Grants:PEG/WM RS/The Small Wikipedia Primer

Withdrawn

This was a submission to the Project and Event Grants Program from an group, organization, or individual in 2009-10, but was withdrawn by that group, organization, or individual before a funding decision was delivered.

• See the discussion page of this grant request for more information.
• Since this grant was withdrawn, no report is required and no further action is required from the grantee.

Legal name of chapter

Wikimedia Serbia and Montenegro

Grant contact name

Nikola Smolenski

Grant contact user-name or e-mail

smolensk@eunet.rs

Grant contact title (position)

President of the Executive Board

Project lead name

Nikola Smolenski

Project lead user-name or e-mail

smolensk@eunet.rs

Project lead title (position), if any

President of the Executive Board

Full project name

The Small Wikipedia Primer

Amount requested (in USD)

$800

Provisional target start date

July 1, 2009

Provisional completion date

June 30, 2010

Project scope

The scope of the project includes translating to Serbian language, publishing and distributing “Das kleine Wikipedia-Einmaleins” (The Small Wikipedia Primer), a primer on Wikipedia made by Wikimedia Germany and published under the CC-BY-SA-2.5 license (available at commons:File:Einmaleins.pdf).

The primer is already translated by a member of Wikimedia Serbia (with necessary additions regarding differences between Serbian and German Wikipedias). The translation is being formatted by another member of Wikimedia Serbia in the format similar to the original one. Both the translation and the formatting are done voluntarily and for free.

If the finances necessary for the printing are available, the primer will be printed, and uploaded to Wikimedia Commons. The primer would then be given to Wikimedia Serbia members for distribution. We envision following methods of distribution, and number of primers that could be handed out with each (per year):

• giving to Wikimedia Serbia members to give to friends - 100
• giving it out to listeners after lectures - 200
• giving to interested people who show on Wikipedian meetings - 25
• leaving it in bookstores to be taken for free - 150
• giving to press when interviewed or similar - 10

In total, we estimate that we could give out around 500 primers each year. We would therefore like to print 1000 copies, which is also the smallest number of copies for which printing makes financial sense.

Project goal

The goal of this project is promotion of Wikipedia to potential editors in Serbia through publishing and distributing The Small Wikipedia Primer, a primer on editing of Wikipedia.

Non-financial requirements

There are no non-financial requirements.

Fit to strategy

The primary activity of Wikimedia Serbia has so far been promotion of Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects in Serbia.

One of the most important ways of promotion is live promotion via lectures and other events. This way of promotion benefits greatly from having written material which could be given to people attending the event, as people who are interested in the project will have the material to remind them, and even those not immediately interested might refer to it later.

Another way of promotion is through leaving free promotional material in bookstores and similar places where people interested in Wikipedia may take it. So far we have been doing this with the Wikipedia leaflet, but the primer would undoubtedly have far greater impact, as it contains more and more useful information, and as it is in a book format, which people are less likely to throw away.

The primer would make it more easily for interested people who have it to start editing Wikipedia, which will increase the number of Wikipedia editors in Serbia.

Other benefits

Besides helping prospective editors, the primer will increase understanding of Wikipedia in general public. For example, we will give it to journalists who inquire about Wikipedia and it will help them understand Wikipedia better even if they won't start editing.

The translation of the primer could in future more easily (than from German) be translated again and distributed in countries neigbhoring Serbia, f.e. Bosnia, Croatia or Macedonia. This could also be done by Wikimedia Serbia, or by local chapters, when they are formed.

Existance of a book published under a free license will on its own promote concept of free licences in Serbia.

Measures of success

Minimum success criteria: the Primer is printed.

Complete success criteria: at least 500 copies of the Primer are handed out in appropriate ways during the course of the year. Through conversation with new Wikipedia editors, we notice that the Primer was useful in bringing new editors to Wikipedia.