Tools for identifying Wikimedians at press events, etc

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Re: [Wikimediauk-l] Tools for...

Andy Mabbett

15 May 2014 15 May '14

10:34 a.m.

Reading about the making of videos at Eurovison: https://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/05/10/no-interviews-except-wikipedia-docume… I was stuck by the positive response to the "Wikiepdia representative", not least engendered by his use of a branded microphone windshield (see third picture in the above post) [*]. Similarly, my local branch of OpenStreetMap issues mappers with branded high-viz vests; these often reassure the public (or at least facilitate the opening of a discussion), when someone is walking down their road noting house numbers and other features. I suggest some thought is given to providing WMUK volunteers who are likely to attend press calls and related events with something to identify them in a crowd; this could include microphone windshields, tabards, baseball caps, or perhaps something else. I strongly suggest that the primary brand used should be Wikipedia, with Wikimedia and WMUK (or WikiNews or whatever) beings secondary, as it is the former which the lay public recognise most readily; and which elicits the positive response referred to above. On a related note, are we ever going to get the promised business cards? [*] That windshied is far too big for use on the Zoom H1 which I use for the voice project, but something smaller would be useful. -- Andy Mabbett @pigsonthewing http://pigsonthewing.org.uk

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Edward Saperia

15 May 15 May

10:43 a.m.

New subject: Tools for identifying Wikimedians at press events, etc

...

I suggest some thought is given to providing WMUK volunteers who are likely to attend press calls and related events with something to identify them in a crowd; this could include microphone windshields, tabards, baseball caps, or perhaps something else.

...

I strongly suggest that the primary brand used should be Wikipedia, with Wikimedia and WMUK (or WikiNews or whatever) beings secondary, as it is the former which the lay public recognise most readily; and which elicits the positive response referred to above.

Strong agree! *Edward Saperia* Chief Coordinator Wikimania London <http://www.wikimanialondon.org> email <ed(a)wikimanialondon.org> • facebook<http://www.facebook.com/edsaperia> • twitter <http://www.twitter.com/edsaperia> • 07796955572 133-135 Bethnal Green Road, E2 7DG On 15 May 2014 12:34, Andy Mabbett <andy(a)pigsonthewing.org.uk> wrote:

...

Reading about the making of videos at Eurovison: https://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/05/10/no-interviews-except-wikipedia-docume… I was stuck by the positive response to the "Wikiepdia representative", not least engendered by his use of a branded microphone windshield (see third picture in the above post) [*]. Similarly, my local branch of OpenStreetMap issues mappers with branded high-viz vests; these often reassure the public (or at least facilitate the opening of a discussion), when someone is walking down their road noting house numbers and other features. On a related note, are we ever going to get the promised business cards? [*] That windshied is far too big for use on the Zoom H1 which I use for the voice project, but something smaller would be useful. -- Andy Mabbett @pigsonthewing http://pigsonthewing.org.uk _______________________________________________ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l(a)wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk

Stevie Benton

11:01 a.m.

New subject: Tools for identifying Wikimedians at press events, etc

...

I suggest some thought is given to providing WMUK volunteers who are

likely to attend press calls and related events with something to identify them in a crowd; this could include microphone windshields, tabards, baseball caps, or perhaps something else.

Reading about the making of videos at Eurovison: https://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/05/10/no-interviews-except-wikipedia-docume… I was stuck by the positive response to the "Wikiepdia representative", not least engendered by his use of a branded microphone windshield (see third picture in the above post) [*]. Similarly, my local branch of OpenStreetMap issues mappers with branded high-viz vests; these often reassure the public (or at least facilitate the opening of a discussion), when someone is walking down their road noting house numbers and other features. On a related note, are we ever going to get the promised business cards? [*] That windshied is far too big for use on the Zoom H1 which I use for the voice project, but something smaller would be useful. -- Andy Mabbett @pigsonthewing http://pigsonthewing.org.uk _______________________________________________ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l(a)wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk

_______________________________________________ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l(a)wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk

-- Stevie Benton Head of External Relations Wikimedia UK +44 (0) 20 7065 0993 / +44 (0) 7803 505 173 @StevieBenton Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513. Registered Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT. United Kingdom. Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a global Wikimedia movement. The Wikimedia projects are run by the Wikimedia Foundation (who operate Wikipedia, amongst other projects). *Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit charity with no legal control over Wikipedia nor responsibility for its contents.*

Michael Maggs

11:29 a.m.

