Wikimania 2008/Bids/Public meeting log

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Transcript for September 23, 2007 (Eastern time)

[10:59:34] <bastique> ---------------- Meeting begins --------------------

[10:59:38] <bastique> Good day everyone

[10:59:40] <bastique> Thank you for coming

[10:59:54] <bastique> Before we get started with the first bid, let me reiterate what I've already stated.

[11:00:14] <bastique> Each candidate city will get 5 minutes to present their bid

[11:00:32] <bastique> that will be followed up by 10 minutes of questions. First from the Jury, then from the public if there is time.

[11:00:53] <bastique> The public can message questions to one of the three moderators (me, James_F and fuzheado_ )

[11:01:00] <bastique> (sorry guys)

[11:01:16] <bastique> The randomly selected order of cities is as follows

[11:01:28] <bastique> Atlanta, Toronto (if there are any reps)

[11:01:36] <bastique> Alexandria, and Cape Town

[11:02:04] =-= Mode #wikimania2008 +vvv Austin LaMenta3 Mike_H by bastique

[11:02:20] <bastique> Atlanta's presentation will begin now

[11:02:27] <Mike_H> Thank you.

[11:02:42] <Mike_H> Good morning, and good afternoon or good evening, depending on where you are.

[11:02:58] <Mike_H> I'm going to start out with our letter to the jury and the casual reader.

[11:03:19] <Mike_H> Jury members and casual readers:

[11:03:31] <Mike_H> The tagline and overall theme for this Wikimania is "a new day for the New South." With Wikimedia being so influential in today's internet-based technological achievements, we give to the jury a locale that is qualified to take on the task of coordinating a large-scale technological showcase for its members, and how said technology relates to the Internet and Web 2.0, while still providing a laid-back atmosphere only the South can

[11:03:39] <Mike_H> Atlanta is an ideal choice for this kind of venue, located in an area that isn't so expected for the casual traveler.

[11:03:45] <Mike_H> Although the Southern United States might not be widely known for its technological advancements, it is, in fact, extremely active in technological innovation. The hub of that activity is the College of Computing at our host venue, the Georgia Institute of Technology, nicknamed Georgia Tech.

[11:03:52] =-= Mode #wikimania2008 +v theodoranian by bastique

[11:03:57] <Mike_H> Georgia Tech's Information Security Center is currently active in proposing solutions to beat online security threats; a professor at Georgia Tech has garnered media coverage for his work with video game design and intellectual property issues stemming from copyrights;

[11:04:04] <Mike_H> RoboCup 2007, showcasing the newest innovations in robotics, was held at Georgia Tech this past July; and the fledgling Colleges of Computer Science and Interactive Computing were created this year to delve more in-depth into the realms of technological innovation as it relates to computers today.

[11:04:09] <Mike_H> The College of Computing graduate program is ranked #4 in the nation by Communications of the ACM, the monthly journal published by the Association for Computing Machinery.

[11:04:14] <Mike_H> Georgia Tech has a lot of innovative work to its credit as far as technology and computing is concerned, and would be more than pleased to have all of you witness their achievements for yourselves.

[11:04:21] <Mike_H> To even have the opportunity to present our bid to you shows that this truly is a new day for the New South, more cosmopolitan, more vibrant, and a force to be reckoned with in the 21st century. People of all races, religions, creeds, beliefs and orientations call Atlanta home, and coexist peacefully. Southern charm, business minds, historical relevance, and social zeitgeist. This is the Atlanta of today.

[11:04:28] <Mike_H> Respectfully yours,

[11:04:28] <Mike_H> The Wikimania 2008 Atlanta Bid Team

[11:04:33] <Mike_H> Hillary, would you like to continue?

[11:04:37] <LaMenta3> Sure.

[11:05:12] <Mike_H> Note: uberpenguin is Matt Britt of our bid team

[11:05:14] <Mike_H> he needs a voice.

[11:05:15] <Mike_H> thank you.

