Someone in the thread on friendliness mentioned that categories are
always in one language (usually english). Well still a long way from
fixing the issue, perhaps if we allowed unrestricted
{{DISPLAYTITLE:...}}, combined with the {{int: hack, that'd allow
better translatable categories. (of course you'd only be able to use
the actual category name in [[category:Foo]] links. I suppose one
could use a bot to automatically change links to redirect categories
to their canonical name, but then we're getting really really hacky).
Anyways, just a thought.
cheers,
bawolff
Hey gang,
I'm looking for advice on this project:
http://images.freeculture.org/
I've scraped out images and metadata from a bunch of federal agency
image libraries, and I want to make them more easily discoverable. I'm
looking for feedback.
* What's the easiest way to cross-post the images to wikimedia commons?
* What else should I do to make the images easier to find?
* Any other feedback?
This essay has the background on my thinking for this project so far:
http://madebyparker.com/blog/2011/03/usable-more-than-just-open/
Thanks!
--
http://www.madebyparker.com
Dear Cultural Partners and Commons-l,
Day 2 of GLAMcamp is now underway at the New York Public Library :-) You can
see the event homepage here http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/GLAMcamp_NYC, the
etherpad for day 1's discussion here:
http://etherpad.wikimedia.org/GLAMcampNYC and Sumana put out a quick WMF
blogpost last night:
http://blog.wikimedia.org/2011/05/20/glamcampnyc-help-us-make-mass-uploads-…
If you would like to follow along/join today you can see today's etherpad
here http://etherpad.wikimedia.org/GLAMcampNYCsat and all social media stuff
is on the #GLAMWIKI hashtag. There are quite a few of us here so feel free
to ping us individually if you would like more info
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/GLAMcamp_NYC#Attending
Today, Saturday, We are currently working on two main areas:
1) Data Ingestion
You can join the work on this at
http://etherpad.wikimedia.org/GLAMcampNYC-ut
The most requested technology feature in cultural outreach for a long time
has been to improve the way that we do batch upload/mass-multimedia uploads
to Commons. It became clear yesterday that the problem isn't actually the
"upload" part of that, it's actually more about all the information that
must go with the files - hence the title "data ingestion".
2) Documentation
You can join the work on this at
http://etherpad.wikimedia.org/GLAMcampNYC-POE
Point of Entry - when Cultural Sector people come to our wikis. what do they
see? who do we direct them to talk to?
One of yesterday's main outcomes was to re-jig the "GLAM ambassador" concept
to make it sound less exclusive/hierarchical but instead to emphasis that
it's more about being a "first contact" - which in some cases will be a
chapter, sometimes will be an individual. See what we've got so far at
http://glamwiki.org/
FAQ/how-to - All the content that is internal/wikimedian-facing is now
behind and the content that is GLAM-facing will be up front. We're also
better integrating the OutreachWiki GLAM portal with the Wikipedia(s)
equivalent pages (especially
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Advice_for_the_cultural_sector ).
We're revamping the way we create/collate/share all of the case studies that
we have but currently don't showcase very well.
Later on today we'll be talking about how to improve the way we
generate/share Metrics (to show GLAMs how their content is being used) as
also looking at creating a "index" to be able to explain what a
"free-culture-friendly" cultural institution does a) so we can
support/promote the good ones, and b) prioritise which we might like to talk
to next.
Sincerely,
-Liam Wyatt / Wittylama
wittylama.com/blog
Peace, love & metadata
Hey everyone,
Just wanted ya'll know that the Open Video Conference returns to New York
City this year. We really appreciated the folks that came out for OVC last
year and we're offering an early bird special for registration that runs
till May 31st: http://openvideoconference.org/register. Space is limited!
*What*: OVC 2011 is a smaller and more focused event. You’ll spend your time
meeting people, making things, and laying plans. New policy initiative? New
software project? This year’s event is designed for builders, tinkers,
makers, and doers.
*Who*: 300+ developers, designers, lawyers, and storytellers exploring the
possibilities of free culture and open source video.
*When*: September 10-11, 2011
*Where*: New York Law School
Want to lead a session? Check out http://openvideoconference.org/proposals.
Deadline is May 31st.
Thanks!
Ernie Zahn
Coordinator @OVC
FYI
Regards
Tinu Cherian
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sarah Stierch <sarah(a)sarahstierch.com>
Date: Mon, May 16, 2011 at 7:33 AM
Subject: [Gendergap] Photo of the Day on Wikimedia Commons
To: Increasing female participation in Wikimedia projects <
gendergap(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
Surely I'm not the only one who noticed this lovely gem of a photo of the
day today. In my work environment - NFWS.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Direct link to image:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:On_the_edge_-_free_world_version.jpg
I mean really? /facepalm
This is the kind of imagery I have no desire to see on the front page of
Commons. I'm a very liberal person, but, this makes me not want to even
allow my MOTHER to use Commons.
#wikilove,
Sarah
--
Wikipedia Regional Ambassador, D.C. Region
Wikipedian-in-Residence, Archives of American Art
Sarah Stierch Consulting
Historical, cultural & artistic research, advising & event planning.
