Grant application: Participation at Open Source Bridge 2014

Status: Declined

Personal information

Please tell us a little about yourself. If you are uncomfortable with posting any of the requested information publicly, please contact the Grants Committee for assistance.

(1) What is your name?

Josh Lim

(2) What is your email address?

jamesjoshualim@yahoo.com

(3) Do you currently reside in the United States? If not, please specify your country of residence.

No. I currently live in the Philippines.

(4) Are you requesting this grant on behalf of an organization or group? If so, please provide the name of the group.

No

Description of purpose

Please tell us a little about the project or activity for which you are requesting funding. Please provide enough detail to allow us to evaluate how your request aligns with our charitable mission.

(5) What is the purpose for which the funding will be used?

I am presenting a presentation at this year's Open Source Bridge conference in Portland, OR, entitled "The Promise of Collaborative Magic", a presentation on the dynamics of constructive collaboration among different open-source communities. During the presentation, I will be talking about Wikipedia's community dynamics, in particular revolving around boldness, assuming good faith and the idea of "Wikimagic" (the idea that if you start an article on Wikipedia, other people will come in and help you over time). The overarching question that this presentation seeks to ask is this: have we gotten to a point where we expect everybody to do things 'right' the first time?

Coming from a number of AfDs on the English Wikipedia in January this year against banks in the Philippines both big and small, this presentation intends to look at the collaborative ethos of the Wikimedia movement in theory, how it has been applied (or not applied) in practice, what's wrong, and what we can do about it. This presentation also hopes to bring together different communities on how they deal with the idea of a magical collaborative ethos, how we can continue to foster an environment of constructive collaboration and to prevent sending signals to users that their work is of lesser value, and whether the solution to reinforcing this ethos of collaboration is dependent on the creation of structures or on the redefinition of our values as a community. I hope to engage other open-source communities as to how their communities function, and what lessons we can bring back to benefit Wikimedia in the medium-to-long term.

(6) How does this purpose align with our mission?

I strongly believe that it is in the interest of the entire Wikimedia movement to help address the issue of editor decline, and to better understand what strategies we should implement in order to keep editors editing, particularly when it comes to editors from minority backgrounds. I will admit that my background as to this issue is that I strongly advocate for an environment where the developing world has as strong a voice as the developed world does in terms of Wikipedia's ultimate development, but the context can apply to any minority group, whether that be on the basis of race, sexual orientation, socio-economic class, etc.

I also strongly believe that Wikimedia DC, as a movement affiliate in a developed country, is in a good position to play a role in how Wikimedia can best address issues that have plagued our community, and bringing in experiences from other open-source communities will help in moving the conversation forward.

Grant financials

Please tell us a little about the funding you need. To expedite review of your application, please provide as much detail as possible.

(7) How much funding do you need?

$350

(8) When will you need funding?

The event is in two weeks, so it would be wonderful if I can get notice of approval or rejection as quickly as possible so I may make arrangements.

(9) What specific costs will the funding cover?

This particular request will help offset my accommodation costs, which are currently estimated at $280, plus a $70 buffer in case I'm priced out. I'm currently raising funds through a GoFundMe campaign for my travel expenses (WMDC is free to promote and/or contribute to this campaign at its pleasure should it choose to do so).

In the event my GoFundMe campaign fails and I don't raise enough money to purchase a ticket, I will not proceed with this request should it be approved.

Declined

Hello Josh, thank you for applying for a Wikimedia DC grant. Unfortunately we are declining your grant application, as we do not see a clear outcome (i.e., long term benefit for the Wikimedia projects) relative to the required level of funding. We thank you for your submission and hope to see you apply for another Wikimedia DC grant. James Hare (talk) 00:58, 11 June 2014 (EDT)