New subject: Tools for identifying Wikimedians at press events, etc

This would definitely be worth looking into as it could potentially help some members formalise their status and perhaps increase their charitable impact quite considerably. Andy, you mentioned that business cards were promised. So far as I can recall, nothing along these lines has been brought to the board for at least a year. Although I’m aware there were some discussions before then, which I believe may have been somewhat contentious (I’m not sure, as it was before my time), I can certainly see that there could be benefits in allowing trusted members to represent the charity over a wider range of situations than is the case at the moment. The extent to which we are allowed to provide members with materials that use the Wikipedia Globe logo will be limited by the trademark licence that we have from the WMF, but we can certainly investigate. May I suggest that this is taken to the Water Cooler [1] so that we don’t lose sight of any suggestions (easy to do on a mailing list) ? Andy, perhaps you could kick off a discussion there by summarising the sort of recognition and/or materials that you would find it helpful for the charity to supply? Best regards Michael ____________ Michael Maggs Chair, Wikimedia UK [1] https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Water_cooler I know is some history about business cards and recognition, On 15 May 2014, at 12:01, Stevie Benton <stevie.benton(a)wikimedia.org.uk> wrote:

...

Hi Andy, everyone, I think this is a really good idea. I'm more than happy to look at this as I'm sure we can do something. If there are specific ideas for branded materials (I quite like the idea of a trilby with a Wikipedia-branded "press card" sticking out from the band, but that's maybe because I've been reading too much Raymond Chandler lately) then I can look into it. What would be most useful? in terms of business cards, this is something I'm happy to look at again. There were objections at board level when we last looked at this (a while ago, under a previous board) but I think it's worth revisiting. It may be that business cards go alongside a (very) lightweight volunteer agreement but that's a detail for later. I hope this helps, Stevie On 15 May 2014 11:43, Edward Saperia <ed(a)wikimanialondon.org> wrote: I suggest some thought is given to providing WMUK volunteers who are likely to attend press calls and related events with something to identify them in a crowd; this could include microphone windshields, tabards, baseball caps, or perhaps something else. I strongly suggest that the primary brand used should be Wikipedia, with Wikimedia and WMUK (or WikiNews or whatever) beings secondary, as it is the former which the lay public recognise most readily; and which elicits the positive response referred to above. Strong agree! Edward Saperia Chief Coordinator Wikimania London email • facebook • twitter • 07796955572 133-135 Bethnal Green Road, E2 7DG On 15 May 2014 12:34, Andy Mabbett <andy(a)pigsonthewing.org.uk> wrote: Reading about the making of videos at Eurovison: https://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/05/10/no-interviews-except-wikipedia-docume… I was stuck by the positive response to the "Wikiepdia representative", not least engendered by his use of a branded microphone windshield (see third picture in the above post) [*]. Similarly, my local branch of OpenStreetMap issues mappers with branded high-viz vests; these often reassure the public (or at least facilitate the opening of a discussion), when someone is walking down their road noting house numbers and other features. On a related note, are we ever going to get the promised business cards? [*] That windshied is far too big for use on the Zoom H1 which I use for the voice project, but something smaller would be useful. -- Andy Mabbett @pigsonthewing http://pigsonthewing.org.uk _

Andy Mabbett

7:50 p.m.

New subject: Tools for identifying Wikimedians at press events, etc

On 15 May 2014 12:29, Michael Maggs <Michael(a)maggs.name> wrote:

...

Andy, you mentioned that business cards were promised. So far as I can recall, nothing along these lines has been brought to the board for at least a year. Although I’m aware there were some discussions before then, which I believe may have been somewhat contentious (I’m not sure, as it was before my time)

It was discussed, on- and then off- list, in August 2012. I'm sure Jon D or Richard S will be able to provide you with copies of relevant mails we were told then that the issue was that a mistake has been made and replacement would be with us "within a week".

...

The extent to which we are allowed to provide members with materials that use the Wikipedia Globe logo will be limited by the trademark licence that we have from the WMF, but we can certainly investigate.

The microphone shield I mentioned uses the globe logo.

...

May I suggest that this is taken to the Water Cooler [1] so that we don’t lose sight of any suggestions (easy to do on a mailing list) ? Andy, perhaps you could kick off a discussion there by summarising the sort of recognition and/or materials that you would find it helpful for the charity to supply?

Will do. [Your other points noted; thanks] -- Andy Mabbett @pigsonthewing http://pigsonthewing.org.uk

Michael Peel

8:23 p.m.

New subject: Tools for identifying Wikimedians at press events, etc

On 15 May 2014, at 20:50, Andy Mabbett <andy(a)pigsonthewing.org.uk> wrote:

...

