Wikizine/2006-37

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                                    .org 
Year: 2006  Week: 37  Number: 42        

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An independent internal news bulletin 
for the members of the Wikimedia community

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Technical news
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[!steward] - it is now more easy to get the attention of a steward if it is urgent. In the IRC-channel #wikimedia-stewards is there now a bot guarding the channel provided by w:nl:user:webboy. If you enter the command !steward it calls for the stewards. To test it use !steward-test 

Foundation
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[clarification] - For the current vote for the position for the board of the WMF only users who are indefinitely banned or blocked are not allowed to vote on any project. Users blocked for a specific time period are not allowed to vote on the wiki where the are blocked during the time of there block. If that user can vote on a other wiki the are allowed to do so. See also;
http://article.gmane.org/gmane.org.wikimedia.foundation/9797

[New hire] - the WMF has hired Mark Bergsma to serve as Networking Coordinator for the Foundation.
http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.org.wikimedia.foundation/9792/focus=9792

Community
[edit]
[InterWiki-report] - this week the Italian language Wikipedia is writing his bit.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2006-09-05/Interwiki_report

[De-sysop] - On the En wikpedia is a user de-sysoped. That would not be news on most wikis, but on EN it is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2006-09-05/Everyking_desysopped

Media
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[Guardian] Wikipedia defies China's censors  
http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,1869075,00.html

[Law.com] - interview with Brad - Wikimedia's First GC Prepares to Tread 'Legal Minefield'
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1157557741507

Stats
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The Volapük Wikipedia has reached 500 articles. This is a language with +/- 30 speakers. So 500 is very impressive.
http://vo.wikipedia.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volap%C3%BCk

Other news
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[Wikizine Closed] - There will be no Wikizine for week 38. The next edition is expected for around the 27th September in week 39. Requests send to Wikizine will not be answered during this period.

Did you know ...
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... that you can setup local language portals?

The main domain name of the projects is a .org domain. And because most people do not know anything else besides .com domains like www.wiktionary.com also point to that project.

But the first domain people will try is name of the project with the TLD from there country. Check If the domain with the name of your project for your county top level domain is still free. If it is try to obtain it. Keep it private. Do not start discussions about it on your wiki or it will be squatted. Best is that the WMF would buy the domain. Contact Brad Patrick, the WMF interim executive director & lawyer <bpatrick AT wikimedia.org> to ask to buy the domain. If it is already taken try to figure out who it owns and of there intentions are honorable. Possibly it it registered by a friend of your project to prevent it been registered by someone who would exploit it by pointing it to a sexssite or something like that. Maybe the are willing to transfer the domain to the WMF. Do only reconnaissance and contact the meta:Trademarks committee when you have the basic information.

List the domain and the information you have on;
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Domains

When you have the domain then you can make a local portal. Consider doing this also even when there is one clear dominant language and other languages are of very little importance in the country. A listing on such a portal can give a project in such a small language the exposure it needs to become successful. Also makes clear that a project organized by language, not by country. Some national domains are already active and are used for portals. Others are only redirecting to the Wikipedia in the dominant language. 

Examples of national domains who point to a portal;
http://www.wikipedia.be/  - Belgium
http://www.wikipedia.ch/ - Switzerland

Examples of national domains who redirect to the dominant language;
http://www.wikipedia.at -  Austria ; redirect to the German Wikipedia. Excluding the Slovene, Croatian and Hungarian language project.
http://www.wikipedia.de - Germany; redirect to the German Wikipedia. Excluding the Danish, Frisian, Low German, Sorbian and Romany languages projects

User Quote
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If you have a dirty mind then most things look sexual. When I first saw the Wikimedia logo it looked to me like someone ripping open their shirt, therby revealing their naked torso underneath. --Dangherous 23:35, 3 July 2006 (UTC)

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