[Wikimedia-l] [Reminder] Language Engineering IRC Office Hour on February 12, 2014 (Wednesday) at 1700 UTC
Hello, A quick reminder that the IRC office hour for Language Engineering is happening later today at 1700 UTC on Freenode #wikimedia-office. More details at the end of the mail. See you there! Thanks Runa Event Details: == # Date: February 12, 2014 (Wednesday) # Time: 1700-1800 UTC, 0900-1000 PDT (Check for local time: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20140212T1700) # IRC channel: #wikimedia-office on irc.freenode.net Agenda: == 1. Universal Language Selector (ULS) update and developments 2. Q A -- Forwarded message -- From: Runa Bhattacharjee rbhattachar...@wikimedia.org Date: Thu, Feb 6, 2014 at 2:49 PM Subject: Language Engineering IRC Office Hour on February 12, 2014 (Wednesday) at 1700 UTC To: MediaWiki internationalisation mediawiki-i...@lists.wikimedia.org, Wikimedia Mailing List wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, Wikimedia developers wikitec...@lists.wikimedia.org, wikitech-ambassad...@lists.wikimedia.org [x-posted] Hello, The Wikimedia Language Engineering team will be hosting the monthly IRC office hour on February 12, 2014 (Wednesday) at 1700 UTC/ 0900 PDT on #wikimedia-office. This time we would be talking about the recent changes made to the Universal Language Selector (ULS) - the MediaWiki extension that provides unified language configuration[1] - and the impact on the Wikimedia wikis. We look forward to addressing any questions you may have about this. Please see below for the event details. Questions can also be sent to me before the event. See you all at the IRC office hour! Thanks Runa [1] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Universal_Language_Selector Event Details: == # Date: February 12, 2014 # Time: 1700-1800 UTC, 0900-1000 PDT ( http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20140212T1700) # IRC channel: #wikimedia-office on irc.freenode.net Agenda: == 1. Universal Language Selector (ULS) update and developments 2. Q A -- Language Engineering - Outreach and QA Coordinator Wikimedia Foundation -- Language Engineering - Outreach and QA Coordinator Wikimedia Foundation ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] Board decisions on movement funding and approval issues
I think perhaps this financial benefit discussion has taken us a bit off track. This thread has a wealth of well-informed commentary, the majority of it coming from volunteers; for most, any financial benefit is the result of expenses being (partially) covered to carry out these volunteer activities. Perhaps the point that Nathan might be trying to make is that it is useful for everyone involved in these wide-ranging discussions to understand each other's relative experience. For example, it would be helpful to interpret Cynthia's and Lodewijk's comments knowing that they are members of the Affiliations Committee. That is not to suggest that their opinions should be discounted; in fact, quite the opposite. They are opinions that have been informed by the fact of their committee membership, although of course they are speaking for themselves and not the committee as a whole. I will note as an aside that I was aware they were both on some relevant committee, but it took some digging to figure out which one. Similarly, those who hold executive roles with chapters, or are members of the FDC or other global or local groups that would be affected by these decisions, are able to share their knowledge from those experiences. Risker/Anne ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] Programmatic experience in past 2 years (was: Board decisions on movement funding and approval issues)
How about the Wikivoyage association…. We have been existing for 7 years now, and applied for being recognized as a thematic organisation. Von: Pharos Gesendet: Dienstag, 11. Februar 2014 20:57 An: Wikimedia Mailing List Certainly, in the last 2 years and before, a handful of Wikimedia volunteer groups have been quite as active and organized as those currently being classified as User Groups - only the option of being recognized as User Groups did not exist for them at the time of their founding. And it is a good thing that this category exists now, but is seems wrong to penalize Wikimedia volunteer groups that *do* have a track record of effective programmatic experience, just because they were started before the User Group category was in existence. Thanks, Richard (User:Pharos) On Tue, Feb 11, 2014 at 12:33 AM, phoebe ayers phoebe.w...@gmail.com wrote: Hi all, I want to draw your attention to two Wikimedia Board of Trustees decisions that were recently published, regarding funds allocated to the FDC/Annual plan grant process and Board approval of chapter/thematic organization status. In a nutshell, the Board decided to allocate approximately the same amount of funding to the FDC for the next two years. The Board also decided that new organizations should first form as a user group and have two years of programmatic experience before being approved as a legally incorporated entity (either a chapter or thematic organization). The decisions are published in the meeting minutes here: https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Minutes/2013-11-24#Movement_roles There is also a FAQ on Meta: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement_roles_FAQ You will notice these decisions are published in the minutes for the November meeting. We originally took these decisions at that meeting; however as the FAQ explains it took us some time to talk to community groups, clarify our wording and write the FAQ. Hopefully the FAQ will answer many of your questions about these decisions; however, if there are other questions please do ask them, here or on the meta talk page. Thank you! for the Board, Phoebe ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
[Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] (press release) Frank Schulenburg named executive director of new Wiki Education Foundation
Passing along for your information. This release is posted on the WMF wiki at https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/Frank_Schulenburg_named_executive_director_of_new_WEF An accompanying QA can also be found here: https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/QA_Frank_Schulenburg_announcement_February_2014 --- Frank Schulenburg named executive director of new Wiki Education Foundation (San Francisco, California) 12 February 2014 -- The Wiki Education Foundation, a new nonprofit organization that supports the Wikipedia Education Program in the United States and Canada, has named Frank Schulenburg as its inaugural executive director. Schulenburg, formerly senior director of programs at the Wikimedia Foundation, will begin his new role February 18, 2014. I look forward to leading the Wiki Education Foundation, said Schulenburg. We are off to a great start, and will build on the strong success of the Wikimedia Foundation's Wikipedia Education Program to further engage educators, researchers and students to provide more high-quality content for Wikipedia's readers. Started by the Wikimedia Foundation in 2010, the Wikipedia Education Program encourages students to contribute content to Wikipedia articles on course-related subjects as part of classroom assignments developed by their faculty and instructors. Over the past four years, more than 6,000 students in the United States and Canada have contributed content to Wikipedia as part of the Wikipedia Education Program, adding the equivalent of 36,600 printed pages of content to Wikipedia and significantly increasing the amount of high-quality content that Wikipedia offers its half-billion readers. In response to that success and to give the program more focused and specialized support, in 2012 the Wikimedia Foundation began a process to spin off the United States and Canada work into its own, independent nonprofit organization. The resulting Wiki Education Foundation was created in late 2013, and Schulenburg will be its first executive director. The Wiki Education Foundation will continue to support the Wikipedia Education Program in the United States and Canada, and will develop additional programs to promote academic research and teaching that engage with Wikipedia. I am delighted that Frank has agreed to lead the Wiki Education Foundation as executive director, said Dr. Diana Strassmann, Carolyn and Fred McManis Distinguished Professor in the Practice at Rice University and chair of the board of the Wiki Education Foundation, who began using Wikipedia as a teaching tool in her classes in 2007. Under Frank's leadership, the Wiki Education Foundation will continue to expand engagement among educators, students, and Wikipedia, and will continue to diversify the community of Wikipedians, while improving the quality and depth of Wikipedia. Frank is the perfect person to lead the Wiki Education Foundation, said Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director Sue Gardner. Frank's a very experienced Wikipedia contributor with a long track record of inventing and leading successful programs that make Wikipedia better and more useful for its readers. I am sorry we will lose him from the Wikimedia Foundation, but I look forward to seeing the Wiki Education Foundation thrive and succeed under his leadership. A longtime Wikipedian and an employee of the Wikimedia Foundation since 2008, Schulenburg has focused on broadening participation and developing the public understanding of Wikipedia, especially among subject matter experts. He has spoken globally about efforts to increase the relevance of Wikipedia in academia. In 2006, he founded Wikipedia Academy, an event aimed at cultivating dialogue between Wikipedia contributors and academics. In 2009, he initiated the Bookshelf Project, which created the first educational materials for new Wikipedia contributors. In 2010 he designed and implemented the Wikipedia Education Program. From 2012 on he was a member of the executive management team of the Wikimedia Foundation, overseeing the Wikipedia Education Program, Wikipedia Zero, and a new initiative to evaluate the impact of programmatic activities across countries. Schulenburg has been involved with Wikipedia since 2005, both as an author and as a photographer. The Wiki Education Foundation board conducted an extensive search for an executive director before selecting Schulenburg. The board includes educators from a variety of backgrounds, Wikipedia volunteers, and other key stakeholders. The Wiki Education Foundation is currently supporting university instructors in the United States and Canada. Interested instructors are encouraged to send an email to cont...@wikiedfoundation.org. About the Wiki Education Foundation The Wiki Education Foundation supports innovative uses of Wikipedia and related projects in communities of teaching, learning, and inquiry in the United States and Canada. The Foundation aims to improve the breadth, scope, and quality of Wikimedia
