Wikimedia United States Chapters Council

US metropolitan areas with over 2 million people; these may be the most fertile grounds to found chapters—but if your metro only has 1 million, don't be discouraged!

The general distribution of US population , metropolitan areas and megaregions.

Chapters Chapters committee FAQ Creation guide Reports Meetings Agreements Board seats WMF grants to chapters Established chapters (39) AR Wikimedia Argentina AT Wikimedia Österreich AU Wikimedia Australia BD Wikimedia Bangladesh CA Wikimedia Canada CH Wikimedia CH CL Wikimedia Chile CZ Wikimedia Česká republika DE Wikimedia Deutschland DK Wikimedia Danmark EE Wikimedia Eesti ES Wikimedia España FI Wikimedia Suomi FR Wikimédia France GB Wikimedia UK HK Wikimedia Hong Kong HU Wikimédia Magyarország ID Wikimedia Indonesia IL Wikimedia Israel IN Wikimedia India IT Wikimedia Italia KE Wikimedia Kenya MK Wikimedia Macedonia MO Wikimedia Macau MX Wikimedia México NL Wikimedia Nederland NO Wikimedia Norge PH Wikimedia Philippines PL Wikimedia Polska PT Wikimedia Portugal RS Викимедија Србије RU Викимедиа РУ SE Wikimedia Sverige TW Wikimedia Taiwan UA Вікімедіа Україна US-DC Wikimedia District of Columbia US-NYC Wikimedia New York City VE Wikimedia Venezuela ZA Wikimedia South Africa

The Wikimedia United States Chapters Council is a framework to organize the founding of a strong group of Wikimedia chapters in the United States, and to promote cooperation among them.

These chapters, unlike existing chapters in other nations, may be founded on a metropolitan and regional-scale level, because of the unique issues of uneven population density throughout the country, and the relative unimportance of state boundary lines.

Wikimedia New York City and Wikimedia DC are the first approved regional chapters in the United States.

Wiki-Conference New York 2009 at NYU was the first live venue at which this framework was developed among aspirant US chapter organizers.

Metropolitan level operations

United States chapters may be founded on the level of metropolitan areas, which are informally defined urban areas surrounding major cities, with a local orientation as community groups. It may be practical to extend the regions of operation significantly beyond the Census definition of the metropolitan area, since many parts of the United States are not in any metropolitan area.

Existing efforts have focused on the participation of those engaging in Wikipedia Meetup events, which is a good way to get started organizing, and it may be helpful for regions of operation to be roughly congruent with the area for which travel to such events is convenient. The utilization of the Geonotice tool, and hopefully other improved geoip tools in future, is a good path to build up such local organization in the medium term.

It may be helpful to look at C. Etzel Pearcy's 1973 redrawn map of the United States (explanation) of "natural" borders centered on major concentrations of population.

In areas where the major concentrations of population are not too divergent from state boundary lines (or where population is not dense at all, as especially in the rural West), it may be most beneficial to simply define chapters on a state-level basis.

The regions of operation of chapters will not be strictly defined, but people may participate in whatever chapter (or chapters) it is convenient or preferable to them to attend the meetings of.

See also: User:Kelly Martin/US regions

Function of the council

The function of the council will be to promote the founding of new chapters, and to maintain a forum for communication among the different chapters.

This might include the organization of community-based nationwide efforts such as the in the example of Wikipedia Loves Art, but on a more regular basis it would also involve joint activities among neighboring chapters in the organization of larger events, and if there is more than one chapter in a state, the coordination of state-level promotional activities.

Local entities

The council should also explore the issue of how organize local chapters or groups in a coordinated or non-coordinated manner:

1. Shall we establish completely autonomous, local chapters (e.g. Wikimedia NYC, Wikimedia DC, Wikimedia SF)
2. Shall there be a national entity, with local subchapters or affiliates, that files for group exception with the IRS and loosely ties together affiliates through common purpose? (local units can either be separately incorporated or not)
3. Shall there be regional entities with local affiliates? (e.g. Wikimedia Northeast US, Wikimedia Midwest US, Wikimedia Rocky Mountain Region...)

