Grants:Project/Rapid/Banners for WikiConference North America and beyond
gmail.com
Project Goal[edit]
Briefly explain what are you trying to accomplish with this project, or what do you expect will change as a result of this grant. Example goals include, "recruit new editors", "add high quality content", or "train existing editors on a specific skill".
- The Wikiconference planning team of WMDC, WMNY and other US-based user groups would like to acquire a set of Wikipedia Space posters – a portable banner-based exhibit introducing Wikipedia – for public outreach at conferences and high profile events in North America. These will be used first at Wikipedia educational and editing events at WikiConference North America at Balboa Park and San Diego Central Library, as well as other future events in the US.
Project Plan[edit]
Activities[edit]
Tell us how you'll carry out your project. What will you and other organizers spend your time doing?
- The banner-based exhibit is a portable system that can be rolled up and packed into small tube containers. It can be sent to any location in the US by express shipping for about $50-75 depending on location. So far we have used the Wikipedia Space banners in at least five different locations around the US during edit-a-thons and conferences, in order to give people a better understanding of Wikipedia's principles.
- We have seen increased demand from US-based affiliates as they look to increase outreach efforts, and Wikiconference will be the largest effort by far, with several hundred cultural professionals and members from the public signed up for the conference. More information can be found at: En:Wikipedia:WikipediaSpace
How will you let others in your community know about your project (please provide links to where relevant communities have been notified of your proposal, and to any other relevant community discussions)? Why are you targeting a specific audience?
- Even before Wikiconference, we have had chapters and user groups request the use of posters, such as AfroCROWD, Wikimedia NYC, and others. We plan to let the US affiliates know they are available for loan/use via Wikimedia US mailing list, the monthly Wikimedia US conference call, and on-wiki.
What will you have done at the end of your project? How will you follow-up with people that are involved with your project?
Impact[edit]
How will you know if the project is successful and you've met your goals? Please include the following targets and feel free to add more specific to your project:
- The initial use will be at Wikiconference North America but since they are durable and can be re-used and shipped easily, we plan for them to be used at events over the next few years. They should be relied upon for more than 50 cycles of assembly and teardown.
- We plan to register all attendees to both Wikiconference North America and at the GLAM Culture Crawl event at Balboa Park, which will give us a rough count of how many people have seen the exhibit at the San Diego Public LIbrary, and at the Balboa Parks museums. We have also asked people using the posters to take photos of the banners at their peak usage, and to send a rough estimate of how large their events are, or how many conference attendees might have seen them.
- Projected impact and impressions of the banner exhibit:
- Wikiconference North America and Balboa Park Wiki Culture Crawl Day (October 7-10, 2016)
- A rough estimate is roughly 200-300 attendees at the two venues. Throughout the day, with the exhibit will be displayed in a public venue (San Diego Central Public Library lobby and Balboa Park outdoor space), such that 500 or more impressions per day is not unreasonable.
- Wikiconference North America and Balboa Park Wiki Culture Crawl Day (October 7-10, 2016)
- Future events:
- Small edit-a-thon settings - 10 to 30 people per event (eg. university setting or professional GLAM edit-a-thon training)
- Medium edit-a-thon settings - 30 to 70 people per event (eg. AfroCROWD, Art+Feminism)
- Conferences and exhibitions - 70-500 people per event (eg. academic, librarian or museum conference)
- Large conferences or public spaces - 500-2000+ (eg. Wikimania in a large metropolitan area, such as Montreal or London; South by Southwest)
Given the usage history of one set of banners used in 2016 (see en:Wikipedia:WikipediaSpace#Timeline):
- a conservative estimate might be for 1,000 to 3,000 people with exposure to them over the course of a year, or
- as high as 5,000 people if they are used in large events, such as Wikimania or academic/professional conferences.
Resources[edit]
What resources do you have? Include information on who is the organizing the project, what they will do, and if you will receive support from anywhere else (in-kind donations or additional funding).
- Andrew Lih created Wikipedia Space out of a collaboration with Wikimedia DC and the US National Archives. The initial design work and prototype were supported by NARA and the Knight Foundation, which gave a prototype grant to Andrew Lih.
What resources do you need? For your funding request, list bullet points for each expense:
- What would the banners actually cost?
The bamboo “X stands” as seen in the photo are printed on vinyl and can be packed up fairly small and reused as needed. The price as seen is $210 per panel. That’s about $50 for the X-stand hardware, and then $160 for high quality color printing. This was done through a well regarded supplier in Virginia, CSI Printing. Checking online with a few other places the prices are comparable, with the cheapest going down to about $190.
One place, with cheaper material, can go down to $170, but is of questionable durability.
A rough estimate would be:
- 5 banners x $295 for printing and X stands - $1475
- Shipping/storage case - $150
- Shipping handling - $100
In addition to the banners, table runners with the Wikipedia logo will help assist at events for brand recognition.
- 4 logo table runners x $50 each = $200
TOTAL: $1925
Endorsements[edit]
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