Reports/2011/October

Below is the Wikimedia UK monthly report for the period 1 to 31 October 2011. If you want to keep up with the chapter's activities as they happen, please subscribe to our blog, join our mailing list, and/or follow us on Twitter. If you have any questions or comments, please drop us a line on this report's talk page.

Program activities

2012 Activity Plan

Our activity plan for 2012 was posted to the WMUK wiki on 1 October.

The Activity Plan is an outline of the work we will do in 2012, and the resources we need to support it. It is an important stage in the development of our 2012 Budget. When we’re asking people for money in this Autumn’s fundraiser, the Activity Plan will show people what we’re hoping to achieve with their donations – so it’s also important for the openness and accountability of our fundraising.

Education projects

Fiona Apps at the UoW fresher's fayre

Dr Mark Graham, and Han-Teng Liao, both from the Oxford Internet Institute, attended WikiSym 2011 on WMUK scholarships this month; they also presented about their work at the Wikimedia Foundation offices.

Fiona Apps, supported by Richard Symonds, held a stall at the University of Warwick Freshers fayre, on 1 October. (70 expressions of interest in forming a Wiki student club)

We have supported a University of Birmingham bid for JISC funding for World War One digital content prioritization; our letter of support is at File:Birmingham JISC support.pdf.

GLAM activities

CeriseLovesColours and friend from Paris visit Derby to collect 2nd prize in Multilingual challenge

• 1st - Herbert Art Gallery and Museum Backstage Pass (See This Month in GLAM coverage)
• 1st - Tom Morris attending Over the Air at Bletchley Park
• 7th - 13.30-17.00 British Museum internal training workshop.
• 13th - British Museum Ice Age art "Behind the Scenes" event
• 14th - CeriseLovesColours from France visits Derby for VIP tour and to pick 2nd prize for the Wright Challenge
• 28th - Initial meeting for MonmouthpediA - John Cummings

Other activities

• UK Wikimeets this month: Edinburgh meeting (1st), Cambridge meetup (8th), London (16th)
• 3rd-5th - Roger Bamkin speaking at Europeana Tech Conference in Vienna (report here)
• 5th - Martin Poulter spoke on "Common pitfalls in engaging with Wikipedia" at Bathcamp #26, the Innovation Centre, Bath
• Microgrants funded this month include Elections in Europe from User:Number 57 and Copyright law from User:Ironholds

UK press coverage (and coverage of UK projects & activities)

Press coverage of Wikipedia in UK publications this month included:

• Journal: "The Linguist" (vol. 50 no. 5, Oct/Nov 2011, p. 7 covers "Net Challenge" by Andrew Dalby listing the winners in Russia, France, Italy, Indonesia and the Czech Republic
• 1st - continued coverage of QRPedia:
  • How Wikipedia Is Making QR Codes Useful Again, Gizmodo
  • QRPedia: Wikipedia launches QR code tool for museums, PC Advisor
  • QRPedia - simple but effective , i-Programmer
  • Also: Wikipedia Signpost write-up of QRPedia
  • 3rd - Wikipedia codifica tutto, Pubblicita Italia (QRpedia and arty QR codes)
• 5th-7th - several UK media outlets covered the strike of the Italian Wikipedia:
  • Wikipedia closes in Italy after Silvio Berlusconi 'gagging' bid, Independent
  • Wikipedia shuts Italy site to protest Berlusconi "gag law", Reuters UK
  • Italy wiretap law: Wikipedia hides pages in protest, BBC News
  • Wikipedia Shut Italian Site In Protest Over Privacy Law, Huffington Post UK
  • 7th - Die Wikipedia kommt ins Museum, Spiegel on line, Interview with Peter Weiss about QRpedia and GLAM
  • 14th Arriba a Barcelona l’exposició ‘Joan Miró. L’escala de l’evasió, Calalan Wikipedia and QRpedia enable Spanish Art Gallery labelling by Kippelboy

Upcoming activities in November

• (To be copied here from Events at the end of this month)

For events in December and onwards, please see Events.

Administrative activities

Board activities

• 11th - full board meeting
• 16th Extraordinary General Meeting
• You can also find out information about our Board member's recent activities at the report page for the board meeting on 11th October.

Fundraising

A number of fundraising tests were run this month; the details and their outcomes are described on meta. For more information about our participation in this year's fundraiser, see 2011 Fundraiser.

We received £XX in donations from N donors via paypal this month, and £XX from N donors via direct debit (including M new direct debits). For more information please see our monthly fundraising report at Fundraising Report - Monthly Totals 2011.

We are currently in the process of assembling our Expense policy, which more clearly sets out the approach that we have already been following with regards expenses incurred by Board, staff and volunteers when on Wikimedia UK business.

Membership

(Current number of members, number of new members this month, number of lapsed members)

Recruitment

Our Chief Exec, Jon Davies, started work on 1 October.