Wikipress?

Regular publications on what has happened in the collaborative online project movement.

Why are we talking about it?

Some people are involved and some more are readers of wikipress, but how many know how they are made? Maybe some others would be kin to have their own publication? This page is based on a lighting talk made in Wikiconvention francophone 2024 by Noé.

Who are the people doing wikipress?

• Volunteers who help out
• Volunteers on a regular basis
• Volunteers involved in the task
• Staff who help
• Staff who write and handle the publication

→ this is not a specific role, participation can be very diverse.

What are the publications?

They can be grouped into three broad categories: community-based publications, publications involving employees, and thematic publications. Since the latter are numerous, sometimes ephemeral or confidential, we will focus here on the first two categories.

What's in it?

• information on the evolution of content, features, tools
• highlighting small contributions and large projects
• reports on collective activities and partnerships
• announcements of upcoming activities, competitions, recruitment
• press reviews and studies published about the projects
• content or reading statistics
• nice illustrations
• opinion pieces
• contribution tips: templates, gadgets, MediaWiki preferences, useful tools
• interviews
• games, jokes, and interesting snippets
• future projects of the Wikimedia Foundation that may influence the project
• evolution of allied dynamics or external influences (technological, legal, climate-related, etc.)
• …

Why doing it?

• reporting on changes
• remembering that it is humans who make and maintain wikis
• thanking and praising the work done
• raising awareness of the importance of the efforts made
• developing a common culture and knowledge about the project
• creating an archive of project development and growth
• helping and stimulating contribution
• making known beyond our circles
• learning to write as a journalist

Who's it for?

• For current contributors
• For potential contributors from other wikis
• For current wikis readers
• For future wikis readers
• For allies and partners who follow our activities

How many people may read our publications?

See the slides attached for figures. The average reading quantities in November 2024:

• Wikipedia Signpost : ~11,300 people per month per issue
• Wikipedia Kurier : ~9,600 people per month per issue (the page is renamed monthly for archiving)
• Regards sur l’actualité de la Wikimedia : ~600 people per month of publication
• Wikimag : ~430 per month, 150 per week
• News from Wiktionnaire : ~400 people per month per issue

What is the current status?

• French-language publications are less attractive than English- and German-languages ones
• Several publications have existed since a while now
• Different people are involved according to their interests
• Some content are interesting and useful according to different views
• Some content allows to keep up with the current developments of the project and society for the part that is connected with the project
• Publications raise little controversy against them

What are the limitations?

• It's time-consuming
• It's periodical and monotonous
• Few advertising and relaying by other media
• Few readership feedback
• Few community recognition
• A dispersion of energy between multiple publications

What is the reach?

• Publications are set in the project in scope or on Meta
• They can be shared on mailing lists
• They can be announced in community discussion spaces
• They can be announced on the talk pages of registered users that ask to receive a notice
• They can be announced on other channels outside of wikis (Discord, Telegram, etc.)
• They can be shared on external sites, information federations, partners, or on digital social networks
• They can be printed, mentioned in other publications, or even appear on Wikipedia pages as sources!

Some advice

• Publish as much as possible according to the planned frequency, regardless of the document's completeness, there is no lenght requierement
• You are free to be late, especially if you are volonteering
• Regularly invite new people to participate, according to their interests.
• Once in a while, improve the layout with simple yet elegant templates, mostly for mobile display
• Write a help page to facilitate participation (for example, the French Wiktionary one)
• Don’t get discouraged if you receive little feedback; it’s a long-term project!

What possible futures?

• The wikipress will last as long as the motivation of the people involved, or as long as wikis projects stay online
• The diversity of formats will interest a diversity of readers
• The content will be all the more interesting as the number of editors increases
• These publications will reach their audiences and have a positive effect at some point, or perhaps only in a diffuse, invisible, unpredictable way
• The people who participate may be recognized for their specific involvement at some point

But also:

• New formats of writing to report on activity?
• New thematic newsletters or for other projects?
• Better communication around existing publications?
• New hybrid media formats?

Endorsements

See also