Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] News from the Chapter and the Conference

[Gautam John]

Dear Ravi:

> 1. Chapter shall conduct IRC discussions with each langauge community at
> least once in few months. It is best done one community at a time to give
> more time and space for each of them. Not all language community members are
> in India and not all can become chapter members.

This is a great idea - not just for language and geographic
communities but for general engagement too. Thank you.

> 2. For Wikimedia India newsletter efforts, we shall encourage people to
> share similar stories and proposals. A newsletter need not contain
> statistics alone :)

Indeed. I'm sure Tinu is excited by the possibilities!

Thank you.

Best,

Gautam

http://blog.prathambooks.org/p/social-media.html

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Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] News from the Chapter and the Conference

[Ravishankar]

Hi Naveen,

Srikanth Lakshmanan is already active in Tamil Wikimedia informing about
WikiConference India happenings.

http://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:VP will be a good place to leave further
messages.

Thanks,

Ravi

On Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 2:12 PM, Naveen Francis  wrote:

>
> Hi Ravi,
>
> Can we please have some kind of online activity as a runup event for WCI
> 2011 from Tamil Community ?
>
>  http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2011/Wiki_Outreach
>
> Naveen Francis
>
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Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] News from the Chapter and the Conference

[Ravishankar]

Hi Gautham,

Here are two ways:

1. Chapter shall conduct IRC discussions with each langauge community at
least once in few months. It is best done one community at a time to give
more time and space for each of them. Not all language community members are
in India and not all can become chapter members.

2. For Wikimedia India newsletter efforts, we shall encourage people to
share similar stories and proposals. A newsletter need not contain
statistics alone :)

Ravi

On Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 1:54 PM, Gautam John wrote:

>
> You know, these are excellent ideas and it does highlight an issue we
> have faced. How does the wider community and the Chapter find out what
> is happening in each language community and geography? If we can't
> discover this, then we can't engage and support it either, right?
>
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Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] News from the Chapter and the Conference

[Béria Lima]

Just one not about the subject:

If WMIN don't use that money to WCI, it needs to be returned to WMF. This
money was not "given" to WMIN for no reason, was given *to be used in WCI* -
if that would not be the case anymore, the money need to be returned.

So all those arguments that "We have better things to do with that money"
are not true.
_
*Béria Lima*
(351) 925 171 484

*Imagine um mundo onde é dada a qualquer pessoa a possibilidade de ter livre
acesso ao somatório de todo o conhecimento humano. É isso o que estamos a
fazer .*


On 25 August 2011 08:59, Ravishankar  wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I appreciate the transparent, detailed and professional planning of
> conference and I am sorry I couldn't take part in WikiConference related
> planning earlier.
>
> For those who don't know, I am a Tamil Wikimedian since 2005 with 20,000+
> edits. My major interest lies in outreach and policy decisions concerning
> Tamil Wikimedia projects.
>
> http://toolserver.org/~quentinv57/sulinfo/Ravidreams
>
> Am I qualified to express my opinions now ? ;)
>
> I have two major concerns:
>
> 1. The overall budget. It is huge even if we get 100% commercial
> sponsorship. We could do more useful things with this budget.
>
> 2. The amount of money that is being granted from the foundation.
>
> Given the indication that this may be an annual event, here are my ideas on
> *how a WikiConference shall be arranged. *
>
> * WikiConference need not be an annual event.
>
> * It should be planned well in advance ( a year in advance at least to
> allow time for planning and fund-raising )
>
> * Let's not have an ambitious plan and wonder for funding. We should have a
> realistic estimate for non-grant funding and plan accordingly. *Bidding
> city / community should show guarantee to meet at least half the budget by
> means of commercial sponsors and other revenue sources.* If they cannot
> provide this guarantee, they should revise the budget.
>
> * Tie up with local universities / academic institutions for free venue /
> dorms and look for the dates when these can be available. WikiConference is
> a media event and I am sure there will be many hosting partners for a brand
> like Wikipedia. If we can convince schools to run campus ambassador programs
> why not they be convinced to host this?
>
> * Need not be a 3 day event. Even a 1 or 2 day event will be good. (will
> cut down logistics, accommodation costs) .
>
> *What if this is 2001 with no WMF and grants? How will we plan and
> organize?*
>
> *This is not a corporate conference to have 100% professional and rocking
> experience at any cost. This is a community conference and that spirit
> should be kept. *
>
> *Here are some ways to minimise expense and generate revenue:*
>
> * We are getting lakhs of eyeballs for sponsorship / participation
> announcement and they all land in WikiConference India home page. But
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2011/Sponsorship has
> no info and I couldn't find sponsorship related info anywhere else. This
> should be the highlighted info in conference homepage asking for sponsors.
>
> * Why not convert the conference itself into a fund-raiser? Open a donation
> booth. Have an agreement with chapter / foundation to get 50% donations for
> conference expenses and donate the rest to the movement. Can we place a
> banner of this budget in the conference venue? Will our expenses be
> justified to a common man? Will people be motivated to donate? If not, we
> are doing something the wrong way.
>
> * Registration cost should be at least 300 INR per day. ( The current
> budget allots 200 INR plus per day for food alone). The value of the
> conference is in the knowledge they gain and not in the goodies we give.
> Meritorious candidates can apply for sponsorships. We don't need a crowd.
> The local crowd may come and forget it as yet another event. The prime focus
> should be to bring together best minds already active in Wikimedia at one
> place. The attendees party can be free for scholarship recipients but others
> can pay. If you compare that a movie going experience in Mumbai should cost
> at least 200 INR per head, we need not feel shy to charge where it is due.
>
> * Sell Wikipedia souvenirs including T-Shirts, mugs etc.,. Or give them as
> a freebie when people make large donations.
>
> * If we can make the event a two-day conference, we can cut down logistics
> and accommodation costs. Even an international event like Wikimania has some
> less quality presentations. Have four tracks: Language Wikipedia projects,
> English Wikipedia, Tech and General. ( I found only two seminar rooms in the
> budget and assume only 2 or 3 tracks) Have only the best papers and move the
> rest to lighting talks.
>
> Personally, I am not so happy with some of the ways WMF, chapters are
> spending the donated money and I know there are more people feeling this
> way. If even 

Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] News from the Chapter and the Conference

[Naveen Francis]

Hi Ravi,

Can we please have some kind of online activity as a runup event for WCI
2011 from Tamil Community ?

 http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2011/Wiki_Outreach

Naveen Francis
 Signature powered by

WiseStamp


On 25 August 2011 13:29, Ravishankar  wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I appreciate the transparent, detailed and professional planning of
> conference and I am sorry I couldn't take part in WikiConference related
> planning earlier.
>
> For those who don't know, I am a Tamil Wikimedian since 2005 with 20,000+
> edits. My major interest lies in outreach and policy decisions concerning
> Tamil Wikimedia projects.
>
> http://toolserver.org/~quentinv57/sulinfo/Ravidreams
>
> Am I qualified to express my opinions now ? ;)
>
> I have two major concerns:
>
> 1. The overall budget. It is huge even if we get 100% commercial
> sponsorship. We could do more useful things with this budget.
>
> 2. The amount of money that is being granted from the foundation.
>
> Given the indication that this may be an annual event, here are my ideas on
> *how a WikiConference shall be arranged. *
>
> * WikiConference need not be an annual event.
>
> * It should be planned well in advance ( a year in advance at least to
> allow time for planning and fund-raising )
>
> * Let's not have an ambitious plan and wonder for funding. We should have a
> realistic estimate for non-grant funding and plan accordingly. *Bidding
> city / community should show guarantee to meet at least half the budget by
> means of commercial sponsors and other revenue sources.* If they cannot
> provide this guarantee, they should revise the budget.
>
> * Tie up with local universities / academic institutions for free venue /
> dorms and look for the dates when these can be available. WikiConference is
> a media event and I am sure there will be many hosting partners for a brand
> like Wikipedia. If we can convince schools to run campus ambassador programs
> why not they be convinced to host this?
>
> * Need not be a 3 day event. Even a 1 or 2 day event will be good. (will
> cut down logistics, accommodation costs) .
>
> *What if this is 2001 with no WMF and grants? How will we plan and
> organize?*
>
> *This is not a corporate conference to have 100% professional and rocking
> experience at any cost. This is a community conference and that spirit
> should be kept. *
>
> *Here are some ways to minimise expense and generate revenue:*
>
> * We are getting lakhs of eyeballs for sponsorship / participation
> announcement and they all land in WikiConference India home page. But
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2011/Sponsorship has
> no info and I couldn't find sponsorship related info anywhere else. This
> should be the highlighted info in conference homepage asking for sponsors.
>
> * Why not convert the conference itself into a fund-raiser? Open a donation
> booth. Have an agreement with chapter / foundation to get 50% donations for
> conference expenses and donate the rest to the movement. Can we place a
> banner of this budget in the conference venue? Will our expenses be
> justified to a common man? Will people be motivated to donate? If not, we
> are doing something the wrong way.
>
> * Registration cost should be at least 300 INR per day. ( The current
> budget allots 200 INR plus per day for food alone). The value of the
> conference is in the knowledge they gain and not in the goodies we give.
> Meritorious candidates can apply for sponsorships. We don't need a crowd.
> The local crowd may come and forget it as yet another event. The prime focus
> should be to bring together best minds already active in Wikimedia at one
> place. The attendees party can be free for scholarship recipients but others
> can pay. If you compare that a movie going experience in Mumbai should cost
> at least 200 INR per head, we need not feel shy to charge where it is due.
>
> * Sell Wikipedia souvenirs including T-Shirts, mugs etc.,. Or give them as
> a freebie when people make large donations.
>
> * If we can make the event a two-day conference, we can cut down logistics
> and accommodation costs. Even an international event like Wikimania has some
> less quality presentations. Have four tracks: Language Wikipedia projects,
> English Wikipedia, Tech and General. ( I found only two seminar rooms in the
> budget and assume only 2 or 3 tracks) Have only the best papers and move the
> rest to lighting talks.
>
> Personally, I am not so happy with some of the ways WMF, chapters are
> spending the donated money and I know there are more people feeling this
> way. If even regular Wikipedians feel like this, we should be more
> responsible in how we project ourselves for the public. I have been a
> regular donor to WMF but will reconsider from this year on.

Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] News from the Chapter and the Conference

[Gautam John]

On 25 August 2011 13:29, Ravishankar  wrote:

Ravi - thank you very much for your email - much appreciated.

> We shall look for unconventional ways to invest wisely which will have 
> maximum ROI. Here are some examples:

You know, these are excellent ideas and it does highlight an issue we
have faced. How does the wider community and the Chapter find out what
is happening in each language community and geography? If we can't
discover this, then we can't engage and support it either, right?

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Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] News from the Chapter and the Conference

[Ashwin Baindur]

Off the cuff, I want to appreciate the great ideas put forth, Ravi. Thanks
for taking the effort. These ideas need to be preserved even if we are not
able to use them right now.

Warm regards,

Ashwin Baindur
--


On Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 1:29 PM, Ravishankar  wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I appreciate the transparent, detailed and professional planning of
> conference and I am sorry I couldn't take part in WikiConference related
> planning earlier.
>
> For those who don't know, I am a Tamil Wikimedian since 2005 with 20,000+
> edits. My major interest lies in outreach and policy decisions concerning
> Tamil Wikimedia projects.
>
> http://toolserver.org/~quentinv57/sulinfo/Ravidreams
>
> Am I qualified to express my opinions now ? ;)
>
> I have two major concerns:
>
> 1. The overall budget. It is huge even if we get 100% commercial
> sponsorship. We could do more useful things with this budget.
>
> 2. The amount of money that is being granted from the foundation.
>
> Given the indication that this may be an annual event, here are my ideas on
> *how a WikiConference shall be arranged. *
>
> * WikiConference need not be an annual event.
>
> * It should be planned well in advance ( a year in advance at least to
> allow time for planning and fund-raising )
>
> * Let's not have an ambitious plan and wonder for funding. We should have a
> realistic estimate for non-grant funding and plan accordingly. *Bidding
> city / community should show guarantee to meet at least half the budget by
> means of commercial sponsors and other revenue sources.* If they cannot
> provide this guarantee, they should revise the budget.
>
> * Tie up with local universities / academic institutions for free venue /
> dorms and look for the dates when these can be available. WikiConference is
> a media event and I am sure there will be many hosting partners for a brand
> like Wikipedia. If we can convince schools to run campus ambassador programs
> why not they be convinced to host this?
>
> * Need not be a 3 day event. Even a 1 or 2 day event will be good. (will
> cut down logistics, accommodation costs) .
>
> *What if this is 2001 with no WMF and grants? How will we plan and
> organize?*
>
> *This is not a corporate conference to have 100% professional and rocking
> experience at any cost. This is a community conference and that spirit
> should be kept. *
>
> *Here are some ways to minimise expense and generate revenue:*
>
> * We are getting lakhs of eyeballs for sponsorship / participation
> announcement and they all land in WikiConference India home page. But
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2011/Sponsorship has
> no info and I couldn't find sponsorship related info anywhere else. This
> should be the highlighted info in conference homepage asking for sponsors.
>
> * Why not convert the conference itself into a fund-raiser? Open a donation
> booth. Have an agreement with chapter / foundation to get 50% donations for
> conference expenses and donate the rest to the movement. Can we place a
> banner of this budget in the conference venue? Will our expenses be
> justified to a common man? Will people be motivated to donate? If not, we
> are doing something the wrong way.
>
> * Registration cost should be at least 300 INR per day. ( The current
> budget allots 200 INR plus per day for food alone). The value of the
> conference is in the knowledge they gain and not in the goodies we give.
> Meritorious candidates can apply for sponsorships. We don't need a crowd.
> The local crowd may come and forget it as yet another event. The prime focus
> should be to bring together best minds already active in Wikimedia at one
> place. The attendees party can be free for scholarship recipients but others
> can pay. If you compare that a movie going experience in Mumbai should cost
> at least 200 INR per head, we need not feel shy to charge where it is due.
>
> * Sell Wikipedia souvenirs including T-Shirts, mugs etc.,. Or give them as
> a freebie when people make large donations.
>
> * If we can make the event a two-day conference, we can cut down logistics
> and accommodation costs. Even an international event like Wikimania has some
> less quality presentations. Have four tracks: Language Wikipedia projects,
> English Wikipedia, Tech and General. ( I found only two seminar rooms in the
> budget and assume only 2 or 3 tracks) Have only the best papers and move the
> rest to lighting talks.
>
> Personally, I am not so happy with some of the ways WMF, chapters are
> spending the donated money and I know there are more people feeling this
> way. If even regular Wikipedians feel like this, we should be more
> responsible in how we project ourselves for the public. I have been a
> regular donor to WMF but will reconsider from this year on. A good idea will
> be to apply to join the grants committee or take part in the discussions
> there. So, this is nothing personal against WikiConference Ind

Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] News from the Chapter and the Conference

[Ravishankar]

Hi all,

I appreciate the transparent, detailed and professional planning of
conference and I am sorry I couldn't take part in WikiConference related
planning earlier.

For those who don't know, I am a Tamil Wikimedian since 2005 with 20,000+
edits. My major interest lies in outreach and policy decisions concerning
Tamil Wikimedia projects.

http://toolserver.org/~quentinv57/sulinfo/Ravidreams

Am I qualified to express my opinions now ? ;)

I have two major concerns:

1. The overall budget. It is huge even if we get 100% commercial
sponsorship. We could do more useful things with this budget.

2. The amount of money that is being granted from the foundation.

Given the indication that this may be an annual event, here are my ideas on
*how a WikiConference shall be arranged. *

* WikiConference need not be an annual event.

* It should be planned well in advance ( a year in advance at least to allow
time for planning and fund-raising )

* Let's not have an ambitious plan and wonder for funding. We should have a
realistic estimate for non-grant funding and plan accordingly. *Bidding city
/ community should show guarantee to meet at least half the budget by means
of commercial sponsors and other revenue sources.* If they cannot provide
this guarantee, they should revise the budget.

* Tie up with local universities / academic institutions for free venue /
dorms and look for the dates when these can be available. WikiConference is
a media event and I am sure there will be many hosting partners for a brand
like Wikipedia. If we can convince schools to run campus ambassador programs
why not they be convinced to host this?

* Need not be a 3 day event. Even a 1 or 2 day event will be good. (will cut
down logistics, accommodation costs) .

*What if this is 2001 with no WMF and grants? How will we plan and organize?
*

*This is not a corporate conference to have 100% professional and rocking
experience at any cost. This is a community conference and that spirit
should be kept. *

*Here are some ways to minimise expense and generate revenue:*

* We are getting lakhs of eyeballs for sponsorship / participation
announcement and they all land in WikiConference India home page. But
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2011/Sponsorship has no
info and I couldn't find sponsorship related info anywhere else. This should
be the highlighted info in conference homepage asking for sponsors.

* Why not convert the conference itself into a fund-raiser? Open a donation
booth. Have an agreement with chapter / foundation to get 50% donations for
conference expenses and donate the rest to the movement. Can we place a
banner of this budget in the conference venue? Will our expenses be
justified to a common man? Will people be motivated to donate? If not, we
are doing something the wrong way.

* Registration cost should be at least 300 INR per day. ( The current budget
allots 200 INR plus per day for food alone). The value of the conference is
in the knowledge they gain and not in the goodies we give. Meritorious
candidates can apply for sponsorships. We don't need a crowd. The local
crowd may come and forget it as yet another event. The prime focus should be
to bring together best minds already active in Wikimedia at one place. The
attendees party can be free for scholarship recipients but others can pay.
If you compare that a movie going experience in Mumbai should cost at least
200 INR per head, we need not feel shy to charge where it is due.

