Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2024/Submissions/VRT for smaller languages and projects – does this pay off?

ID : 32	VRT for smaller languages and projects – does this pay off?
Author(s): Bencemac		Username(s): Bencemac	Type of submission: lecture
		Affiliation: Wikimedia Hungary	Theme(s): technology and community engagement
Abstract: The Volunteer Response Team (VRT, formerly known as OTRS) is a group of Wikimedians who have access to the public email addresses of Wikimedia projects and answer questions on a volunteer basis. The existence of such general information addresses is vital, but recruiting experienced editors for specific communities or languages can be difficult. This presentation will discuss the benefits and challenges of VRT for smaller languages, while showcasing everyday use cases and best practices from the Hungarian team. Participants will come away with a better understanding of VRT and what is needed to successfully run such information sites.			Slides:
			Level of advancement: medium
			Special requirements: no
How will this session be beneficial for the communities in the region of CEE? Participants will be introduced to the principles and operation of the Volunteer Response Team. The presentation will highlight the main challenges that CEE communities may face: recruiting and retaining suitable volunteers. Attendees will see the common use cases and how smaller communities can leverage the public addresses on the Contact Us pages of Wikimedia projects. The aim is to have a discussion about the pros and cons and to help communities answer the question: is VRT worth the effort?

Interested participants

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