------------------------------------------------------
http://www.sarahstierch.com/
_______________________________________________
Gendergap mailing list
Gendergap(a)lists.wikimedia.org
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
There is a long thread on the Commons and Gendergap lists about today's
featured image on Commons:
http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/commons-l/2011-May/http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/gendergap/2011-May/
It's an original piece of art by a Wikimedian, "in the style of" erotic
manga:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:On_the_edge_-_free_world_version.jpg
The picture was removed from the main page by a WMF staff member, acting as
an ordinary editor, and then restored a few hours later by a Commons admin.
Aspects of the image that have been discussed include the fact that
* it has no noteworthy artistic value
* it is used to showcase a Wikimedian's artwork on the project main page
* it lacks educational value, being the work of a non-notable Wikimedian
* it makes the Foundation look puerile
* it might turn off serious educators
* it might turn off older people
* it might turn off schools
* it might turn off women
* it might turn off institutions owning valuable content from donating to the Foundation
* it is the victim of cultural fascism directed against manga/anime
* it is the victim of prudery
* it is the victim of censorship
* not showing the image on the mian page would undermine the Foundation's mission
etc. etc.
This is really a Foundation topic though. Are projects' main pages there to
showcase Wikimedians' fine art? If yes, then why do we not have songs by
unsigned garage bands "in the style of ..." as featured media of the day?
Should the Foundation establish guidelines on what type of content to feature
on project main pages?
Crossposted to Foundation-l, Commons-l and Gendergap.
Andreas
From the Gendergap list, a really nice post, IMHO, from a newer female
user from Australia. Shared with permission.
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [Gendergap] [Commons-l] Fwd: Photo of the Day on Wikimedia
Commons
Date: Tue, 17 May 2011 13:52:44 +1000
From: <whiteghost.ink(a)gmail.com>
Reply-To: Increasing female participation in Wikimedia projects
<gendergap(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
To: Increasing female participation in Wikimedia projects
<gendergap(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
This anime image is not appropriate on the front page. Questions of art,
of education, and of publication, all require judgement. Judgement in
these matters is normal and necessary and is not of itself something
which needs apology. Here are some reasons why I think it is okay to
decide NOT to put this picture on the front page. This is not to say
that it should be deleted, it is simply not appropriate for the front
page – and that does not constitute censorship.
The commonality of discriminatory product placement
Most areas of endeavor exercise care and some discrimination about their
products. It's not that they are illegal or censored; it's that they are
inappropriate in some places. For example, at a recent exhibition in the
Art Gallery of New South Wales, a very explicit drawing was placed at
the far end of the exhibition and a sign was placed discreetly to inform
members of the public who had to make a choice about whether to view
them. In the case of Wikimedia, there might be gory images, for example,
of the effect of land-mines which explode in children's faces. They are
probably valuable – encyclopedic and even educational – but would they
be appropriate on the front page? Their value is not diminished by
leaving them in the body of the repository and it is not censorship to
make some small efforts necessary to access them.
The woman's body
If you put a large-breasted indigenous naked woman in an image, people
would not be commenting on the size of her breasts. They would see them
as part of the woman herself, whereas the breasts on which people have
commented in this anime are plainly “designed” for service to (some)
viewers. In fact, this image's offensiveness to many comes not from the
size of the breasts but rather from the whole backbreaking pose of the
woman.
Art and education
If this is a form of art, the question is not whether or not you like
the breasts (there are lots of breasts in art) but whether the art has
its own integrity. That is an aesthetic question, which is why the
colour palette is not under challenge as it contributes to the integrity
of the image. Commons has criteria for aesthetic quality, but they do
not specify or restrict subject matter. However, whether you like this
art or any component part of it in any image is irrelevant. Audience
approval of the “tits” is only relevant if the image is about
titillation. Only if this is the purpose, does the approval of the pose
and body parts become relevant.
If the image is not about art but is rather about education, then the
subject's body and pose are misleading, as are the clothes and
everything else, even the colour palette. Above all, if it is about
education, then an argument that its primary purpose to educate about
the art form (manga) or the medium (the software) is spurious and
disingenuous.
Thanks,
Whiteghost.ink
PS I am a newbie female Åustralian Wikipedian and have been following
this list for a while but this is my first contribution to it. I really
think this is the wrong sort of image for the front page. Apart from all
the other arguments, I think it is likely to deter whole demographics
(plural) from contributing to any of the WM projects.
> What's funny is that you actually think you are arguing against
> attempts at censorship; what this demonstrates more than anything else
> is that you have deeply misunderstood censorship and what it means.
> Unfortunately, you are obviously not nearly open minded enough to
> learn from any explanation.
>
I disagree with the view that limiting what goes on the main page due
to cultural sensitivities is not a form of censorship. It may very
well be justifiable censorship, but its still censorship. We're
preventing people from seeing something they would normally see due to
our concern the material is inappropriate. Well people could certainly
go looking for the material, someone cannot look for something they
don't know exists.
Anyways, the point I'm trying to make is just that the term censorship
still applies. With that said the world is not black and white: some
limited censorship might be a good thing (or might not), but lets
please call a spade a spade.
Just my two cents (and heck I have almost no contribs to commons, so
take what I say however you want)
-bawolff
p.s. (Not responding to any email specifically). Everyone's arguments
would be a lot more convincing if they were less ad hominem/other
various fallacies. So far it seems like people are more interested in
personal attacks, then actually giving logical responses to various
arguments. This of course just makes your opponent look more right.
