Difference between revisions of "Activity report (Q1 2013–2014)"

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===Laurel History Edit-a-Thon===
 
===Laurel History Edit-a-Thon===
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5 newcomers
 
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The Laurel Historical Society Edit-a-Thon was a one-day event located at the Laurel Museum in Laurel, MD, with two major goals: one, to train Laurel Historical Society (LHS) volunteers on editing and contributing to Wikipedia and Wikimedia; and two, to allow LHS and Wikimedia DC members to edit and create Wikipedia articles using the LHS’s library and archival holdings. As a small city museum, the Laurel Museum and the LHS have holdings specific to the city of Laurel, MD and its environs, largely dating from the nineteenth century to the present day.
* Contributed 3,288 bytes total across 34 edits (average: 658 bytes / 7 edits per editor)
 
* 3 newcomers made edits; 2 didn't
 
* 1 new article created ([[w:Edward Phelps (mayor)|Edward Phelps]]
 
* 4 existing articles improved ([[w:Laurel Museum|Laurel Museum]], [[w:Laurel Mill|Laurel Mill]], [[w:Edward Phelps|Edward Phelps]], [[w:List of mayors of Laurel, Maryland|List of mayors of Laurel]])
 
   
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There were several activities during the Edit-a-Thon. The event started with an introduction to the Laurel Museum by LHS Executive Director Lindsey Baker, including a tour of the museum and of its library and collections storage. After lunch, Dominic McDevitt-Parks and other Wikimedia DC members assisted LHS volunteers with creating Wikipedia accounts and with the basics of article editing, while other Wikimedia DC members were given open access to the LHS library, archives, and collections to work on articles, either on topics of their own interest or identified previously as having relevance to the LHS. The event ran from approximately 10:15 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday, November 16.
7 veterans
 
* Contributed 15,959 bytes total across 45 edits (average: 2,280 bytes / 6 edits per editor)
 
* Six of seven experienced attendees edited
 
* 4 new articles created ([[w:Kenilworth Avenue|Kenilworth Avenue]], [[w:Patuxent Iron Works|Patuxent Iron Works]], [[w:Laurel Sanitarium|Laurel Sanitarium]], [[w:Laurel Mill|Laurel Mill]])
 
* 10 existing articles improved ([[w:Laurel, Maryland|Laurel]], [[w:Social Science History|Social Science History]], [[w:Patuxent River|Patuxent River]], [[w:Richard Snowden|Richard Snowden]], [[w:Soul food|Soul food]], [[w:Baltimore|Baltimore]], [[w:Straw hat|Straw hat]], [[w:Howard County, Maryland|Howard County]], [[w:Prince George's County, Maryland|Prince George's County]], [[w:Laurel Park (race track)|Laurel Park]])
 
   
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The Edit-a-thon was primarily organized by two individuals associated with the LHS: Lindsey Baker, Executive Director, and Abram Fox, member of the Board of Directors. Abram Fox coordinated the LHS grant proposal to Wikimedia DC and organized the list of potential subjects and resources for editing. Lindsey Baker coordinated scheduling and facility usage, access to archival and library material, and food for the event, as well as the attendance of Wikimedia DC’s Dominic McDevitt-Parks. Two other LHS Board Members, President Jhanna Levin and Chairman and Treasurer Jim McCeney, attended the event but did not participate in its organization. In total, there were 13 participants at the edit-a-thon, all associated with either the Laurel Historical Society or Wikimedia DC.
Total: 19,247 bytes total across 79 edits with five new articles and 14 existing articles improved
 
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Of the thirteen attendees, twelve participants signed up through the edit-a-thon questionnaire. Five of the registered attendees were newcomers, while the remaining seven were experienced Wikipedians. The five newcomers contributed 3,288 bytes of content across 34 edits, creating one new article ([[w:Edward Phelps (mayor)|Edward Phelps (mayor)]]) and improving four existing articles on topics related to Laurel. The seven experienced attendees contributed 15,959 bytes of content across 45 edits, creating four new articles ([[w:Kenilworth Avenue|Kenilworth Avenue]], [[w:Patuxent Iron Works|Patuxent Iron Works]], [[w:Laurel Sanitarium|Laurel Sanitarium]], [[w:Laurel Mill|Laurel Mill]]) and improving ten existing ones. In total, 19,247 bytes of content were contributed across 79 edits, with five new articles and 14 existing ones improved.
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Two news articles were written about the event, including one in the ''[http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/laurel/ph-ll-museum-edit-a-thon-20131112,0,6496044.story Baltimore Sun]'' and one in the ''[http://www.gazette.net/article/20131128/NEWS/131129304/1010/laurel-historic-society-updates-city-x2019-s-history-on-wikipedia&template=gazette Gazette]''.
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In their grant report, the Laurel Historical Society noted that this event helped with their outreach to a younger demographic, an audience the LHS is increasingly interested in targeting and with which it has historically had issues doing so. They hope that this event, and its focus on making information freely accessible online, will encourage further efforts to make more of its holdings widely available and accessible to the public.
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{{arrow button|link=Wikipedia:Meetup/DC/Laurel Historical Society|label=View event page}}
 
{{arrow button|link=Wikipedia:Meetup/DC/Laurel Historical Society|label=View event page}}

Revision as of 21:53, 9 January 2014

This report describes the activities of Wikimedia District of Columbia from October 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013.

