Learning and Evaluation/Archive/Connect/Questions/Archives/2013-11

When was the first online editing contest?

When was the first online Wikipedia editing contest, that you think (with links if possible) was ever held in the Wikipedia-world? By contests, think of programs like WikiCup, Hoxne Challenge, or the segundo concurso de mujeres iberoamericanas. These types of events take place ON Wikipedia and generally involve a point system or judging process to gauge who the "winner(s)" are regarding article production and quality (i.e. Featured Articles, Good Articles, DYK).

Can't wait to hear your stories! Thanks! SarahStierch (talk) 16:56, 8 November 2013 (UTC)

The first writing competition in the German Wikipedia started in September 2004 ([1]) - but it was inspired by the writing contest in the Dutch wikipedia in July of the same year ([2]) which I think was the first real writing contest. In March 2005 we tried to install an international version ([3]) that took place in the German, the Dutch, the English, the Japanese and the Arabic Wikipedias. Since then especially the German community started lots of different "games" for authors to compete against each other - and I am sure the same took place also in other wikipedias. -- Achim Raschka (talk) 17:22, 8 November 2013 (UTC)

In Estonian Wikipedia we stared rather late with this. First competition was in April 2009 and it was made together with the Norwegian Wikipedia (so it was an international competition). Kruusamägi (talk) 13:48, 9 November 2013 (UTC)

• The British Museum/Featured Article prize (original diff) announced June 7 2010 claimed (User:Seddon) "This is the first time an organisation has actually put out a prize for Wikipedia work to recognise that it is valuable in its own right." The Hoxne Challenge was a little later & was not a contest as such, but one team working for the same target - to get the article to FA. The first contest on English WP seems to have been, by a whisker, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiCup/History/2007 in October 2007, closely followed by by the original Core Contest in November 2007 [4] - $500 in cash prizes offered by User:Danny, who then reneged pleading poverty. Years later someone else fulfilled them. Johnbod (talk) 17:54, 10 November 2013 (UTC)

Edit-a-thon follow up: Why do you or others execute them?

Hi everyone. So in lieu of my previous question...why do you (or others you know) plan and execute edit-a-thons? What do you get out of it? What instigated you to do the events and do you like doing them? I can't wait to hear your thoughts. SarahStierch (talk) 14:07, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

For me, trying to build community and raise awareness - of Wikimedia Foundation projects and local (history) materials, and how to bring them together for the benefit of all, now and in perpetuity. And it's fun! and everyone is interesting! Bdcousineau (talk) 18:07, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

Can you call it an edit-a-thon if there's only one editor?

Edit-a-thons are our Swiss army knife. They can be used to a lot of things. You can build the community, by hanging out and do something more productive than a regular meet-up. You can use it as a tool towards GLAMs to build trust, through showing them a lot of smart and passionate people doing things they are good at. They can be used to raise the quality in a specific area, which also could be used as a leverage to external partners. Just a few things from the top of my head. Ainali (talk) 18:53, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

So far I've had two goals for my edit-a-thons: increase awareness on Wikimedia projects and add or improve content on a specific subject. I haven't yet explored the use od edit-a-thons as community building tools, but I hope to do that soon.
My personal reasons reside mainly in the possibility to dedicate the event to a specific subject. For instance I'm interested in the gender gap and I've organized an edit-a-thon on Italian women biographies to increase women-related content on it.wikipedia. I've also participated in event organized by other members of my chapter who needed some help to run the activities, and in those cases my motivation was helping the movement in general. Also, edit-a-thon are quite fun events, so I'm always glad to help with them when someone ask :) Atropine (talk) 09:02, 23 October 2013 (UTC)

