Language and Projects Support Forum

The Language and Projects Support Forum aims to help find solutions for language issues particularly to small projects.

Introduction

When you look at the Sitematrix you will find that the Wikimedia Foundation supports an astounding number of Wikis representing many projects and languages. When you look into the health of these projects, you will find that the vast majority is not doing well, the projects are lacking in content and its communities are too small and not growing.

There have been attempts to create a Meta council and for all kinds of reasons they have not materialised. These councils tended to be organised around all kinds of well considered policies, policies that were to be further refined and debated. In the mean time the needs that these councils were supposed to address were either not met or were to be met in a grass roots fashion. A good example of people already taking up the baton is Betawiki that is the centre of localisation and internationalisation for the MediaWiki software. Many Wikipedians find their way to Betawiki and help out localising and consequently our environment improves. There are many such activities, you find it in the activities of Stewards, you find it in the group that monitors the smaller projects...

Remit

In order for this "forum" to succeed, it should not get involved in things that are done elsewhere. When activities are complementary, when collaboration is sought and found, the chances of success are so much greater.

When activities are to be done under the aegis of this forum, the least should be that activities are made known. When people do this work that is considered to be beneficial, they gain as a result of their activity the respect needed to continue to do this work.

This forum has no real interest to get involved in big and well run projects like the the English language Wikipedia, or the English language Wiktionary or their German, Spanish etc. equivalents. These projects have sufficient clout to get done what needs doing.

The aim is to affect change that does particularly benefit the smaller projects and will lead to them become largely outside of the remit of this forum.

Organisation form

As with any grass roots organisation, what needs organisation will get organised and, if you are part of this effort, you organise where needed and where feasible get as many people involved as needed. The Foundation list is the obvious mailing list (why create another), Wikivoices seems to be the ideal channel to discuss any and all issues.. (Wikivoices would be our host, it retains its own programming).

So the forum is intended not to have too have much officious structure. no chairs, secretaries or elected or appointed members are envisioned. The forum is very much to make plain what the needs are and what we do to meet those needs.

The key is to talk enough and then do. People who only talk are just that.

Issues and activities

All activities require attention. They are in essence not dependent on this forum. Issues and activities that matter can be made part of the Category:LPSF