[Wikimedia-l] Fwd: [Wikimedia Announcements] (press release) Frank Schulenburg named executive director of new Wiki Education Foundation
Forwarding on for those of you not on the Wikimedia Announcements list. -- Forwarded message -- From: Jay Walsh jwa...@wikimedia.org Date: Wed, Feb 12, 2014 at 1:16 PM Subject: [Wikimedia Announcements] (press release) Frank Schulenburg named executive director of new Wiki Education Foundation To: wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org Passing along for your information. This release is posted on the WMF wiki at https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/Frank_Schulenburg_named_executive_director_of_new_WEF An accompanying QA can also be found here: https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/QA_Frank_Schulenburg_announcement_February_2014 --- Frank Schulenburg named executive director of new Wiki Education Foundation (San Francisco, California) 12 February 2014 -- The Wiki Education Foundation, a new nonprofit organization that supports the Wikipedia Education Program in the United States and Canada, has named Frank Schulenburg as its inaugural executive director. Schulenburg, formerly senior director of programs at the Wikimedia Foundation, will begin his new role February 18, 2014. I look forward to leading the Wiki Education Foundation, said Schulenburg. We are off to a great start, and will build on the strong success of the Wikimedia Foundation's Wikipedia Education Program to further engage educators, researchers and students to provide more high-quality content for Wikipedia's readers. Started by the Wikimedia Foundation in 2010, the Wikipedia Education Program encourages students to contribute content to Wikipedia articles on course-related subjects as part of classroom assignments developed by their faculty and instructors. Over the past four years, more than 6,000 students in the United States and Canada have contributed content to Wikipedia as part of the Wikipedia Education Program, adding the equivalent of 36,600 printed pages of content to Wikipedia and significantly increasing the amount of high-quality content that Wikipedia offers its half-billion readers. In response to that success and to give the program more focused and specialized support, in 2012 the Wikimedia Foundation began a process to spin off the United States and Canada work into its own, independent nonprofit organization. The resulting Wiki Education Foundation was created in late 2013, and Schulenburg will be its first executive director. The Wiki Education Foundation will continue to support the Wikipedia Education Program in the United States and Canada, and will develop additional programs to promote academic research and teaching that engage with Wikipedia. I am delighted that Frank has agreed to lead the Wiki Education Foundation as executive director, said Dr. Diana Strassmann, Carolyn and Fred McManis Distinguished Professor in the Practice at Rice University and chair of the board of the Wiki Education Foundation, who began using Wikipedia as a teaching tool in her classes in 2007. Under Frank's leadership, the Wiki Education Foundation will continue to expand engagement among educators, students, and Wikipedia, and will continue to diversify the community of Wikipedians, while improving the quality and depth of Wikipedia. Frank is the perfect person to lead the Wiki Education Foundation, said Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director Sue Gardner. Frank's a very experienced Wikipedia contributor with a long track record of inventing and leading successful programs that make Wikipedia better and more useful for its readers. I am sorry we will lose him from the Wikimedia Foundation, but I look forward to seeing the Wiki Education Foundation thrive and succeed under his leadership. A longtime Wikipedian and an employee of the Wikimedia Foundation since 2008, Schulenburg has focused on broadening participation and developing the public understanding of Wikipedia, especially among subject matter experts. He has spoken globally about efforts to increase the relevance of Wikipedia in academia. In 2006, he founded Wikipedia Academy, an event aimed at cultivating dialogue between Wikipedia contributors and academics. In 2009, he initiated the Bookshelf Project, which created the first educational materials for new Wikipedia contributors. In 2010 he designed and implemented the Wikipedia Education Program. From 2012 on he was a member of the executive management team of the Wikimedia Foundation, overseeing the Wikipedia Education Program, Wikipedia Zero, and a new initiative to evaluate the impact of programmatic activities across countries. Schulenburg has been involved with Wikipedia since 2005, both as an author and as a photographer. The Wiki Education Foundation board conducted an extensive search for an executive director before selecting Schulenburg. The board includes educators from a variety of backgrounds, Wikipedia volunteers, and other key stakeholders. The Wiki Education Foundation is currently supporting university instructors in the
