Talk:Wikimedia South Africa

Content creation options.

"Running drives to acquire non-written information or information not available in written format (e.g. oral)" "Interfacing with the communities that can verify local oral history." "Documenting content which is only orally available"

What Wikimedia projects can use this if it's only verifiable to a Wikimedia published source? -- Jeandré, 2010-08-08t12:12z

If there's an attested recording (audio or audio-visual) published on a Wikimedia site, that could work. We'll really have to test what will be accepted. As and when we want to start doing this, I would recommend getting input from the guys at The English Wikipedia Reliable Sources Noticeboard. They have lots of experience discussing what is verifiable and what isn't. Remember that, for example, images have different (looser) criteria for inclusion already. --Slashme 19:24, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

The issue of much African content being available in oral form only was raised as a challenge. Many of us have experience of African content being rejected as not notable enough, and the difficulties of finding anything in any written form, much less online. In the English Wikipedia, and other established projects, this may require development of new standards of verifiability. The Swahili Wikipedia may have already developed an approach that could be useful.Greenman 22:47, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

If we can get recorded oral histories hosted by universities, like at the UCT archives, and give them transcriptions - that should be considered verifiable, tho the fact checking requirement will not be satisfied unless we can get academics to help us. -- Jeandré, 2010-09-13t10:30z

Ecological footprint.

"Apply to host Wikimania"

The 2010 FIFA world cup was 9 times worse wrt greenhouse gas emisions than the previous one in Germany because of all the long flights needed - if anything we should be pushing for virtual meetings instead, or at the very least Wikimanias only in the northern hemisphere. -- Jeandré, 2010-08-08t12:12z

If we can have Wikimania in the Northern Hemisphere and it's OK for us to videoconference into them, why not host a Wikimania in the South, and let them videoconference into us? That way, even less people would be travelling long distances: All the Europeans and Americans can sit at home and take part via the web and save the emission they would have spent on the plane to Aberdeen or wherever. --Slashme 19:32, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Wikimedia ZA vs Wikimedia SA

I saw this section name without any contents, but it seems to suggest a discussion on whether to refer to this project as Wikimedia ZA or SA... The choice is somewhat obvious, if one recognizes that this is a a sub-project of a greater global project. ZA is South Africa's unique country identifier, while SA is Saudi Arabia's. Being part of an internet based initiative, ZA makes more sense, since .za means a South African domain. While a local sub-project, one must remember that its global context. It's just one letter difference, but that one letter influences greater compatibility and future direction. Local members on an international site referring to our currency as SAR (instead of ZAR) may be understood by some other local members (though will confuse some local members who are accustomed to global standards), but will generally cause more problems due to ambiguity, and disregard for simple standards of the global context. Imagine articles using $, instead of USD - this would be considered culture-centric, and is no different. Anyhow, perhaps I misinterpreted the purpose of this section, but just in case - Wikimedia-ZA is the logical, longer-term, standard-compliant, choice. Autumnox 07:56, 27 December 2011 (UTC)

10 years Wikipedia

Hi there, I am Catrin (press spokesman from Wikimedia Germany) and I am looking for pictures from your birthday parties. Any idea, any links or pictures you could send to me? Since we need it for our newspaper http://www.wikimedia.de/wiki/Vereinszeitung it is urgent - hope you can help! Catrin Schoneville (WMDE) 16:10, 15 March 2011 (UTC)

Hello Catrin. We did have birthday parties here, but I have not heard anything about it after the event. I am going to copy your message to our mailing list (http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimediaza/2011-March/000189.html). LouriePieterse 07:33, 16 March 2011 (UTC)

Congratulations

For your approval. NOw, perhaps you wants do something with [1] ;-). Best.--Marctaltor 20:39, 28 March 2011 (UTC)

Awareness of this organisation

I'm just an ordinary Wikipedian member of WikiProject South Africa on the English Wikipedia and very occasional contributor to the Afrikaans Wikipedia. If it wasn't for this post on the Wikiproject South Africa Talk page I would never have known this organisation exists!

If experienced South African Wikipedians such as myself, with several years of membership and thousands of edits, don't know about this, I think a more concerted effort to spread the word is absolutely vital.

Perhaps a bot be tasked to post a message about this organisation to all members of the en:WP's WikiProject South Africa and all registered editors of the other SA Languages Wikipedias? Dodger67 (talk) 09:39, 21 March 2012 (UTC)