A presentation at the linux.conf.au 2008 LinuxChix miniconf.

1. Who's Behind Wikipedia?
navigation
●
What is
From linux.conf.au, the free (software) conference
Wikipedia?
“The problem with Wikipedia is that it
●
Wikimedia only works in practice. In theory, it can
Foundation never work. ”
―Unknown
●
“Foundation
issues”
“Who's Behind Wikipedia?” is a
●
Policies and presentation at the LinuxChix
guidelines miniconference of the 2008 Linux.conf.au
conference.
●
Case 1: AfD
●
Case 2:
Dispute
resolution
●
How to get
involved
●
Wikipedia &
the future

2. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:There's_no_cabal.png
Original in French by Rama, translated by Sandstein
Licensed CC-BY-SA-2.0-France: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/fr/deed.en_GB

3. What is Wikipedia?
navigation
What is
253 language editions (145 have >
●
Wikipedia?
●
Wikimedia
Foundation
1000 articles), > 8 million articles total.
●
“Foundation English is less than ¼ of total.
issues”
Policies and
Project cultural differences:
●
guidelines
●
Case 1: AfD
●
Case 2:
Dispute
resolution
●
How to get
involved
●
Wikipedia &
the future

5. Wikimedia Foundation
navigation
●
What is Mission statement: The mission of the Wikimedia
Wikipedia?
Foundation is to empower and engage people around the
●
Wikimedia world to collect and develop educational content under a
Foundation
free license or in the public domain,
●
“Foundation and to disseminate it effectively and
issues”
globally...[T]he Foundation provides
●
Policies and
guidelines
the essential infrastructure and an
organizational framework for the
Case 1: AfD
support and development of multi-
●
●
Case 2: lingual wiki projects and other
Dispute
resolution endeavors which serve this mission.
The Foundation will make and keep
●
How to get
involved useful information from its projects available on the
●
Wikipedia &
Internet free of charge, in perpetuity.
the future

6. Wikimedia Foundation
navigation
●
What is
Wikipedia?
●
Wikimedia
Foundation
●
“Foundation
issues”
●
Policies and
●Meta wiki
●Foundation wiki
guidelines
●
Case 1: AfD
●Incubator
●
Case 2:
Dispute ●Chapters: AR,
resolution
●
How to get
involved
FR,DE,IL,IT,NL,
●
Wikipedia &
PL,RS,SV,CH,
the future
TW,UK (AU?)

7. “Foundation issues”
navigation
●
What is
Wikipedia? ● Anyone can edit (Assume Good
Wikimedia
Faith)
●
Foundation
●
“Foundation ●Free content: copyleft
issues”
●Consensus decisions
●
Policies and
guidelines
●NPOV
●
Case 1: AfD
●No ownership
●
Case 2:
●Incremental progress
Dispute
resolution
●
How to get
involved
●
Wikipedia &
the future

8. navigation
Policies... ●Verifiability'
●Ignore all rules ●WP:NOT
●
What is
Wikipedia? ●Bots ●Deletion
●
Wikimedia ●Civility ●Speedy deletion
Foundation
●Edit warring ●Office actions
●
“Foundation
issues” ●No personal attacks ●Oversight
●Sock puppetry ●Proposed deletion
●
Policies and
guidelines ●3RR ●Blocks
Case 1: AfD ●Username ●Arbitration
●
●
Case 2: ●Vandalism ●Bans
Dispute
resolution ●Wheel war ●Consensus
●
How to get ●BLP ●Protection
involved
●Naming conventions ●Resolving disputes
●
Wikipedia & ●NPOV ●Fair use
the future
●No original research ●Reuse

9. navigation
... and guidelines
●Article size
●
What is
Wikipedia? ●Be bold
Manual of Style (over 100!)
●Lists
●
Wikimedia ●Linking
Foundation ●Categories
●Edit summary
●
“Foundation ●Series boxes (navboxes,
issues” ●Autobiography
●Notability
infoboxes)
●
Policies and ●Titles
guidelines ●Disambiguation
●Sections
Case 1: AfD ●Cite sources
●
●Names
●
Case 2: ●Spoilers
Dispute ●Acronyms
resolution ●Talk pages
●Punctuation
How to get ●Subpages
●Numbers
●
involved
●WP:POINT
●Currency
●
Wikipedia & ●WP:BITE
the future ●Spelling
●User page
●........................