[11:05:20] <LaMenta3> As far as organizing and making headway in areas such as our venue and accomodations, we've had a very positive response from Georgia Tech

[11:05:55] <Mike_H> We have made good headway with sponsors and press as well.

[11:05:56] =-= Mode #wikimania2008 +v uberpenguin by bastique

[11:06:03] <LaMenta3> We've met with people with several departments who believe that this is an exciting opportunity

[11:06:17] <Mike_H> We have gotten very favorable response from the American arm of Chunghwa Telecom, who sponsored the Taipei bid and loved the experience so much that they want to do it again.

[11:06:26] <Mike_H> We also got good sponsorship ground with Turner Broadcasting

[11:06:35] <bastique> 1 minute

[11:06:43] <Mike_H> and interested press coverage from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and The Technique, the Georgia Tech paper

[11:06:58] <Mike_H> Andrew, Matt

[11:06:59] <Mike_H> please continue.

[11:07:06] =-= Mode #wikimania2008 +v bradyreloaded by bastique

[11:07:25] <uberpenguin> Since I have less than a minute to speak, I'll just briefly point out that there are numerous tourism and sightseeing opportunities, briefly outlined in our bid

[11:07:31] <Mike_H> We've also been working in tandem with the Atlanta Convention Center and Tourism Board.

[11:07:47] <LaMenta3> Our meetings have suggested that we will likely recieve significant support from the entire community should we be selected.

[11:07:48] <bastique> Okay, time is up

[11:07:51] <Mike_H> The Carter Center has also been very helpful. We're holding our main party there on the final day, and we've formally asked Jimmy Carter to speak.

[11:07:56] <bastique> Time for questions and answers

[11:08:25] <Mike_H> That was exhausting. If you feel we haven't answered your concerns, by all means, ask now. :)

[11:08:29] <bastique> Angela, Austin, brassratgirl , britty drork-IL, jan-bart, KJ-Wikia , mind|wandering , theodoranian and zuirdj are the jury members

[11:08:59] <bastique> Who may ask questions

[11:09:07] <brassratgirl> Ok, here's my question: why do you want to organize wikimania?

[11:09:15] <Mike_H> I'll take that.

[11:09:22] <Mike_H> If anyone wants to take it with me, they can do so after I'm done.

[11:09:30] <uberpenguin> answer away, mike

[11:09:55] <theodoranian> Atlanta: What is the interest for the Wikimedia Foundation to host Wikimania in Atlanta ? In Wikimania Atlanta 2008 organization process, what role of the Foundation office do you expect it to play? How to share the responsibility between the team and the office?

[11:10:32] <Mike_H> I was the one who first thought up this bid, and I really thought to myself, which city in the South is best equipped to showcase a marriage of both worlds, if you will? I don't know how many of you are from the South, but it is something I'm very proud of. (continuing)

[11:10:38] <Mike_H> I am not finished, so I will put

[11:10:40] <KJ-Wikia> how many people join the bidding team? will they help to organize this conference?

[11:10:40] <Mike_H> (continuing)

[11:10:59] <uberpenguin> KJ-Wikia: I think the current count is 43

[11:11:12] <uberpenguin> and many of them have expressed continuing interest in providing real assistance

[11:11:24] <LaMenta3> The second and third question will be answered in detail momentarily.

[11:11:38] <Mike_H> I felt Atlanta had the most to offer and really is a thriving metropolis, one of the only true metropolises we have in the South. It's really a marriage of Southern charm and business minds, and historical relevance and social zeitgeist. Two eras merge into one cultural tapestry and I think that's why I wanted to organize it, especially for such a deserving locale.

[11:11:55] <Mike_H> I thought of other locations

[11:11:57] <Mike_H> Tampa

[11:11:58] <Mike_H> Orlando

[11:11:59] <Mike_H> etc.

[11:12:06] <Mike_H> But when it came down to it, they weren't as cosmopolitan.

[11:12:08] <bastique> Q # 4 comes from Mbimmler. "Could you elaborate on the accommodation available, i.e. where, what type of, estimated costs...?"

