Wikimedia Asia Project/Proposal

This is the full version of Wikimedia Asia Project Proposal.

Summary

The Wikimedia Asia Project is an effort by chapters in the Asian region to coordinate in sharing knowledge, pooling resources, hosting events and promoting Wikimedia across Asia.

What we have done?

In November 2009, Wikimedia Hong Kong started the discussion of Wikimedia Asia Project through e-mail. After the discussion between most of the Asian chapters, they decided to apply a mailing list to Wikimedia Foundation for Asian Chapters.

In December 2009, Wikimedia Foundation approved the mailing list application of Asian chapters.

In February 2010, the first draft of Wikimedia Asia Project was published.

In April 2010, the first Asian Chapters Meet Up was held in the Chapter Meeting 2010 in Berlin.

In July 2010, the panel of Wikimedia Asia and the second Asian Chapters Meet Up will hold in Wikimania 2010, Gdansk.

Proposals

Wikimedia Asia Project has four sections: Administration, Events, Outreach and Resources.

We hope we can reach these targets through the project:

Administration - To enhance the cooperation between Asian Chapters, also increase the transparency of every Asian chapter

Experience Sharing

Through the Wikimedia Asia Project, Chapters can share their own experience on administration and other areas to other Asia Chapters, they can also share the experiences to some newly-formed chapters, or some country that do not set up a chapter yet.

- People relations

Wikimedia Asia Project connect every Asia Wikimedian together. They can make friends, help each other and work together.

-Co-platform

Offering a Co-platform can provide a place for all the Asia Chapters executives to communicate and work together, the interactive functions can offer more flexibility than the mailing list that now we are already using.

Events

To organize some Asia-wide Events or Conferences

- Wikimedia Asia Conference 2011/2012

The possibility of Wikimedia Asia Conference 2011/2012 will be discussed in the Second Asian Chapters Meet Up in Wikimania 2010, Gdansk.

- Chapters Meet Up 2011 Wikimedia Hong Kong intends to hold the 2011 Chapters Meet up in Hong Kong; under the Wikimedia Asia Projects, all the Asia Chapters can be involved to the organizing of the Meet Up. The Chapters Meet Up may also combine the Wikimedia Asia Conference or Chinese Wikimedia Conference.

- Wikimania 2011 in Israel Wikimedia 2011 is going to hold in Israel. As Israel is a part of Asia, Wikimedia Asian chapters may give Wikimedia Israel a hand before or during Wikimania 2011.

-Wikimania 2012/2013 If Wikimania is held in Asia region, then Wikimedia Asia Project can group the chapters’ forces in Asia and giving a hand for the organizer to hold the Wikimania successfully.

Outreach

To promote the Asia-wide projects to the public (GLAM/ Education/ Mobile)

-Mobile Project in Asia In Euro, the Mobile Wikimedia Project has been successfully introduced. For the Wikimedia Asia Project, this can help Wikimedia Foundation to introduce the Mobile Project to Asia, as the Asia chapter can deal with the local mobile carrier.

- GLAM Project 'GLAM' is an acronym for 'Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums'. For Wikimedia, GLAM can help Wikimedia to find much valuable information for Wikimedia Projects. Holding a regular Asia-wide GLAM outreach events can group all the Asia GLAM organizations up and provide a huge amount of information to Wikimedia Projects.

-Auditor Project Wikimedia Asia Project can attract some Asia-wide organization to support our administration, for the auditor project, we hope we can find an Asia-wide auditors organization to help all the Asia chapters to deal with all the financial stuff voluntarily.

Resources

To make sure the resources are equally shared to every Asian Chapters

- Regional sponsor It may be hard for one chapter to find sponsor, as it is not very attractive to the those companies, or it is rare to sponsor to charity in that city. So for Wikimedia Asia Project, we can find sponsor for whole Asia, for those companies, the campaign and promotion can be widely spread in Asia, and develop some new areas with Wikimedia local chapters. It can attract some giant Asia or even international companies to sponsor a big amount to Wikimedia and share to all Asia Chapters, then all the Asia Chapters can have enough resources/money to keep their things running.

Motivation

As the cooperation between Asian chapters are few, most of the Asian chapters are running their own plans and tasks. In Europe, they already have a strong connection with other chapters, it makes Wikimedia local stuff become more consistent and efficient. We hope after the Wikimedia Asia Project, Asia Chapters can have a better efficiency on every aspects.

Key Questions

- How to keep the mailing list activating? - How to keep the cooperation activating?

Potential Costs

Excluding the Events costs like Chapters Meet Up and Wikimania, running the Wikimedia Asia Project is not very expensive to do. As most of the actionable things in the project are about making changes to the system and policy, to make Asia Chapters becomes more motivated and target-oriented.