* Sell Wikipedia souvenirs including T-Shirts, mugs etc.,. Or give them as a
freebie when people make large donations.

* If we can make the event a two-day conference, we can cut down logistics
and accommodation costs. Even an international event like Wikimania has some
less quality presentations. Have four tracks: Language Wikipedia projects,
English Wikipedia, Tech and General. ( I found only two seminar rooms in the
budget and assume only 2 or 3 tracks) Have only the best papers and move the
rest to lighting talks.

Personally, I am not so happy with some of the ways WMF, chapters are
spending the donated money and I know there are more people feeling this
way. If even regular Wikipedians feel like this, we should be more
responsible in how we project ourselves for the public. I have been a
regular donor to WMF but will reconsider from this year on. A good idea will
be to apply to join the grants committee or take part in the discussions
there. So, this is nothing personal against WikiConference India.

Personally, I have experiences running a whole day blog camp for 200 people
with less than 50,000 INR with no registration cost and free lunch. In
another instance, Tamil Wikipedians ran a 3 day Wikipedia workshop for 1000s
of people with less than a 20,000 INR budget. So, I can't help compare the
value brought forth by some of the items in the current WikiConference
budget. There have been tens of outreach programs by local communities so
far with zero grants and zero cost

Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] News from the Chapter and the Conference

[Ashwin Baindur]

My apologies for the gentle dig at you, Ravi. :)  You set yourself up and I
just couldn't resist but it was not meant any way in bad faith. I sincerely
hope you are not offended. Or if you are, I hope that you are magnanimous to
forgive me.

Good to know that you are a great Wikipedian. :) Hari has given you quite a
character reference. Hari does have a point that these issues should be open
to debate. And, of course, your question/POV is valid.

A few submissions from my side.

Ravi, this is the first time we are organising Wiki Conference and we are
facing any challenges. The road is much rockier than we thought it would be.
Unflagging optimism on behalf of Working Group is our greatest asset and we
are slowly overcoming our worries.

This news of the grant being approved has relieved us as without this, there
would have had to be major restructuring of the Conference. A very large
chunk of it is going for scholarships - for 150 people, all said and done
which includes travel & lodging. After that we are giving more than the
money's worth in registration fees to all attendees. Besides this the
operating expenses are quite large for a 400+ sized conference.

 In the future, when the standard operating procedure is developed, when the
Chapter is on firm footing - it has just stood up the first time in January,
they will be able to support us better as time passes. Then things will be
easier. Also, the WMF is in the process of establishing itself in India.
When all these happen, the Conferences will be easier to organise and focus
will shift from just trying to do it, as we are involved in at present, to
doing it more efficiently and more effectively. So what you say will
automatically happen.

My view is that money asked for this purpose does not preclude you for
asking funds for any Wikimedia project. Please do not feel that this grant
will hinder that. If not now, then definitely next year, I'm sure your grant
request will be honoured, of course assuming it meets all necessary
requirements in all ways.

Warm regards,

Ashwin Baindur
--


On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 8:51 PM, Hari Prasad Nadig wrote:

> Theo,
>
> Although I may not agree with Ravi or Ashwin completely, I feel that
> open-minded discussion about this doesn't hurt. The grant and its details
> are public, and Ravi has expressed his opinion on it.
>
> Ravi is a longtime Wikipedian on Tamil Wikipedia, and one of the authors of
> this:
> http://www.archive.org/details/BadriSeshadriAnIntroductiontoTamilWikipediabyRavisankar_KizhakkuMottaimaadi
>
> (Personally, I don't think his mail intended to denigrate anyone's work.
> I've known him as a really committed Wikipedian - he's done some amazing
> work in Tamil Nadu)
>
> Ashwin does have a point though when he says that it is quite a task
> getting sponsorship for event of this scale. Event organizers hunting for
> sponsors almost an year before the event isn't uncommon.
>
> Cheers,
>
>
> On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 8:10 PM, Theo10011  wrote:
>
>> lol +1 to Ashwin.
>>
>> Ravishankar, I dont know who you are but please dont denigrate the work of
>> my friends and fellow community members with statements like those.
>>
>> No one stopped you from getting or anyone else involved, you still can. Go
>> get us the in-kind donation please. You have our blessing.
>>
>> Theo
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 8:06 PM, Ashwin Baindur > > wrote:
>>
>>> Ravi, Thank God someone feels like this. Be our guest, please prove us
>>> wrong by getting us a great big sponsorship. We really welcome help in this
>>> field. I'm sure if you are succesful, and we have enough funds, we could
>>> reduce the grant or use it elsewhere than for the Wiki Conference.
>>>
>>> Warm regards,
>>>
>>> Ashwin Baindur
>>>
>>> On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 8:01 PM, Ravishankar wrote:
>>>
 Hi,

 I am not so glad to see the huge grant for Wikiconference and the way it
 is spent.