Re: [Wikimedia-l] Programmatic experience in past 2 years (was: Board decisions on movement funding and approval issues)
And to Pharos' point, for new groups i don't think becoming a penalty. If a group goes from no Wikimedia recognition to being a user group they go from no access to resources to access to the Wikimedia trademarks, access to grants big and small, listing with other official groups...it's a big change. Of course groups might want to become a chapter later on, but that's not exactly always an easy process... On Feb 12, 2014 1:20 PM, phoebe ayers phoebe.w...@gmail.com wrote: If a group was in the process of applying to affcom, we will consider then case by case - this decision does not apply to groups in process. If there's a group out there that had just talked about it but not talked to affcom - we don't have a way of knowing about them! New groups who haven't already talked to affcom and are trying to figure it out should apply to be a user group. Phoebe On Feb 11, 2014 11:58 AM, Pharos pharosofalexand...@gmail.com wrote: Certainly, in the last 2 years and before, a handful of Wikimedia volunteer groups have been quite as active and organized as those currently being classified as User Groups - only the option of being recognized as User Groups did not exist for them at the time of their founding. And it is a good thing that this category exists now, but is seems wrong to penalize Wikimedia volunteer groups that *do* have a track record of effective programmatic experience, just because they were started before the User Group category was in existence. Thanks, Richard (User:Pharos) On Tue, Feb 11, 2014 at 12:33 AM, phoebe ayers phoebe.w...@gmail.com wrote: Hi all, I want to draw your attention to two Wikimedia Board of Trustees decisions that were recently published, regarding funds allocated to the FDC/Annual plan grant process and Board approval of chapter/thematic organization status. In a nutshell, the Board decided to allocate approximately the same amount of funding to the FDC for the next two years. The Board also decided that new organizations should first form as a user group and have two years of programmatic experience before being approved as a legally incorporated entity (either a chapter or thematic organization). The decisions are published in the meeting minutes here: https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Minutes/2013-11-24#Movement_roles There is also a FAQ on Meta: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement_roles_FAQ You will notice these decisions are published in the minutes for the November meeting. We originally took these decisions at that meeting; however as the FAQ explains it took us some time to talk to community groups, clarify our wording and write the FAQ. Hopefully the FAQ will answer many of your questions about these decisions; however, if there are other questions please do ask them, here or on the meta talk page. Thank you! for the Board, Phoebe ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] Board decisions on movement funding and approval issues
Le 12/02/2014 03:14, Mark a écrit : On 2/11/14, 9:18 PM, Samuel Klein wrote: The WMF also wants to let all groups have easier access to trademarks and funds. This is what user groups were designed to allow, with minimal overhead. These two ideas were combined into be a user group for two years. This part I do think is a good idea. There are many models of how individuals and groups participate and organize themselves within the global Wikimedia movement besides the umbrella Wikimedia Foundation, and imo the previous organizational/funding focus overlooked those who didn't fit one specific model: national Chapters, i.e. organizations seeking to represent Wikimedia-movement activities in a general sense, within the territory of one nation-state, and usually in a fairly official manner (paid staff, boards of directors, political visibility, etc.). Yes, that's exactly what I want to keep and see developing in my country, to achieve reliability, acknowledgment by third people, etc. I like that initiatives such as the individual-engagement grants, user-group recognition, etc. are opening up more avenues for Wikimedian organizations, organized along different lines, to find a more recognized (and funded) role in the movement. I like them too, saved I want it to be supervised by my chapter rather than the WMF ! Mark, may you disclose which country you are from/live in ? I am from France, living in France. -- Mathias Damour https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilisateur:Astirmays http://fr.vikidia.org/wiki/Utilisateur:Astirmays http://en.vikidia.org ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] (press release) Frank Schulenburg named executive director of new Wiki Education Foundation
On 12 February 2014 21:16, Jay Walsh jwa...@wikimedia.org wrote: [...] Congratulations to Frank, but... The Wiki Education Foundation, a new nonprofit organization that supports the Wikipedia Education Program in the United States and Canada ...why isn't this called The Wiki Education North America Foundation,, or suchlike? -- Andy Mabbett @pigsonthewing http://pigsonthewing.org.uk ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] Board decisions on movement funding and approval issues