Communities showing potential for new chapters

The communities showing the greatest potential for new chapters are those that have successfully organized multiple Wikipedia Meetup events in the past, or have shown the potential to do so.

• Northeast
  • (in Wikimedia New York City)
    • New York City
    • Philadelphia (see historical Wikimedia Pennsylvania discussions)
    • Pittsburgh
    • Connecticut
  • Washington, DC (see Wikimedia DC discussions)

• New England (see Wikimedia New England discussions)
  • Boston
  • Maine
  • New Hampshire

• West Coast
  • Southern California
  • San Francisco (see Wikimedia California discussions)
  • Seattle
  • Oregon

• South
  • Texas
  • Tennessee
  • Florida
  • Atlanta

• Midwest (see Wikimedia Midwest discussions)
  • Chicago
  • Detroit / Ann Arbor
  • Indianapolis
  • Minnesota
  • Ohio ( see Wikimedia Ohio discussions)
  • St. Louis

Events

Wiki-Conference New York

Discussion of this framework occurred at Wiki-Conference New York 2009 and Wiki-Conference New York 2010.

All chapters-interested folks in the US were invited to attend and represent their region. We were also glad to be joined by some like-minded friends pursuing their own efforts in Canada, as well as by Free Culture groups from across New England, who have their own experience with national and local chapters to share.

West Coast WikiConference

Also, check out West Coast WikiConference as a forum for similar regional discussions.

Communication

It is also hoped that some of this conversation can take place on the WikimediaUS-l mailing list.

Mailing lists

Local mailing lists include:

• Wikimedia_NYC
• wikimedia-dc
• wikimedia-boston
• Atlanta
• San Francisco
• Ohio

IRC

A number of regional US IRC chat channels are maintained.

Additionally, a channel for all US Wikimedians is available:

#wikimedia-us^connect

Midwest US Wikimedians

#wikimedia-midwest^connect

Northeast US Wikimedians

#wikimedia-northeast^connect

West Coast US Wikimedians

#wikimedia-westcoast^connect

WALRUS committee

Communities represented on WALRUS committee.

The 'Wikimedians Active in Local Regions of the United States' (WALRUS) committee is a preparatory stage of the national Chapters Council, consisting of a partnership of existing and actively planned chapters (Wikimedia NYC and Wikimedia DC), along with leading Wikimedian activists and meetup organizers in the other regions of the US.

Through this effort, cities across the US will be celebrating The Great American Wiknic in June 2011 and again in June 2012.

The WikimediaUS-l mailing list is home to the WALRUS committee and related discussions.

Starting in 2012, the mailing list will schedule monthly IRC meetings (generally on the second Wednesday) at #wikimedia-us^connect:

meetings at 9pm Eastern Time, 6pm Pacific Time

• March 1 meeting: WALRUS/March 2012
• April 11 meeting: WALRUS/April 2012
• May 9 meeting: WALRUS/May 2012
• June 13 meeting: WALRUS/June 2012

Region	Group	Category	Representatives
Northeast (regional contact: NYC)
US-BOS metro, New England	Boston Wikipedian Meetup, Wikimedia Boston	Meetup / Observer	User:Emufarmers, User:Ktr101
US-NYC metro	Wikimedia New York City	Official Wikimedia chapter	User:Pharos
US-PHIL metro	Wikipedia Meetup Philadelphia	Meetup / Observer	User:Smallbones
US-PITT metro	Wikipedia Meetup Pittsburgh	Meetup / Observer	User:Piotrus, User:Hholt01
West Coast (regional contact: SF)
US-SF metro, US-OR	Wikipedia Meetup San Francisco, WikiProject Oregon	Meetup / Observer	Pete F
US-LA metro	Wikipedia Meetup Los Angeles	Meetup / Observer	User:Fuzheado
US-SEA metro	Wikipedia Meetup Seattle	Meetup / Observer	User:Bluerasberry
South (regional contact: DC)
US-DC metro	Wikimedia District of Columbia	Official Wikimedia chapter	User:Aude
US-FL	WikiProject Florida	Observer	User:Donald Albury, User:FloNight
/ US-TX/US-HOU	WikiProject Texas/WikiProject Houston	Observer	User:WhisperToMe
Midwest (regional contact: Midwest)
US-CHI metro	Wikipedia Meetup Chicago	Meetup / Observer	User:TonyTheTiger
US-CO	Wikipedia Meetup Colorado	Meetup / Observer	User:Buaidh, User:Gaurav
US-EVV metro	Wikipedia Meetup Evansville	Meetup / Observer	User:Bob the Wikipedian
US-OH	Wikipedia Meetup Ohio	Meetup / Observer	User:DaveMenninger
US-MN	Wikipedia Meetup Minnesota	Meetup	User:Jonathunder
US-DET metro	Wikipedia Meetup Detroit / Wikipedia Meetup Ann Arbor	Meetup / Observer	User:PeRshGo