 With all due respect for the organising community and volunteers, more
 effort should have gone in getting donation in kind ( example: venues ) /
 commercial sponsors. That is how most of the events of this scale are run.

 This is huge money if directly invested in resources for any Wikipedia
 project will give great meassurable results.

 Ravi

>>>
>
>
> --
> Hari Prasad Nadig
> http://hpnadig.net
> http://twitter.com/hpnadig
> http://flickr.com/hpnadig
>
>
> ___
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>
>
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Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] News from the Chapter and the Conference

[Gautam John]

Someone much wiser than me said that if you're community doesn't
disagree within itself, it's dead and I think he is right.

Ravi: I see your point of view and it would be great if you could help
us with a Project plan: http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Projects:2011-12 In
which case, we'll at least have the basis for raising funding for it.

And I do hope you'll be at the Conference too.

Thank you.

Best,

Gautam

http://blog.prathambooks.org/p/social-media.html

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Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] News from the Chapter and the Conference

[Theo10011]

Thanks HP. Ravi, I hope you didn't take my comment personally.

I saw the organizers make request after request for people to join in on
Meta and the mailing list here. They even setup another mailing list here
publicly and tried to be as open as possible.

I've seen them do nothing but discuss and work on the conference everyday
for the past 1-2 months.

The grant itself, was on Meta for over a month (
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:WM_IN/WikiConference_India_2011) maybe
longer if you consider the drafts in user-space, in addition to the
announcements here. Any wikipedian should not complain about any aspect of
the grant not being discussed, there was ample room to do so, on Meta.

Again, I don't mean any of this personally. This is my opinion as a
community member.


Theo


On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 8:51 PM, Hari Prasad Nadig wrote:

> Theo,
>
> Although I may not agree with Ravi or Ashwin completely, I feel that
> open-minded discussion about this doesn't hurt. The grant and its details
> are public, and Ravi has expressed his opinion on it.
>
> Ravi is a longtime Wikipedian on Tamil Wikipedia, and one of the authors of
> this:
> http://www.archive.org/details/BadriSeshadriAnIntroductiontoTamilWikipediabyRavisankar_KizhakkuMottaimaadi
>
> (Personally, I don't think his mail intended to denigrate anyone's work.
> I've known him as a really committed Wikipedian - he's done some amazing
> work in Tamil Nadu)
>
> Ashwin does have a point though when he says that it is quite a task
> getting sponsorship for event of this scale. Event organizers hunting for
> sponsors almost an year before the event isn't uncommon.
>
> Cheers,
>
>
> On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 8:10 PM, Theo10011  wrote:
>
>> lol +1 to Ashwin.
>>
>> Ravishankar, I dont know who you are but please dont denigrate the work of
>> my friends and fellow community members with statements like those.
>>
>> No one stopped you from getting or anyone else involved, you still can. Go
>> get us the in-kind donation please. You have our blessing.
>>
>> Theo
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 8:06 PM, Ashwin Baindur > > wrote:
>>
>>> Ravi, Thank God someone feels like this. Be our guest, please prove us
>>> wrong by getting us a great big sponsorship. We really welcome help in this
>>> field. I'm sure if you are succesful, and we have enough funds, we could
>>> reduce the grant or use it elsewhere than for the Wiki Conference.
>>>
>>> Warm regards,
>>>
>>> Ashwin Baindur
>>>
>>> On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 8:01 PM, Ravishankar wrote:
>>>
 Hi,

 I am not so glad to see the huge grant for Wikiconference and the way it
 is spent.

 With all due respect for the organising community and volunteers, more
 effort should have gone in getting donation in kind ( example: venues ) /
 commercial sponsors. That is how most of the events of this scale are run.

 This is huge money if directly invested in resources for any Wikipedia
 project will give great meassurable results.

 Ravi

>>>
>
>
> --
> Hari Prasad Nadig
> http://hpnadig.net
> http://twitter.com/hpnadig
> http://flickr.com/hpnadig
>
>
> ___
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>
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Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] News from the Chapter and the Conference

[Hari Prasad Nadig]

Theo,

Although I may not agree with Ravi or Ashwin completely, I feel that
open-minded discussion about this doesn't hurt. The grant and its details
are public, and Ravi has expressed his opinion on it.

