Grants:TPS/Oop/Wikimania/2017/Report

1. Participant.

User:Oop. Home wiki: et.wp (an admin since 2004). These days, I'm mostly active outside Wikipedia in public policy matters and wikievangelism, although I occasionally make edits or create articles. That's important for understanding the following.

2. Outcome.

Pick your poison:

a) We're currently establishing cooperation on public policy issues between three Wikimedia chapters that are currently running campaigns for freedom of panorama on a national level: WMEE, WMUA, and WMZA. Currently, we're trying to figure out what platforms and formats would be the best to exchange our experiences on both strategical and tactical level. The issue is complicated, as we would like to be as open as possible, yet some data about the ongoing political issues and negotiation strategies is somewhat sensitive by its very nature. The talks started on Wikimania in Montréal in August and continued in the WMCEE conference in Warsaw in September (from which I just returned, two days ago). There is no website yet, sorry. But we have agreed on a tentative name for the project: Wiki Loves Copyright.

b) Wikimania was the starting point for a series of interviews with international Wikimedians for Estonian media, the first of which (with James Heilman) is currently being transcribed and translated. The texts will be published in two languages (English and Estonian) both in Estonian media and in our own channels (either on the WMEE blog or on suitable wikiprojects) under free license. Agreements for publishing have been prearranged.

c) Some other texts were born during the Wikimania (a worrisome essay on the strategy and future of Wikipedia, a proposal for establishing a wikijournal to facilitate bringing indigenous or other suppressed knowledge to academia by creating a reliable source for just that kind of material, a shorter piece on semi-conscious biases, etc) that are yet unfinished, as I have been rather busy with the public policy work, a lot of new material for which (and some new contacts) came from Montréal. (Pre-presenting the Estonian translation of Lawrence Lessig's Free Culture (partly by yours truly) on the 15th birthday event of Estonian Wikipedia in August, right after returning from Montréal; stepping up on two conferences - WMCEE and Copycamp - in September; dealing with a media attack on Wikimedia movement in Estonia in September; preparing WMEE for the upcoming meeting of the culture committee of Estonian parliament on our draft bill aiming to establish full freedom of panorama in Estonia, on Oct 10; preparing the public signing of the Public Domain Manifesto in Estonian National Library and the presentation of Free Culture to the media on Oct 19; writing several articles on free culture, copyright reform in Europe, etc, hopefully being published in close weeks; etc etc etc. Sorry.)

d) Got useful contacts and a lot of material for an academical paper to be published this year (if the agreement with the most popular general-purpose academical journal in Estonia, Akadeemia, holds), concerning the history and future of Estonian encyclopedias, and Wikipedia's position in that tradition.

e) Annoyed a lot of people during the strategy talks by repeatedly stating it is tough to reach a sensible strategy for Wikipedia/Wikimedia if we do not try to get an agreement on the very basic terms like what exactly is the "knowledge" and what it means to "share" it. Some of that even reached some discussion notes (to be scrapped later). Also, stood up on every session about public policy and legal issues, asking whether the new strategic lean towards "advocacy of free culture" means there would be an actual support for the policy work. Got mostly "Well, er, actually, ehm... sorry, the time is up, gotta go" and sometimes more frank "Nah, not really". (As an aftermatch in Warsaw, though, one particular lady seemed much more receptive towards such thinking. But she's still fresh, so let's forgive her optimism.)

f) Discussed the arrangements for an Estonian translation of Dariusz Jemelniak's book on the ethnography of Wikipedia with the author. Not sure about when, though. Or from which language (might be from English czy z polskiego). Depends on the publishers, mostly. Quite doubtful WMF would finance that.

3. Connections.

Handed out some books, lots of candies, nuts, and matchboxes. All seemed to be much appreciated. Got some stuff, forgot a book. Sorry.

Met a former dog sitter and stablehand from Wilton, Connecticut, who speaks Arabic, in a rain shelter under a rainbow. Seems very nice. Agreed to an interview (we hoped to conduct it on the WMCEE meeting but had to settle for a later thing via the Interwebs).

Met a Dalit lady and a Californian local gentleman, both having been written out of the history. (The last one's people also seems to have an immigrant problem in last centuries.) Very educational. Gotta do something about it. Still thinking.

Met a Canadian Singaporean Wikipedian lady in Chinatown at night. Walked, ate poutine, discussed policy and strategy and philosophy and whatnot. Learnt a bit of Chinese. Feeling much more educated now. A long road to becoming civilized yet ahead, though.

Met all those weird video game machines from 80s, first time in my life. Galaga, Mortal Kombat, ya'know. Recently translated a whole book about them into Estonian, had no clue. Educational as hell.

Met Doc James first time for real. Lent him my cane for a photo opp. He looked much cooler than I do. (Should upload on Commons, hmph. Always forgetting.)

Met some people mildly interested in a Wiki Loves Tango project. Not a big success, but one has to ask, right?

Last but definitely not least, met my roommate Wayne. You know Wayne? Everybody knows Wayne! A great guy. I don't know anyone else who'd personally know so many homeless Wikipedians. A very impressive and educational experience. Also, makes one thinking till it hurts.

4. Anything else?

A lot of stuff, as you see, but most still under construction. Sorry about that. Not everything gets finished in a month or two. After all, Estonian are kinda slow (just ask Russians about it, they have wonderful anecdotes, like one about the turtles and an Estonian zookeeper that could be me).

Probably forgot half of it. It's 5 am and I have to get up at 8. Love reporting.

Might update later with media links and stuff. Mostly, stuff. Then again, might forget.