Bay Area WikiSalon

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The Bay Area WikiSalon (BAWS) series is coming up on Wednesday, November 28, 2018 at 6 p.m. at the new Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) offices in the financial district of San Francisco. See the Bay Area WikiSalon page on Wikipedia for current and past event announcements.



Coordination tools (how you can help)[edit]

Wikimedia community logo - public domain

We coordinate our tasks on a Trello board here. Please join in.

We also rely upon Google Forms to receive RSVPs, and Google Sheets to keep track of RSVPs and to thereafter send out invitations to our master attendee email list.

If you are interested in getting involved and accessing our tools, please drop us a line:

Tips and guidelines:

  • When sending invites, try to include a Google calendar link as described on Stackoverflow's Link to add to google calendar (with more details here). For example click this:
  • Try to preserve links that we've advertised out rather than breaking them (e.g., each month we're rolling over the same URL to the Google RSVP form)

Background story[edit]

Cities across the world have Meetups, but some cities[1] have recurring open-ended monthly events they call WikiSalon. We would like to foster this type of event in the San Francisco Bay Area, and we are looking for volunteers like you in making it happen and keeping it going; many hands make lighter work by all and encourage diversity in the result.

Objective[edit]

Provide an inclusive and safe recurring time and place for new and veteran volunteers to connect, learn, and collaborate.

Plan[edit]

Mark one Wednesday evening per month at 6 p.m.

Next meetups[edit]

Typically, the Bay Area WikiSalon series will be held the last Wednesday of each month.

Times and dates[edit]

(Please mark your calendars ahead)

2016
Wednesday, March 30 at 6 p.m. (planning meeting: success)
Wednesday, April 27 at 6 p.m. (kickoff with program: success)
Wednesday, May 25 at 6 p.m. (success)
Wednesday, June 29 at 6 p.m. (with program: success)
Wednesday, July 27 at 6 p.m. (met at Noisebridge: success)
Wednesday, August 31 at 6 p.m. (with program: success)
Wednesday, September 28 at 6 p.m. (with a brief Wiki Loves Monument image upload demo: success)
Wednesday, October 26 at 6 p.m. (with program: success)
Wednesday, November 30 at 6 p.m. (with mini program: success)
Wednesday, December 21 at 6 p.m. (with program: success)

2017
Sunday, January 15 at 2 p.m. (combined with WD16: success)
Wednesday, February 22 at 6 p.m. (with program: success)
Wednesday, March 29 at 6 p.m. (was held at Noisebridge)
Wednesday, April 26 at 6 p.m. (with program and our one year anniversary celebration)
Wednesday, May 31 at 6 p.m. (was held at Noisebridge)
Wednesday, September 27 at 6 p.m.
Wednesday, November 29 at 6 p.m.

2018
Wednesday, June 6 at 6 p.m. at the Wikimedia Foundation office, 120 Kearny, SF
Wednesday, July 25 at 6 p.m. at the Wikimedia Foundation office, 120 Kearny, SF
Wednesday, September 26 at 6 p.m. at the Wikimedia Foundation office, 120 Kearny, SF
Thursday, December 6 at 6 p.m. at the Wikimedia Foundation office, 120 Kearny, SF

Directions[edit]

Now live on Wikipedia: Directions to Wikimedia Foundation offices

Format[edit]

The event itself should be fluid and to open to various topics. It should not be "all tech" or "no tech" - it should appeal to people with a broad variety of interests (though any given month might be more heavily in one discipline than others). Will likely involve:

  • time (at the beginning?) for informal socializing and discussions
  • introductory edit-a-thons, dependent on the number of newcomers, and pairing with an experienced editor
  • wikidojo group event experimentation
  • notices as to current editing drives, such as the Women in Red
  • topics of interests to the participants, probably including local San Francisco and California projects
  • presentations from non-Wikimedians about how Wikimedia relates to their work/interests
  • perhaps occasional brainstorming about bigger events (e.g. a weekend edit-a-thon with a bigger draw, or bigger events like WikiCon)

