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Wikimania 2022/Individual Reports/AKibombo

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Welcome back from Wikimania 2022! Please write your report here. Once you have completed the application, please email the link to wikimania(_AT_)wikimedia.org (by 20 September 2022). If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email us.

Username
AKibombo
How did you attend Wikimania (virtually or in-person)?

As a recipient of an individual scholarship, I was fortunate enough to attend all days of Wikimania 2022 virtually using Pheedloop, YouTube and Zoom platforms alternatively.

What did you spend the scholarship funds on?

Most of the scholarship funds were used to purchase data for myself. I had also made a personal commitment to support other Wikimedians that I have been able to mentor since 2020 but who were not able to receive scholarships - I was able to share with them to purchase data to attend virtual sessions and purchase meals.

I was also able to purchase a pair of quality headphones that enabled me to satisfactorily participate in the sessions and will also be of great help in the future. I also like to believe that the quality of my presentation on Day 3 was greatly enhanced by this particular piece of equipment. Lastly, I was able to pay for a dedicated space that allowed me to contribute as a volunteer for tasks such as note taking etc. and participate in other sessions with no distraction.

Takeaways – choose 3 specific Wikimania sessions you attended and describe your key take-aways per session.

Wikimania 2022 had many interesting sessions and I enjoyed the diversity of applications of knowledge being showcased. In no particular order, the following sessions left a lasting impression on me :

  1. Theory, Fact or Fake : Global Wikipedia Research Trivia Social

Key take-aways

  • Wikimedia and its projects have a human side that is necessary to enable and support most of the processes that we have come to associate with the movement. Knowing this particular fact enables us to interact with knowledge from an informed point of view
  • It is important to understand the interaction and relationship that exists between humans and knowledge otherwise we unknowingly assume and then peddle many falsehoods in the absence of evidence .

2. I am a Wikimedian, not an accountant! Here is how fiscal sponsorship can get your grant going

Key take-aways

  • Wikimedians tend to restrict themselves to only the funding that can be availed by the Wikimedia Foundation which may be a good idea for a number of reasons but may be limiting to the scope of work that they intend to pursue
  • Also, some Wikimedians and their associations may - fiscal sponsorships therefore provide an opportunity
  • A fiscal sponsorship helps to concentrate on more critical activities related to a project and may in turn create a good environment for better results
  • A key part of discussions when considering fiscal sponsorship is how SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound) the opportunity and project are. Just because the opportunity exists does not necessarily make it viable.
  1. Copyright and the Wikis roundtable: know your rights when using copyrighted material for the public good

Key take-aways

  • Editing and contributing to various Wikimedia projects rests heavily on copyright and information that has been provided under various licenses - these allow Wikimedians to strategically curate and present information for the public good.
  • Copyright laws and exceptions as well as their understanding and application may negatively affect the quality and amount of content from different parts of the world hence creating an imbalance in knowledge across the various Wikimedia projects.
  • There are a number of copyright related concepts such as Fair Use and Freedom of Panorama that provide for copyright exceptions but they still remain poorly understoodfor public benefit, such as Fair Use and Freedom of Panorama, are important to both Wikipedia editors and contributors to Wikimedia Commons. Many of these concepts remain poorly understood within the Wiki Community creating confusion and uncertainly which hurts our ability to edit the Wikis for the public good. This round table event intends to discuss and clarify copyright exceptions when editing Wikipedia.
How did you connect with other people during Wikimania 2022? How did you celebrate at Wikimania 2022?

The chat ot

(Optional) Please share link(s) to your social media post(s) about Wikimania