This is a great start! Thanks to both of you for responding. I suppose I'm even more curious about the personal reasons why we do them. For example - I get media attention for them, and honestly, that's a nice thing for myself and for the movement to build awareness about a variety of things. And like Bettina said, it's fun and always interesting. It also feels good to help people learn how to edit Wikipedia. And sure, if I can further a GLAM partnership - even better, that's a total perk. On the flipside, I've found myself feeling pressured to keep doing edit-a-thons, and I get burnt out and lack motivation about it, so I feel like sometimes my events aren't as good as they could be because of that pressure. Or sometimes it's because the GLAM I'm working with wants one and it's in the agreement - I have to do it - it's business not pleasure, in a way. Jan, what motivated you to do your first event? :) SarahStierch (talk) 20:00, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

My first edit-a-thon was before the Swedish election in 2010. There had been some talk about politicians editing their own articles, so we decided to something about it. It turned out to be really really fun being able to discuss what you were writing, especially in these delicate biographies. --Ainali (talk) 20:06, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

That's awesome. Nice to know you were inspired by controversy - very cool! SarahStierch (talk) 20:17, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

to train staff at GLAM organizations that have been previously bitten; to network with open knowledge thought leaders; to focus attention on holdings of GLAMs; to geek out over back stage pass; to organize occupy wikipedia; free lunch. Slowking4 (talk) 13:52, 25 October 2013 (UTC)

Our first edit-a-thon was in the Museo de Arte Popular de la Ciudad de México in 2012. From that essay until today, Wikimedia Mexico's edit-a-thons are a very distant event from the first but always are coincident on the increasing the awareness on Wikipedia and the creation of community in a very social and festive way. For an example, in the last edit-a-thon in Puebla, we edit in a library for 8 hours and we included in the program a couple of talks about literature, journalism and Wikipedia, and too much people only comes to heard the talks and saw the wikipedists writing and doing the magic. --ProtoplasmaKid (WM-MX) (talk) 05:16, 26 October 2013 (UTC)

They vary a lot depending on the balance between experienced and new Wikipedians. The Hoxne Challenge (links above) was highly productive because it was experienced editors + experts who mostly didn't attempt to edit themselves, but worked with those who knew all the tricks. Even so a lot of the work was done after the event, with at least one expert, now turned editor, remaining involved. When the events follow a basic training session, with mostly new editors more or less expert in the subject matter, actual output is naturally lower, but other benefits are achieved, one hopes. Johnbod (talk) 18:14, 10 November 2013 (UTC)

When was the first edit-a-thon?

Hi everyone. I'm doing some research to document the history of programs, like edit-a-thons, for the Program Evaluation & Design teams data report. I want to give some background about programs. First, I'm starting with edit-a-thons.

When did the first edit-a-thon take place? (and any documentation about it if possible) - and it doesn't have to be an event that used the title "edit-a-thon". It can be any type of event where people got together to edit Wikipedia in the same room.

Now, we might not get the *exact* first edit-a-thon, but, having an idea about when the first one(s) took place and by who would be great. Thanks for your input :) SarahStierch (talk) 18:40, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

• The earliest use of the term I can find is the British Library event in January 2011 (perhaps Mike Peel remembers where he got the term?). There were certainly events before this, but they didn't seem to use the term. Andrew Gray (talk) 18:51, 16 October 2013 (UTC)
  • Hi Sarah. The first "editathon" (at least, under that name that I'm aware of) was the one that I organised at the British Library in January 2011. The list of early editathons at [5] should be reasonably complete.

  I think me and Thomas Dalton invented the concept and the name, although we were originally envisaging it as a 24-hour editing session rather than the shorter time periods that turned out to be more practical. Unless anyone knows of any prior art here?

  Thanks. Mike Peel (talk) 18:53, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

This is great! Thanks guys. I'd also love information on when the community believes (or knows that) the first event when people got in a room together and edited Wikipedia in a somewhat (ha!) organized fashion. SarahStierch (talk) 18:56, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

That I don't know, but I think there's decent odds it will have been in Germany or the Netherlands ;-). Andrew Gray (talk) 19:10, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

Though not called an editathon at the time, the Hoxne Hoard challenge (June 2010) fits the criteria. Oddly enough, not on the page Mike linked to. Richard Nevell (WMUK) (talk) 20:23, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

Yes, the first I know of was the one Liam organised in June 2010 at the British Museum. I can't remember if he called it an editathon, at the time it was called the Hoxne Challenge. But in hindsight I would describe it as an editathon.

