[Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia genealogy and historical research software - a proposal for HRE

[Michael Maggs]

There has been quite bit of discussion over the years about how the 
Wikimedia movement could engage with those who have research interests 
in family history or genealogy, and a centralised discussion page [1] 
has been set up on Meta.


I am posting to ask whether there would be Wikimedian developers who 
would be interested in joining an open source project to create a free 
platform independent application called History Research Environment [2] 
(‘HRE’) for the serious genealogist or historical researcher.  
Considerable effort has been put into high-level planning over several 
years, and we are now ready to start writing code.


While the proposed software is not currently an official Wikimedia 
project, if there is enough interest we are open to it becoming 
integrated or affiliated in some way. The plan is, in any event, that 
the software should be interoperable with Wikidata to allow (subject to 
the agreement of the Wikidata community) the exchange of a variety of 
structured data including verified and fully sourced family trees.


I'd be happy to answer queries.

Michael Maggs


[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_genealogy_project

[2] https://historyresearchenvironment.org

(please excuse cross-posting for greater visibility, as the 
[wikimedia-genealogy] mailing list still has very few subscribers)


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[Wikimedia-l] Join my Reddit AMA about Wikipedia and ethical, transparent AI

[Aaron Halfaker]

Hey everybody,

TL;DR: I wanted to let you know about an upcoming experimental Reddit AMA
("ask me anything") chat we have planned. It will focus on artificial
intelligence on Wikipedia and how we're working to counteract vandalism
while also making life better for newcomers.

We plan to hold this chat on June 1st at 21:00 UTC/14:00 PST in the /r/iAMA
subreddit[1]. I'd love to answer any questions you have about these topics
questions, and I'll send a follow-up email to this thread shortly before
the AMA begins.



For those who don't know who I am, I create artificial intelligences[2]
that support the volunteers who edit Wikipedia[3]. I've been fascinated by
the ways that crowds of volunteers build massive, high quality information
resources like Wikipedia for over ten years.

For more background, I research and then design technologies that make it
easier to spot vandalism in Wikipedia—which helps support the hundreds of
thousands of editors who make productive contributions. I also think a lot
about the dynamics between communities and new users—and ways to make
communities inviting and welcoming to both long-time community members and
newcomers who may not be aware of community norms.  For a quick sampling of
my work, check out my most impactful research paper about Wikipedia[3],
some recent coverage of my work from *Wired*[4], or check out the master
list of my projects on my WMF staff user page[5], the documentation for the
technology team I run[9], or the home page for Wikimedia Research[8].

This AMA, which I'm doing with with the Foundation's Communications
department, is somewhat of an experiment. The intended audience for this
chat is people who might not currently be a part of our community but have
questions about the way we work—as well as potential research collaborators
who might want to work with our data or tools. Many may be familiar with
Wikipedia but not the work we do as a community behind the scenes.

I'll be talking about the work I'm doing with the ethics of AI and how we
think about artificial intelligence on Wikipedia, and ways we’re working to
counteract vandalism on the world’s largest crowdsourced source of
knowledge—like the ORES extension[6], which you may have seen highlighting
possibly problematic edits on your watchlist and in RecentChanges.

I’d love for you to join this chat and ask questions.  If you do not or
prefer not to use Reddit, we will also be taking questions on ORES'
MediaWiki talk page[7] and posting answers to both threads.

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence
2. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/ORES
3.
http://www-users.cs.umn.edu/~halfak/publications/The_Rise_and_Decline/halfaker13rise-preprint.pdf
4.
https://www.wired.com/2015/12/wikipedia-is-using-ai-to-expand-the-ranks-of-human-editors/
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Halfak_(WMF)
6. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:ORES
7. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:ORES
8. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Research
9. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Scoring_Platform_team

-Aaron
Principal Research Scientist @ WMF
User:EpochFail / User:Halfak (WMF)
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Update on Wikimedia Foundation v. NSA

[Cristian Consonni]

On 24/05/2017 00:29, David Gerard wrote:
> For those who missed it in the 10th footnote, this is the link to spread:
> 
> https://blog.wikimedia.org/2017/05/23/wikimedia-nsa-appeal-standing/

I think this is great news and it should be celebrated :-)
Thanks to the legal team and to our partners and who is assisting us in
this paramount legal battle.

