Strategy/Wikimedia movement/2018-20/Transition/Discuss/Cluster H

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Discussion of priorities: Cluster A - 22. Movement Charter + 23. Interim Global Council + 24. Global Council • Cluster B - 9. Methodology to improve the Wikimedia platform UX + 11. Resources for newcomers • Cluster C - 31-33: Invest in Skills and Leadership Development • Cluster D - 25. Regional & thematic hubs • Cluster E - 2. Funding for underrepresented communities • Cluster F - 3. Increased awareness about the Wikimedia Movement • Cluster G - 8. Align with environmental sustainability initiatives • Cluster H - 36-38: Identify Topics for Impact

This page contains a summary of discussions from the Movement Strategy 5-6 December Global Conversations regarding the implementation of the initiatives: 36-38: Identify Topics for Impact. Feel free to continue the conversation on Meta by adding your thoughts and comments in the talk page.

Join the follow-up event[edit]

The Follow up event for discussing the implementation of the Identify Topics for Impact cluster will take place on Friday, February 5, between 15:00 to 17:00 UTC (LINK to join). If you would like to join the event, kindly sign your name below:

  1. --Ilario (talk) 22:35, 25 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  2. --PDiazR (WMCL) (talk) 17:37, 26 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  3. Sandra Rientjes (talk) 11:10, 28 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  4. Tgr (talk) 11:16, 28 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  5. --Zblace (talk) 07:11, 29 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  6. --Constanza Verón (WMAR) (talk) 13:48, 29 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  7. --Isaac (WMF) (talk) 22:26, 29 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  8. --DrMel (talk) 01:24, 2 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  9. --Ananth (CIS-A2K) (talk) 06:21, 2 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  10. --Georgina Burnett(WMDE) (talk) 13:59, 2 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  11. --Sneha (CIS-A2K) (talk) 07:43, 3 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  12. --Dominik Scholl (WMDE) (talk) 13:07, 3 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  13. --Lucy Patterson (WMDE) (talk) 13:57, 3 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  14. --Frank Schulenburg (talk) 14:45, 4 February 2021 (UTC --
  15. -- User:Ms Kabintie --Ms Kabintie (talk) 06:00, 5 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  16. --Christoph Jackel (WMDE) 14:20, 5 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  17. --Miriam (WMF) (talk) 14:56, 5 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  18. --NANöR (talk) 16:31, 5 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Events summary[edit]

5 December[edit]

Video summary of the discussion (same as the written points, recorded during the events).

Round 1

Key actions (full notes on Etherpad):

  1. Choose/Create a framework.
  2. Map existing and missing content.
  3. Set goals.
  4. Start working on high-impact topics and content gaps.
  5. Measure, report and celebrate achievements.

Round 2

Video summary of the discussion (same as the written points, recorded during the events).

Key actions (full notes on Etherpad):

  1. Identify globally important topics through the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals.
  2. Ensure that tools to address misinformation on English Wikipedia can be replicated on other language Wikipedias.
  3. We should tell stories about the content we add and the impact that it has.

6 December[edit]

Round 1

Video summary of the discussion (same as the written points, recorded during the events).

Key actions (full notes on Etherpad):

  1. More support for editors working on high impact articles. Many resources are not easy to access, and there are no very convenient means to ask for support when editing.
  2. Create a more cohesive cross-movement communication channel, where questions regarding projects can receive responses as quickly as possible.
  3. Hire reference librarians to help find hard-to-access sources, especially sources in foreign languages that editors may not be able to handily comprehend.

Round 2

Video summary of the discussion (same as the written points, recorded during the events).

Key actions (full notes on Etherpad):

  1. Build a list of high impact topics and content gaps. It is expected that communities need to be closely engaged in this process, because impact topics could be really different across communities, as well as the content gaps.
  2. Build a communication system for people and communities contributing to these topics, so that they can coordinate their work and resolve issues such as translation and reliable sources. This will also help get more quick responses when needed.
  3. Partner with local and global organization for the provision of content. These partnerships can help facilitate reliable information around high impact areas (e.g. COVID-19 articles).

Detailed input[edit]

The rich input from the December Global Conversations, in addition to feedback from other discussions has been further organized by the Support Team into a more coherent template. The objective of this template is to clarify the proposals that have already emerged in the discussions, and to serve as a basis to continue the conversation around the implementation of the Movement Strategy recommendations. The eventual goal is to develop it into a “draft implementation plan” that will be presented to the whole movement and the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees in February 2021. The current template is put forward to serve as the baseline for the upcoming follow-up discussions in January.

The information below has been directly taken from the minutes of the Global Conversations and occasionally edited or rephrased for clarity, so it is not necessarily verbatim.

Defining the scope[edit]

  • The Sustainable Development Goals could be a framework for deciding what topics are impactful. This would connect us closely to external partners.
  • Some of the data we already have: Knowledge Gap Index.
  • We already have high impact topics (e.g. WWII): "impact" seems very vague.
  • Different wikis may see different projects as higher priority.
    • Simply focusing on the number of pageviews may not give an accurate measure of high impact articles
    • What qualifies as “high impact” could/should shift over time. Priorities should not remain static.
  • It is complex to compare the impact across different kinds of activities, such as  documentation, project management, campaigning.

Connections:

  • Connects with “35. Establish a movement-wide Knowledge Base”.
  • 18-month piloting intersects with “25. Regional hubs”.

