and used the same images as on en. Very unusual to have a "{{CopyrightUnclear}}" licence! I also added a video on Friday and finished the translation. The new blog needs translating, and a weekly upkeep with dates etc. Let me know if you have comments or suggestions. Thanks to all for your encouragement! Brilliant. Llywelyn2000 (talk) 15:17, 12 June 2013 (UTC)

Hello again. Just wanted to drop a note here to congratulate everyone involved in putting the Cymraeg main page together. It looks wonderful and it's marvellous we can now offer the homepage in Welsh. Great job. If there is anyone reading this page who would like to have a go at other languages, that would be excellent! Stevie Benton (WMUK) (talk) 13:18, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

Editing on fashion topics to become fashionable?

The Netherlands Chapter had a really good session on editing their pages on fashion subjects. According to those who attended it attracted a lot of new people the vast majority of whom were women. A key target for us of course. We have some world class colleges in the UK where we could deliver a similar editathon. Does anyone think this is a runner and would you be interested in taking a lead on this? (via Jon Davies) Stevie Benton (WMUK) (talk) 16:28, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Review of Commons' Scope is now OPEN

I am pleased to announce the launch of a comprehensive review of our existing policy & guidelines on Commons: Project scope, and Commons:Photographs of identifiable people. This is an important review and will cover a number of contentious issues that have recently been extensively discussed both on and off Wiki. As background, you might like to look at these recent English Wikipedia Signpost articles:

• The tragedy of Wikipedia's commons, a Signpost Op-ed by Gigs
• A response to The Tragedy of Wikipedia’s commons, two Signpost Op-eds by me and Mattbuck in response.

Please visit the main review page to take part. --MichaelMaggs (talk) 22:32, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Where should Board meetings be?

Just wanted to ask if you have suggestions on locations for Board meetings over the coming year! Since we're a national charity we should avoid having meetings in London all the time. The AGM was in Lincoln, but prior to that the last non-London Board meeting was last September in Coventry. We should aim to meet at least twice outside of London in the coming year. If you have any suggestions, drop me a line. The criteria are:

• we'd like to go somewhere where there is a Wikimedia-related project going on that we can learn about / help with in some way (e.g. the Coventry meeting coincided with Wiki Takes Coventry and also with a project at the Herbert Museum)
• it needs to be readily accessible by public transport,
• we need a good meeting room available for 2 full days and a hotel for people to stay in (though this is the easy bit to sort out in many ways)

If you have any ideas let me know! Thanks, The Land (talk) 09:56, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

Queries about 2011 annual report

Wer900, who is an editor in good standing on the English Wikipedia, has started a thread about the WMUK 2011 annual report on the Wikipediocracy forum. He is pointing out that according to the report, the "cost of generating voluntary income" (£21,459) was greater than the voluntary income generated (£20,603). Is that correct, or is Wer900 misreading something? Would it be possible to give an indication of what the £21,459 were spent on?

I hadn't ever looked at the 2011 report before, but on following Wer900's link noticed that there was an apparent expenditure item of £3,000 for a Jimmy Wales lecture (listed on page 11). Does this relate to the University of Bristol lecture, which as far as I can tell was an event that charged an entrance fee? If so, was there a particular reason that donors' money rather than income from the sold-out event was used to cover costs? And who specifically did the money go to?

I am sure there will be an explanation for these expenditure items, and would be happy to forward that to the forum. Of course, WMUK board members and ordinary members are also cordially invited to register an account over at Wikipediocracy, if you would like to join the discussion and post a reply in person. Regards, --Andreas JN 07:08, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

Hello Andreas, thank you for getting in touch. I'll look into this for you and get back to you with a response soon. Thank you. Stevie Benton (WMUK) (talk) 07:38, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

Before my time but we will try and find out and report back here. Budget lines can appear quite complicated and sometimes misleading to the non-expert so Wer900 is right to ask the questions rather than jump to conclusions.