Cristian


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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Join my Reddit AMA about Wikipedia and ethical, transparent AI

[Anna Stillwell]

Cool, Aaron. Thank you.
/a

On Wed, May 24, 2017 at 8:13 AM, Aaron Halfaker 
wrote:

> Hey everybody,
>
> TL;DR: I wanted to let you know about an upcoming experimental Reddit AMA
> ("ask me anything") chat we have planned. It will focus on artificial
> intelligence on Wikipedia and how we're working to counteract vandalism
> while also making life better for newcomers.
>
> We plan to hold this chat on June 1st at 21:00 UTC/14:00 PST in the /r/iAMA
> subreddit[1]. I'd love to answer any questions you have about these topics
> questions, and I'll send a follow-up email to this thread shortly before
> the AMA begins.
>
> 
>
> For those who don't know who I am, I create artificial intelligences[2]
> that support the volunteers who edit Wikipedia[3]. I've been fascinated by
> the ways that crowds of volunteers build massive, high quality information
> resources like Wikipedia for over ten years.
>
> For more background, I research and then design technologies that make it
> easier to spot vandalism in Wikipedia—which helps support the hundreds of
> thousands of editors who make productive contributions. I also think a lot
> about the dynamics between communities and new users—and ways to make
> communities inviting and welcoming to both long-time community members and
> newcomers who may not be aware of community norms.  For a quick sampling of
> my work, check out my most impactful research paper about Wikipedia[3],
> some recent coverage of my work from *Wired*[4], or check out the master
> list of my projects on my WMF staff user page[5], the documentation for the
> technology team I run[9], or the home page for Wikimedia Research[8].
>
> This AMA, which I'm doing with with the Foundation's Communications
> department, is somewhat of an experiment. The intended audience for this
> chat is people who might not currently be a part of our community but have
> questions about the way we work—as well as potential research collaborators
> who might want to work with our data or tools. Many may be familiar with
> Wikipedia but not the work we do as a community behind the scenes.
>
> I'll be talking about the work I'm doing with the ethics of AI and how we
> think about artificial intelligence on Wikipedia, and ways we’re working to
> counteract vandalism on the world’s largest crowdsourced source of
> knowledge—like the ORES extension[6], which you may have seen highlighting
> possibly problematic edits on your watchlist and in RecentChanges.
>
> I’d love for you to join this chat and ask questions.  If you do not or
> prefer not to use Reddit, we will also be taking questions on ORES'
> MediaWiki talk page[7] and posting answers to both threads.
>
> 1. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/
> 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence
> 2. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/ORES
> 3.
> http://www-users.cs.umn.edu/~halfak/publications/The_Rise_
> and_Decline/halfaker13rise-preprint.pdf
> 4.
> https://www.wired.com/2015/12/wikipedia-is-using-ai-to-
> expand-the-ranks-of-human-editors/
> 5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Halfak_(WMF)
> 6. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:ORES
> 7. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:ORES
> 8. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Research
> 9. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Scoring_Platform_team
>
> -Aaron
> Principal Research Scientist @ WMF
> User:EpochFail / User:Halfak (WMF)
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[Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Form 990 for FY 2015-2016 now on-wiki

[Tony Le]

Dear All,

Please see email below on behalf of Jaime Villagomez, CFO of the Wikimedia
Foundation.

Hello everyone,

The Wikimedia Foundation has submitted to the US Internal Revenue Service
(IRS) and posted on-wiki[1] our annual Form 990 filing. The Form 990 is the
annual financial reporting which is required by the federal government for
active nonprofit organizations in the United States.

In addition to posting the Form 990 on-wiki, we have also posted an
accompanying page with answers to frequently asked questions related to the
form and information we submitted.[2] Almost all financial reports by their
very nature can be confusing, so to add clarity here is a simple breakdown
of what this form covers.

It was pointed out last year that the dates covered by our financial
reports can be confusing given our fiscal year is different from the
calendar year. This "2015 Form 990" covers the financial activities of the
Wikimedia Foundation for the 2015-2016 fiscal year, which ran from July 1,
2015 to June 30, 2016. A notable exception is information related to the
compensation of our officers, key employees, highest paid staff and
independent contractors, which is instead based on the 2015 calendar year.

The Wikimedia Foundation's total revenue from fiscal year 2015-2016 was
US$78,691,737. Our total expenses from this period were US$65,061,845 and
our total net assets at the end of the fiscal year were US$91,782,795.

Included in the approximately US$65 million expenses from this period is a
US$5 million seed contribution to the Wikimedia Endowment, building on the
initial donation by Jim Pacha of approximately US$1 million. This
contribution accounts for the bulk of the increase from the year before in
"grants and similar amounts paid" listed on the summary page. It is listed
as an expense in the form because the Endowment is an independent fund
housed at Tides. To learn more about the purpose and structure of the
Wikimedia Endowment, visit its Meta-Wiki page.[3]

The Form 990 also includes information about the salaries of the Wikimedia
Foundation's five highest paid employees. The salaries for all paid
positions are set according to salary bands which are determined
bi-annually based on independent third party survey data.[4] Executive
salaries are subject to this same standard. All executive salaries, with
the exception of the Executive Director's salary, are set by the Executive
Director in discussion with the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees
uses the independent third party survey data, as well as comparative data
from other nonprofit organizations, to set the salary of the Executive
Director, and to assess and advise on other executive salaries.

