wmf present wikiconference japan nov 2009

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Helping you build Wikipedia: How we support the growth of Wikipedia and our free knowledge projects around the world

November 2009Jay Walsh, Head of Communications

Overview of today’s talk

Wikipedia (history and more)

The state of the wiki, recent findings

What is the Wikimedia Foundation?

The people behind the projects

Challenges and the future

Canadian born, working in the USA

Studied English and creative writing

Government, education, public media background

NHK / CBC

Working at Wikimedia since January 2008

About your presenter

Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia

“Imagine a world in which every singlehuman being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge . . . That’s what we’re doing.”

CCBYSA3.0 by Nicolas Goldberg

The Free Encyclopedia

Wikipedia is the largest encyclopedia in history

2 billion+ words

14 million+ articles

4 million+ images

250+ languages

La enciclopedia libre

Die freie Enzyklopädie

Wolna encyklopedia

De vrije encyclopedie

الموسوعة الحرة

L'encyclopédie libre Свободная энциклопедия

维基百科

フリー百科事典

L’enciclopedia libera

History of Wikipedia

Before Wikipedia, Nupedia

January 15, 2001, Wikipedia is born

More projects follow Wikipedia (not everything should be in an encyclopedia)

Traffic is slow at first

Editing increases, policy evolves

A grassroots project takes flight

“Assume good faith” and “Be Bold” become key ideas.

Jimmy is intent on giving this idea to everyone – making it a not for profit venture.

Common Questions

Who is in charge?

Why do people edit?

Who fact-checks Wikipedia?

How can you operate without experts?

Why are there no ads?

State ofThe Wiki

5th most popular website world-wide

325 million unique visitors monthly

Source: comScore, Media Metrix, Sept 2009

7th most popular website in Japan

30.5 million unique visitors monthly

Source: comScore, Media Metrix, Sept 2009

Wikipedia Global Traffic

Source: comScore

Select information sites, monthly unique visitors

From strategy.Wikimedia.org

From strategy.Wikimedia.org

From strategy.Wikimedia.org

However . . .

Wikimedia is more than Wikipedia

Wikimania

Wikibooks

Meta-wiki

Wikiquote

Wikispecies

Media-wiki

Wikimedia IncubatorWikiversity

Wiktionary

Wikinews

Wikisource

WikimediaCommons

Wikipedia

Wikimedia’s Projects

What is the Wikimedia Foundation?

A not-for-profit charity based in San Francisco, California

A global, mission-focused organization:

“Spread free knowledge throughout the world.”

ReachParticipationQuality

Focusing on our projects and our people – our community of volunteers

Wikimedia’s Board of TrusteesGoverning bodyCommunity Elected

Board appointedChapter appointed

CCBYSA 3.0 byNicolas Goldberg

The Wikimedia Foundation is the 501(c)(3) non-profit that runs Wikipedia.

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Wikimedia Organization

Wikimedia Staff

CCBYSA 3.0 byDeniz Gultekin

Wikimedia Foundation HeadquartersSan Francisco, California

CCBYSA 3.0 byDeniz Gultekin

ProgramsPartnerships

Advocacy

Volunteer Outreach

Education

Communication

CCBYSA 3.0 byMathias Schindler

Technology

Infrastructure

Uptime

Software development

Scalability

Media-wiki

Office technology

CCBYSA 3.0 byFlorence Devouard

Fundraising

Finance / Admin

Global financial managementInternational business developmentDefending our trademark

Protecting free contentProtecting user privacy

Financial accountability

CCBYSA 3.0 byJay Walsh

strategy.wikimedia.org

Usability

Understand user experienceSimplify editingEngage new users

CCBYSA 3.0 byParul Vora

People

Wikimedia considers any person who supports our mission or edits on our projects to be a volunteer.

On our projects we consider an active editor to be anyone who has edited at least five times in a month.

In September 2009 over 85,353 people edited a Wikimedia project at least five times.

Since the creation of Wikipedia over 350,000,000 individual edits have been made to Wikimedia projects.

Global Chapters

27 volunteer-run Wikimedia Chapters support the Foundation’s mission around the world.

Global chaptersNational

outreachFundraisers

Engaging new volunteers

Representing Wikimedia locally

CCBYSA 3.0 byUser:Bidgee

Wikimania

The annual, global gathering ofSupporters and enthusiasts of the Wikimedia projects.

CCBYSA 3.0 byNicolas Goldberg

CCBYSA 3.0 byNicolas Goldberg

CCBYSA 3.0 byNicolas Goldberg

CCBYSA 3.0 byNicolas Goldberg

Challenges &The Future

Perceptions of quality and credibility

Sustaining participation

Long-term financial security

Complexity and evolution of the internet

Reducing barriers, building partnershipsExpanding free knowledge globally

Challenges &The Future

Perceptions of quality and credibility

Flagged revisions

Usability initiative

Challenges &The Future

Perceptions of quality and credibility

Media still question qualityShifts in our notions of Trust and credibility on-lineWe have to do more to helpothers understand the movement

Challenges &The Future

Sustaining participation

Complex problem

Involving global experts and academics to study our challenges.We continue to grow, but as with any movement we need to be sustainable.

Challenges &The Future

Long-term financial security

Ad-free for a reason.

Non-profit during the toughest recession in decades.

Which models can ensure Wikipedia Forever?

Challenges &The Future

Complexity and evolution of the internet

Wikipedia has changed little in 8 years.Need to keep up with web leaders, but maintain open-source roots.

Mobile access is becoming more prominent than desktop.

Challenges &The Future

Reducing barriers, building partnershipsExpanding free knowledge globally

Vast population of earth is still not online.The knowledge is only powerful if in the hands of readers.

Wikimedia and its chapters must expand to build partnerships and alliances globally.

Challenges &The Future

Challenges &The Future

A global challenge, that needs your help.http://strategy.wikimedia.org