[11:12:12] <Mike_H> They didn't have "the entire package."

[11:12:20] <Mike_H> Atlanta did, and I am 100% confident in that.

[11:12:28] <Mike_H> I love this city

[11:12:36] <Mike_H> and I am so sure that if you let us, you'll love it too.

[11:12:39] <Mike_H> (end question #1)

[11:12:54] <britty> Mike_H, what is "both worlds"? i have no idea

[11:13:03] <Mike_H> britty: I'm sorry.

[11:13:07] <Mike_H> Both worlds in this sense

[11:13:18] <LaMenta3> Accomodations: we have talked with Conference Services about setting aside suite and apartment-style dorms for attendees who wish to used them

[11:13:24] =-= Mode #wikimania2008 -v Austin by bastique

[11:13:24] <britty> Atlanta team: what do you plan to succeed from the past wikimania as its virtues? And what will you not succeed intentionally and alter or replace? (answers can be mailed later: I'll forward it to other jurors)

[11:13:27] =-= Mode #wikimania2008 +v Austin by bastique

[11:13:33] <LaMenta3> This is discussed in some detail on the bid

[11:13:35] <Mike_H> would mean "the Old South" and "the New South." The Old South is steeped in tradition and history. The New South is cosmopolitan and energetic and more representative of a world stage.

[11:14:00] <LaMenta3> The cost per person would be $40-50 per night, and includes two meals.

[11:14:15] <Mike_H> Which is why we titled the theme "A new day for the New South." To be able to show off the achievements of Atlanta and Georgia Tech, in such a historic setting and slower, more relaxed Southern background, is really the best of "the two worlds."

[11:14:32] <LaMenta3> There are a number of hotels in the area as well, with a range of per-night pricing.

[11:14:45] <Mike_H> �02Atlanta: What is the interest for the Wikimedia Foundation to host Wikimania in Atlanta ? In Wikimania Atlanta 2008 organization process, what role of the Foundation office do you expect it to play? How to share the responsibility between the team and the office? �01

[11:14:49] <Mike_H> I will answer this question now.

[11:14:54] <theodoranian> answers can be mailed later: I'll forward it to other jurors

[11:15:12] <bastique> Q # 6 comes from effeietsanders: What ratio of number of "local visitors" vs "visitors of other continents" do you expect?""

[11:15:14] <theodoranian> if you can't finish the answer right now

[11:15:20] <uberpenguin> the on-campus housing will likely be the most convenient option for most attendees, we'll try to roll a lot of the needed services and such into thta price

[11:15:28] <uberpenguin> *that price

[11:16:01] <Mike_H> I've worked with the office on unrelated issues and know it intimately. I am very sure I can sell the high points of this bid and tell them, this is a very good showing because it is a springboard for Wikimedia's large North American community, as well as its setting in a locale that is highly innovative in Web 2.0, free culture, knowledge, all of WMF's aims.

[11:16:10] <Mike_H> (continuing)

[11:16:59] <LaMenta3> Question #6: Our plans for the diversity of the conference have been a priority in our planning. We would hope and expect that we would have a large number of international attendees, though it might be wishful thinking for something like 50/50.

[11:17:18] <Mike_H> We are a very self-sufficient bid team. Be that as it may, I would love the WMF's input on certain things we can do to make our event better. I see it very much as a collaboration. We can take constructive criticism, and we can also stand our ground and show them "Hey, this is what we can do if you have confidence in us." I would love for it to be very "give and take" in terms of idea sharing.