The largely technical and high-skilled nature of some of our work requires
competitive wages to recruit the best talent and compensate them fairly for
their expertise and commitment. We believe that the Wikimedia Foundation
continues to pay competitively, but within in the average (50th percentile)
when compared to tech companies, and higher average (90th percentile)
compared to nonprofits.

In addition to salary information, the report includes other payments made
to the highest paid employees upon their departure from the organization
(known as severance payments). Following our regular practice for staff
departures, these amounts are set on a case-by-case based on a person's
tenure with the organization. We recognize that people have an interest in
this topic, and that there will be some questions. However, as an employer
we are limited in what we can discuss publicly. Out of respect for the
people involved, and in consideration of the laws and ethics related to
sharing human resources information, we will not be commenting on the
specific nature of the severance payments or circumstances which may be
related to them.

Through reports and discussions like these, the Wikimedia Foundation will
continue to strive to provide a responsible level of transparency and
accountability for our work. I imagine there are other questions, and I
invite you to review the on-wiki FAQ[2], or email me if your question is
not answered there.

Thank you to the Foundation's Talent & Culture, Legal, Advancement and
Communications departments for their assistance with developing this year's
Form 990 and related communications. A very big thank you to our Finance
and Administration department for their hard work once again preparing this
important public filing.

Best,

Jaime

[1] Wikimedia_Foundation_2015_Form_990

[2] Wikimedia_Foundation_Form_990_Frequently_Asked_Questions

[3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Endowment
[4] https://www.radford.com/home/surveys/gts/

-- 
Tony Le
Wikimedia Foundation
Ph: 415-839-6885 ext 6749 <(415)%20839-6885>
Fax:  

[Wikimedia-l] Chief Communications Officer search & job description

[Joady Lohr]

We are please to announce the upcoming launch of the recruiting process for
the Chief Communications Officer.

As part of the process, we wanted to share the job description (below). A
big thank you to the Communications team for their collaboration, support
and guidance in creating it.

We also wanted to out put a call, if you have any nominations or
recommendations, we'd love to hear from you. Just email me directly over
the next few days.

Thanks!
Joady




Job Title:



Chief Communications Officer



Summary



The Wikimedia Foundation is looking for a creative, collaborative,
forward-thinking Chief Communications Officer to join our executive team in
San Francisco, California. We’re looking for a leader who is
mission-driven, transparent by default, has a truly global worldview, and
can champion our values and voice in the world. You will lead a highly
collaborative, multidisciplinary team of eleven storytellers, media
strategists, marketers, and designers. Together, you will share our story
and vision with the world, with the purpose of raising awareness of and
increasing engagement in our work.



The Wikimedia Foundation is an open and transparent organization operating
within a decentralized global network of volunteers. We tend to speak
openly rather than aiming to control or restrict access to information
about us. We seek to inspire, engage, and bring people along in our free
knowledge vision.



As CCO, we’d like you to do these things:



   -

   Work with the executive team to think and act in service of the future
   of our projects (e.g. How does our story and message advance our strategic
   objectives? What kind of communications, marketing, or engagement strategy
   will we need to grow our work in the world? How will we better define
   and position our brand? Which stories do we want told about us? To what
   end?).
   -

   Lead the collaborative definition of long-term strategies to increase
   awareness and relevance of our brand, meeting priorities in audience growth
   and development (including contributors, readers, and donors),
   international language growth, open culture advocacy, and media relations.
   -

   Develop and lead messaging campaigns that achieve global impact in
   support of the Wikimedia movement’s strategic needs.
   -

   Lead a strong, diverse communications team guided by a clear vision.
   -

  Co-create the vision and direction for the team
  -

  Clarify and / or delegate the planning to work toward that vision:
  the roles, the responsibilities, the tools, the budget
  -

  Counsel and mentor the team across a broad range of disciplines
  (e.g., brand, identity, digital and social media, PR, messaging,
marketing,
  audience growth and development)
  -

  Build a sustainable system and culture for team members’ continued
  professional growth and advancement
  -

  Create clear workflows for Foundation staff and Wikimedia volunteers
  to collaborate with the Communications team
  -

  Develop succession planning.