Content programs

Wikimedia DC held three edit-a-thons, two of which were held in partnership with local cultural institutions. A total of 38 volunteers attended these three edit-a-thons, volunteering approximately 147 hours in total. This volunteering includes editing Wikipedia, learning how to edit Wikipedia, and helping others in their editing. Twenty of these volunteers created their Wikipedia accounts at these events or in the preceding week, constituting approximately 52.6% of the total attendees. None of these newcomers have attended edit-a-thons since, making reaching out to them all the more necessary. Indeed, only three volunteers participated in two or more edit-a-thons. We expect repeat attendance figures to increase as more events are held and more efforts are made to reach out to past attendees.

Smithsonian Libraries Edit-a-Thon

11 newcomers

8 veterans

Total: 36,629 bytes across 146 edits with six new articles and 11 existing articles improved.


Laurel History Edit-a-Thon

The Laurel Historical Society Edit-a-Thon was a one-day event located at the Laurel Museum in Laurel, MD, with two major goals: one, to train Laurel Historical Society (LHS) volunteers on editing and contributing to Wikipedia and Wikimedia; and two, to allow LHS and Wikimedia DC members to edit and create Wikipedia articles using the LHS’s library and archival holdings. As a small city museum, the Laurel Museum and the LHS have holdings specific to the city of Laurel, MD and its environs, largely dating from the nineteenth century to the present day.

There were several activities during the Edit-a-Thon. The event started with an introduction to the Laurel Museum by LHS Executive Director Lindsey Baker, including a tour of the museum and of its library and collections storage. After lunch, Dominic McDevitt-Parks and other Wikimedia DC members assisted LHS volunteers with creating Wikipedia accounts and with the basics of article editing, while other Wikimedia DC members were given open access to the LHS library, archives, and collections to work on articles, either on topics of their own interest or identified previously as having relevance to the LHS. The event ran from approximately 10:15 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday, November 16.

The Edit-a-thon was primarily organized by two individuals associated with the LHS: Lindsey Baker, Executive Director, and Abram Fox, member of the Board of Directors. Abram Fox coordinated the LHS grant proposal to Wikimedia DC and organized the list of potential subjects and resources for editing. Lindsey Baker coordinated scheduling and facility usage, access to archival and library material, and food for the event, as well as the attendance of Wikimedia DC’s Dominic McDevitt-Parks. Two other LHS Board Members, President Jhanna Levin and Chairman and Treasurer Jim McCeney, attended the event but did not participate in its organization. In total, there were 13 participants at the edit-a-thon, all associated with either the Laurel Historical Society or Wikimedia DC.

Of the thirteen attendees, twelve participants signed up through the edit-a-thon questionnaire. Five of the registered attendees were newcomers, while the remaining seven were experienced Wikipedians. The five newcomers contributed 3,288 bytes of content across 34 edits, creating one new article (Edward Phelps (mayor)) and improving four existing articles on topics related to Laurel. The seven experienced attendees contributed 15,959 bytes of content across 45 edits, creating four new articles (Kenilworth Avenue, Patuxent Iron Works, Laurel Sanitarium, Laurel Mill) and improving ten existing ones. In total, 19,247 bytes of content were contributed across 79 edits, with five new articles and 14 existing ones improved.

Two news articles were written about the event, including one in the Baltimore Sun and one in the Gazette.

In their grant report, the Laurel Historical Society noted that this event helped with their outreach to a younger demographic, an audience the LHS is increasingly interested in targeting and with which it has historically had issues doing so. They hope that this event, and its focus on making information freely accessible online, will encourage further efforts to make more of its holdings widely available and accessible to the public.


International Year of Statistics Edit-a-Thon

3 newcomers

8 veterans

Total: 20,504 bytes total across 46 edits with five new articles and 21 existing articles improved.

1 person opted out of participating in the analysis


Technology programs

  • November 16-17 Luce Center Hack-a-thon (we promoted it, but did anyone in our community attend this event?)

Community programs

  • October 13 WikiSalon on annual plan; subsequent dinner
  • October 23 dinner meetup
  • November 9 annual meeting
  • December 16 Holiday Happy Hour with Social Media Club DC

Organizational development

  • October 5 Board meeting
  • October 29 Board meeting
  • November 8 Board meeting
  • December 7 Board meeting
  • Membership stats