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Wikimedia Chapters Association/Meetings/2013-13

< Wikimedia Chapters Association | Meetings

Purpose

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Preparation for Wikimedia Conference.

Schedule

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Date/Time
Agenda
  1. Welcome
    1. Introduction of new council members
  2. Status of work within our action groups and projects
    1. Research
    2. Peer review
    3. Outreach
    4. Bringing in more WCA members
    5. Emergency number
    6. Chapters Exchange
  3. Wikimedia Conference
    1. Agenda for Thursday
    2. Presentations during the conference
    3. Other tasks and goals
  4. Relation to other entities
    1. Sue Gardner leaving the Foundation
Dial-in

see Wikimedia Chapters Association/Meetings/Talkyoo

Whiteboard

http://etherpad.wikimedia.org/WCA

Attendees
On the telecon
  1. Ziko van Dijk (WMNL)
  2. Itzik Edri (WMIL)
  3. Lodewijk Gelauff
  4. Markus Glaser (WMDE)
  5. Ashley van Haeften (WMUK)
  6. Kirill Lokshin (WMUS-DC)
  7. Lorenzo Losa (WMIT)
  8. Karthik Nadar (WMIN)
  9. Raul Veede (WMEE)
On Etherpad
  1. Ziko van Dijk (WMNL)
  2. Itzik Edri (WMIL)
  3. Lodewijk Gelauff
  4. Markus Glaser (WMDE)
  5. Charles Gregory (WMAU)
  6. Ashley van Haeften (WMUK)
  7. Kirill Lokshin (WMUS-DC)
  8. Lorenzo Losa (WMIT)
  9. Karthik Nadar (WMIN)
  10. Raul Veede (WMEE)

Minutes

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There were some initial problems with talkyoo. Everyone swichted over to skype.

Few action groups (WCA meta page):