   -

   Serve the Wikimedia vision by working collaboratively with and
   empowering people to tell our story and narrate the movement.
   -

   Support the Foundation, Executive Director, and leadership in public
   messaging, issue management, and internal communications.
   -

   Be a compelling advocate for the Wikimedia movement and Foundation.
   -

   Oversee and guide the work of staff and volunteers in the continued
   development of communications systems that utilize contemporary publishing
   practices and reach diverse audiences with engaging content.



We’d like you to have this experience and these skills:



   -

   10+ years in strategic-level communications and marketing (or marcom)
   roles
   -

   Proven track-record of leading high-impact global marketing and
   communications initiatives with measurable results
   -

   Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams, developing talent, and
   creating systems for creative and sustainable workflows
   -

   A clear, effective communications style, including experience guiding
   messaging for major organizations, political candidates, or movements
   -

   Significant experience navigating complex international organizations,
   movements, or networks
   -

   Experience and comfort in a highly collaborative, transparent environment
   -

   A track record of building consensus among large, dispersed stakeholder
   groups. Must have informed cultural sensitivities, intellectual curiosity,
   and a deep passion for the Wikimedia mission



And it would be even more awesome if you had the following:



   -

   Experience with the internet industry including comfort with concepts
   and vocabulary related to product development and engineering
   -

   Familiarity with internet-related issues: laws limiting freedom of
   expression, open culture/free culture, the free and open source software
   movement, 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Videos of sessions at Vienna Hackathon and WikiCite

[Edward Galvez]

Thanks Andrew and Leila - I am watching right now.. the sound quality is
amazing. It feels like I am in the room...

-E


On Wed, May 24, 2017 at 1:55 PM, Leila Zia  wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I could not make it to Vienna for the Hackathon [1] and WikiCite [2]
> and I was happy to see that Andrew Lih has been doing some serious
> recordings [3] of the sessions. I watched the Showcase Talks [4] from
> the third day of the Hackathon which gave a nice overview of
> everything that had happened there. Sharing the links here in case
> some of you are interested to watch them as well.
>
> Thanks, Andrew! :)
>
> Best,
> Leila
>
> --
> Leila Zia
> Senior Research Scientist
> Wikimedia Foundation
>
> [1]
> https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Hackathon_2017
> [2]
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiCite_2017
> [3]
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN4mEhpy3b8RsYfokuzsBGnw-_KVDSfX_
> [4]
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQDSd9ewjSw=3=
> PLN4mEhpy3b8RsYfokuzsBGnw-_KVDSfX_
>
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> 




-- 
Edward Galvez
Evaluation Strategist (Survey Specialist), and
Affiliations Committee Liaison
Learning & Evaluation
Community Engagement
Wikimedia Foundation
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[Wikimedia-l] Videos of sessions at Vienna Hackathon and WikiCite

[Leila Zia]

Hi all,

I could not make it to Vienna for the Hackathon [1] and WikiCite [2]
and I was happy to see that Andrew Lih has been doing some serious
recordings [3] of the sessions. I watched the Showcase Talks [4] from
the third day of the Hackathon which gave a nice overview of
everything that had happened there. Sharing the links here in case
some of you are interested to watch them as well.

Thanks, Andrew! :)

Best,
Leila

--
Leila Zia
Senior Research Scientist
Wikimedia Foundation

[1]
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Hackathon_2017
[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiCite_2017
[3]
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN4mEhpy3b8RsYfokuzsBGnw-_KVDSfX_
[4]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQDSd9ewjSw=3=PLN4mEhpy3b8RsYfokuzsBGnw-_KVDSfX_

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Videos of sessions at Vienna Hackathon and WikiCite

[Ziko van Dijk]

Yes, thanks Andrew! A much welcome enlargement of the audience. I was very
happy to watch.
Kind regards
Ziko

2017-05-24 22:55 GMT+02:00 Leila Zia :

> Hi all,
>
> I could not make it to Vienna for the Hackathon [1] and WikiCite [2]
> and I was happy to see that Andrew Lih has been doing some serious
> recordings [3] of the sessions. I watched the Showcase Talks [4] from
> the third day of the Hackathon which gave a nice overview of
> everything that had happened there. Sharing the links here in case
> some of you are interested to watch them as well.
>
> Thanks, Andrew! :)
>
> Best,
> Leila
>
> --
> Leila Zia
> Senior Research Scientist
> Wikimedia Foundation
>
> [1]
> https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Hackathon_2017
> [2]
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiCite_2017
> [3]
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN4mEhpy3b8RsYfokuzsBGnw-_KVDSfX_
> [4]
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQDSd9ewjSw=3=
> PLN4mEhpy3b8RsYfokuzsBGnw-_KVDSfX_
>
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