Space requirements[edit]

  • A space:
    • A place we can keep consistent every month is ideal
    • Wireless Internet
    • OK with us having food and drink
    • SF or Oakland? Pretty accessible via transit and/or other transportation modes
    • Handicap accessible
    • All gender restroom (epic fail)

Volunteers needed[edit]

Please add your name to the list

People who can commit to show up every month[edit]

WMF staffers[edit]

If WMF offices are used, at least one staff member to host:

  • Staff who have expressed interest/willingness:
    • Stephen LaPorte (host)
    • Jacob (host)
    • Asaf Bartov
    • Robert Miller (facilities)
    • Add your name above here

Panel discussion moderators or MCs[edit]

  • Add your name above here

Setup[edit]

  • Add your name above here

Greeters[edit]

  • Add your name above here

Breakdown[edit]

Peter Pelberg

  • Add your name above here

Publicity and social media[edit]

  • Add your name above here

Ambassadors (mix with new attendees)[edit]

  • Add your name above here

Mentors to new or novice editors[edit]

  • Add your name above here

Nice-to-haves[edit]

  • Projector, screen, ability to stream video (WMF FTW)
  • One or more sponsors who can provide food and drink.
    • April's nourishment were co-sponsored by Wiki Strategies, Ben Creasy and Checkingfax. A total of $160 was spent on food and beverages, and some good food was donated as well as adult beverages.
    • May's nourishment will be co-sponsored by Wiki Strategies and Checkingfax ($100 total). A collection was taken up at the April WikiSalon for May's nourishment, but we are still in need of more. There is no obligation to donate. Cash, check, or PayPal are accepted. Contact Wiki Strategies if you want to do PayPal. Participants are always welcome to bring food or beverage for themselves or to share. If you have special needs, please make them known ahead of time so we can do our best to accommodate them.
      • Update: $129 was spent for May nourishment.
    • For June, we will need more sponsors as Wiki Strategies will be lowering or dropping their sponsorship
    • July was sponsored by Ben Creasy, Wayne Calhoon, Stephen LaPorte and one anonymous donor
    • Going forward from August, 2016 for approximately 12 months (projected) WMF has approved a Rapid Grant of $2000 to cover the bulk of our needs

Program ideas[edit]

A panel discussion at the WMF offices in downtown San Francisco

We have agreed that we do not need to offer a program every month (and that it would be ideal to have some months when we can just get together and edit, and leave more space for spontaneous discussions or presentations). But, we want to attract a diverse group of people interested in Wikipedia. Presentations and more formal events can create a better draw than informal events.

For presentations, we have discussed the idea of interviews or panel discussions. One idea we discussed in particular is inviting guests who are not "of the Wikipedia world," but whose work involves information in some way, and may have interesting ideas to discuss with Wikipedians. The interviewer can be a Wikipedian, which can set the stage for a rich Q&A session. A short interview (15-20 minutes), with a Q&A session of 20-40 minutes, may be a good target, as it will leave plenty of time for informal discussion as well.

Suggested draws[edit]

  1. Authors
  2. Celebrities
  3. Civic leaders
  4. Critters
  5. Educators
  6. Elderly folks
  7. Local Embassy heads
  8. Musicians
  9. People making a difference
  10. San Francisco Bay Area historians
  11. Successful, young, disadvantaged businesspeople
  12. Whiz kids
  13. Youth

Announcements, promotion, and housekeeping[edit]

If you are doing social media promotion, we plan to use the hashtag #bawikisalon ( or you can use #BAWikiSalon )


(please make note of your completed tasks on our Trello Board)


