Chapters meeting 2010/Documentation/Working Groups/External communications

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Not too many from who that participate at this group were ComCom members, or press contact\spokesperson - but we still had a great time, and more sharing ideas and method, rather than decided things...

I will try to summarize what we talk about, and I will be happy if someone could fix this letter (grammar and spelling issues..) and upload him to the Chapters Docs at the internal.. (and of course, adding things and ext'...).

  • We first of all agreed - Chapters need more to work on having active Spokesperson on the chapters. press contact is not enough. Participation of chapters representative is *must* on the ComCom list.
  • We need to improve the ComCom list dissucation. more sharing of projects, ideas, press work.. Doesn't have active spokesperson? or even if you have - use the list to ask and get advise what you can do about press and marketing issues. Having special occasion in your country? special project that your chapters working on? Ask the list for ideas what to do!! we are here for that!!
  • Improve fundraising? we must use marketing! give the press stories, push wikipedia cover, use social media - you can't run fundraising just from WP site notice.
  • You can do a lot of chapters activities, just with marketing. WM Germany have "Did you know" corner on Metro TV screen, WM hold most of there 100K article celebration by using the press, interviews and ext'.
  • Doing something special? press-kit? website design? share it... to the ComCom! this way we can share design, ideas and others things!
  • You don't need to wait for something to happen to get cover. look for stories. soldiers editing on Wikipedia? give to the army magazine interview with them. Look for Women's magazine and do a special projects about the women behind. have election? special event in your country? give the reporters statistics about entering to relevant articles on WP. journalist LOVEEEEE Statistics!
  • Working with press is not only positive - Negative issues are also things you need to take part of them (Editors left Wikipedia for example). track and see what going on with press in your area and at the ComCom (yes! ComCom again..) - decide (or ask for advise) when you need to involved, to use negative story to push interviews and to try make it positive. When to correct the press and when not?
  • Handling press and editors contact list.
  • Try to ask for pro-bono PR company if you need help (not instead spokesperson! you still need one in your chapters!)
  • the commons is a great projects that you can use for things. it's visual, and everyone love visual. and we need to push also others projects, not only WP. Postcards, calenders with things from the commons are only the start,
  • and again - ComCom! press work is most of time immediately. stories can spread to the world in less then 12 hours. take care for right person(s) on ComCom. Be on daily touch with the list. *Share* things, *Ask* things, *do* things.