Decide the future of Wikipedia
15:33, 21 September 2009
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Wikipedia, probably the world's largest online volunteering endeavor, is starting a year-long process to develop a strategic plan for the Wikimedia movement. Specifically, Wikimedia is trying to understand where it is now, where it wants to be in five years, and how Wikimedia could get there from here.
(Wikipedia is the highest profile activity of Wikimedia, but not the only one. Have a look at all the Wikimedia projects to learn more.)
Here are five ways you can participate in this endeavor:
- Join a Wikimedia task force. These task forces will explore different topics and produce a set of recommendations related to them. Apply to participate, or form your own ad-hoc groups.
- If you are an expert in one of the subjects Wikimedia is dealing with, add yourself to the Wikimedia expert database. This will allow task forces and other volunteers to reach you with questions, and you can respond when you have time.
- Publish your ideas. Write a proposal on the strategy wiki, and help organize and improve the proposals that are already there. Post ideas on your blog, on mailing lists, and on social networks. Tag those posts with #wikimedia or link to them on the strategy wiki so that others can see them.
- Host conversations about strategy. In order to develop good plans, Wikimedia needs broad participation. There is no way that the task forces can talk to everyone who has ideas about Wikimedia's future. This is where you can help: host your own conversations about strategy, in person or online, and publish the results on the strategy wiki. There are templates and tools for hosting strategy sessions on the strategy wiki.
- Talk to Wikimedia. Give feedback to the strategy team. Tell them your ideas, your hopes, your fears, your goals for the projects. Add feedback to the strategy wiki, or send an email to strategy@wikimedia.org.
If you work with volunteers, its worth your while to follow this effort; this is a great example of an organization involving volunteers -- online volunteers, even! -- in strategic planning. It's something your nonprofit organization, however large or small, may want to undertake yourself.