[11:17:24] <Mike_H> (continuing)

[11:17:31] [INFO] No such nick/channel

[11:17:47] <bastique> 1 minute

[11:17:56] <LaMenta3> We are aware of the difficulties for some to get into the US, and we have looked into ways of mitigating that if we are selected. We have also looked at ways of finding reduced fares into Atlanta for people flying from locales that are expensive

[11:18:28] <Mike_H> Until the end of January, I can personally work as an envoy between our bid and the office, considering I do work there already. I've been very careful to avoid conflict of interest issues with this bid and all of our work has been on the level at all times. I think it's very important to be able to meet with the ones you're working with, face to face, and for a certain amount of time, we're really the only bid that can feasibly d

[11:18:31] <Mike_H> (end question #2)

[11:18:34] <LaMenta3> We want to make the experience as hassle-free as possible for our international visitors so as to encourage their attendance and to provide them with a positive impression about Atlanta and its people

[11:18:45] <LaMenta3> (end question #6)

[11:18:47] <bastique> Time

[11:18:54] <bastique> Thank you for your presentation

[11:19:03] <theodoranian> Thank you Atlanta!

[11:19:05] <bastique> Any other questions can be sent to theodoranian who has offered to contact the team directly

[11:19:08] <Mike_H> Thank you, jury and audience.

[11:19:16] =-= Mode #wikimania2008 -vvv LaMenta3 Mike_H uberpenguin by bastique

[11:19:35] <bastique> If there is anyone from Toronto, please notify me now

[11:20:25] <bastique> 45 seconds on Toronto

[11:20:42] <bastique> 30

[11:20:54] <bastique> Alexandria, please be ready in 15

[11:21:25] <bastique> Toronto can come at the end

[11:21:35] <bastique> if they arrive in the next 30

[11:21:41] <bastique> Now, moving on to Alexandria

[11:21:56] =-= Mode #wikimania2008 +vvv Masry Mido Moushira by bastique

[11:22:08] <bastique> Your presentation will begin now, Alexandria

[11:22:08] <Mido> Thanks bastique

[11:22:19] <Mido> Hello everyone :)

[11:22:37] <Mido> On behalf of my team, I'd like say we're happy to be here for the second time in row bidding for Wikimania. hoping that we're the best choice as we think.

[11:23:07] <Mido> we believe Alex would make the perfect choice for Wikimania 2008

[11:23:18] <Mido> Few cities of the world have a history as rich as that of Alexandria; few cities have stood witness to so many historic events and legends. The city that has been immortalized in the works of Cavafy, Durrell and Forster, was named after its founder, Alexander the Great. Founded around 334 BC and designed by Deinocrates of Rhodes, Alexandria was one of the greatest cities in the Hellenistic...

[11:23:19] <Mido> ...world, second only to Rome in size and wealth.

[11:24:18] <Mido> Nowadays,it has the new library of Alexandria, the new destination of free knowledge

[11:24:20] <Mido> also Alexandria in 2002 has been entitled as World Book Capital, a title given to a city in recognition of the quality of its programs to promote books and reading and the dedication of all players in the book industry.

[11:24:53] <Mido> regarding rotation, North America, Europe and Asia have already had their opportunities with hosting Wikimaina within their borders in 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively. It is now time for Africa to have its chance with Wikimaina2008, especially with Bibliotheca Alexandrina as a hosting venue. Bibliotheca Alexandrina as a foundation supports and helps free access to knowledge, which is inline...

[11:24:54] <Mido> ...with the message of wiki projects. Symbolically, hosting Wikimania2008 in Alexandria would help to show the values that Wikipedia stands for:

[11:24:56] <Mido> world harmony in the pursuit of knowledge.

[11:25:17] <Mido> We say, let the knowledge be free everywhere

[11:25:51] <Mido> Africa needs this, holding the event in Egypt will surely give the perfect push for wiki and open content culture

[11:26:14] <bastique> 1 minute

[11:26:21] <Mido> we had an excellent opportunity of the huge support of the BA

[11:26:23] <Mido> the venue we're offering (Alexandrina Conference Center) is a state-of-the-art meeting and exhibition facility and is an integral part of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina complex.