10. My First Article :(
navigation
●
What is
Wikipedia?
●
Wikimedia
Foundation
●
“Foundation
issues”
●
Policies and
guidelines
●
Case 1: AfD
●
Case 2:
Dispute
resolution
●
How to get
involved
●
Wikipedia &
the future

11. navigation
Deletion process
●
What is
Wikipedia?
Speedy: Admin deletes on sight, or another user
●
Wikimedia
Foundation
tags for an admin to delete
●
“Foundation
issues” Proposed: Anyone can add the tag. If
●
Policies and anyone disagrees, they can remove the tag. If no
guidelines
one removes the tag in 5 days, it gets deleted.
●
Case 1: AfD
●
Case 2:
Dispute
Normal:
resolution ●[[Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Article name]]
●
How to get ●5 days discussion
involved
●Admin closes according to consensus
●
Wikipedia &
the future
Defend your article by improving it!

12. navigation
Deletion review (undeletion)
●
What is
Wikipedia?
First, try resolving with deleting administrator
●
●
Wikimedia
Foundation
Use when:
●
“Foundation
issues” ●Inappropriate speedy
●Inappropriate close (against consensus)
●
Policies and
guidelines ●New information has come to light
●
Case 1: AfD ●You just really want it back :)
●
Case 2:
Dispute
resolution Useful reading:
●[[User:GRBerry/DRVGuide]]
●
How to get
involved
●[[WP:ATA]] Wikipedia:Arguments to avoid in
Wikipedia &
deletion discussions
●
the future

13. Dispute resolution
navigation
●
What is
Wikipedia? ●Bold, revert, discuss
Wikimedia
●Talk pages
●
Foundation
●
“Foundation ●[[WP:RFC]] Requests for comment
issues”
●[[WP:RFM]] Requests for mediation
●
Policies and
guidelines
●[[WP:RFAR]] Requests for arbitration
●
Case 1: AfD
●
Case 2:
Dispute
resolution
●
How to get
involved
●
Wikipedia &
the future

14. How to get involved
navigation
●
What is
Wikipedia? ● [[WP:AWNB]]
Wikimedia
● WikiProjects
●
Foundation
●
“Foundation ● Don't leap into controversy
issues”
● Start with what you know or like
●
Policies and
guidelines
●
Case 1: AfD
●
Case 2:
Dispute
resolution
●
How to get
involved
●
Wikipedia &
the future

15. The future
navigation
●
What is
Wikipedia? ● WYSIWYG editing? Templates,
Wikimedia
tables
●
Foundation
●
“Foundation ●Stable versions
issues”
●Trust highlighting
●
Policies and
guidelines
●Splintered community
●
Case 1: AfD
●Knol, Citizendium
●
Case 2:
●Probably more bureaucracy
Dispute
resolution
●
How to get
involved
●
Wikipedia &
the future

16. Thankyou! Questions?
Brianna Laugher
navigation
●
What is
[[user:pfctdayelise]] (“perfect day elise”)
Wikipedia? brianna.laugher@gmail.com
●
Wikimedia http://brianna.modernthings.org/
Foundation
●
“Foundation
issues”
●
Policies and
guidelines
●
Case 1: AfD
●
Case 2:
Dispute
resolution
●
How to get
involved
●
Wikipedia & http://www.flickr.com/photos/qwghlm/1264953905/
the future “What Wikipedia would look like if on paper, broken down”
By Nikola Smolenski & Chris Applegate. Licensed CC-BY-SA-2.5.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/