Who should be involved[edit]

  • WMF Research Team: could help lead and conduct new research.
  • WMF Partnerships team: could be a helpful resource in vetting partnerships.
  • Local groups or regional hubs should also conduct research.
  • Chapters and UGs could be funded to create language-specific lists of missing topics.
    • It could be totally data driven, and hence generalizable for all projects
  • Motivate emerging communities to lead with content.

Immediate steps for the next 18 months[edit]

  • Overall steps:
  1. Choose/Create a framework
  2. Map out existing and missing content
  3. Set goals
  4. Set up projects, i. e. do the work
  5. Measure, report, celebrate achievements
  • Conduct research that is compatible with the 10-year strategy: any research should go into the first 18-months to keep time for application.
    • Identify globally-important topics through the lens of the SDGs
    • Complete the taxonomy project
    • Research should help determine the areas of impact across languages, regions, etc.
  • Explore gaps regarding text, image, audio-visual content  
    • "List of needed/1,000 articles" has been a useful tool that almost every wiki has, it needs to be better promoted.
    • -  Work on lists of topics that students need, which are culturally-dependent, so that people from education are involved in making the lists.
    • A tool to map out trending topics in the media by language: including identifying what people are looking for and are unable to find.
  • Support multilingual organisation, documentation needs in minority languages.
    • Set up local training in languages regularly
    • Access multilingual sources: Translation isn't always the answer.
    • Create a support system for editors to reach out to certain communities.
  • Look at current underrepresented Wikipedias with fewer articles, and see how we can support them to grow.
    • Many smaller communities are struggling (in contrast to the cluster of dominant communities with wide topic coverage).
    • Tie these initiatives to an awareness campaign: marketing campaign mixed with local recruitment.
  • Tell stories about the content we add; based on data and research (actual example: local policy for climate change in city articles).
  • Pilot/demo projects to get started, and documented. Create templates to guide organizers.
  • Create partnerships: Many organizations have big knowledge repositories lying around and not being optimized by new audiences. We can provide the platforms to mitigate that.
    • Proactive partnering with global bodies in preparation for high impact topics that may arise (e.g. WHO in COVID-19).
  • Consider knowledge hubs as a successful strategy to grow the movement with certain audiences (e.g. Art+Feminism, or climate change, Africa).
  • Make the "List of Wikipedias by sample of articles" results and rankings more known and easier to update, test and compare.
  • Decide how to sort out issues with content: e.g. how to upload videos without copyright or formatting issues, including videos from mobile.

Needs for resources and support[edit]

  • Cohesive central social support structure, to support editors working on high-impact articles, and help provide them with necessary info.
    • Big investment in tools for research and exploring resources.
    • WMF to hire a reference librarian(s) to help find hard to access sources.
  • Need for better spaces to coordinate across contributors interested in content gaps (e.g. low engagement on IRC).
    • Channel for support where people can reach out and receive immediate support.
    • For hot topics (e.g. COVID), we need a quicker forum/communication system for editors contributing to these topics: handling issues like translation, gathering reliable sources etc.
  • WMF Research Team to help lead and conduct new research.
    • There is some research related to how Wikipedia influences science and research that would be interesting to expand on.
  • Misinformation: provide space to create more nuanced tools to stop it.
    • Good tools are already existing in English Wikipedia.
    • We are currently unable to face state-sponsored propaganda.
  • Provide resources for digitization.
  • Set aside funds to help local communities identify their own high priority topics.
    • Certain funds could be dedicated to practically build lists of topics for impact.
    • Need to look out for ill use of the extra resources for impact, such as misinformation campaigns.

Interested communities and affiliates[edit]

Based on local, regional, and thematic priorities (please see table and map):

Wikimedia UK, DE supervisory, WMDC, ESEAP, WP.Kiswahili, Wikimedians For Sustainable Development, WM Australia Art + Feminism, Sudan UG, San Diego, Iberocoop, West Africa, Les sans pages, Guinea Conakry, Cemeteries, CIS A2K, LGBT+ UG, Uganda UG, Kenya UG, WikiDonne, wikiBlind

Interested in implementation[edit]

Sign below (in whatever capacity or affiliation you like) if you are interested in contributing to the implementation of this cluster:

  1. Opsylac (talk) 15:04, 17 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]
  2. –Em-mustapha User | talk 16:20, 3 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  3. LucyCrompton-Reid (WMUK) (talk) 09:05, 14 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  4. Subodh (CIS-A2K) (talk) 05:01, 20 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  5. Tgr (talk) 02:16, 24 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  6. Marcmiquel (talk) 19:22, 25 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  7. --Ilario (talk) 22:35, 25 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  8. --PDiazR (WMCL) (talk) 17:42, 26 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  9. --Anna Torres (WMAR) (talk) 01:31, 28 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  10. --Camelia (talk) 20:14, 30 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  11. --Rosiestep (talk) 20:58, 1 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  12. DaSupremo (talk)
  13. --Ananth (CIS-A2K) (talk) 06:21, 2 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  14. Wikimedia Nederland - Sandra Rientjes (talk) 10:57, 2 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  15. RevitalP-WMILRevitalP-WMIL (talk) 12:14, 3 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  16. --Frank Schulenburg (talk) 14:47, 4 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  17. --DrMel (talk) 03:42, 5 February 2021 (UTC)ç#[reply]
  18. --Tiputini (talk) 21:51, 6 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  19. Luisina Ferrante (WMAR) (talk) 15:50, 3 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]
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