> From: "Steve Bowbrick" <steve.bowbr...@bbc.co.uk>
> Unrelated question: on Twitter, Chris Vallance, a producer on iPM, > wonders: > > "Wikipedia received most UK traffic from searches for "Swine Flu" - > Should Directgov, NHS, collaborate with the site?" > > And links to these numbers from traffic stats house Hitwise: > http://weblogs.hitwise.com/robin-goad/2009/05/swine_flu_searches_increas > e_58.html > > Should we encourage UK public health agencies to expand the Swine Flu > article? To treat Wikipedia as part of the public health communications > effort? If such a large number of UK searches are hitting the Swine Flu > entry, is there a public health argument for branching the entry to > provide nationally-specific material? > > Is there a Wikipedia response to crises of this kind? I'd absolutely encourage UK health agencies to become more involved with Wikipedia content. The biggest start I can see is releasing under a Creative Commons license these leaflets to be posted through doors. I saw photos of them being delivered on TV today, there isn't one here yet. It could be on Commons, and it would then end up in the Wikipedia article. They will have to consider potential conflict of interest issues. Where that might come up is integrating their own studies or reports into the article (or articles if it goes that way). I'd guess the biggest issue at the moment is WMUK is so young, and this is something that needs organised at flashmob speeds. Basically, an ad-hoc Wikipedia workshop to bring them up to speed on this. Interesting vaguely related AP report... http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ghB7kaUC_cbUE_Y2y7WrZfrjTcQQD97SCO683 Brian McNeil _______________________________________________ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: http://uk.wikimedia.org
