User:Aubrey/FDC
work in progress. Not decided yet :-).
Andrea Zanni (Aubrey)[edit]
Aubrey (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
| Candidate details | 
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| Statement | I've been involved in the Wikimedia movement for more than a decade, and it had an enormous impact in my life. It changed the course of my studies, it gave me friends and purpose, it donated me my current profession as a digital librarian. I've discovered in the last 10 years that I what I do best is provide infrastructure for "access to knowledge", and this is what I want to do as a member of the FDC.
For me, the FDC is a means to an end, which is "sum of all human knowledge for everyone". Even more, our vision is means itself: we aim for a better world, and providing access to knowledge" through reason, empathy and collaboration is the path that we chose, as a community, to achieve this goal. As much as I love Wikipedia, I'm convinced that our vision is bigger than just writing encyclopedic articles: we must do that, of course, but also strive for language equity, for preserving and providing primary literature, for organizing and harnessing structured data, for integrating open access scientific research, for preserving different cultural artifacts. If appointed, I'll do my best to make the FDC a platform for our movement, leveraging smaller projects that foster collaboration and open knowledge. | |
| Compulsory questions | 1. What experiences of yours do you think will enhance the work and recommendation process of the FDC?
I've been in the board of Wikimedia Italia for five years, serving as secretary, program manager and finally as president. I know well chapters and how it's like to be a volunteer that commits to important and demanding projects. During my presidency, Wikimedia Italia wrote its first strategic plan and applied for (and received) its first APG. I've also participated in countless projects and events within the chapter: I was among the firsts to take Wiki Loves Monuments in Italy, and I supported and created many partnerships with GLAMs (especially libraries).
I recently convened the first international Wikisource conference, hosted by Wikimedia Austria in Wien.
Aside from the grants received with Wikimedia Italia, I've also personally been a grantee in the first round of Individual Engagement Grants in 2013. I've experienced what it's like to be a recipient, and the work that is necessary to be eligible, to satisfy all the criteria, and to report progress when the grant is accepted.
I am aware that I should eventually recuse myself from any discussion or decision involving Wikimedia Italia, and I am of course open to provide you with any further information that may be of interest.
2. How does your history with Wikimedia make you suited for the FDC? I'm a white, cis, European male in my thirties, so hardly a member of a minority.
Still, I am part of the Wikisource community, a tiny project compared to Wikipedia, but with a lot of potential. As part of a past IEG, and now a leader of a User Group, I know how hard it is to build a community from scratch, to gather a critical mass of community members from different languages. I hope to bring this perspective to the FDC; I hope to see and support many projects related to Wikidata, Wikisource, Wiktionary, Wikiquote. There are countless "low-hanging fruits" related to these projects and to these communities. Also, there are huge opportunities for languages and cultures not often represented enough on Wikipedia (Indic or Arabic, for example: Wikisource can be very valuable for these languages). This is the diversity I can bring to the committee. | |
| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
Eligibility:  Not yet verified
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Identification: Not yet verified
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1 & 2[edit]
Let me answer 1 & 2 together.
Paid editing is a complex subject: I'm not against that per se, but it definitely adds complexity to a project, and requires double attention. For example, when Neutral Point of View is not required, paid editing is a much more easier issue. 7
For example, regarding Wikisource: several GLAMs are now working with chapters digiting and proofreading books on Wikisource. The Canadian chapter has a great partnership goind with the National Archive of Quebec, and archivists are helping proofreading books on a daily basis. Is this "paid editing", if it's done during their working hours? I'd like to think so, and I'm all for this kind of commitment and engagement by GLAMs professionals. I think our Wikimedia projects would benefit enormously if we convinced GLAMs that contributing to Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikisource is part of their daily job in cultural institution. I think as Wikimedia projects as "public goods", and I want educational and cultural institutions to think the same.
I don't know if it's the best example, but it made me think a lot in the past, so here it goes. In 2011 Wikimedia Chile paid some people to proofread pages of the Encyclopedia ... in the Spanish Wikisource. As you can see by the spike in the brown chart, the project went well, and they proofread thousands of pages in several weeks. But, unfortunately, the project did not build a real community, and stats soon came back to normal.
Mind that many of the things I'm saying are educated guesses, based on my experience and the limited data we've collected.