Wikimedia Cipta initiated with the goal to enable Wikimedia Indonesia as a coordinating institution to foster ideas and future innovation from Indonesian volunteers using wikimedia projects.
Nine implemented with its own independent measure of success and reports. These nine projects cover three cities in Indonesia: Jakarta, Semarang, and Bandung.
In total from all nine projects combine there are approximately 125 meetings happened to support Wikimedia Cipta project within the grant period in the form of small informal meeting to formal venue with press attendance.
The key success measure for this project to create and support new projects and its Project Directors and their team for Wikimedia Foundation chapter grant in June 2011 not accomplished due to administrative issue re: agreement and grant between Wikimedia Indonesia and Wikimedia Foundation.
The class project under Wikimedia Cipta Jakarta redesigned in addressing this issue to make sure activities still rolling to pursue other goals in reversing the editor trend, has been accomplished.
Summary of Best Practice and Lesson Learn under Wikimedia Cipta Project
What impact did the project have on WMF mission goals of Increased Reach, Increased Quality, Increased Credibility, Increased and Diversified Participation?
The project is successfully increased reach in two cities: Semarang and Bandung for two intervention project in Javanese and Sundanese language Wikipedia. While noting potential reach in Samarinda or Banjarmasin, Kalimantan. In Jakarta, the project increased volunteer capacity and diversified participation by open call and cooperation with Lontar Digital Library (librarian, professional translators, and writers).
In general Indonesian language Wikipedia performance remain impressive. In October 2011 statistic, while Indonesian Language very active contributor numbers are in the same growth rate as (high comparison) Bulgarian, Greek, Vietnamese, Serbian and Thailand or (low comparison) Estonian. The readership rate is side by side with Czech (rank 15 with 2,4 million readers per month, and 90s very active users), followed by Indonesian (rank 16 with 2,3 million readers per month, and 50s very active users) and Finish (rank 17 with 2,2 million readers per month, and 90s very active users). Confirming it multiplication of potential reach once filled with contents.
Over 3,520 articles made during three project intervention in three different wikipedia: Indonesian, Javanese, and Sundanese. The number of article didn't include the articles made by Lontar project or writing class participants.
Writing class performed best when the committee prepare incoming clueless participant with an encyclopedic style article for them to type in complete with its references to show them what an ideal wikipedia article suppose to look like.
However these "writing samples" run out very quickly.
The article sample (with encyclopedic writing style) already in Indonesian language is very difficult to obtain, never mind the copyright. Free license article sample is downright not available.
Based on this difficulties of obtaining free material for encyclopedia entry as "training material" using a valid reference in Indonesian language - there are heavy focused discussion of doing a REIR (Releasing Encyclopedia Indonesia (copy) Right) Project. The discussion cover in releasing existing encyclopedia in Indonesian language consisting approximately 17,000 encyclopedia articles written by Indonesian best scholars published in 1980. It is currently in a heavy and exclusive book format. However we are still unclear on how much it cost to do it legally.
The writing class also show an event with a fruitful result that saves volunteer energy and cost effective is best aimed to targeted audience from a university rather than random public.
Project class performed best during budgeting class. The participants was excited and come out with their own plan on how to safe money for the project while trying it's best to maintain goal. Expectation meet reality.
Two netbooks are purchased to enable two participants of project class to participate in the program. The netbook at first was hold by Isabella Apriyana and Nico Marko, but then one change hands since Sundapedia 2011 Project Director requested the netbook in order to be mobile between Jakarta-Bandung and home-office activity to monitor Sundapedia 2011 progress. One laptop purchased for Wikimedia Cipta central administration since his suddenly broke and he was unable to work.
The coordination meeting performed best during recruitment of potential project director and organizers
The coordination meeting also beneficial in identifying potential organization to cooperate with
The coordination meeting performed worse during recruitment of professional & expert to help with projects. Only one out of several meetings are successful.
In total there are three universities explicitly expressing interest in training: Universitas Nasional Jakarta majoring in Economy (Jakarta), Universitas Sanata Dharma (Yogyakarta) majoring in English Literature focusing in Journalism, and IKIP Semarang (Semarang) majoring in Javanese Literature.
Suffering the same faith as Indonesian language Wikipedia birthday party, in February 2011 an executive decision to sub-funded (more than half) Beacon of Theology 2011 project was taken following WMF decision in funding it less than half. The decision was taken using the assumption that WMF staff wasn't able to evaluate how much a micro project cost in Jakarta. The Project Director is upset and almost canceled the project in the absent of the funding. It is decided that capacity building grant will be used to funded project, cutting capacity building classes from 6 months to 3 months to cover the cost.
In return the committee was asked to do independent fundraising for the project. They came prepared with proposal and visited one church to another for additional funding and manage to raise approx. US$ 516,59. The lesson learned from this happening showed volunteer only able to fundraise 6.8 percent out of - a US$ 7.541,59 total budget needed to run a project. This is using the assumption that they have contacts and ability to do it. Making it impossible for micro project to run without grants. The committee end up printing project T-shirt and bought extra net book with the extra funding and make ends meet by donating their own money.
Papat Limpad also introduced as Javanese Language Wikipedia Revitalization Project would be the highlight of Wikimedia Cipta project. Not only that the project showed successful replication of Free Your Knowledge System (FYKs) writing competition in other language Wikipedia, it is also showed that a seven months project intervention are possible to be done!
Project Director and FYKs designer often receive questions of: "Are the participants returning after the competition?", unfortunately the answer is still "no". Some (very few, one or two) return, but a "no" answer would be sufficient considering how low the return rate is. However Papat Limpad proves that a seven months competition out of 12 months in a year is not a bad accomplishment considering the language is suffering lack of editors for years. It's just a realization that intervention program in order to make a sustainable impact need to be done repeatedly for five years until it finds it momentum to sustain itself in practice.
This projects proves that a true blue wikipedian although consider as "renewable resources", actually fall as very rare renewable resources who's contribution are often taked for granted. It is important for them to be appreciated for their contribution to society in delivering free knowledge into people hands possible.
This is the first project involving inviting and funding volunteer come to Jakarta.
The session with Banjar Language Wikipedian pioneer serve lesson learn for both Wikimedia Indonesia and Arief. Previously Arief, through multiple channel, identified as wanting to reach us by criticizing, and wondering Wikimedia Indonesia part in supporting to other local language outside Java. After the fact laid out and resources to actually to run a project identified, we come to an understanding that running an offline project involving a third party is not easy. Whether there are a strong will presence from the volunteer, extra sacrifices will still need to be made in the form of funding or time.
This project is the first cooperation Wikimedia Indonesia made with a Library, traditionally we only did outreach to Universities.
We learn that library need certain license compatibility between CC-Zero licenses and Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL). This is a homework for Wikimedia Indonesia's Creative Commons ID project.
Please see details expenditures for Wikimedia Cipta main infrastructure. Other expenditures can be found through its own respective project can be find in the table below.
Please note that the budget breakdown will be in Indonesian Rupiah (Rp) for exact calculation, U.S. Dollar value (USD) only serve as a comparison purpose.
Estimate for total budget Rp 367.603.329 equal to US$ 40.844,81 exchange rate 1 USD ~ Rp. 9,000,-
Budget allocation phase 1 - Preparation and volunteer recruitment