Talk:Wikipedia 25
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[edit]- What is the most important message that you believe Wikipedia's 25th anniversary should send to the world?
- If you remember previous anniversaries, like Wikipedia 15 and Wikipedia 20, what about them did you find most and least impactful?
- Is there something new you think we as a movement should try?
- Is there something you or a group you belong to is already planning? Ed WMF [talk] 22:07, 14 January 2025 (UTC)
- yes. Wikipedia should resume using the Movement Strategy Forums, as a vital resource for the community to share ideas and to discuss important plans. Sm8900 (talk) 17:20, 15 January 2025 (UTC)
- I'll suggest a theme: Renewal - every organization needs to grow and change. Earlier anniversaries (e.g. the 10th and 20th) seemed to concentrate on consolidation. We'd come a long way from 2001, but by 2006 there seemed to be a sense of permanence and 2006-2011 was a major take-off from the base we'd built. 2011-2016 we seemed to be making sense of what we'd accomplished and how to continue expanding the encyclopedias along the same line. By 2021, which I participated in mainly as editor of The Signpost by publishing draft articles from [Wikipedia @ 20, Stories of an Incomplete Revolution, published by MIT Press] throughout most of 2020, there was a wonderful history built up that we could recount in detail in a long academic book. But, perhaps more usefully, half or a third of the book was dedicated to the future. Those articles were more speculative (of course!) and covered a lot of ground. We need to strengthen that part of our consciousness. Not just rest on our laurels, not plot out the day-to-day work, but to imagine what we can do in the next 25 years! Put the bold back into BE BOLD. By 2006 we'd knocked the world on its butt and made sure that everybody had to sit up and take notice. By 2051 we can do that again - maybe twice more! I'll be back with more along this line. Smallbones (talk) 03:37, 23 January 2025 (UTC)
- Thanks, Smallbones. Really appreciate your input. It's inspired some conversation over here! Ed WMF [talk] 20:05, 11 February 2025 (UTC)
- I'll suggest a theme: Renewal - every organization needs to grow and change. Earlier anniversaries (e.g. the 10th and 20th) seemed to concentrate on consolidation. We'd come a long way from 2001, but by 2006 there seemed to be a sense of permanence and 2006-2011 was a major take-off from the base we'd built. 2011-2016 we seemed to be making sense of what we'd accomplished and how to continue expanding the encyclopedias along the same line. By 2021, which I participated in mainly as editor of The Signpost by publishing draft articles from [Wikipedia @ 20, Stories of an Incomplete Revolution, published by MIT Press] throughout most of 2020, there was a wonderful history built up that we could recount in detail in a long academic book. But, perhaps more usefully, half or a third of the book was dedicated to the future. Those articles were more speculative (of course!) and covered a lot of ground. We need to strengthen that part of our consciousness. Not just rest on our laurels, not plot out the day-to-day work, but to imagine what we can do in the next 25 years! Put the bold back into BE BOLD. By 2006 we'd knocked the world on its butt and made sure that everybody had to sit up and take notice. By 2051 we can do that again - maybe twice more! I'll be back with more along this line. Smallbones (talk) 03:37, 23 January 2025 (UTC)
Ideas and thoughts from the Communications Committee
[edit]During the committee February meeting, ComCom brainstormed some ideas related to Wikipedia25. The notes from that brainstorming session can be found below:
- What is the most important message that you believe Wikipedia's 25th anniversary should send to the world?
- On this age of AI, we should still celebrate volunteers (human contributions) like we did previously on 20th anniversary.
- Made by humans, for humans.
- Meet Wikipedia: The Human Encyclopedia
- Shape the Future of Knowledge: Wikipedia Needs You
- Let's be contributors, not just consumers of the free knowledge.
- Wikipedia is useful, Wikipedia matters a lot.
- The World is getting darker: we are a piece of light.
- PEOPLE matter and WE are the ones who are creating knowledge in the way AI cannot.AI cannot rewrite and merge unless someone human first produces something.
- Power of the open knowledge and diversity
- Wikipedia: the human touch.
- Free knowledge in a collaborative fashion.
- Wikipedia for You & I
- 25 Years of Access for All: Celebrating Knowledge Equity
- Wikipedia at 25: The people’s encyclopedia in a time of distrust.