Re the 2012-13 accounts (another question raised in 'an other place') there was a draft statement reported by our treasurer at the AGM and the finalised SORP accounts are now completed, we await a signed copy in the snail mail this week for reporting to the next Board meeting in July. There is no exceptional delay. Just because a financial year ends it doesn't mean the accounts are ready the next day. It is a slow and meticulous process that involves a lot of professional due diligence at the best of times and something as simple as an unpaid invoice or a refund owed us by a supplier can cause weeks and weeks of delays. This time a couple of missing bank statements needed to be re-issued and that took a long time. Our accountants gave us an unqualified statement for the accounts so all is well and Wer9000 can anticipate many happy hours poring over our accounts. If S/he emails me I will priortise a hard copy in the post. Jon Davies (WMUK) (talk) 08:18, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

Hi Andreas. The "cost of generating voluntary income" also covers the income listed under "fundraising events", which was the annual fundraiser - I think we kept that separate to distinguish what funds were covered by the fundraiser agreement with the WMF. It was primarily paypal fees if I recall correctly.

The 'Jimmy Wales lecture' was indeed the Bristol one, but the £3k listed is an estimate of the donation made in kind - it's there both in the income and expenditure columns, but no money changed hands, and I don't think we covered any costs using money from other donors. If I recall correctly, there wasn't an entrance fee for the event, and it was also freely webstreamed. Thanks. Mike Peel (talk) 08:59, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

Thanks for the replies. I've reproduced Jon's and Mike's answers over there, and suggested that if people have further questions, they might as well ask them here. Regards, Andreas JN 09:30, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

Andreas, it's interesting that "as far as [you] can tell" the Bristol lecture charged an entrance fee, when a quick Google search for "Jimmy Wales talk Bristol" find publicity materials promoting it as a free event. Could you spell out for us what sources or what reasoning led you to the false conclusion? It would be good for the charity to know where this urban legend started, whether in someone telling lies to smear Jimmy Wales or the charity, people on online discussion boards with over-vivid imaginations, or an honest misunderstanding (of what information?). You might have to set one of your correspondents straight, assuming they're in the latter category, or otherwise ignore them. What light can you shed? MartinPoulter (talk) 12:11, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

I saw [2], which said the event was "sold out". Thanks for the info, Martin. Andreas JN 20:49, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

Simplifying language and avoiding acronyms

Just wanted to re-draw attention to this old discussion. I still think we should say "virtual office hour" rather than "IRC office hour" etc. MartinPoulter (talk) 19:41, 5 July 2013 (UTC)

Good point. I've changed 'IRC' to 'virtual' on our front page, events page, and have moved IRC office hours to Virtual office hours. That should make it less likely that will slip bback into the habit of using the acronym again. Richard Nevell (WMUK) (talk) 09:47, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

To me, the confusing bit was always the "officer hours" not the "IRC". What does "office hours" mean? Yaris678 (talk) 21:36, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

London based volunteer - time to help the charity with data?

Hey all, I posted this on the community mailing list a few days ago and no response :( Asking again here in case it catches anyone's eye.

You may have picked up the odd mention in staff reports to the board or passing conversation, but one of the pieces of work I'm responsible for is the Charity's gift aid records and claims.

After delay getting our first claim through, then needing to update our records with HMRC so the right people and bank details were on our record, I'm ready to work on the outstanding data files for the claims for last financial year.

However, it's a big job that can't really be automated - it involves reformatting and then checking through spreadsheets with mixture of search and replace and common sense to make sure the claim records we're submitting are those of individuals (not companies) and include real name data.

Is there someone who would be interested and able to help? It would require at least a couple of days in the office next month - its not really appropriate to do remotely and you would have to sigh an undertaking to treat the data confidentially.

We can support some expenses here (travel, lunch/per diem) but I'm not sure we could pay for accommodation - its therefore most probably an appeal to those who are in/near london based to help.

Do let me know if you think this could be something you could do!

Thanks all :-) Katherine Bavage (WMUK) (talk) 10:41, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

Mozilla Festival

Hello everyone. I write regarding the Mozilla Festival. It's taking place this October and has as its focus the future of the web and all things webmaking. There's currently a call for session proposals which can be seen here If anyone is interested in putting something together that's Wikimedia-related please do get in touch and let me know if there's anything Wikimedia UK may be able to do to support you. Stevie Benton (WMUK) (talk) 16:02, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

This looks very cool. I like the fact that it focuses on practical sessions, rather than talks. No ideas for a session myself but if someone wants someone to bounce ideas off or give feedback then I'm happy to do that. Yaris678 (talk) 21:53, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