Ravi is a longtime Wikipedian on Tamil Wikipedia, and one of the authors of
this:
http://www.archive.org/details/BadriSeshadriAnIntroductiontoTamilWikipediabyRavisankar_KizhakkuMottaimaadi

(Personally, I don't think his mail intended to denigrate anyone's work.
I've known him as a really committed Wikipedian - he's done some amazing
work in Tamil Nadu)

Ashwin does have a point though when he says that it is quite a task getting
sponsorship for event of this scale. Event organizers hunting for sponsors
almost an year before the event isn't uncommon.

Cheers,

On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 8:10 PM, Theo10011  wrote:

> lol +1 to Ashwin.
>
> Ravishankar, I dont know who you are but please dont denigrate the work of
> my friends and fellow community members with statements like those.
>
> No one stopped you from getting or anyone else involved, you still can. Go
> get us the in-kind donation please. You have our blessing.
>
> Theo
>
>
> On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 8:06 PM, Ashwin Baindur 
> wrote:
>
>> Ravi, Thank God someone feels like this. Be our guest, please prove us
>> wrong by getting us a great big sponsorship. We really welcome help in this
>> field. I'm sure if you are succesful, and we have enough funds, we could
>> reduce the grant or use it elsewhere than for the Wiki Conference.
>>
>> Warm regards,
>>
>> Ashwin Baindur
>>
>> On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 8:01 PM, Ravishankar wrote:
>>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I am not so glad to see the huge grant for Wikiconference and the way it
>>> is spent.
>>>
>>> With all due respect for the organising community and volunteers, more
>>> effort should have gone in getting donation in kind ( example: venues ) /
>>> commercial sponsors. That is how most of the events of this scale are run.
>>>
>>> This is huge money if directly invested in resources for any Wikipedia
>>> project will give great meassurable results.
>>>
>>> Ravi
>>>
>>


-- 
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http://hpnadig.net
http://twitter.com/hpnadig
http://flickr.com/hpnadig
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Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] News from the Chapter and the Conference

[Theo10011]

lol +1 to Ashwin.

Ravishankar, I dont know who you are but please dont denigrate the work of
my friends and fellow community members with statements like those.

No one stopped you from getting or anyone else involved, you still can. Go
get us the in-kind donation please. You have our blessing.

Theo


On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 8:06 PM, Ashwin Baindur wrote:

> Ravi, Thank God someone feels like this. Be our guest, please prove us
> wrong by getting us a great big sponsorship. We really welcome help in this
> field. I'm sure if you are succesful, and we have enough funds, we could
> reduce the grant or use it elsewhere than for the Wiki Conference.
>
> Warm regards,
>
> Ashwin Baindur
> --
>
>
>
> On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 8:01 PM, Ravishankar  wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I am not so glad to see the huge grant for Wikiconference and the way it
>> is spent.
>>
>> With all due respect for the organising community and volunteers, more
>> effort should have gone in getting donation in kind ( example: venues ) /
>> commercial sponsors. That is how most of the events of this scale are run.
>>
>> This is huge money if directly invested in resources for any Wikipedia
>> project will give great meassurable results.
>>
>> Ravi
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 4:23 PM, Gautam John wrote:
>>
>>> Hello Everyone:
>>>
>>> I'd like to share two pieces of good news.
>>>
>>> 1. The Chapter grant has been approved. More details here:
>>> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:WM_IN/Bootstrap_Grant
>>> 2. The Conference grant has also been approved. More details here:
>>> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:WM_IN/WikiConference_India_2011
>>>
>>> We are really hoping that Chapter members come forward to fill the
>>> empty EC positions and actively participate in the functioning of the
>>> EC and help the Chapter expand its reach and impact in India. Further,
>>> we hope that community members also become members of the Chapter - an
>>> FAQ is here: http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Membership-FAQ
>>>
>>> Further, the process for nominations for the EC Elections have been
>>> put up as well:
>>> http://members.wikimedia.in/Executive_Committee_Elections_2011 [This
>>> is a members only page.] We are grateful to the Nominations Committee:
>>> http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Announcements/Nominations_Committee_appointment
>>>
>>> We are also hoping that there is active participation in the
>>> WikiConference India - this is our community Conference and it is up
>>> to us to make it a success.
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>> Gautam John
>>>
>>> ___
>>> Wikimediaindia-l mailing list
>>> Wikimediaindia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
>>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l
>>>
>>
>>
>> ___
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>>
>>
>
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>
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Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] News from the Chapter and the Conference

[Ashwin Baindur]

Ravi, Thank God someone feels like this. Be our guest, please prove us wrong
by getting us a great big sponsorship. We really welcome help in this field.
I'm sure if you are succesful, and we have enough funds, we could reduce the
grant or use it elsewhere than for the Wiki Conference.