Discussion

On behalf of the Wikipedia:WikiProject Pittsburgh, I hope WALRUS grows strong. Sadly, I am not sure if our project is active enough to warrant a real membership (see discussion). --Piotrus 20:07, 16 March 2011 (UTC)

Currently as a part time visitor but longtime and very involved booster of everything Pittsburgh and region, I would like to throw my hat into any meetups I can attend through the year! Hholt01 23:39, 27 April 2011 (UTC)

I am responding to a personal appeal via email to come here. I am glad to represent w:WP:CHICAGO. I am less active than in the past (although you might not be able to tell while I am caught up in March Madness). I have had minimal involvment in coordinating a meetup and if it came down to my efforts it is not likely anything grand would happen in Chicago. I can lend a hand, but I would not be able to bring together such a meeting. Chicago is a very looseknit group, but I am willing to be a spokesperson for the group.--TonyTheTiger 07:25, 18 March 2011 (UTC)

I see that Chicago was added above. Why? Is my name suppose to be in that table.--TonyTheTiger 12:56, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

Other places to add: Indiana (Indianapolis), Boston, and St. Louis (User:Chaser and User:BirgitteSB). Aude 12:13, 20 March 2011 (UTC)

Suggestion: Wikimedia Great Lakes, then it could include all of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, etc... (Possibly Canadian users such as Windsor, OT?) Kylu 12:40, 4 May 2011 (UTC)

I'd join a Great Lakes chapter. I'm based in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I don't know how feasible including Ohio would be though – it's an 8+ hour drive from here or Wisconsin, thanks to a minor obstacle. :) Ed ^{[talk] [en]} 19:50, 6 May 2011 (UTC)

Sorry for taking so long to respond to the invitation (reflective of my current level of business, I suppose)! I'm in Evansville; I'll echo Ed. Ohio's quite a drive from Evansville; perhaps chapters should be significantly smaller...I'd say no more than a one-hour driving radius. Bob the Wikipedian 03:47, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

For more local areas we would probably want to have autonomous subchapters, with the legal nonprofit incorporated on a broader 'Great Lakes'-level.--Pharos 17:36, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

What sort of meetups are we talking about, though? What will we do at the meetups? As I look around, the nearest Wikipedian I know in flesh and blood lives 3.5 hours away and in the next time zone, so finding chapter members might not be the easiest thing in the world to do, even for a midsize metropolitan area like Evansville. Bob the Wikipedian 18:20, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

Looks like the Wiknic I've scheduled in town has yielded several attendees, so adding Evansville. I'm using the rationale that Evansville is the only metropolitan area in southern Indiana and the nearby portions of Illinois/Kentucky; the metropolitan area includes several cities in Indiana and Kentucky, and the St. Louis, Louisville, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati metropolitan areas are all significantly inconvenient distances away; it wouldn't be reasonable to say "Indiana meetup" and expect to serve more than a third of the state at any given time due to its geographical size. A proper breakdown of Indiana in terms of convenience/feasibility would include a minimum of four meetups to cover southern (Evansville), central (Indianapolis + Bloomington), northeastern (Fort Wayne + South Bend), and northwestern (Chicago, IL). Bob the Wikipedian (talk) 08:19, 19 May 2012 (UTC)