Opinions on merchandise

Wikimedia UK is currently conducting a review of its merchandise. As part of this we have sent out a questionnaire to some people. If you would like to fill in the survey email me and I'll send you a link. It's a short survey so shouldn't take too long to complete. Alternatively, feel free to leave your opinions here. For reference, I've listed the merchandise we regularly use below:

• Wikipedia globe stickers
• WMUK stickers
• Wikipedia pens
• Wikipedia button badges
• Commons button badges
• A6 notebooks
• Lanyards
• Wikipedia car stickers
• Wikipedia beer mats
• WMUK mugs
• WMUK annual report
• About Wikimedia UK fliers
• Cheat sheets
• Creative Commons flyers
• Education case study booklets
• Welcome to Wikipedia booklets
• Wikipedia t-shirts
• Wikipedia polo shirts

We want to know what in your experience works and what doesn't, and if you have ideas for items not on the list which might prove useful please let us know (especially if you have design ideas...). Richard Nevell (WMUK) (talk) 14:47, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

• Key rings should be added to the list. I collect them, and almost all the tourist places stock them so they must sell. Thryduulf (local talk) (en.wp talk) 15:26, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Good idea although these are not for sale - rather, give outs at outreach events etc.

Flossie conference 8-9 November 2013

Hi All, Flossie is running a two-day event for women who use or are otherwise interested in any aspect of open technology, open knowledge, digital arts, and social innovation. They have a call for proposals that closes on 19 July. It sounds like a perfect opportunity for us to get involved - we are even mentioned in their proposed section 'Open Collaborative Communities'. Would anyone be interested in contributing? If so let me know so I can help. Thanks! Daria Cybulska (WMUK) (talk) 13:07, 12 July 2013 (UTC)

Probably worth noting the deadline is 19 July. -- Katie Chan (WMUK) (talk) 13:50, 12 July 2013 (UTC)

Ashley Van Haeften (Fae) steps down from Wikimedia UK board

Hello everyone, just a quick note to let you know that Ashley Van Haeften (User:Fae) has resigned form the Board of Wikimedia UK. You can see more details on our blog post here. Thank you. Stevie Benton (WMUK) (talk) 15:31, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

Thanks to Fae - "thanks and appreciation to Fae for all of the time, effort and expertise he has contributed to the charity over the past two years".... Why don't we appreciate our volunteers more?

If any volunteers are contemplating standing for the board then please have a look at Fae's brief post, which briefly summarises Fae's resignation and Fae's donation of literally thousands of hours of selfless work. It should include that this is the man who put together our first GLAM outreach outside England ( Scotland). He negotiated deals with the British Library, National Archives and the Wellcome Trust. Fae also put together the Chapters group in Berlin together with four other leading chapters. Fae also took a leading role in getting WMUK established as a registered charity and helped us resist pressure from WMF board members and staff to not take part in the fundraiser. Fae took a supporting role with many large projects enabling WMUK to rightfully claim that it was a leader in the GLAM field. The first WMUK committee with delegated powers was led by Fae. Fae also led for WMUK at international GLAM events including New York, London and Amsterdam. Fae recently helped in setting up the WIR roles at the National Science Museum, and ... and ... and

Oh and I should also mention that Fae has categorised more pictures on Wikimedia commons for the UK than Wiki Loves Monuments has for the rest of the world. This is an achievement that when it was first discussed was thought to be beyond value (but it also was thought to be somewhere between "major boring project of unknown duration for a dozen volunteers" and "impossible".)

Doug Taylor also stood down from the board at the last AGM and he too achieved amazing things. I'm not sure why these people's achievements are not being mentioned and I apologise for nor doing a more thorough job here. These people both worked practically full time for WMUK and their contribution should be more than my comment on a talk page, a generic thanks or just a record of when and where they stood down. If we don't appreciate them then we don't deserve these volunteers. Thank you Fae and Doug on behalf of myself at least. Victuallers (talk) 21:21, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

Agreed. Fae, despite tumultuous drama and events, has been a dedicated and hard-working volunteer for the chapter. For this, he deserves praise for his enthusiasm and diligence. And the same for Doug. —Tom Morris (talk) 08:52, 16 July 2013 (UTC)