[11:26:47] <Moushira> Our bid venue is BA. offering meeting halls,

[11:26:47] <Moushira> highly equipped with web casting and vide conferencing

[11:26:47] <Moushira> facilityes, as well as a free to use

[11:26:47] <Moushira> internet cafe. The whole area of BA, including the meetings

[11:26:47] <Moushira> conference center and the open palze is Wi-Fi available

[11:26:48] <Mido> Alexandria comes with low living costs. As you may have noticed from the rates for transportation, food and accommodations on the bid page, most things in Alex are very cheap by western standards

[11:26:49] <Moushira> with 155 mbps.

[11:27:15] <Mido> as for the local money that can be raised, We've contacted many companies and governmental authorties and both are very interested and enthusiated about hosting Wikimania in Alexandria, however, governmental authorities are looking forward to hosting Wikimania2008 in Egypt. Hence, they will be providing a great financial support, that will be determined in more details after winning the bid.

[11:27:16] <bastique> Thank you, Alexandria

[11:27:27] <bastique> We will now start 10 minutes of Q&A

[11:27:51] <jan-bart> you mention: Africa needs this, and that this will be the perfect push. Do you think Alexandria is tied is close enough to african culture in order to do that? What is immigration like for citizens of African countries?

[11:28:17] <britty> And what is your better points comparing with Capetown?

[11:28:26] <Moushira> Safty..

[11:28:35] <Masry> distance

[11:28:44] <Masry> history

[11:28:50] <Mido> and Bibliotheca Alexandrina

[11:28:53] <Moushira> And safty

[11:29:04] <britty> safety you mean :)

[11:29:07] <Mido> There is a shared purpose between Bibliotheca Alexandrina and Wikimedia: the library's mission is To be a center of excellence in the production and dissemination of knowledge and to be a place of dialog, learning and understanding between cultures and peoples.

[11:29:22] <Mido> and there's much symbolism in associating Wikimania with the ancient Library of Alexandria, and paving the way for collaboration with Bilbliotheca Alexandrina, the new Library of Alexandria.

[11:29:34] <britty> i am afraid the question from jan-bard unreplied yet

[11:29:35] <KJ-Wikia> In Alexa, Wikipedia just top 44 in Egypt. How is the effect will be if wikimania held in Egypt. What will you do during this year to let your people know more about wikimedia?

[11:29:40] <bastique> Q # 4 comes from effeietsanders Do you expect that the local community is prepared to be involved in this, and how large is the local cummunity?""

[11:30:03] <bastique> Yes, please reply to jan-bart's question :)

[11:30:13] <brassratgirl> And I have the same question as before: why do you want to organize wikimania?

[11:30:15] <theodoranian> Q5: Alexandria: Is it important to have Wikimania Alexandria 2008 similar with past Wikimanias? If yes, what to do? If not, what conference style will you choose? Thank you.

[11:30:42] <britty> +5': do you have people who attended the past wikimania? if so, how many?

[11:30:48] <Mido> okay, jan bard first :)

[11:31:04] <Moushira> Senghor university is an attaraction point for many african students in Alexandria

[11:31:11] <James_F> Question from Mike H:

[11:31:16] <KJ-Wikia> should I mark my question Q6? :P

[11:31:18] <James_F> "I felt the section on terrorism was very "whitewashed." Do you feel that this is an full representation of Egypt, considering its history of violence and laws against Jews, LGBT, and many Christians, as well as cultural attitudes toward women? Should we not be concerned, in light of the tourism bombings of the last decade and the riot and killings against Coptic Christians in Alexandria in '05?"

[11:31:25] <Moushira> Sudanese Students pay the same education fees as Egyptians..

[11:31:53] <Moushira> we are already popular by being supportive and helpful to African citizen, simply because we are one.

[11:32:09] <bastique> KJ-Wikia: You were Q3

[11:32:31] <KJ-Wikia> bastique: thank you. :)

[11:32:49] <Mido> (Q3) public awarness will raise of course due to holding Wikimania in Egypt

[11:32:49] <drork-IL> James_F= I think this question is rather unfair

[11:32:54] * bastique suggest to Alexandria to try to answer in order if possible.

[11:33:08] <James_F> dror> It's not my question, to be clear.

