Wikimedia chapters/Reports/Wikimedia France/Oct-Dec 2008

This montly activity report covers october, november, and december 2008

Program activities

• WM-Fr rewarded the winners of the Wikiconcours "Cross project" category with 100€ gift checks for books.
• Funded the numerization of pictures of Gandhi.

Public activities and interventions

• Workshops given
  • Le Cube, Greater Paris Area, Oct 11th.
  • Bibliothèque Marguerite Yourcenar, Paris, Dec 14th and Nov 9th.
  • La Cantine (dedicated to senior citizens), Paris, Nov 21st.
  • Nanterre, Nov 29th.
• Conferences attended
  • Creative Commons France, Paris, Oct 15th.
  • JDLL (free software meeting), Lyon, October 17 & 18th.
  • Salon de l'éducation/Educatice, Paris, Nov, 27 to 29th.
  • Open World Forum, Paris, Dec 1st and 2nd.

• Talks given
  • 21 October: talk about "Free knowledge and Wikimedia" to students from "IEP Toulouse" (policital sciences school, http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institut_d%27%C3%A9tudes_politiques_de_Toulouse )
  • 17 October: presentation to Auvergne librarian association (Brioude)

Fundraising

• Partner of Wikimedia Foundation for the annual fundraiser.
• Developed a new donation website with online payment system
• Improvement of previous, as well as creation of new promotional material (leaflets, fundraising buttons...)
• Raised approximately 50 000 euros (last donations not included)

Press

• Supported the set up of the Wikiposter project with a press release (creation and purchase of poster from our images)

International events/happenings/news

• Anything on an international level that touches the chapter/interests the chapter
  • 16 October: presentation to "From illiteracy to computer illiteracy : an equal form of exclusion ?", European Meeting of Social Press
  • 2-3 October: presentation at "3rd Conference on Cultural Economics" [1] (UE)
  • December: two presentations at the Israel Business Conference in Tel Aviv. Was the opportunity for chapter (French and Israel) contact and for a wikimeet in Tel Aviv
  • Funding of the Zeus Web Server for the Toolserver.

Lobbying/Political

• Assisted to the announcement of the French "Plan du Numérique 2012" (action plan of the government)
• First contacts with reporters without borders in november (they publish a yearly book with pictures to support the press, we presented them commons).
• The council of Île-de-France, a French region ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%8Ele-de-France_(region) ) voted to become a member of Wikimédia France.
• Anthere received her award from the hands of the minister in charge of digital economy. Was the opportunity to gather French actors of the open source.

Tools

• Monthly IRC meeting for the members and the Board to discuss current issues
• Phone conferences will be tested in January
• WM-Fr new website development ongoing, based on TYPO3.
• Hosting of our tools was migrated in september on a dedicated server.
• Wikimédia France now on Viadeo (French social network) and LinkedIn (previously on Facebook).

Planned

• General Assembly planned mid march in Paris: will feature approval of financial data and election of new board.