I still have that Orange shirt and use the same netbook. Today's editathons look very similar, though we've learned to spread over more articles than to try and focus that many people on one. Also some of us are showing our age and not moving around so quickly. WereSpielChequers (talk) 23:09, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

One curious thing, I checked a couple of months ago and the ten Wikimedians who were involved were all still active three years on. I'm not sure that's enough to prove the theory that GLAM is the solution to our editor retention problem.. But it certainly gives a hint that it could be.

Oh and the original idea of GLAM as a route to improve quality on Wikipedia? Well Hoxne hoard is a featured article in both English and French. WereSpielChequers (talk) 23:09, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

The other curious thing is how many people in that room have gone on to be either trustees or staff of Wikimedia UK.... :-) Chris Keating (The Land) (talk) 17:24, 17 October 2013 (UTC)

Are you looking only for the earliest or the earliest in various countries as well? Thelmadatter (talk) 19:10, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

Hi Leigh. Ideally it'd be the "first ever". I'm happy to collect information on various countries, but I can't promise it will make it in this specific data report. SarahStierch (talk) 19:15, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

first meetup Meetup/DC1 May 7-8, 2005, was a photo treasure hunt, not "editathon" Slowking4 (talk) 19:21, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

first meetup NYC NYC/Dec 2004 quiz, photo sharing Slowking4 (talk) 19:29, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

Thanks Slow. I'm primarily focused on edit-a-thons this second but this helpful too. We can always start a new thread as needed, or section. SarahStierch (talk) 19:42, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

In 2007, we Esperanto Wikipedians did something like an "edit-a-thon" (I dislike the word) in Antwerp, Belgium. Ziko (talk) 20:07, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

@Ziko, is there any documentation of this online? (Even in Esperanto?) Thanks! SarahStierch (talk) 22:56, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

Hi Sarah and others; Just letting you all know that we had a proper live edit marathon in Bangalore, India in November 2010. Link ----Rsrikanth05 (talk) 11:21, 17 October 2013 (UTC)

While it wasn't branded as an 'edit-a-thon', I would suggest that the first attempt at doing a bit of editing, on site at a GLAM institution in collaboration with staff was at the w:Powerhouse Museum in April 2009. This was part of the first ever "Backstage Pass" event that I coordinated and was the first GLAMWIKI event in the world (as far as I know). It was documented in their blog here: http://www.freshandnew.org/2009/04/working-with-wikipedia-backstage-pass-at-the-powerhouse-museum/ and the wiki project page is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/Sydney/Powerhouse_Museum_2009-03-13 Wittylama (talk) 13:58, 17 October 2013 (UTC)

I guess one of the other earliest official GLAM workshops/minieditathons was at New York Public Library in July 2009, which included what at the time we called the 'Recent deaths articles' experiment.--Pharos (talk) 19:51, 19 November 2013 (UTC)

if i´m getting the definition of "editathon" right, the first one in de.wp was de:Wikipedia:Artikelmarathon, which started in august 2007 for the first time, and since then takes place two times a year. --Kulac (talk) 18:46, 17 October 2013 (UTC) PS: it´s just writing articles on any topic, not a GLAM related editathon.

as steven walling pointed out, such efforts predate wikipedia, and predate wiki. some english names are bee, communal work, barn raising, in german it might be nachbarschaftshilfe. e.g. a wanted page cleanup barn raising effort was done april 2001 at meatballs. somebody seemed able to create some new names for a century old concept :) --ThurnerRupert (talk) 00:09, 18 October 2013 (UTC)

