Activity report (Q3 2014–2015)

This report describes the activities of Wikimedia District of Columbia from April 1, 2015 through June 30, 2015.

Programs and events

Ephemera of the DC Cowboys, photographed at the Wiki Loves Pride event

Wikimedia DC held four editing events this quarter:

• The Women in Technology Edit-a-Thon with Tech LadyMafia on April 17;
• An International Labour Day Edit-a-Thon with the University of Maryland on May 1;
• Wiki Loves Pride at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History on June 6; and
• World Oceans Day at the Waitt Institute on June 8.

At the Women in Technology Edit-a-Thon, ten people made 53 edits to 18 articles. The event focused on articles about women in STEM, including Ashanti Johnson, Ruth Teitelbaum, Anita Mehta, and Jennifer Pahlka. In total, 24,291 bytes of content were added or removed.

The International Labour Day Edit-a-Thon, held with the University of Maryland, focused on topics of labor history throughout the world. Fourteen participants made seven edits to five articles, including George Meany and Labor's Heritage. A total of 2,762 bytes of content were added or removed.

Wiki Loves Pride, an international campaign to improve coverage of LGBT History on Wikimedia projects, featured a tour of the National Museum of American History, including a tour of the museum's LGBT archives. During the edit-a-thon, 9 participants made 52 edits to 21 articles, including National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals, National Black Feminist Organization, and List of LGBT periodicals. One image was uploaded, and 53,448 bytes of content were added or removed.

World Ocean's Day, held with the Waitt Institute, focused on ecology and oceanography. Thirteen participants made 54 edits to 25 articles, including Illegal, Sustainable seafood, and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

In total, during the quarter, 38 people participated in editing events, including six people who participated in two or more events. Of the 38 participants, 18 were newcomers to Wikimedia DC events. The participants made 166 edits to 69 articles, corresponding to 99,633 bytes of content added or removed, and uploaded two files to Wikimedia Commons.

The Wikipedia Space exhibit at the National Archives

In addition, Wikimedia DC held a Wikipedia Space Hack-a-Thon at the National Archives Innovation Hub on April 14. The goal of the event was to plan the Wikipedia Space, a project by American University professor Andrew Lih to design a traveling exhibit to describe Wikipedia.

Wikimedia DC held monthly WikiSalons on April 8, May 13, and June 10, and monthly dinner meetups on April 25 and May 30.

Operations and governance

The Board of Directors held two meetings during the quarter, on April 25 and June 21. At the April meeting, the Board lowered Wikimedia DC's annual membership dues to $5 per year.

The Board additionally held a two-day strategy workshop on June 20–21. At the workshop, the Board reviewed Wikimedia DC's strategic priorities, identified long-term goals for the organization, and developed program ideas in furtherance of those goals. This work will inform Wikimedia DC's 2015–20 strategic plan, which will be published during the 2015–16 fiscal year.