On 2/12/14, 10:55 PM, Mathias Damour wrote: I like that initiatives such as the individual-engagement grants, user-group recognition, etc. are opening up more avenues for Wikimedian organizations, organized along different lines, to find a more recognized (and funded) role in the movement. I like them too, saved I want it to be supervised by my chapter rather than the WMF ! Mark, may you disclose which country you are from/live in ? I am from France, living in France. Since you asked: I am Greek by ethnicity, I live in Denmark, and I mostly grew up in the USA. So I guess, no one country? That is part of what causes my discomfort with nation-state-based organizations, because I fit in none of them particularly well. Should I orient my activities under Wikimedia Denmark, where I live? But I am not Danish, and I speak the language poorly. Maybe Wikimedia Greece? I don't live there, and haven't really in a long time, though I do speak Greek and have the right genetics. Maybe some kind of Wikimedia USA? I don't live there either, though I used to, and I do speak English well. What I feel most comfortable in is a global movement that does not require me to prove allegiance/membership in any particular country; deciding which country my Wikimedia participation belongs to seems decidedly unhelpful, for me personally. In other projects this doesn't seem to be as big of a deal. I'm a heavy participant in OpenStreetMap, which is an organization legally based in the UK. That's a country I have no connection to at all. But it doesn't really matter, because the OSM Foundation does things I benefit from, since they aren't really UK-specific: they maintain the servers, maintain and develop the software, look after the legal situation of the project, etc. As a map editor, I have no complaints with their stewardship of the core project. Of course, actual mapping activities happen on a distributed basis (it is difficult to map Denmark well, if you don't live here), but that doesn't mean there is anything wrong with letting the UK organization continue to manage maintenance of the servers and software. -Mark ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] (press release) Frank Schulenburg named executive director of new Wiki Education Foundation
On 13 February 2014 10:04, Andy Mabbett a...@pigsonthewing.org.uk wrote: On 12 February 2014 21:16, Jay Walsh jwa...@wikimedia.org wrote: [...] Congratulations to Frank, but... The Wiki Education Foundation, a new nonprofit organization that supports the Wikipedia Education Program in the United States and Canada ...why isn't this called The Wiki Education North America Foundation,, or suchlike? -- Good question Andy! Moreover, as this is an independent organisation, why does the fact of it getting a director deserve a WMF press-release? For comparison, has the hiring of senior staff for any of the Chapters received a WMF-written press release? Nevertheless, I'm very pleased to see the WMF's pseudo chapter direct-outreach activity spun out to being an independent organisation that has to fight for grant money on a level-playing with the other organisations that apply for WMF money. It will now have to justify why fee-charging US universities need our donors money to support editing-traning programs more than other programs that aren't WMF originated or USA-focused. Relatedly, I note that on the QA that the organisation is Based in San Francisco - I hope this means that it is not getting free accommodation in the WMF offices as I'm sure there's lots of other independent groups that would like free office space too. -Liam ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] The Signpost -- Volume 10, Issue 6 -- 12 February 2014
מאור מלולmao...@outlook.com To: wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org From: wikipediasignp...@gmail.com Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 03:53:24 + Subject: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] The Signpost -- Volume 10, Issue 6 -- 12 February 2014 News and notes: WMF bites the bullet on affiliation and FDC funding, elevates Wikimedia user groups http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2014-02-12/News_and_notes after considerable post-meeting consultation with the FDC and the Affiliations Committee (AffCom) I'd like to know how they measured considerable. PRESS ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] (press release) Frank Schulenburg named executive director of new Wiki Education Foundation
Great news and congratulations to Frank. --User:Meno25 On Wed, Feb 12, 2014 at 11:16 PM, Jay Walsh jwa...@wikimedia.org wrote: Passing along for your information. This release is posted on the WMF wiki at https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/Frank_Schulenburg_named_executive_director_of_new_WEF An accompanying QA can also be found here: https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/QA_Frank_Schulenburg_announcement_February_2014 --- Frank Schulenburg named executive director of new Wiki Education Foundation (San Francisco, California) 12 February 2014 -- The Wiki Education Foundation, a new nonprofit organization that supports the Wikipedia Education Program in the United States and Canada, has named Frank Schulenburg as its inaugural executive director. Schulenburg, formerly senior director of programs at the Wikimedia Foundation, will begin his new role February 18, 2014. I look forward to leading the Wiki Education Foundation, said Schulenburg. We are off to a