On 15 May 2014 12:29, Michael Maggs <Michael(a)maggs.name> wrote:

It's also worth reading through the emails in the board and office list archives about this issue for additional context. In particular, there was an issue with volunteers unexpectedly being given cards that gave them named positions rather than clearly saying they were volunteers, which gave rise to the question of whether WMUK was legally responsible for the actions of those handing out the cards. My understanding is that this issue can be surmounted by careful wording on the cards, but this topic should be carefully considered (probably by the board given the history here) before more such cards are produced. In general, the use of the Wikipedia logo on such merchandise should be checked against the trademark agreement that WMUK has with the WMF, and also whether it opens WMUK up to legal action based on the actions of the volunteers holding such merchandise... Thanks, Mike

Andy Mabbett

9 p.m.

New subject: Tools for identifying Wikimedians at press events, etc

" On 15 May 2014 21:23, Michael Peel <email(a)mikepeel.net> wrote:

...

It's also worth reading through the emails in the board and office list archives about this issue for additional context.

How?

...

In particular, there was an issue with volunteers unexpectedly being given cards that gave them named positions rather than clearly saying they were volunteers,

This was not "unexpected"; we were solicited (on a public mailing list subscribed to, one would hope, by most if not all of the staff and trustees of the time) for the titles we wished to have used, supplied them, and then received cards bearing them.

...

which gave rise to the question of whether WMUK was legally responsible for the actions of those handing out the cards.

Is this the "technical issue" referred to in 2012?

...

My understanding is that this issue can be surmounted by careful wording on the cards, but this topic should be carefully considered (probably by the board given the history here) before more such cards are produced.

It should indeed; if the wording (disclaimer) is too "scary", the cards will be useless. -- Andy Mabbett @pigsonthewing http://pigsonthewing.org.uk

David Gerard

9:03 p.m.

New subject: Tools for identifying Wikimedians at press events, etc

On 15 May 2014 22:00, Andy Mabbett <andy(a)pigsonthewing.org.uk> wrote:

...

On 15 May 2014 21:23, Michael Peel <email(a)mikepeel.net> wrote:

...

> My understanding is that this issue can be surmounted by careful wording on the cards, but this topic should be carefully considered (probably by the board given the history here) before more such cards are produced.

...

It should indeed; if the wording (disclaimer) is too "scary", the cards will be useless.

FWIW, when I do press I always, always stress that my title should include the word "volunteer" - I am not from WMUK or WMF, I am no-one official, I am just one of the people. Are/were there any card titles that couldn't reasonably include the word "volunteer"? - d.

Michael Maggs

9:50 p.m.

New subject: Tools for identifying Wikimedians at press events, etc

May I suggest that for the purposes of this discussion we concentrate on what members want and what might be possible to agree now, rather than going over what was apparently a rather difficult debate/situation several years ago? The chapter has a different strategic outlook now, and I hope we can show that our procedures, practices and decision making are at this point more than up to ensuring that we make the best possible use of this excellent suggestion to increase the impact that we can have as a charity. Michael On 15 May 2014, at 22:00, Andy Mabbett <andy(a)pigsonthewing.org.uk> wrote:

...

" On 15 May 2014 21:23, Michael Peel <email(a)mikepeel.net> wrote:

It's also worth reading through the emails in the board and office list archives about this issue for additional context.

How?

In particular, there was an issue with volunteers unexpectedly being given cards that gave them named positions rather than clearly saying they were volunteers,

which gave rise to the question of whether WMUK was legally responsible for the actions of those handing out the cards.

Is this the "technical issue" referred to in 2012?

It should indeed; if the wording (disclaimer) is too "scary", the cards will be useless. -- Andy Mabbett @pigsonthewing http://pigsonthewing.org.uk

David Gerard

11:33 a.m.

New subject: Tools for identifying Wikimedians at press events, etc

On 15 May 2014 11:34, Andy Mabbett <andy(a)pigsonthewing.org.uk> wrote:

...

geni

12:59 p.m.

New subject: Tools for identifying Wikimedians at press events, etc

It's been tried from time to time. The problem you hit is that most people don't have time to attend events that tend to take place when people are at work and even those that are around at the relevant times to run into travel issues. On 15 May 2014 12:33, David Gerard <dgerard(a)gmail.com> wrote:

...

On 15 May 2014 11:34, Andy Mabbett <andy(a)pigsonthewing.org.uk> wrote:

Reading about the making of videos at Eurovison:

https://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/05/10/no-interviews-except-wikipedia-docume…

I was stuck by the positive response to the "Wikiepdia representative", not least engendered by his use of a branded microphone windshield (see third picture in the above post) [*].

I'll note that when I tweeted/Facebooked that post, a few people's attention was caught by the idea of becoming an accredited Wikipedia representative. Brian McNeil outlined how to become an accredited Wikinews reporter, though I'm not sure what accreditation Albin was using. So, something like this - even a per-event accreditation - would be very useful in gathering content and spreading the mission. - d. _______________________________________________ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l(a)wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk

-- geni