Invitations sent in August 2012 to selected en:wiki and :ar:wiki editors
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We are a team of researchers at the University of Oxford and AU Sharjah, researching the experiences of editors of content about the Arab world on Wikipedia. We are interested in your experiences of editing Wikipedia and are organising two events that we think you would be an excellent contributor to.
First, we are hosting an online wiki focus group about contributing to Wikipedia in Arabic and to articles about the Middle East and North Africa. We are interested in what barriers you perceive to exist in Wikipedia, how articles can be made better and generally what can be done to expand and improve Arabic Wikipedia and Wikipedia articles about the Arab world. This discussion will take place on a MediaWiki hosted at our institution and be available in English and Arabic. We will allow users to create their own discussion pages in addition to our discussions.
Second, we are hosting face-to-face workshops in Cairo from 21st-22nd October 2012. If you are interested in this we should be able to pay travel and accommodation costs for up to twenty participants. This workshop will cover similar themes to the online discussion but will allow participants to meet one another and benefit from being together.
We will take care of the organization and planning and all you have to do is show up and be ready to discuss. But if you would like to help shape some of the discussion themes in advance, please let us know. We have booked time in the workshops for Wikipedian-led discussions.
More details can be found by expanding our “Frequently Asked Questions” below.
We would be delighted to welcome you to either (or both) event. Please let us know (wikiproject@oii.ox.ac.uk) if you would like the opportunity to participate and we can send you more details.
Sincerely,
Mark, Bernie, Ilhem, Ali, Ahmed, and Heather
Dr. Mark Graham, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford;
Dr. Bernie Hogan, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford;
Dr. Ilhem Allagui, Department of Mass Communication, American University of Sharjah;
Dr. Ali Frihida, National Engineering School of Tunis;
Heather Ford, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford;
Ahmed Medhat, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford;
| Frequently Asked Questions
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* What is the purpose of this project?
- This project is about who represents the Arab World on Wikipedia, and how the Middle East and the Arab world is represented on Wikipedia. We are studying Wikipedia through statistics, edit history data and personal experiences. Our ultimate goal is to help Wikipedia grow in size and fairness and do academic research on this topic. You can read more about the project here. From this page, you can also find a biography of the researchers. You may also want to see our interactive visualizations about Wikipedia.
- Who is funding this project?
- This project is funded by the International Development Research Centre (http://www.idrc.ca). This organization is funded by the Canadian government to improve infrastructure across the world, including online content. We have been working with the IDRC since June 2010.
- Because you’re awesome. In all seriousness, we have been looking through Wikipedia for active editors based on user activity in either Arabic Wikipedia or articles about the Arab world. We have not contacted everyone we could, but we contact people that we think will help to balance the discussion and help us (and each other) learn more about the state of Wikipedia.
- Do I need to participate in both events?
- Not at all. You are welcome to participate in both or just one. We recognise that it will be more convenient for some people to have online conversations and for others to speak in person. For some people it will not be practical to fly to the Middle East, but we still consider their contributions important and want to give them a voice in this work.
- Can I use my Wikipedia handle in the online discussion?
- You do not need to use any particular name on the online forum. All we need is a valid email address so you can register. You can post using your real name, your Wikipedia name or a completely different nickname, whatever allows you to speak your mind most effectively.
- What sort of travel funding will you supply for the face-to-face workshop?
- We have funding for travel and accommodation costs for approximately twenty participants depending on where they are coming from. If you would like to join us in one of the face-to-face meetings then we will do our best to get you there. The exact amount of support we can offer will depend on how many expressions of interest we get and their distance from the chosen venue.
- Can I get involved and help to organize sessions?
- Yes, but this is completely optional. Our first priority is organizing a space for people to attend, talk about Wikipedia, and discuss how to expand and improve it. However, if you want to help organize discussions, advise on venues or facilitate specific conversations, please let us know.
- The discussion we have already organised/planned will focus generally on barriers that people perceive to exist when editing Wikipedia either in Arabic or about topics related to the Arab world. But if there is any particular angle of conversation that you’d like to focus on and start a discussion about then please let us know and we can either incorporate it in the programme or let you lead that part of the conversation.
- Will the face-to-face meeting be public?
- The meeting won’t be open to the broader public in order to facilitate focused discussions about the topics of greatest concern. We will compile a summary research report of the discussions. People can choose how/if they want to be identified, and a draft version of this document will be circulated to everyone who participates.
- What if I don’t live in the Middle East or North Africa?
- We would still very much encourage you to participate in the online discussion. However, we think it is unlikely that we will be able to fly you in for the in person workshops. If you can pay your own way, we may still be able to provide you with hotel expenses. In short, talk to us and we will see what we can do.
- Will these events be in English or Arabic?
- Both events will be designed to accommodate English and Arabic speakers. The online discussion will have tracks for both languages and the workshops will have simultaneous English and Arabic sessions that you can choose between (as well as coming-together sessions to share experiences). Three of the researchers speak English as a first language and three speak Arabic as a first language.
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