On Mon, Jan 17, 2011 at 8:37 PM, Eugene Eric Kim <ee...@blueoxen.com> wrote: > On Sat, Jan 15, 2011 at 11:53 AM, Jon Davis <w...@konsoletek.com> wrote: >> We (the SF group) have actually talked about doing before, we just wanted to >> have a dry run for it first. That dry run just so happens to be today and >> is the West Coast Wikiconference [1]. >> Seeing is how this "little" shindig oversold by 30% or so, and was really >> done in a month by Phoebe & Eugene, I think we could do a Wikimania > > Thanks for the confidence, Jon. :-) > > I think the conference went really well, and I'm deeply appreciative > for everyone who stepped up. There were a few things that worked in > our favor, and I think it's important to acknowledge them as we > consider doing a Wikimania bid. > > We got a lot of free publicity/energy thanks to the 10th anniversary > landmark. I think that greatly contributed to the ease with which we > oversold. That also enabled us to leverage the great work that the > Foundation was already doing for the the anniversary -- schwag, the > party, etc. If we do a Wikimania bid, we won't have that. > > The other thing we'll need for a Wikimania bid is for others to step > up early. We had a lot of help the day-of, which was absolutely > critical, but that won't be enough for a Wikimania bid, Phoebe and I > won't be able to shoulder the load. It's too much work, and frankly, > we're too busy. I think I speak for both of us when I say that we can > absolutely support a bid and help make it the best Wikimania _ever_, > bar none. But other folks need to step up early and assume leadership > roles. > > I hope people will do so. Wikimania is one of the best things since > sliced bread. It's super great, and it would be wonderful to bring it > here. And despite what I said earlier, we also have some built-in > advantages that other places don't have. For example, even though this > needs to be a volunteer event, having the Foundation close by makes a > world of difference. > > I think the biggest advantage is that we have a whole lot of > experienced, connected people here who know how to pull this off: > logistics, fundraising, programs, facilitation, etc. And I know these > folks would gladly lend a hand and share their wisdom. So not only > would it be amazingly gratifying to bring Wikimania here -- a feather > in your cap, as it were -- it would also be an amazing learning > opportunity. > > I would love it if some folks would step up and take this on as a > challenge! And I will gladly lend a hand. > > =Eugene
I agree totally with what Eugene said. Wikimania is amazing, but it takes lots of people. As I said last year (and still firmly believe) the team is by far the most important part of Wikimania bidding -- much more than having a great venue or elaborate plans. The conference requires a cohesive group of people willing to do the work and follow through. But that team can be built! If folks are interested in exploring the possibilities, my suggestion would be to call a meetup relatively soon (and ideally start having regular meetups again in the new year!) Anyone can plan a meetup; the wiki page is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/San_Francisco. A possible agenda might be to look at the bidding requirements, look at local venues, and brainstorm about conference possibilities. Alternatively we might start a conference discussion on the wiki so more people can participate. I hope that someone will volunteer to do this. That said, I am super grateful to everyone who helped out with and participated in the West Coast WikiConference -- it was a blast, and it got a lot of praise from all the attendees I talked to. Thanks! Now I am off on another trip, which will include participating in D.C.'s Wikipedia10 event next weekend :) cheers, Phoebe _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-SF mailing list Wikimedia-SF@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-sf