  • Update w:Wikipedia:Bay Area WikiSalon#Upcoming
  • A link on the Wikipedia upcoming Meetups page (e.g.- w:Template:Meetup/August 2016 (September would go on the September template, and so on) - shows up here (you may have to purge the page for it to show up) - (done by Wayne 08/29/2016)
  • A GeoNotice on Wikipedia (Anybody can request one here: w:en:WP:GEONOTICE, and English Wikipedia admins (Pete is one) can implement here: w:en:MediaWiki:Gadget-geonotice-list.js) Should we consider geonotices on other wikis, e.g. Commons, Spanish Wikipedia...? Pete can also pull trigger as admin.
  • Anybody our guest speakers invite to come along
  • en:Double Union via en:User:Dreamyshade and en:User:Geeklizzard
  • EFF Fun List
  • Facebook event page (please share!): (need to create one for September)
  • LinkedIn public post (please share!): (need to create one for September)
  • en:Mothership HackerMoms
  • en:Noisebridge email list (SF hacker space)
  • Our Meetup group http://www.meetup.com/Bay-Area-WP/events/230782838/ Note: This is a recurring event for the last Wednesday every month. Organizers should be sure to refresh the next month in the series with timely content & links.
  • Our original group from March plus their friends
  • Our growing email list from prior Bay Area WikiSalon signups (be sure to send out the email via the BCC field !!!) - Blind Carbon Copy - the Master List is at sheets.google.com
  • Pete F (and others) - emailing personal contacts
  • Pete F (and others) - personal linkedin contacts
  • Pete F email attendees of Open Access event, Wikipedia 15 event, and perhaps Wikipedia & Journalism event.
  • SF Bay Area Journalists meetup group
  • sudo room email list (Oakland hacker space)
  • Tweets: Several have been sent, here's one to retweet: https://twitter.com/PeteForsyth/status/720350106214465536 (needs to be updated for September)
  • Wikimedia staff spontaneously joining us
  • Wikimedia-SF email list (easy)
    • You must subscribe to the Wikimedia-SF mailing list here before you are authorized to email out to this particular email list
    • You must confirm your subscription before you are fully authorized to send or receive emails from this list
    • Create an email
    • Address the email here: wikimedia-sf@lists.wikimedia.org
2016:
April text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2016-April/001209.html
May text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2016-May/001215.html
June text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2016-June/001226.html
July text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2016-July/001233.html
August text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2016-August/001239.html
September text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2016-September/001242.html
October text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2016-October/001251.html
November text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2016-November/001254.html
December text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2016-December/001258.html
December text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2016-December/001257.html
2017:
January text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2017-January/001270.html
February text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2017-February/001275.html
February text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2017-February/001276.html
March text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2017-March/001281.html
March text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2017-March/001282.html
April text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2017-April/001284.html
2018:
May text: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-sf/2018-May/001312.html
  • Wikipedia San Francisco on-wiki invitation list (goes to user talk pages via massmessage: you must be an authorized massmessage sender - note: all admins are mass message senders)
  • Wikipedia Tech Meetup group (this has been by Maria and Rachel)
  • Create new Google Calendar event (need to do for September)
  • ???

GEONOTICE draft for November 2017: goes on Wikipedia[edit]

(Post the Geonotice here)

(submitted to en.wiki by Wayne 11/14)

=== [[Wikipedia:Bay Area WikiSalon November 2017]] ===
'''Locations required:'''

* San Francisco Bay Area: [ [40.3, -124.6], [34.7, -118.3] ] (from Santa Cruz to Napa, and from SF to Sacramento)

'''Possible messages:'''
* What is "Talk Page Theatre"? You are invited to participate in the bi-monthly [[Wikipedia:Bay Area WikiSalon November 2017|Bay Area WikiSalon]] series on Wednesday, November 29 from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm in downtown San Francisco at the Wikimedia Foundation offices to find out!

