Grants:PEG/WM US-NYC/Wiki-Conference New York 2/Report
Project Goal:
Description of actual activities:
The second annual Wiki-Conference New York was held over the last weekend of August 2010, from the 28th to the 29th. Over those two days, editors and readers alike traveled from all over to share at the event. Wikipedia Day 10 took place on January 15, 2011 and was a somewhat smaller local event.
The Wiki-Conference is photographically documented on Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, and Wikipedia Day was likewise documented in the Huffington Post.
What lessons were learned that could help others succeed in similar projects?
The structure of the events and participation all went quite well.
The coordination and uploading of multimedia could have gone better, especially for Wikipedia Day.
What impact did the project have on WMF mission goals of Increased Reach, Increased Quality, Increased Credibility, Increased and Diversified Participation?
We estimate that over 60 people (about 60 to 80) attended the Wiki-Conference and over 50 people at Wikipedia Day 10. The former, due to its size and scope, was a diverse audience of anywhere from interested readers to Wikimedia Foundation staff members. The latter was mostly composed of regular editors, but we did however have a small number of uninvolved free culture enthusiasts and readers. Both events brought the community closer together by giving editors a means by which to meet and discuss off-wiki, besides capturing the attention of interested onlookers and internet users. The events hosted talks on what could potentially be done to make Wikipedia a better place for all users and gave Wikipedians who would not otherwise have a chance to brainstorm together in person.
Detail of expenditures:
The Chapter spent about 60% (nearly US$3000) of the grant on the Wiki-Conference itself. Of those expenses, we used about
- 78% (US$2331.20) on food purchases
- US$717.12 on minor amenities
- US$1614.08 on a single catering cost
- 22% (US$650.00) on space rental
- US$500.00 on graduate student supervision
- US$150.00 on a compulsory cleaning fee
For Wikipedia Day 10, the Chapter used about 21% (a little over US$1000) of the grant. The entire percentage was used on financing food purchases. We did not incur room space fees due to support from the free culture chapter at New York University in holding it at the student center.
Amount underspent in US Dollars:
We underspent the grant by about 19% or about US$1000 (exactly US$957.34).
Will you be requesting re-allocation of remaining grant funding?
Yes, our events grant reapportionment request is online and is still being edited.