Dear all, a short report from the Wikimedia Chapters Association, yesterday we had a phone conference. Participants and minutes can be found on Meta: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Chapters_Association/Meetings/2013-24
Here a short summary: == Working Groups == The WCA has some working groups which are quite active around events (offline meetings) but suffer from a lack of active participants during the year. This is currently true for all working groups: === Chapters Manual === * http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WCA_Chapters_Manual === Chapters Exchange === Chapters exchange services / help. * http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Chapters_Association/Chapters_Exchange === Peer Review === So far Wikimedia Estonia and Wikimedia Austria have been reviewed. Reports are still due. In Hong Kong there should be a workshop on peer review but Fæ won't be there, so we are looking for a replacement. * http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Peer_review === WCA Journal === Something like an "international Signpost" for Wikimedians. Chapters are asked to remember the Journal when they write their monthly reports, so they can publish some relevant thinks there as well. * http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Chapters_Association/Journal == Current Issues == === Trademarks === The Wikimedia Foundation wants to restructure their trademarks and the right of use of those. This will affect all chapters. According the Chapters Agreement they have a limited right to use the name Wikimedia, the Wikimedia-Logos as well as the Wikimedia project names and logos. This is subject to change in the future. At the moment there is a public discussion about the "Trademark Practice" in which everyone is asked to step in and get involved: * http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Trademark_practices_discussion We have evidence, that the WMF has plans to withdraw the usage rights of all Wikimedia trademarks from the chapters. Therefore it is important to engage in this discussion as its result will the basis for further steps by the WMF. === Wikimania Hong Kong - Chapters Village === On initiative of Wikimedia CH and Wikimedia Germany there will be a Chapters Village at Wikimania. A place where the chapters present themselves and where workshops can be given. We are looking for ideas and people. A suggestion by me: Offering short workshops, prepare a schedule in advance (eg. two workshops per day) with simple topics which have a practical impact but need little preparation: * press accreditions - how to do * writing monthly reports - best practices * the process of an FDC request ... Please enlist yourself: * http://wikimania2013.wikimedia.org/wiki/Chapters_Village === Board Elections WMF === Another call to everyone to vote in the current board elections. The WCA wants to stay neutral and doesn't give recommendations. There is a Question / Answer page though which is helpful to take a decision: * http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/Board_elections/2013/Questions == WCA intern == === Changes to the Charta === The WCA is in fact not only for Wikimedia Chapters but also for all other Wikimedia organisations - "Thematic Organisations", user groups, short: Wikimedia Affiliates. Therefore it was suggested to change the name of the WCA accordingly. Proposed is "Associations of Wikimedia Organisations" (AWiO or AWikiO). * http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Chapters_Association/Resolutions/12._Change_of_name There was also a suggestion to an article to the charta, allowing temporary substitutes for council members. This wants to fix a problem we had in Milan at the Wikimedia Conference, when a council member couldn't attend a WCA meeting and sent another board member instead. These changes are proposed resolutions on Meta and need to be approved by 2/3 of the council members: * http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Chapters_Association/Resolutions/13._Substitute_council_members === Regularity of the WCA Calls === To give more structure to the work in the WCA - and by that maybe even improve the lack of participants in the working groups as mentioned above, by offering a better working environment - I have suggested to have regular phone conferences every four weeks. In the past it took too long to find out that we need to have another call, prepare a Doodle poll and decide a date. The chair, Markus Glaser, has in preperation to this call already asked for the general availability within a week when participants would be available on a regular basis. The poll didn't indicate a time that fits everyone but several best times which we will now iterate through. That way we will now have WCA calls all four weeks but in a manner to cope with the different timezones and to please all participants in some way. I will try to participate whenever possible. * http://www.doodle.com/rivb9t5ip92d4imw#table /Manuel -- Wikimedia CH - Verein zur Förderung Freien Wissens Lausanne, +41 (21) 34066-22 - www.wikimedia.ch _______________________________________________ http://wikimedia.ch Wikimedia CH website Wikimediach-l mailing list https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediach-l