[11:33:22] <britty> drork-IL, it is from Atlanta guy, not James

[11:33:37] <drork-IL> James_F= I think we should ignore it, or at least rephrase it

[11:33:57] <Mido> there's a lot of new communities in Egypt supporting open source, and Wikimania will be publicized through these media and in normal schools around alex

[11:34:17] <James_F> But to be clear, Juror's questions should be answered first anyway.

[11:34:42] <Mido> we have a plan to publicize the event in many way, online and in real places

[11:35:21] <Mido> Egyptians are already using Wikipedia, maybe alexa is a bit mistaken by the 44 :) but it will surely increase (end Q3)

[11:35:42] <Moushira> And it will surely increase after the conference..

[11:36:04] <bastique> for clarity: (Q4) is Do you expect that the local community is prepared to be involved in this, and how large is the local cummunity?""

[11:36:36] * britty endorse Q4, so it is a question from jury now

[11:36:41] <Moushira> ofcourse they are: all IT students and professionals will be involved..

[11:36:43] <bastique> 1 minute

[11:36:49] <Masry> it's quite large...Alexandria's 1st meeting gathered over 80 interested people

[11:36:54] <Mido> (Q4) current local community as Wikipedians is rather small, we're 4 admins on Wikipedia (one on English as well as arabic) and other contributers

[11:36:55] <Moushira> all studnets who use wikipedia for their research

[11:37:29] <Mido> we've also the eglug (linux) group which will be involved in such an event for sure

[11:37:33] * britty urgh: you must follow Midburry, but it is sure an off topic sorry

[11:37:36] <bastique> Time

[11:37:40] <theodoranian> answers can be mailed later: I'll forward it to other jurors

[11:37:43] <bastique> Alexandria, thank you for your presentation

[11:37:45] <bastique> what theodoranian said

[11:37:52] =-= Mode #wikimania2008 -vvv Masry Mido Moushira by bastique

[11:38:04] <theodoranian> Thank you Alexandria.

[11:38:06] <theodoranian> :)

[11:38:14] <britty> and don't forget Q5 :)

[11:38:15] === disavian_ <n=disavian@c-71-56-42-164.hsd1.ga.comcast.net> ``disavian

[11:38:15] === disavian_: member of #wikimania2008, #wikimania, and #wikimania-atlanta

[11:38:15] === disavian_: attached to irc.freenode.net ``http://freenode.net/

[11:38:16] --- End of WHOIS information for disavian_.

[11:38:42] =-= Mode #wikimania2008 +vvv highvoltage nbm pipeweed by bastique

[11:38:47] <britty> i left a question again :how large is the local cummunity?

[11:38:55] <bastique> Cape Town, you may begin your presentation now

[11:38:58] <britty> oh sorry wrong c&p

[11:39:05] <britty> (sorry go ahead)

[11:39:44] <pipeweed> hi

[11:40:00] <pipeweed> I wasn't expecting to do a presentation as such, rather to answer questions

[11:40:05] <pipeweed> So I'll keep this quite short

[11:40:30] <pipeweed> Much of what I say is described in more detail in the bid document - perhaps too much detail :)

[11:40:42] <pipeweed> Cape Town has a number of advantages

[11:40:53] <pipeweed> it's a top tourism destination

[11:41:16] <pipeweed> Now that's not enough on it's own, but it means that the conference will be more appealling for others to to visit

[11:41:36] <pipeweed> It has an extremely dynamic Free Software and Free Content community

[11:42:21] <pipeweed> It also fits the Wikimedia foundations goals of bringing the conference to different locations, being in Africa

[11:42:28] <pipeweed> and the Southern Hemisphere

[11:42:54] <pipeweed> One of the areas that I can think can be great for the foundation is the linguitic mix

[11:43:02] <bastique> 1 minute

[11:43:03] <pipeweed> English is widely-spoken

[11:43:10] <pipeweed> But there are 10 other official languages

[11:43:19] <pipeweed> Some with very small wikis

[11:43:42] <nbm> It's also incredibly beautiful, and cheap for people to stay an extra week or two. And plenty for family to do if they come with.