Thanks. I don't have any documentation here on meta from Steven, but I did see he said something on one of the many mailing lists. I'm not retaining mailing list comments, only meta comments for transparency and community involvement. Anyway, I'm also only focusing on Wikipedia related group editing events, as I only have about 400 words or less to document the idea. Thanks for sharing some more historical things, I actually did quite a bit of research into barn raising and communal work for an exhibition I did quite a while back! SarahStierch (talk) 16:59, 18 October 2013 (UTC)

The Wikipedia Academy events, the first one in June 2006, are another candidate. They include(d) both talks about Wikipedia, and editing sessions/workshops. They are/were (not sure if they still happen) mainly aimed at introducing Wikipedia to academics and researchers, and to encourage them to become editors. --Delirium (talk) 15:21, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

• If the definition is «event when people got in a room together and edited Wikipedia in a somewhat (ha!) organized fashion», all the first Italian meetups in 2004 probably fit, according to what Frieda says about them (I think this was already documented in some previous Meta or outreachwiki "survey" on the topic, but I can't find it). w:it:Wikipedia:Incontro di Pescara--20, 21, 22 agosto 2004 is the first which explicitly mentions "hands on" features and new editors recruitment (part of a broader hacker event). --Nemo 06:39, 22 October 2013 (UTC)

  That event looks more like a workshop - lectures and then a hands on experience at editing. Thanks for sharing it! SarahStierch (talk) 17:34, 24 October 2013 (UTC)

  Nothing in there suggests there was anything like a workshop: they had a booth. If you want something else, please clarify the definition. --Nemo 09:39, 29 October 2013 (UTC)

What was the first GLAM content donation?

When do you think the first GLAM content donation took place? GLAM content donations involved the Wikimedia community working together with galleries, libraries, archives and museums to "free" cultural heritage images and media from the institution and uploading the images or media to Wikimedia Commons for free use. I've heard it might have been with a German institution, and the documentation I'm finding suggests all types.

I can't wait to read your own take on this. Thanks! SarahStierch (talk) 17:00, 8 November 2013 (UTC)

• According to Commons:Commons:Partnerships first large content donation was "The Yorck Project", but the images were donated by Directmedia Publishing GmbH, see here, which is not a GLAM institution. So the first large GLAM upload would be Commons:Commons:Bundesarchiv Jarekt (talk) 20:28, 8 November 2013 (UTC)
  • I wouldn't call that a donation myself; the old & crap Yorck images were already out of copyright, which was the whole point of the thing. You could buy the whole lot on a CD-rom for peanuts, free to use. Probably still can. Johnbod (talk) 17:39, 10 November 2013 (UTC)
  • Not sure if the Bundesarchiv donation qualifies as the first "GLAM content donation". GLAMwiki didn't exist back then and the term was retroactively applied to this donation. IMHO, the first "GLAM content donation" is the one that pro actively used the GLAM term to describe itself. Regards, Christoph Braun (talk) 00:03, 9 November 2013 (UTC)
• AFAIK first in Italy: 2006-2007, National Technological and Archeological Park of the Colline Metallifere contributes 12 articles and some images, uses QR codes to Wikipedia; September 2007, high quality texts and images for Palladio. See outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/January 2012/Contents/Italy report. --Nemo 23:22, 8 November 2013 (UTC)

Sounds a good candidate; I can think of anything English-language older than that, though there may be. The Victoria & Albert Museum released some images, like this but that seems to be June 2008. The Bundesarchiv was not exactly GLAM-centred, though I suppose it counts; the huge Tropenmuseum (Amsterdam) release began in late 2009. Johnbod (talk) 17:39, 10 November 2013 (UTC)

I do think Bundesarchiv counts as a major landmark here, and surely whether the term "GLAM" was in use at the time is immaterial. Whether a government archive is somehow less GLAMorous is something that Dominic may disagree on, but that's another issue :) Power to all of the G, L, A and M! (But maybe in some cases it does make sense to have "firsts" for each of the major GLAM types as well.)--Pharos (talk) 05:48, 15 November 2013 (UTC)

Bundesarchiv was the first big donation that got me involved. Daniel did the upload and I think I did some bot work to sort things out. After that I uploaded the Fotothek images and Tropenmuseum images. All the things before that were nice, but a whole different size and approach compared to these projects. Multichill (talk) 23:03, 21 November 2013 (UTC)

When was the first Wikimedia photo competition?

