08-07, 16:00–16:25 (Poland), Istanbul (10)
Language: English
As we conclude two rounds of the Wikimartisor campaign, it is essential to assess the impact this Wikigap-style initiative has had on the Romanian language Wikipedia community. We will examine existing statistics and assess the planned impact, as well as explore experiences of overcoming challenges and empowering volunteers.
Wikimartisor commenced in 2023 as a campaign led by the Wikimedians of Romania and Moldova User Group (WMROMD) aimed at enhancing or creating new Wikipedia articles about women from both countries. Inspired by the "mărțișor" tradition, which symbolizes the arrival of spring, the campaign focuses on celebrating women during the month of March, a goal it has successfully achieved in its two editions.
This presentation will analyze data on the gender distribution of Wikipedia articles about Romanian and Moldavian citizens, along with contributions and contributors to the campaign. It will reflect on the potential impact of such a campaign on a Wikipedia project and its community. Despite the significant increase in participants, new articles, and edited articles observed in 2024 compared to the first edition, there is a continuous need to identify and address existing gaps.
We will delve into our future plans and the challenges we anticipate in their implementation. Furthermore, we will discuss the various event formats organized by WMROMD in the past years and reflect on the feedback from Wikimartisor participants. This will enable us to explore the support required for such campaigns to effectively unite volunteers and drive effective contributions in the projects.
Presentation prepared by Claudia Serbanuta, Elena Damian and Valentin Brutaru
Session recording: https://youtu.be/j4jFqkG8iHg?t=22515
Collaboration to enhance community inclusivity has not been a priority for our group of individuals passionate about expanding knowledge, and Wikimartisor offers an excellent learning opportunity in this regard. We will discuss how volunteers from the Romanian language Wikipedia initiated a robust collaboration to improve and create articles about women, showcasing the power of collective action bringing new partners and in addressing gaps and promoting inclusivity. Additionally, we will explore how collaboration among volunteers leads to empowerment, knowledge sharing, and the collective advancement of Wikimedia projects.
What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?* –Everyone can participate in this session
How do you plan to deliver this session?* –Onsite in Katowice
What other themes or topics does your session fit into? Please choose from the list of tags below. –Collaboration, Campaigns, Capacity building, Events, Storytelling
Claudia is a member of the Wikimedians of Romania and Moldova User Group (WMROMD). Over the past three years, she has been actively involved in writing and presenting about the efforts of editors of the Romanian language Wikipedia. Claudia has initiated and been involved in planning and organizing campaigns, projects, partnerships, and research inquiries for and with this community. She is a library lover, passionate about GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) supporting future communities, and supporter of equity and inclusion.
I am a librarian in Romania and I am proud to be a volunteer on Wikipedia. Recently I've become a member of Wikimedians of Romania and Moldova User Group and I couldn't be happier! I participated in many campaigns on Wikipedia, 1lib1ref, Wikimartisor, Every Book its Reader (organizer in 2023), Roma Day 2024 (organizer), Refugee International Day in 2023, Editing together in English, Tyap and Romanian, a beautiful pilot project. I strongly believe that librarians can bring a huge contribution to Wikipedia, it is the perfect place for them to exercise their professional skills and improve the quality of references. My greatest experience was as the first Wikimedian in Residence in Romania. Then more beautiful moments completed my experience as a volunteer, as I travelled to the most modern public library in Romania and got the chance to teach a group of seniors how to start editing on Wikipedia. The thing that surprised me in a good way was that people were thrilled to discover they could be a volunteer too and as one of my seniors trainees said „Wikipedia gives addiction”. This is my first Wikimania and I am happy to be here and share with you my achievements, my hopes and emotions.
Interested in data.