[Wikimedia-l] thank you for Wikimania

[phoebe ayers]

All,
A huge thanks to the Wikimedia South Africa team + the WMF logistics &
travel team + all the volunteers from around the world on the program
committee and assisting in other capacities + all of the enthusiastic
attendees - for making this a wonderful Wikimania.

We got to experience the beautiful city of Cape Town and surrounds, which
was for many attendees our first time in South Africa (or anywhere in
Africa). We met new friends and people in the movement doing amazing work
on the continent & beyond. We talked about editing the projects, about
movement strategy, about next steps. We had a fun dance party... and I know
that I, and many others, are newly inspired to work with the people I met
to improve and strengthen our projects in and about Africa and the African
diaspora.

Thanks again to the organizers (especially to Douglas Scott for hosting us
& running a week-long Wikimania and THEN leading (amazing) walking tours
for two days, to Liam Wyatt for running program logistics and getting
everything organized so that we could have a program, and to Ellie Young &
her WMF team for running things smoothly behind the scenes) -- and to
everyone who participated for making this such a great time. I encourage
everyone, whether you attended or not, to watch some talks, get inspired to
host local events and connect with the Wikimedians who presented their
projects and initiatives, and edit about South Africa!

greetings and wikilove from my last (alas) day in Capetown,
Phoebe

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[Wikimedia-l] Thank you for Wikimania!

[phoebe ayers]

Thank you so much to the London Wikimania organizers for putting a
wonderful Wikimania 2014. I want to recognize everyone who helped out: the
core team who proposed the bid and worked for over a year organizing a
vision and a team to carry it out; the staff at Wikimedia UK and WMF who
worked on organization; the international volunteer teams who put together
the program and multiple scholarship programs; the tech staff in-person and
online; the on-the-ground volunteers who made the event go; all the
speakers, and everyone who contributed. Thank you! Pulling off a major
international conference isn't easy, and this one rocked.

This was the tenth Wikimania (!), and we had a small session reflecting on
each of the Wikimanias to date. They have all been different, but they have
certainly all had commonalities too: each Wikimania is a chance to meet
other people who are doing intriguing, wonderful things; to sit up late
into the night brainstorming and arguing about ideas; to learn from each
other about techniques for educating and talking about our projects; to
hack together.

More than anything, Wikimania is a way to recognize that we are part of a
real community of passionate and dedicated people -- people who love to
take pictures and write and code and learn new things and drink and dance
and eat stroopwafels and talk and talk and talk.

So, a huge thank you to the London team for holding a great event both for
long-time Wikimaniacs and for a whole new group of people (this was the
first Wikimania for hundreds of people, going by the opening session).

I encourage you all to watch the videos of the talks, and to keep the
"Wikimania spirit" alive this year by learning about new initiatives,
reaching out to people you don't already know who are doing cool stuff,
visiting a project that you're not familiar with and seeing what they're up
to, and experimenting with new things.

And I hope to see you all in Mexico next year!

[[<3]],
Phoebe


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