Wikimedia CH/Micro Grant/Travel expenses for OSCAL 2016

Please provide the following information for your micro-grant request:

Your Username: Albinfo

Your Country of residence: Switzerland

Amount requested: CHF 400

Planned activity: Speach at OSCAL 2016 (Open Source Conference Albania) at May 14–15, 2016 in Tirana, Albania
The grant will cover a good part of the travel expenses while I can bear the rest.

People involved:
me, Albanian Wikipedia community, 400+ participants of the conference

Please explain what influence your activity will have on Wikimedia Projects:
After my presentation at the Wikipedia Weekend Tirana 2015 last December, organizers of OSCAL asked me to talk at their conference in May: "We would be really happy to have you as a speaker at OSCAL'16 to share your work and experience with Wikimedia and think that your presence would be highly appreciated since the main focus this year will be Empowering the Commons."

  • Engaging new editors
    Topic of this year's OSCAL conference is #EmpoweringtheCommons. It is about "giving power to what we have in common, and to give it for free, to increase altruism with projects like Wikipedia." As a foreigner writing a lot about Albania in Wikipedia (besides other topics) and uploading hundreds of images to Wikimedia-Commons, my contribution is a good example to illustrate this common target. In my speech, I'll try to show what can be achieved by expaniding Wikipedia.
    The Albanian Wikipedia is still under development. Structures of an organized chapter are missing – but thanks to efforts of some engaged editors, the Albanian version is doing good progress ([1]). The Albanian Wikipedia can profit of any support that helps continuing this positive trend.
    Last year, 350 persons participated at the OSCAL conference ([2]). For this year, they expect 450+ participants with a big female attendance (the Albanian open source and open content community has an astonishing female majority). Thus, I hope to have a big audience.
  • Foster collaboration
    Last year, I could establish first contacts with some Albanian and Macedonian Wikipedia editors and administrators ([3]). The conference will be a good occassion to tighten the contacts and create new ones. We can continue the collaboration in expanding Commons and raising awareness for critical topics in Commons (like missing Freedom of Panorama in Albania, categories etc.).
  • Expanding Commons and Wikipedia:
    I added 133 images to commons from my trip to Wikipedia Weekend Tirana in December 2015 and was able to illustrate some articles without images and add better images to others. In addition, I added new content uploaded to Wikimedia by other participants (images and audio files) to German and English Wikipedia. I also supported the organizers during the Editathon.
    My target is to take again many pictures which can be contributed to Commons and Wikimedia and to support new or experienced editors during any Wikipedia-related activites.
    In addition, I hope to reach far beyond Albania, as we expect also representatives of Macedonian Wikipedia and participants of various other countries of origin.

--Albinfo (talk) 01:03, 1 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Please provide links to your contributions after your project or activity ended:
Please provide the links to the categories on Wikimedia Commons, to the articles on Wikipedia or any other contributions on Wikimedia projects:

  • OSCAL was a two day conference about Open Source and Open Knowledge. I had the possibility to join several presentations of other speakers, e.g. about CC licences, freedom of panorama, status of Albanian Wikipedia, 15 years of Wikipedia, community building, OpenStreetMap, gender gap in technology etc;
  • met all the important editors of Albanian Wikipedia again;
  • joined the wiki edit-a-thon
  • joined the meet-up of the Albanian Wikipedia with discussions about new projects like Wiki Loves Earth in Albania and Kosovo;
  • I held a presentation about what impact Wikipedia can have on the development of Albania,
    tried to inspire new editors;
  • added 32 new images to commons, was able to illustrate some articles without proper images;
  • discussed the creation of a wish lists for images in the Albanian wikipedia and prepared move of wish list from German to Albanian Wikipedia: sq:Përdoruesi:Albinfo/Livadhi, sq:Përdoruesi diskutim:Arianit#Wishlist;
  • discussed the necessity and possibilities of an Albanian chapter;
  • occasion to buy several new books about Albania; visited the Center for Openess and Dialogue at the prime minister's office and received rare publications there with helpful data;

My participation helped to foster the connections to the Albanian colleagues (and others from Czech Republic and Macedonia). We were able to discuss new projects and collaboration. Unfortunately, the crowd at my presentation wasn't as big as expected (there where 6 rooms with concurrent presentations), but I hope I was able to show those who showed up, what impact work at Wikipedia can have. At least user Akron uploaded dozens of images: [[4]]. In addition, I was able to lear in discussions and presentations.

Images I've uploaded after this trip:

First image for en:Albanian patrol vessel Lisus (P 133)

First image of complete structure of de:Kapllan-Pascha-Türbe 

First images about homosexuality in Albania: commons:Category:LGBT in Albania, de:Homosexualität in Albanien

First high quality images of Bunk'Art: commons:Category:Bunk'art

First images of Durrës from the sea and new images of the port of Durrës including some new motives (e.g. customs), several new categories of ships in Commons: commons:Category:Bari (ship, 1980), commons:Turnberry Kontor, commons:Category:Francesca (ship, 1979), commons:G Muse (Ship, 1993)

other images Albania:

Some images from Bari: first image of complete monumental building at Fiera del Levante, first image of Bari airport from the sea, a recent image of Norman Atlantic and first image for it:Adria Ferries.

The organizers of the event and I are very thankful for your contribution to this trip. --Albinfo (talk) 21:23, 5 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]


Some images showing me at the conference:

--Albinfo (talk) 23:27, 21 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]


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