- In the wilderness of information, Wikipedia lights the way for truth
- Celebrating 25 Years of knowledge production and integrity
- A global effort for truth: Wikipedia’s 25-year journey
- Wikipedia: 25 years force for good, public good
- If you remember previous anniversaries, like Wikipedia 15 and Wikipedia 20, what about them did you find most and least impactful?
- It was great to have birthday parties around the world
- The images were impactful, but only inside the movement. We didn't make anything impactful for the outside world. And the world needs us. Let's stop looking to our navel, and talk to the world.
- I personally loved the "20 years of Wikipedia" campaign , the graphics and visuals. Most impactful was the diverse communities coming together for the celebration around the globe. Not able to remember what was not impactful.
- Online celebrations with featured community members sharing their experiences
- Is there something new you think we as a movement should try?
- 24 hours global edit a thon with beautiful prizes
- or 25 hours for 25 birthday
- Interviews with people born on the same day as Wikipedia (they are adults now!)
- Topic of interviews: What Wikipedia means to you
- An aligned Wikipedia25 song (similar to songs from the past)
- Different languages
- Community spotlight : Monthly or bi monthly
- Newcomer tales juxtaposed with a old-timer/ veteran
- Virtual art showcase for wikipedia at 25
- Maybe community driven - and led not just by a comms agency hired to do the Branding/PR on this
- Wikipedia25 in a Word
- 24 hours global edit a thon with beautiful prizes
On behalf of the Communications Committee NSzafran-WMF (talk) 18:45, 21 February 2025 (UTC)
- Thanks @NSzafran-WMF for the summary. I have extended the idea of "By humans, for humans" below. Theklan (talk) 10:02, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
- Many, many thanks to ComCom and you, Theklan. Really appreciate all the thoughts and ideas! Ed WMF [talk] 22:12, 26 February 2025 (UTC)
By humans. For humans.
[edit]Wikipedia is turning 25, which is important to celebrate. Not because 25 is a fancy number, but because we are here against all odds. It is time to give value to the most important thing: Wikipedia is made by humans, by volunteers who dedicate their time to give something to humanity. Wikipedia is made by humans who want knowledge to be free. People who read books, check facts, take photographs, correct texts, synthesise the complex. Wikipedia is made by people, and that is something we should celebrate.
In recent years we have seen the emergence of machines that also read everything done by humans and are able to synthesise that knowledge. Some say that the future of encyclopaedism is to continue writing texts to feed those machines. That may be the future, but our aim is not to feed machines, but to feed human beings. Wikipedia is written by humans, to be read by humans. In these times when we are encouraged to read what a black box owned by a few people have to say, the 25th anniversary of Wikipedia is an option to claim that we are people, that we write for people, and that is why we are one of the most important projects created by Humanity.
A people-based campaign
This celebration of the people who write and read Wikipedia should be at the heart of our 25th anniversary celebration. Let's do it in style, proudly showing who we are, what we've done, and what we have left to do. It is an invitation to participate in a project that can only continue to grow.
What can we do to showcase this idea? Here are some suggestions:
- Change the tagline for a year. It is no longer The free encyclopedia, but By humans. For humans. This change is already enough to show that this year is special, as it would be the first time we change the tagline.
- By X. For Y. Let's celebrate those X and those Y. By John. For Jessie. John enjoys writing about astronomy, he is passionate about all things above the heaven; Jessie has a small telescope in her home and enjoys reading about distant worlds. By Daksha. For Manjunath. Daksha takes photos of wildlife and uploads them to the Commons. Manjunath is researching about ecosystems in the University, and having wildlife images is improving his knowledge. By María. For Francisco. María loves to check consistency between history articles and cross-references articles constantly. Francisco is a retired metal-worker who couldn't learn at the University and now enjoys being able to read about history.
- In 2025 we will identify 12 contributors and 12 readers that will talk together about why they contribute and about what they have learnt.
- A communication strategy for chapters and language communities to replicate this idea in their context. A clear graphic design that can be easily changed by everyone, and ideas for approaching press with this same points: we want to celebrate humans who are crafting the largest ever free knowledge effort.
- A large public act during the Wikimania 2026. Wikimania is large, but it is usually and insider thing. Some local press coverage may occur, but there's no global coverage. It's time to change that, and make a public act during Wikimania 2026. We need people from culture, arts and academy to discuss what free knowledge means, and it must be something appealing. Is not about us talking about our things. Is about free knowledge to the world. We have one year to think on this large event, and Paris is a good showroom for that.
Best, Theklan (talk) 10:01, 22 February 2025 (UTC)