Wikimedia Highlights, March 2014
Highlights from the Wikimedia Foundation Report and the Wikimedia engineering report for March 2014, with a selection of other important events from the Wikimedia movement
Wikimedia Foundation highlights
New Beta feature: Hovercards show article previews
Hovercards are brief previews of a Wikipedia article or other wiki page, displayed when the reader hovers over a link to that page. The preview consists of the lead paragraph and first image of the article. Users can enable this feature by logging into their account and clicking the "Beta" link at the top right. Hovercards were inspired by the Navigation popups gadget used by many experienced Wikimedians on the English Wikipedia and elsewhere, and modify the idea to make it more suitable for casual readers.
Typography refresh: A new look for text on Wikimedia sites
At the end of March, an update to the typography on the desktop version of Wikimedia sites was announced. The typography refresh is based on four requirements: 1. Readability, 2. a consistent look across multiple devices, 3. availability of the typefaces across various platforms (Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, and mobile operating systems), and 4. accessibility (even for those readers with visual impairments).
The most visible change is that headings are now displayed in a serif font instead of a sans-serif font. Among the other modifications: The text color is now a very dark grey instead of pure black, while the background color remained pure white. Also, the body font size was increased.
The changes were scheduled to be rolled out in April, with adjustments based on user feedback.
Draft annual plan published for feedback from the community and the FDC
In March, the Foundation worked to prepare its 2014/15 annual plan for publication in draft form, as a proposal to the FDC (Funds Dissemination Committee). The feedback from the FDC and the community review period (April 1 to April 30) will be taken into account while the plan is being finalized. As part of the FDC proposal, the Foundation published a new comprehensive overview of ongoing, long-term work that WMF staff and contractors are carrying out in support of the Wikimedia projects.
Data and Trends
Global unique visitors for February:
- 474 million (-4.28% compared with January; -1.83% compared with the previous year)
- (comScore data for all Wikimedia Foundation projects; comScore will release March data later in April)
Page requests for March:
- 21.042 billion (+0.2% compared with February; -2.3% compared with the previous year)
- (Server log data, all Wikimedia Foundation content projects including mobile access, but excluding Wikidata and the Wikipedia main portal page.)
Active Registered Editors for February 2014 (>= 5 mainspace edits/month, excluding bots):
- 75,958 (-6.80% compared with January / -2.06% compared with the previous year)
- (Database data, all Wikimedia Foundation projects.)
Report Card (integrating various statistical data and trends about WMF projects):
Financials
 |
 |
(Financial information is only available through February 2014 at the time of this report.)
All financial information presented is for the Month-To-Date and Year-To-Date February 28, 2014.
| Revenue | 39,242,310 |
|---|---|
| Expenses: | |
| Engineering Group | 10,750,112 |
| Fundraising Group | 2,739,036 |
| Grantmaking Group | 1,078,075 |
| Programs Group | 1,205,135 |
| Grants | 3,887,562 |
| Governance Group | 469,783 |
| Legal/Community Advocacy/Communications Group | 2,425,548 |
| Finance/HR/Admin Group | 4,542,676 |
| Total Expenses | 27,097,927 |
| Total surplus | (12,144,383) |
| in US dollars |
- Revenue for the month of February is $1.07MM versus plan of $0.01MM, approximately $1.06MM or 18,244% over plan.
- Year-to-date revenue is $39.24MM versus plan of $45.05MM, approximately $5.81MM or 13% under plan.
- Expenses for the month of February is $4.35MM versus plan of $4.41MM, approximately $63K or 1% under plan, primarily due to lower personnel expenses, capital expenses, internet hosting, outside contract services, and travel expenses partially offset by higher legal fees, grants, and payment processing fees.
- Year-to-date expenses is $27.10MM versus plan of $31.80MM, approximately $4.70MM or 15% under plan, primarily due to lower personnel expenses, capital expenses, internet hosting, legal fees, payment processing fees, staff development expenses, and travel expenses partially offset by higher outside contract services, grants, and recruiting fees.
- Cash position is $52.44MM as of February 28, 2014.
Other highlights from the Wikimedia movement
Picture of the Year 2013
The results from the "Picture of the Year 2013" vote on Wikimedia Commons were announced in March. 952 featured pictures from 2013 were eligible for the award. In two rounds, 4070 users voted for their favorite image, setting a new record in participation. The winning image, by German Wikimedian Stefan Krause, is an artistic illustration showing a lightbulb with its filament burning because oxygen has entered through the lightbulb's cracked surface.
Wikimedia Russia achieves changes to Russian copyright laws
On March 12, several changes to Russia's civil code were signed into law which will benefit Wikimedia projects. They include a legal basis for free licenses which will enable Wikipedia editors to better defend their authors’ rights, and freedom of panorama rule for objects in public places (like buildings or gardens), which will allow the restoration of hundreds of images on Commons that had to be deleted earlier. The Russian Wikimedia chapter had been advocating for such changes since 2009.