Yes, agreed. Though I think there are ways such an event can take place cheaply, and even ways for it to make money (Rego fees but free for members).
For example, we're pulling together a little one day conference for a couple of hundred dollars and a heap of in kind: http://tinyurl.com/aaaopenconf and the Sydney Uni Wikimedia in Ed symposium was an excellent event for consolidating and extending education and research practice, it just needed better promotion and documentation - yearly consistency would bring that. If the objective is to build and strengthen community, then I think a "National" Wikiminia, hosted in a University or Glam with a heap of inkind support, would do that. The conference format coupled with the journal (WAJER) is inviting to academics.. If that is a target group. The Sydney Uni symposium was the first Wikiminia in my mind. On 21/07/2013 12:44 PM, "Craig Franklin" <[email protected]> wrote: > I do like the "Wikiminia" title! > > But on conferences and meetups generally, I think we need to look > realistically at the value for money when we set up these events. The bare > fact of the matter is that setting up an event in Australia is expensive. > Accommodation, venues, and most importantly travel costs are very high by > international standards. So before we start thinking about having more > symposiums, conferences, and other get-togethers, we really need to ask > ourselves if that is the most cost effective way to achieve whatever it is > that we're looking to do. Are the higher costs justified by the benefit of > having face-to-face communication? > > The answer of course may be "yes", but that needs to be quantified before > we go and start inviting people. And to my mind the best way to approach > it is not to decide to have a "real life" event, and then fill it with > various programmes, but to decide what it is we want to achieve as an > organisation, and then hold an event if that is the most sensible way to > achieve those goals. > > Regards, > Craig Franklin > > > On 21 July 2013 08:43, Leigh Blackall <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Agreed. Also, at least one of the International events: Wikimania, >> offers support for travel already. But targeting funds for the purposes you >> outline seems a good idea. >> >> Speaking of Wikimania... and linking to the WAJER idea, but ignoring the >> "chinwagging" perspective, how about ab annual event called Wikiminia? >> Bringing together datahackers, local real work community groups, and >> wikiheads, mostly to celebrate, issue awards, dream big, eat and chinwag, >> but on a local outreach scale. Hosting such a thing is taking another >> financial incentive open to academics too.. They are recognised andpossibly >> rewarded for four publishing in WAJER and presenting at Wikiminia. I >> volunteer to help organise. >> On 21/07/2013 8:00 AM, "Kerry Raymond" <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Tony1 has made some comments about the 2014 Annual Plan:**** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> http://www.wikimedia.org.au/wiki/Proposal_talk:2014_Annual_Plan**** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> and I hope we will be hearing more from others!**** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> In regard to his comment about WMAU being represented at international >>> events, it’s probably worth a broader discussion of some of the issues here. >>> **** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> In 2013, we didn't budget any money for participation in international >>> community events, precisely because we (the committee) were doubtful about >>> the benefits from “chinwagging” relative to the costs. However, that has >>> been interpreted by others as not engaging with the broader community, etc. >>> In particular we had a certain amount of criticism for not being >>> represented at the Chapters Conference.**** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> The other issue here is that, despite all the electronic means of >>> communication, people still seem to need face-to-face meetings (and, in >>> particular, the act of eating together) to build trust and goodwill; this >>> is something that I have seen so many times in my years in international >>> standards development (even though almost all the people I worked with were >>> IT people and hence those who one might think most able to work effectively >>> electronically). And trust/goodwill is important when it comes to getting >>> money, so it may be that an international airfare for some carefully-chosen >>> event (meaning "who" will be there) might be an excellent investment. So >>> that's why it's on the list of possibilities for discussion.**** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> Kerry**** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Wikimediaau-l mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaau-l >>> >>> >
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