When do you believe the first Wikimedia photo competition took place? I know about the first Wiki Loves Monuments in the Netherlands, but, there were more programs that predeated it - Wiki Takes, Wiki Loves, for example.

Wiki Takes Olesa

I've heard some rumors about the first one taking place in Tennessee and being produced by Kaldari. I'm also sure that some events took place in other countries, either around the same time or predating it (I'm still unsure on the date, I have to dig that up).

Wikimedia photo competitions involve going out someplace (a park, a museum, a city) and photographing specific things and then uploading those photos to Commons to be used on the projects.

Thanks for your help and I can't wait to read your thoughts! SarahStierch (talk) 16:59, 8 November 2013 (UTC)

• The first one I was aware of was the Wikipedia Takes Manhattan photo competition in 2008. I've heard rumours of an event to take photographs of all of the London Underground stations, which was pre-2008, but I can't find a reference for that. Thanks. Mike Peel (talk) 19:33, 8 November 2013 (UTC)
  • Yes, NYC's Wikipedia Takes Manhattan was the first, and Nashville and the others were modeled on it (I helped Kaldari in his, which was one of the earliest). Incidentally, this was the first-ever use of the "Wikipedia Takes" snowclone, inspired by the lyric from Manhattan (song), and yes, a little bit by The Muppets Take Manhattan :)--Pharos (talk) 05:25, 15 November 2013 (UTC)

• First Wikimedia competition in Italy: WMIT award, spring 2008 (a literary competition in partnership with the Park above); first with photos, WMIT award spring 2009 (it had several categories, we intended it to be a test), see commons:Commons:Wikimedia Italia Award 2009. More links at Incentives. --Nemo 23:22, 8 November 2013 (UTC)
• In Estonia I stared with Wikipedia:HELP in June 2010. 4th HELP is currently collecting its images. This is made almost without any expenses and it has brought several new contributors and FP images. But I have never said it to be a competition, even thou in the Commons it has been named so. Kruusamägi (talk) 13:40, 9 November 2013 (UTC)
• Britain Loves Wikipedia was a big contest running for all of February 2010; perhaps the first UK one. The 350-odd Victoria & Albert photos on Commons still get c. 500k views on articles per month, says BaGLAMa. Johnbod (talk) 18:05, 10 November 2013 (UTC)
  • Britain Loves Wikipedia was preceded by Wikipedia Loves Art at the V&A in the UK back in February 2009 (which I think was the first ever event run by WMUK). Thanks. Mike Peel (talk) 19:35, 10 November 2013 (UTC)
    • And incidentally, Wikipedia Loves Art in February 2009 (which was in both the US and UK) was the first instance of the "Wikipedia Loves" snowclone, actually inspired by a loose Valentine's Day theme of the original event.--Pharos (talk) 19:30, 19 November 2013 (UTC)
      • I had to do some digging, but I found Commons:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Multichill/Manhattan's_junk. That was a lesson learned! Should undelete the photos to get it complete again ;-)
      • I think after that Wiki Loves Art was done (too in New York). We used that model in 2009 to do Wiki Loves Art Netherlands. Multichill (talk) 22:59, 21 November 2013 (UTC)

The Wikimania media contest in 2005 may be the first. See Wikimania:Competitions - there were contests for both media and writing, in multiple categories. The Commons POTY contest was held starting in 2006. –SJ talk 20:26, 5 January 2014 (UTC)