[11:43:55] <pipeweed> Hosting the conference here will be a great boost to them, and hopefully to other developing countries

[11:44:04] <highvoltage> I think it's also worth saying that Cape Town is a very liberal and open city. We embrace cultures and people of all kind, and we have many contributors to free software and content in this city, and our country. I think it would be a good opportunity for people around the world to see how an open society can excel.

[11:44:05] <bastique> time

[11:44:07] <nbm> We're the home of the Freedom Toaster, an innovative way to distribute open source and open content materials on a DVD burner vending device.

[11:44:16] <bastique> Now we begin the Question and Answer section

[11:44:18] <theodoranian> Cape Town: How to improve the attendance rate for African languages Wikimedian communities in Wikimania Cape Town 2008? thank you!

[11:44:21] <pipeweed> Jimmy Wales (sorry to namedrop!) has been here a few times to help publicise those wikis...

[11:44:38] <pipeweed> Time flies :)

[11:44:54] <pipeweed> Publicising it

[11:44:56] <britty> Q2 (maybe): how many people are in team? And how many of them were at the past wikimanias?

[11:45:01] <pipeweed> To finish my earlier point

[11:45:14] <pipeweed> Jimmy Wales has been here a few times already, and will be agin early next year

[11:45:28] <nbm> theodoranian: South Africa is home to Translate.org.za, a group that's dedicated to getting people to translate various software and content to their native languages. That has a wide network, and we hope we can leverage that network to help grow Wikipedia too.

[11:45:31] <pipeweed> One of his goals is to make the smaller language Wikipedias usable

[11:45:36] <britty> Q2 (continuing) and how many of the team are active on "small lang wikis"?

[11:45:56] <pipeweed> It's one I share, and am extremely excited about - I've contributed translation software in this regard

[11:46:24] <pipeweed> I work occassionally on the Afrikaans wiki

[11:46:35] <pipeweed> And am active in trying to get the Xhosa wiki translated

[11:46:42] <nbm> britty: There are roughly 15 people currently involved to some degree.

[11:46:59] <pipeweed> But English is my main area of activity, as it is for all of the team if I'm not mistaken

[11:47:08] <nbm> britty: I think only the Afrikaans Wikipedia (8000 articles) is really represented.

[11:47:21] <britty> pipeweed, nbm: thanks

[11:47:52] <brassratgirl> Same question: why do you want to organize wikimania?

[11:47:55] <pipeweed> Can I address the safety issue as well? It was raised by Alex?

[11:48:21] <bastique> Q4 from effeietsanders: "Do you expect to be able to find scholarships by local sponsors to make people from all around the workd (especially asia and other parts of africa) to travel to the conference?"

[11:48:24] <pipeweed> I love the wikimedia vision

[11:48:33] <pipeweed> And want to share it with others, to the benefit of all

[11:48:41] <pipeweed> Is the simple answer to brassratgirl :)

[11:49:10] <pipeweed> Sponsorship: Our team member with the sponsorship portfolio

[11:49:22] <pipeweed> Who's electricity unfortunately ran out :)

[11:49:39] <pipeweed> Has given me a conservative estimate of R1.3 million rands

[11:49:59] <bastique> which is what in Euros

[11:50:08] <brassratgirl> (I'm curious about the 2nd half of britty's question as well: how many of the team have been at past wikimanias?)

[11:50:15] <pipeweed> This should allow something for sponsorship as well

[11:50:27] <britty> (me too, thanks phoebe)

[11:50:30] <nbm> Roughly $175,000 or euros

[11:51:03] <highvoltage> The CTICC (which would host Wikimania 2008) is very safe, and the surrounding Cape Town CBD is pretty much as safe as any other city in the world. There are of course certain areas which should be avoided, but trips and breakaways will be planned in such a way that no one will ever need to go near any unsafe areas without a tourguide or someone that knows the area.