Warm regards,

Ashwin Baindur
--


On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 8:01 PM, Ravishankar  wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I am not so glad to see the huge grant for Wikiconference and the way it is
> spent.
>
> With all due respect for the organising community and volunteers, more
> effort should have gone in getting donation in kind ( example: venues ) /
> commercial sponsors. That is how most of the events of this scale are run.
>
> This is huge money if directly invested in resources for any Wikipedia
> project will give great meassurable results.
>
> Ravi
>
>
>
> On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 4:23 PM, Gautam John wrote:
>
>> Hello Everyone:
>>
>> I'd like to share two pieces of good news.
>>
>> 1. The Chapter grant has been approved. More details here:
>> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:WM_IN/Bootstrap_Grant
>> 2. The Conference grant has also been approved. More details here:
>> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:WM_IN/WikiConference_India_2011
>>
>> We are really hoping that Chapter members come forward to fill the
>> empty EC positions and actively participate in the functioning of the
>> EC and help the Chapter expand its reach and impact in India. Further,
>> we hope that community members also become members of the Chapter - an
>> FAQ is here: http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Membership-FAQ
>>
>> Further, the process for nominations for the EC Elections have been
>> put up as well:
>> http://members.wikimedia.in/Executive_Committee_Elections_2011 [This
>> is a members only page.] We are grateful to the Nominations Committee:
>> http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Announcements/Nominations_Committee_appointment
>>
>> We are also hoping that there is active participation in the
>> WikiConference India - this is our community Conference and it is up
>> to us to make it a success.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Gautam John
>>
>> ___
>> Wikimediaindia-l mailing list
>> Wikimediaindia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l
>>
>
>
> ___
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>
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Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] News from the Chapter and the Conference

[Ravishankar]

Hi,

I am not so glad to see the huge grant for Wikiconference and the way it is
spent.

With all due respect for the organising community and volunteers, more
effort should have gone in getting donation in kind ( example: venues ) /
commercial sponsors. That is how most of the events of this scale are run.

This is huge money if directly invested in resources for any Wikipedia
project will give great meassurable results.

Ravi


On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 4:23 PM, Gautam John wrote:

> Hello Everyone:
>
> I'd like to share two pieces of good news.
>
> 1. The Chapter grant has been approved. More details here:
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:WM_IN/Bootstrap_Grant
> 2. The Conference grant has also been approved. More details here:
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:WM_IN/WikiConference_India_2011
>
> We are really hoping that Chapter members come forward to fill the
> empty EC positions and actively participate in the functioning of the
> EC and help the Chapter expand its reach and impact in India. Further,
> we hope that community members also become members of the Chapter - an
> FAQ is here: http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Membership-FAQ
>
> Further, the process for nominations for the EC Elections have been
> put up as well:
> http://members.wikimedia.in/Executive_Committee_Elections_2011 [This
> is a members only page.] We are grateful to the Nominations Committee:
> http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Announcements/Nominations_Committee_appointment
>
> We are also hoping that there is active participation in the
> WikiConference India - this is our community Conference and it is up
> to us to make it a success.
>
> Best,
>
> Gautam John
>
> ___
> Wikimediaindia-l mailing list
> Wikimediaindia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l
>
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[Wikimediaindia-l] News from the Chapter and the Conference

[Gautam John]

Hello Everyone:

I'd like to share two pieces of good news.

1. The Chapter grant has been approved. More details here:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:WM_IN/Bootstrap_Grant
2. The Conference grant has also been approved. More details here:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:WM_IN/WikiConference_India_2011

We are really hoping that Chapter members come forward to fill the
empty EC positions and actively participate in the functioning of the
EC and help the Chapter expand its reach and impact in India. Further,
we hope that community members also become members of the Chapter - an
FAQ is here: http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Membership-FAQ

Further, the process for nominations for the EC Elections have been
put up as well:
http://members.wikimedia.in/Executive_Committee_Elections_2011 [This
is a members only page.] We are grateful to the Nominations Committee:
http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Announcements/Nominations_Committee_appointment

We are also hoping that there is active participation in the
WikiConference India - this is our community Conference and it is up
to us to make it a success.

Best,

Gautam John

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