'''Date range required:'''
* 14 November 2017 to 30 November 2017

'''Misc info:'''
* ''Reason for requesting:'' Monthly Bay Area WikiSalon meetup
* ''User requesting:'' <!-- sign here with FOUR tildes ~~~~ -->

'''Discussion''':
* 

WatchlistNotice draft for January: goes on Commons[edit]


Edit request goes here. (use sample below or use template Wizard found on same page)

== New watchlist message ==
{{edit request}}
Please add the following watchlist message:
{{WatchlistNotice
 |id = 1484275152851
 |text = {{LangSwitch
   | en = Please RSVP: Everybody is invited to the '''[[:en:Wikipedia:Meetup/SF/Wikipedia Day 2017|Wikipedia Day 16, San Francisco birthday bash & edit-a-thon]]''', Sunday, January 15 (2 - 6:00 pm) to celebrate or learn!
 }}
 |type = other_projects
 |from = 2017-01-12 00:00:00
 |until = 2017-01-16 08:00:00
 |latFrom = 40.25683611631393
 |latTo = 34.78515662412643
 |lonFrom = -124.57714855670929
 |lonTo = -118.3144534395218
}}
sign here with FOUR tildes ( ~~~~ )

=== Courtesy pings ===

Pinging {{ping|Andrew Gray|Peteforsyth}} since this event is coming up this Sunday, in case no other admin sees this in time. (With side pings to non-admins {{ping|Ben Creasy|Slaporte}}). Cheers! sign here with FOUR tildes ( ~~~~ )


Notes[edit]

  1. id = must be incremented up beyond any pre-existing WatchlistNotice
  2. text = must be modified and dates updated
  3. from = must be edited, including the time stamp in UTC
  4. until = must be edited, including the time stamp in UTC
  5. latFrom = is very broad in January's and could be knocked down a bit to reduce the footprint
  6. latTo = is very broad in January's and could be knocked up a bit to reduce the footprint
  7. lonFrom = is very broad in January's and could be knocked up a bit to reduce the footprint (it is a negative number, so goes up)
  8. lonFrom = is very broad in January's and could be knocked down a bit to reduce the footprint (it is a negative number, so goes down)
  9. be sure to sign with four tildes ( ~~~~ ) outside of the closing <pre> tag

MailChimp emails[edit]

2017:

You are invited! June 2016 WikiSalon[edit]

Now live on Wikipedia: w:en:Wikipedia:Bay Area WikiSalon June 2016 (comma removed from page title as it does not render when used as a long link in plain text on Google Forms)

Here is the invite text we used for MassMessage invites[edit]

Bay Area WikiSalon invitation for September 26![edit]

{{letterhead start}}
<center><big>Please join us in downtown San Francisco!</big></center>

[[File:Wikimedia Community Logo.svg|left|frameless|upright=.25|alt=Wikimedia Community logo]][[File:Bay Area WikiSalon Oct 2016 - 4.jpg |right|frameless|upright=1.36|alt=WikiSalon attendees]]

<b>P</b>eriodically, on the last Wednesday evening of the month, wiki enthusiasts gather at the '''Bay Area WikiSalon''' series to munch, mingle, and learn about new projects and ideas.

We allow time for announcements, informal conversation and working on articles. Newcomers and experienced wiki users are encouraged to attend. Bring a friend! Kid/family friendly. Free Wi-Fi is available so bring your editing devices. This months' focus is '''Did you know ... ?'''

We will have beverages (including beer and wine) plus light snacks (maybe pizza too!).
<hr>
:Details and RSVP '''[[w:en:Wikipedia:Bay Area WikiSalon September 2018|here]]''' (note: we are meeting at the new WMF HQ at 120 Kearny Street!)
<hr>
See you soon! {{u|Quantumavik|Avik}} (User:Quantumavik), {{u|Effeietsanders|Lodewijk}} (User:Effeietsanders), {{u|Ben Creasy}} (User:Ben Creasy), {{u|Slaporte|Stephen}} (User:Slaporte), and {{u|Checkingfax|Wayne}} (User:Checkingfax) <br /><center><small>([[Wikipedia:Meetup/SFrancisco/Invite|Subscribe/Unsubscribe to this talk page notice here]])</small> | ~~~~ </center>
{{letterhead end}}

Create add-to-calendar links[edit]

  • Create a Google Calendar link for each event and post to the event page, and to the presentation tab of the Google Form.
  • Create an .ics file that can be added to other calendar formats (Outlook, Microsoft, Apple, etc.). For now it can be hosted here. Wayne has an eventtolist account set up. We would prefer to host it on toollabs (for security reasons).

