I'm helping to decide the future of Wikipedia/Wikimedia
14:43, 24 November 2009
.. Posted in Volunteerism and Volunteer Management.. Link
As I blogged about earlier, the world's largest online volunteering endeavor, otherwise known as Wikipedia, is engaging in 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.)
I am volunteering as part of the process; I started by adding myself to the Wikimedia expert database. I did this to allow task forces and other volunteers to reach me with questions, which I can respond to as I have time. However, I ended up instead being asked to join a Wikimedia task force - specifically, the Community Health Task Force. A larger time commitment than I was looking for... but I've been able to contribute probably eight hours total, over two days, and as a volunteer manager myself, based on my own experience, I think that's a lot. I've summarized my own recommendations here (note that one of them is my own proposal regarding volunteer recognition).
Participate! Comment on those proposals! Here are my favorite proposals and from there, you can find and read even more. If you don't know how to comment, contact me and I will walk you through it.
What I like about the process:
- I'm always interested in seeing first hand what's happening regarding online volunteering. Participating in this process (as well as others) keeps me sharp in my abilities to provide advice to others regarding online volunteering.
- Finally, people are calling Wikimedia contributors what they are: VOLUNTEERS. It's so nice to see that many Wikimedia contributors are embracing that word. I would like to see Wikimedia do so in its own communications. The Wikipedia entry for itself never mentions online volunteering and doesn't link to the Wikipedia entry for virtual volunteering, even though, as I already said, Wikipedia is the world's largest online volunteering endeavor anywhere. The page is protected so that, unlike most other pages, anyone can't edit the page. So if you have a Wikipedia account, please go to the talk page for the Wikipedia entry and note that you think there should be a link from the page to the Wikipedia entry for virtual volunteering.
- Getting a notice via email that I need to go look at our task force page or my own pages.
- I would have like a very clearly-defined task description of what it is I'm supposed to be doing as a Wikipedia contributor. I was so lost at first I avoided reading updates. I'm one of those online volunteers that needs very specific directions for some jobs: do this, then do this, then do this, and finally do this.
- I think there should be a way for non-wiki-savvy users to contribute. Something easier to use, ala YahooGroups or GoogleGroups.
But that's it, really. I love it when an organization invites volunteers to contribute to strategic plans, and I love it when they provide an online way to do so. It's always a good thing to do. No matter what happens, Wikimedia can at least say, "Wow, we have a LOT of community members/volunteers who REALLY care about our future!" Can your nonprofit say that?
A year from now, I will be intensely interested to see which of these recommendations are implemented, and how.