great start, and will build on the strong success of the Wikimedia Foundation's Wikipedia Education Program to further engage educators, researchers and students to provide more high-quality content for Wikipedia's readers. Started by the Wikimedia Foundation in 2010, the Wikipedia Education Program encourages students to contribute content to Wikipedia articles on course-related subjects as part of classroom assignments developed by their faculty and instructors. Over the past four years, more than 6,000 students in the United States and Canada have contributed content to Wikipedia as part of the Wikipedia Education Program, adding the equivalent of 36,600 printed pages of content to Wikipedia and significantly increasing the amount of high-quality content that Wikipedia offers its half-billion readers. In response to that success and to give the program more focused and specialized support, in 2012 the Wikimedia Foundation began a process to spin off the United States and Canada work into its own, independent nonprofit organization. The resulting Wiki Education Foundation was created in late 2013, and Schulenburg will be its first executive director. The Wiki Education Foundation will continue to support the Wikipedia Education Program in the United States and Canada, and will develop additional programs to promote academic research and teaching that engage with Wikipedia. I am delighted that Frank has agreed to lead the Wiki Education Foundation as executive director, said Dr. Diana Strassmann, Carolyn and Fred McManis Distinguished Professor in the Practice at Rice University and chair of the board of the Wiki Education Foundation, who began using Wikipedia as a teaching tool in her classes in 2007. Under Frank's leadership, the Wiki Education Foundation will continue to expand engagement among educators, students, and Wikipedia, and will continue to diversify the community of Wikipedians, while improving the quality and depth of Wikipedia. Frank is the perfect person to lead the Wiki Education Foundation, said Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director Sue Gardner. Frank's a very experienced Wikipedia contributor with a long track record of inventing and leading successful programs that make Wikipedia better and more useful for its readers. I am sorry we will lose him from the Wikimedia Foundation, but I look forward to seeing the Wiki Education Foundation thrive and succeed under his leadership. A longtime Wikipedian and an employee of the Wikimedia Foundation since 2008, Schulenburg has focused on broadening participation and developing the public understanding of Wikipedia, especially among subject matter experts. He has spoken globally about efforts to increase the relevance of Wikipedia in academia. In 2006, he founded Wikipedia Academy, an event aimed at cultivating dialogue between Wikipedia contributors and academics. In 2009, he initiated the Bookshelf Project, which created the first educational materials for new Wikipedia contributors. In 2010 he designed and implemented the Wikipedia Education Program. From 2012 on he was a member of the executive management team of the Wikimedia Foundation, overseeing the Wikipedia Education Program, Wikipedia Zero, and a new initiative to evaluate the impact of programmatic activities across countries. Schulenburg has been involved with Wikipedia since 2005, both as an author and as a photographer. The Wiki Education Foundation board conducted an extensive search for an executive director before selecting Schulenburg. The board includes educators from a variety of backgrounds, Wikipedia volunteers, and other key stakeholders. The Wiki Education Foundation is currently supporting university instructors in the United States and Canada. Interested instructors are encouraged to send an email to cont...@wikiedfoundation.org. About the Wiki Education Foundation The Wiki Education Foundation supports
Re: [Wikimedia-l] Board decisions on movement funding and approval issues
Hoi, Yes, people employed by the WMF working from outside the USA exis. They are very much part of what WMF does and, there is no trickle back to the local countries really. They are part of the WMF structure and their priorities are the WMF priorities. There is a huge potential outside the USA and I am sorry but this is not reflected in the way priorities are set, programmes are developed, technology is assessed and implemented. While I do agree that many of the arguments made for programmes are sound, there is this lack of focus for what the relevance is outside of the USA/ English speaking world and it effectively prevents many things from happening on our shared globe. Thanks, GerardM On 12 February 2014 18:01, Delirium delir...@hackish.org wrote: On 2/11/14, 9:14 AM, Gerard Meijssen wrote: There are two areas where the Wikimedia Foundation is active; the USA where it is active through both chapters and the office in San Francisco. The rest of the world where it is active through chapters and whatever. Well, you did leave out a few of the countries in the WMF is active, mainly by paying staff located there to work on things ranging from the Visual Editor to core MediaWiki development to internationalization to analytics: Netherlands, Spain, Canada, Austria, Australia, UK, Czech Republic, Croatia, Israel, India, Finland... -Mark ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
