Grants:TPS/Cryptic C62/Legislative Data Workshop/Report

Event name: Legislative Data Workshop

Description of your participation:

• Wikimedians I interacted with:
  • User:Peteforsyth, co-facilitator of the workshop
  • User:Ocaasi, with whom I shared ideas regarding The Wikipedia Adventure
  • User:Tedder, an experienced administrator and coder
  • User:Harej, treasurer of the Wikimedia DC chapter
  • User:MZMcBride, the guy who runs every script ever
  • various others

• Non-Wikimedians I interacted with:
  • Jim Harper, Director of Information Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, co-facilitator of the workshop
  • Francis Avila, self-described "Beard Maintenance Engineer" at Dancing Mammoth, the web hosting service used by the Cato Institute
  • Chuck Bell, Programs Director at Consumer reports
  • Several interns at the Cato Institute

• Outcomes:
  • I was part of the discussion group which led to the creation of this proposed layout for new legislation articles
  • I documented the agency name mapping here, which should allow Tedder and Francis Avila to automagically improve the interconnectedness of several hundred legislation articles.

What lessons were learned that could help others in similar events? After the large group brainstorming session, we broke up into several smaller groups to try to make some magic happen. Looking back, I think this was an important turning point for the workshop. While it is true that many hands make light work, Wikipedians tend to be most productive when they can break off and do things on their own or in smaller herds.

What impact did your participation have on the Wikimedia Mission goals of Increased Reach, Increased Quality, Increased Credibility, Increased and Diversified Participation? My interactions with Jim Harper and the other Cato folks gave them a stronger understanding of the mechanics and culture of Wikipedia, which will hopefully lead to increased participation on their part. My work on the agency mapping with Tedder and Francis Avila will lead to increased quality of legislation-related articles on the English Wikipedia.

Detail of expenditures:

• (USD 312.80) Round-trip jetBlue flights between BOS and IAD.
• Lodging generously provided by Pete Forsyth and Ted Timmons.
• Food and ground transportation covered by me.

Amount underspent/left-over (please specify currency): N/A