Sample menus[edit]

Ordered from shop.safeway.com (note: Safeway normally has a $15 delivery fee, plus a fuel surcharge, but we had a promo code to waive both)

April menu to serve 40-60 for $160:

  • 48 sodas (half sugared, half diet)
  • 24 bottles 16-oz water
  • 1 tray cut veggies with ranch dip to serve 8-12 (dip contains soy, milk, egg)
  • 1 tray pinwheel wraps + pineapple spears to serve 8-12 (Ham, hummus, havarti, pimiento-stuffed Manzanilla olive)
  • 1 tray fruit to serve 8-12: strawberries, blueberries, seasonal melon (milk based vanilla yogurt dip)
  • 1 tray spinach dip, bread bowl and bakery baguette slices to serve 8-12 (contains egg, wheat, soy, milk)
  • 1 tray mixed cold veggies & hummus dip to serve 8-12 (non-dairy)
  • 2 9-pound bags of ice to chill drinks
  • 6 rolls of select-a-size paper towels
  • 1 12-pack Belgian white ale beer: pairs well with sliced orange (brewed with oats and wheat)

April menu donated items:

  • 1 casserole dish of gluten-free vegetarian polenta lasagna (not vegan, contains dairy) prepared/provided by Mel Hofmann
  • 10 vegan grilled cheeze sammiches (non-dairy) - recipe found on food.com and prepared/provided by Mel Hofmann
  • Beer
  • Wine
  • 1 bag Veggie chips (vegan, gluten-free)
  • 1 bag Popcorn (vegan, gluten-free) - note: was not popular
  • Paper plates, forks, knives, and cups graciously donated by the WMF

(note: lots of cold veggies, strawberries, and popcorn left over)

May suggested add-ons:

  • Bananas (Safeway delivery gave us a promo code for 8 free bananas)
  • Hard iced tea
  • Gluten-free beer (be sure it is truly gluten-free vs. "gluten removed")
  • Chardonnay wine
  • Merlot wine
  • Tortilla chips and salsa
  • Grapes, oranges, apples,etc.

(note: Robert Miller maintains a Google Sheet to apprise of us non-perishables left over to roll over to next month's WikiSalon)

Welcome message[edit]

  • Welcome to the WikiSalons series. We are about all things Wiki, not just Wikipedia.
  • We meet the last Wednesday of every other month at 6 p.m., so mark your calendars ahead now
  • We are a safe harbor. If you are feeling threatened or bothered please bring it to our attention (including to the attention of WMF staff in attendance) and we will address it.
  • If you need help with editing, raise your hand and somebody should notice and come help you
  • If you do not want your picture taken, please wear a red name tag
  • Our edit summary hashtag is: #BAWikiSalon (or simply #bawikisalon)
  • The Wi-Fi password is: "... make ..." (not listed in full here for security reasons)
  • The restrooms are down the hall on the right
  • If you need a designated driver to get home, or any other assistance, please let us know
  • In case of fire, do NOT use the elevators; please walk, don't run, down the stairs.
  • Always feel free to bring your own food or an adult beverage for yourself or to share
  • The next WikiSalon is Wednesday, July 27 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at _______________________________ (TBD)
  • Any questions, announcements, or an opening comment from anybody out there?

Helpful pages for getting started[edit]

Template to create monthly redirect page[edit]

(change the month to the desired month):

Create this page:

Wikipedia:Bay Area WikiSalon November, 2016

to include this content:

#REDIRECT [[Wikipedia:Bay Area WikiSalon November 2016]]

{{R to Wikipedia namespace}}

preview it, then provide an edit summary and save it.

Footnotes[edit]

  1. Wikimedia DC and Wikimedia NYC call these events WikiSalons. Wikimedia Seattle meets monthly at a coffee shop but doesn't call it a WikiSalon.