[11:51:09] <pipeweed> 2nd half of the question - no, none of us have

[11:51:21] <britty> pipeweed, th

[11:51:22] <britty> x

[11:51:23] <pipeweed> Heather Ford has been, but is not part of the bid team

[11:51:25] <bastique> nbm: If I may, a clarification on the scholarshiop question, "how much of sponsorship will be left for scholarships

[11:52:00] <pipeweed> I'm hoping to get her closely involved if we win the bid, she's an advisor to the jury I think, so a possible conflict of interest if she got involved now

[11:52:19] <pipeweed> It depends on the accomodation

[11:52:20] <britty> besides sponsorship, are there any orgs who show interests to co-organize the conference?

[11:52:23] <nbm> bastique: We haven't focused on that at the moment - we're hoping that we'll find a wiling ear with some international funders for that.

[11:52:35] <bastique> good enough

[11:52:55] <nbm> bastique: We've got a list of potential people to talk to, but most probably don't want to talk about possibilities.

[11:52:59] <drork-IL> The scholarship issue would be a major one, as flights from Europe and Asia are very expensive

[11:53:06] <pipeweed> A brief rundown of the budget

[11:53:21] <pipeweed> Venue, accom, meals, and conference expenses come to about R1 million

[11:53:31] <pipeweed> That's assuming we use UCT as the accomodation

[11:53:43] <pipeweed> Which is cheap R180 per person

[11:53:48] <bastique> 1 minute

[11:53:50] <pipeweed> And assuming 500 people

[11:54:03] <nbm> (That's about US$25.)

[11:54:04] <pipeweed> I'd like to use accomodation that's closer as well

[11:54:15] <pipeweed> Such as the hotel fixed to the covention centre

[11:54:23] <pipeweed> But that's more expensive

[11:54:41] <nbm> (R1m is US$120,000)

[11:54:49] <britty> (reminder: Q?: besides sponsorship, are there any orgs who show interests to co-organize the conference - you can mail me later, I'll forward it to other jurors, thx)

[11:54:51] <pipeweed> So, in essence, we'd need to discuss the priorities with the Wikimedia foundation, depending on the final amount raised

[11:54:56] <bastique> Time

[11:54:58] <theodoranian> so you don't have a venue combined with accommodation?

[11:55:02] <bastique> Thank you Cape Town for your presentation

[11:55:17] <pipeweed> Thanks all

[11:55:19] <highvoltage> yes, that's the Sherraton hotel attached to the convention center

[11:55:20] <theodoranian> Thank you Cape Town.

[11:55:20] <nbm> theodoranian: We do - it's just a bit more expensive - will need to look at budget.

[11:55:27] <bastique> Additional questions can be emailed to theodoranian, britty or directly

[11:55:32] =-= Mode #wikimania2008 -vvv highvoltage nbm pipeweed by bastique

[11:55:44] <bastique> anyone from Toronto arrived yet?

[11:55:51] <bastique> Zanimum or HistoryBuff

[11:56:38] <bastique> Q&A will also be available on the wiki

[11:57:20] <theodoranian> Waiting 1 minute? or not?

[11:57:39] <bastique> The log of this meeting will be publically available

[11:57:52] <bastique> I have a bunch of private messages atm

[11:58:24] <bastique> Toronto has now unfortunately missed this opportunity

[11:59:43] <bastique> Questions to toronto: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimania_2008/Bids/Toronto/Q&A

[11:59:50] <bastique> Questions to Atlanta: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimania_2008/Bids/Atlanta/Q&A

[12:00:01] <bastique> Questions to Alexandria http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimania_2008/Bids/Alexandria/Q&A

[12:00:13] <bastique> Questions to Cape Town http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimania_2008/Bids/Cape_Town/Q&A

[12:01:02] =-= Mode #wikimania2008 -v bradyreloaded by bastique

[12:01:14] <fuzheado_> Thanks all for your participation

[12:01:28] <bastique> --------- meeting over ------