Markus mentions this is an important group and work to be done. Milan is a good moment to make steps. Should go there prepared.
Ziko indicated that have not been many reactions to the outline presented by him and Michal yet, and needs more help to make movements. He feels that a lot of the work is communicating with individuals, and that volunteers cannot do the bulk of this work.
Markus wants to talk with all chapters at the Chapters Meeting in Milan. He'd like to prepare some questions, and wants to know now what information people would like to collect/know.
Ziko worries primarily about the inactivity of many chapters and doesn't know is broad questions will help understand that. 'chapters compendium': a document which lays out the goals all chapters should strive for, best practices etc? (not sure if I understood this correctly)
Markus: we need a basis for shaping the tasks of the wca
Fae: there's a page on meta, which was shaped by Bluerasberry. Delphine contacted Fae, but yet to meet up on Skype.
Fae & Raul would like to try and fit in one peer review before the Chapters Meeting in Milan. Maybe because of the time scale keep it more limited. For example, WMUK is getting quite 'heavy' in processes and procedures right now, more heavy than most chapters will have to be. He'd like to discuss this. For Milan, he'd like to have a few case studies available so that people could consider it.
Markus agrees with the general procedure. He thinks there might be some more people who could be helpful in executing, and even existing reviews such as those from Sebmol and Cornelius.
Fae agrees this collecting woudl be helpful for framing the discussion, but that the sebmol reviews might have been too heavy and strategic to be 'popular'. We only got a couple of weeks!
The outcome is to aim for one review before Milan.
Ziko: do we have any idea about the willingness of chapters to accept peer review
Fae: it's a far more positive process that it was when it was forced upon chapters. When we keep it lightweight, this will encourage more chapters to participate
  • Outreach
How can we get in more members, and activate the 'not very active' members?
Markus' mind goes specifically to the iberocoop chapters. He tries to find out what hinders them from more active participation. A fear that exists is eurocentrism.
Markus would like an active communication with all the chapters. This is quite a lot of work, and he would like to get some help with that.
Ashley identifies that this work doesn't have to be done by council members.
Markus wonders what the best way is to get volunteers involved.
Conclusion: This is a task to be done, email will be phrased during the chapters meeting.
  • Chapters hotline
Markus outlines why a 'hotline' would be helpful.
Itzik wonders why there has to be a seperate email address for emergencies, if 24 hour is the timeframe where emails need to be answered.
Markus addresses that emergency is not a good term, but mainly 'single point of entry'.
Itzik is afraid of 'yet another mailing list' which doesn't add much to existing channels.
Fae gives the email from WMF about removing the chapter status as example where such a list would be helpful. Leaking would be an argument for a new list (confidentiality). Another would be financially sensitive situations. (people asking for very specific experience)
Itzik wonders who would become a member then, if confidentiality is an issue.
Fae brings up that a solution for the hotline could possibly be just the official address of the chair.
Markus sees it as a simple way to get in touch with 'the WCA'. A clearly defined address in terms of what you can expect if you write to it, as first point of contact.
Itzik suggests as alternative a page on meta, where people can add email addresses for specific topics, and that the 'help seeker' can find the right person there directly. He feels this would be faster and more transparent.
Outcome:
(A) Markus will set up such a page on meta, and ask for input from Itzik (and others after that :). <insert link here afterwards>
  • Chapters Exchange
Was a suggestion by Jan-Bart. Markus added it to the agenda, and thinks it can be discussed in Chapters Meeting, as well as combined with the hotline.
Ashley suggests it could also be combined with peer review.
Ziko suggests this could be a subject in one of the three 'sections' of the WCA: Outreach, Advise and Research.
Markus wonders how this seperation in three sections can be made practical.
No conclusion is reached for now. Moving on.
There is no clear program yet.
Markus wonders if the WCA should try to actively shape the program apart from Thursday.
Ziko would expect the organizers to take the lead in that.
Markus wonders whether people prefer WCA just participating, or dedicated blocks in the schedule.
Ziko thinks it might be helpful to the organizers to come up with very specific program items.
Markus thinks this should have been a WCA-conference, instead of placing the burden on WMIT. He wants to take the responsibility for the proram, but suggests to wait for a draft.
Laurentius: maybe, but probably the WCA wasn't ready. It may be a "transition" conference, towards a WCA-conference next year.
Markus suggests that Laurentius can become the WCA contact person to the organizing team.
Ziko is going to write to Giulia? <who has what action? Seems to contradict.>
Markus wonders if WCA needs a whole day, and what would be the agenda. Markus first wonders whether to start in the morning or early afternoon. Maybe not to put any really important matters in the morning.
Laurentius: maybe general discussions on the morning and the real meeting in the afternoon.
Ziko makes the distinction between the Council and the diverse working groups.
Markus addresses that the budget is an important discussion, and that changing the charter is an issue to several potential members.
Markus suggests to prepare the meeting well on beforehand, and either decide, or postpone again at the meeting.
Ziko: thu, council discusses primarily its own business, and at the end of the chapters meeting (sunday morning), there could be a short meeting to vote on some stuff such as changes in the charter. That way people can discuss them during the meeting.
Laurentius: what types of changes are you talking about?
Markus : Section D3 in the charter, about withdrawel. Only if it is easy - if it is a complicated discussion, might need more time. :Markus knows at least 3 chapters that see this as a blockade.
Markus believes that Ziko's suggestion makes sense, and will make a proposal for the agenda for Thursday. (A)
Markus: anything else about the meeting to discuss?
Ziko: there will be at least one ThOrg in Milan (Wikivoyage), and wonders if anyone is in touch with Stefan Fussan. Ziko offers to write him an email and eexplain WCA to him.
Markus suggests to invite him at Milan and let him see what WCA is up to.
Ziko: also other affiliates might be represented. <a bunch of them are being mentioned of which some are in the approval process: insert here?>
Laurentius: there will be also someone from the education organization
Fae would like to discuss the differences between chapters and other Affiliates during the weekend.
  • Other tasks and goals
Markus wonders whether the resignation of Sue Gardner is relevant to WCA. He does think it important that the new ED is aware of and friendly towards chapters.
Itzik feels this is primarily the responsibility of the board.
Fae sees it helpful to lay out the vision towards the executive director.
Itzik thinks everyone will say that they are supportive of chapters, but that this might work out differently.
Fae also thinks that the work package of the ED is an important discussion topic. For example, if the ED will be focusing primarily on operations, that might be a good thing for the rest of the movement. Should look at least 2 years ahead with this kind of topics.
Markus asks for volunteers.
Fae suggests Markus would be a good one to take the lead, and bounce things up and off the chapters list. (A).
  • Further points
No further points brought to the table. No further call is scheduled before the Chapters Meeting in Milan.

Meeting closed @ 3:21pm UTC

Protocol largely written by Lodewijk. Thanks a lot! --Mglaser (talk) 22:13, 1 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

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