Event:Wikicon Australia 2024/Reports/ashlar

Questions to be addressed

Things learned at the conference
How the participant hopes to use his/her new learnings/skills
Comments about the conference
Suggestions for future Wikicons

Response

This report concerns Wikicon Australia 2024, which was held in Adelaide on 23 November 2024. I was awarded a scholarship from the Wikimedia Australia Foundation which allowed me to attend the conference.

This report covers the sessions that I attended, what I learned at the conference, how I plan to apply what I learned, and the suggestions that I have as a result of the conference.

Sessions I participated in

I attended the following sessions:

9:30 - 10:30

Presentation by Ingrid Ngoorlak Cumming and Jennie Buchanan about the Noongarpedia project.

10:45 - 11:30

Tenniscourtisland - First Nations content and community engagement, including information for the recent NT Environment Project

11:30 - 12:00

Aliceinthealice - A brief introduction to Wiktionary and how to use it for First Nations Language

1:00 – 2:00

Pakoire Decolonisation conversation: relationship building between New Zealand and Australia through collage

2:00 - 2:30

99of9 - Measuring the progress of Australian content with Wikidata

2:30 - 3:00

Jacknunn - Introducing 'Standardised Data on Initiatives' (STARDIT) and the partnership with Wikimedia Australia (15 minutes)
Oronsay- Where do the gender stats come from?

3:15 - 4:00

JarrahTree - Questions and Queries (15 minutes)
JarrahTree - Inherently notable (30 minutes)

4:00 - 4:30

Bracteantha - What happened at Wikimania Katowice from the perspective of a Wikimania newbie (15 mins)
Aliceinthealice - Ensuring cultural sensitivity when uploading First Nations images to Wikimedia Commons (15 mins)

What I learned

The sessions that resonated with me the most were:

Tenniscourtisland’s First Nations’ content and community engagement, which highlighted some of the challenges faced by editors with platform rules and norms;
99of9, Jacknunn, Oronsay, and JarrahTree sessions that concerned:
- the innovative ways that people are using, and can use, Wikimedia metadata;
- statistics that provide insight into who is using the various Wikimedia platforms; and
Aliceinthealice’s discussion about the Alice Springs’ library experience uploading First Nations images to Wikimedia Commons - both the benefits to the community and issues of cultural sensitivity.

I learned more about the Women in Red and Noongarpedia projects, uses for and ways to query metadata, STARDIT, efforts to digitise historic photos and make them available in culturally-sensitive ways, as well as efforts to populate Wikidata.

Key themes emerged around platform development, underrepresented groups, innovations, and strategies to attract and accommodate new editors. Often while participating, I drew parallels with my experience and efforts in relation to underrepresented or less documented people and experiences.

Networking Opportunities

It was rewarding to meet people who share the same passion. I came to appreciate how many editors are meeting regularly face-to-face. Through talks with other participants, I also learned about other websites and apps such as Open Map Earth and Miraheze for hosting more subject-specific wikis. Networking added a new dimension to the experience, creating a real sense of community. I look forward to following up on these opportunities.

Event Organisation

The conference was well organised, the sessions were well run, and the activities were enjoyable.

On Friday, I joined a group that enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of the South Australia Museum. There were also great suggestions of things to do in Adelaide on Sunday.

Diversity and Inclusion

I was impressed by the representation of women at the conference—it seemed like more than half the attendees. Key topics included First Nations issues, the Women in Red project, and a focus on gender statistics.

Next steps

As a direct result of the conference, I plan to use Wikidata more and to start editing corresponding items as soon as I create new Wikipedia articles. I’ll also contribute to the Women in Red project and I’m keen to learn more about, and use, STARDIT.

In particular, I’d like to start a checklist for new users with a suggestion of approx. 20 tasks to help them learn by doing before taking on the challenge of starting a new article.

For future conferences, it would be great to have some group discussions in addition to Q&As. (Also, a printed flyer with the schedule or a schedule outside the breakout rooms would have been welcomed).

Conclusion

Wikicon 2024 was a fantastic experience. I’m grateful for the opportunity, and the scholarship that made it possible. I thoroughly enjoyed connecting with others and learning from the sessions and I looking forward to 2025.