Wikimedia Clinics

This page documents an experimental Wikimedia Foundation program called Wikimedia Clinics, coordinated by the Community Development team, and archives the notes generated during the Clinic calls.

About the program

In these complex times of pandemic, and the coming complex times of post-pandemic, live human contact with fellow Wikimedians, even mediated through a video call, can be helpful, relaxing, and fun.  It can also offer opportunities to ask questions you have been meaning to ask but never got around to, or to explain complex situations that may be hard to articulate in writing.

To better support members of the community during this time, the Community Development team is scheduling open video calls where any active Wikimedian is welcome to attend and ask questions or ask for advice about whatever Wikimedia-related goal or problem they're working on. 

You can also just share what you're working on and invite feedback, even if you don't have a specific question. Or people can just connect to hang out, or to offer their own experience to the people asking questions.

These calls will be hosted two to three times a month (in alternating time zones, to accommodate as many people as possible).

Each clinic session:

• would be 70-90 minutes in length depending on topics presented and volume of conversation
• would have at least two Wikimedia Foundation staff members guaranteed to be present. They are not guaranteed to have the answers you need, but they are committed to helping you get them, even if not during the call itself, but as later follow-up.  
• would be summarized in an in-depth digest of the call that would be edited for clarity and available to all volunteers interested. These notes would link to any tools and resources mentioned on the call and will be shared on this mailing list and archived on Meta (below).

These calls are not replacing any existing channels or regularly-scheduled calls!  Every channel or call you are already using continues to exist.  No important announcements will be made on these calls, and no one should feel stressed or obligated to attend them.

Rather, they are a new form of live-communication open support calls, less narrow in focus than some of the existing channels (where only specific topics are expected), and, we hope, more approachable and welcoming for people not sure whether their question or dilemma is appropriate for one of the other channels.  

If these calls are found useful, we'll try to offer them in some other languages, to increase access to those not comfortable speaking English.

Expected conduct

The Wikimedia Clinic calls are a Friendly space. Attendees are expected to:

• Listen with patience and respect.
• Share your experience, but remember others' contexts are very diverse, and may not match yours.
• Be of service to others on the call.

Upcoming calls

Based on feedback received so far, starting with Clinic #007, we have some pre-scheduled segments (so people can choose to attend if interested in those topics), but will still leave a good chunk of time in each call for people to bring up topics spontaneously.

The next calls are scheduled for:

• (the next call has not been scheduled yet)

Remember there's no particular preparation needed.  Feel free to join us with anything Wikimedia-related that's on your mind, or just to hang out.

Archive of digests of past calls

#	date	topics	language
001	15-Jun-2020	Universal Code of Conduct The wiki-specific nature of some of our challenges Notability by country Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos	English
002	17-Jun-2020	Shared, global templates repository WikiLambda/Abstract Wikipedia New main page on Northern Sámi Wikipedia Usability of Commons Contributing to Wikimedia during the pandemic on the Branding project Populating information from Wikidata Meta Profile How to use information from Wikidata in other projects? How to generate citations from Wikidata Lexemes in Wikidata Are there plans to improve Wikisource? Grants & Events	English
003	23-Jun-2020	The term 'projects' and doing outreach Increasing awareness of Wikimedia Commons News on Wiki campaign Universal Code of Conduct Drafting committee - call for volunteers Education Office Hours Ukrainian education program Commons App	English
004	28-Jun-2020	Community friction in outreach on Turkish Wikipedia Announcement about Celtic Knot 2020 Conference (Virtual) Consultations between the WMF and the meta Community Translation of the Template:Cite Q from English to Spanish? International conflict observatory Can you recall a great talk or presentation outside Wikimedia that really inspired your Wikimedia work?	English
005	1-Jul-2020	Generating tables on Wikipedia from Wikidata Are you active in affiliates? Why or why not? How to connect with local Wikimedians? Datasets relating to Wikimedia activities by country? ReplyTool	English
006	16-Jul-2020	Español English Impacto de la pandemia en los afiliados Impact of the pandemic on affiliates Apoyo que se necesita de la Fundación Needed support from the Foundation	Spanish
007	05-Aug-2020	Statistics tools demonstrations (+Bonus demonstration of stylometric analysis to uncover sock puppets) What is "Wikimedia research" In person events Wikimedia in Mainland China Technical feedback on Jitsi	English
008	10-Aug-2020	WMF Research (Presentation by Leila Zia (WMF)) Wiki Studies Pitching ideas for development to WMF Harassment	English
009	21-Aug-2020	Abstract Wikipedia Translation of modules Feedback on Abstract Wikipedia in various existing communities	English
010	15-Sep-2020	Unfortunately, due to last-minute illness, no notes were taken, but the meeting was largely another discussion of Abstract Wikipedia (to accommodate a different region through change of time slot), so the notes from Clinic #009 are representative of what was discussed.	English
011	20-Oct-2020	Strategy Prioritization presentation Wikicite Events Abstract Wikipedia Additional proposals by members of Wikimedia Russia Wikimedia Clinics	Russian
012	13-Jan-2021	WMF Growth team presentation about new editor features Pandemic effects on Wikimedia communities	English
013	04-May-2021	TBD	English
014	10-May-2021	TBD	English

2020 Retrospective

In December 2020, the Foundation reflected on the program, and wrote up this retrospective.