Grants talk:PEG/Susanna Mkrtchyan/Wiki conference

Amount Requested?

Hi, Susanna. Thank you for your grant proposal. Would you please add an amount in the field "Amount requested in USD or local currency:"? This is a required field.

Thanks! Wolliff (talk) 23:01, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

I guess it is obvious that it is in USD :-) Armenian currency is called "Dram". I don't know the prize level in Armenia - but if it is comparable with Polish - the amount of money (7000-8000 USD) for organising the conference for 100 people is roughly what can be expected in Poland. Polimerek (talk) 12:00, 7 March 2012 (UTC)

Some more financial details

First of all, I fully support this grant, your reasons for organising this are obvious and it seems you have large enough organising committee and you know well what you want to do. What is not clear to me:

• Are you going to provide a free accomodation for participants, or it is assumed that most of them won't need it, as they are from Yerevan ?
• Do you plan to have a conference fee - or you want to make the meeting free?

I also suggest to plan higher "Unforeseen expenses" amount especially as your current budget proposal is based on assumptions rather than already well known value. Polimerek (talk) 12:08, 7 March 2012 (UTC)

First of all thank you for your help. The prize level in Armenia is even a little higher than in Poland.

• Yes, most of participants are from Yerevan, some from other regions, but I think this problem would be solved without money. We have active editors even admins outside of Armenia, we hope that some of them would participate on their account.
• We want to make the meeting for free-no fee.
• About unforeseen expenses: How much would you advice?

SusikMkr (talk) 13:16, 7 March 2012 (UTC)

Up to 25% of the proposed amount? Polimerek (talk) 23:29, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Polimerek.

Many thanks for your advice.

Shall I update unforeseen expenses (say, 1000$ instead of 300$ ).

Best regards. SusikMkr (talk) 09:11, 19 March 2012 (UTC)

Measure of the success

"Members who left Wikipedia"... which version you mean? Armenian Wikipedia? --Ilario (talk) 15:20, 7 March 2012 (UTC)

Yes,I mean Armenian Wikipedia. Last time some of Armenian experienced editors returned and we hope that the conference would help to attract back the others too.

SusikMkr (talk) 16:04, 7 March 2012 (UTC)

Some thoughts

Thanks Susanna for the submission. This is really a very nice initiative that I'm sure will make effect on the further development of the Wikimedia movement in Armenia. You mention that you plan to find a larger venue for the conference, so is it possible to make it for free and what are the bad conditions that you're willing to find a new one? I don't have much information about the Armenian Wikipedia and the main problems you have there, but the measures of success asking for the former members to re-activate on the project is a very brave step. Do you have contacts with any of them and if not how do you plan to reach it? My suggestion is also to create a main page for the conference to document the relevant information about it. Best regards.--Kiril Simeonovski (talk) 19:37, 8 March 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for your help. We need larger meeting hall, because we hope that participants would be more than 100. On Facebook we have a group of Armenian Wikipedia, where are about 600 members. Former editors are members of this group. I have researched all archives of Armenian Wikipedia to find out the problems which inhibited development and find all former active editors. In addition as a result of enhancing of Armenian Wikipedia, some of experienced editors started participation in some discussion and in editing articles. Besides we are planning to put at the head of all pages of Armenian Wikipedia the conference announcement. And also we will take your suggestion to create main page for the conference. I think during the process of preparing of the conference we will advertize on different media and continue making Wiki seminars, thus attract new editors.

Excuse me for my poor English.SusikMkr (talk) 08:05, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Three general questions with suggestions

Hi Susanna, and congratulations for committing to organize a meeting like this one! As most of my fellow commentators, I have little knowledge of your country, except for the occasional movie I have seen depicting its beautiful places and people. So I'm going to make some generic questions and suggestions.

• If I understand it right, the meeting is planned to last for two days, Sep 7 and 8. Could you provide us with a hypothetical schedule, just so we can better feel how many and what kind of activities you are thinking of? In case the conference is indeed planned for two days, why Friday and Saturday? I assume people work on Friday, so isn't it better to make it Saturday and Sunday? And, if it's planned for only one day, then why not two?

• Are there other like minded groups you will contact, who would be willing to participate or assist you? I'm thinking of Free Software and Free Culture groups, but also people involved in education oriented movements and non-profit organizations. Internet providers and telecoms are also friendly to Wikimedians and have resources, like the big auditorium you're looking for.

• You seem to already cover that in the proposal, but not so clearly, so I would also suggest that you use this meeting to engage people who have a taste for outreach and start planning activities, like wiki workshops and wiki talks at schools or cultural centers, and also with the groups and institutions present at the conference, to really start organizing them right away, using this grants program as necessary. — In my personal opinion, this would be valuable and necessary experience prior to start working on the formalities of a chapter. If you tell me you got from this conference 5 volunteers organizing outreach activities now, I'll say you did much better than getting 100 to sign in for membership. ;)

I hope the conference is a big success!

Hugs,

--Solstag (talk) 03:55, 15 March 2012 (UTC)

Reply from Susanna

Hi, Solstag.

Many thanks for your advices.

Some notes. The situation, condition and culture of social relation of our country is significantly different from your country and many other countries. All organizational decisions we made, is appropriate to our society and our country.

I will try to clarify how much I can.

About dates: September 7,8 are provisional. Why Friday? We must think over it, which day we can gather more participants. In addition we are planning to invite educational authorities, representatives of research and other institutions. We assume one and half day for the conference and a half day for trip or party for free association.

Schedule (provisional)

First day
Time	Activity	Description
10:00–12:00	The first panel	Welcome Speech of a representative of authorities Meeting and discussion with Wikimedia Foundation representative
12:00–12:30	Coffee break	—
12:30–15:30	The second panel	Armenian Wikipedia general presentation, history, achievements and problems Reports and discussion
15:30–16:30	Lunch	—
16:30–18:30	The third panel	Meeting and discussion with Representative of chapter Committee Presentations of the Russian and Georgian Wikipedia representatives Discussion
Second day
Time	Activity	Description
10:00–12:00	The fourth panel	Current trends of the development of the Armenian Wikipedia, tasks, resources, recruitment Reports and discussion
12:00–12:30	Coffee break	—
12:30–13:30	Media
After 13:30, trip or party for free association

There are many auditoriums, where we can hold the conference: The conference hall of the National Academy of science, State Committee of Science, Yerevan State University,...These are large. We are seeking a modern auditorium. We have enough ties to take the best Venue for free. We are looking forward for your decision.

We are in touch with some IT organizations:

• Instigate (http://instigate.am/html/contacts.html),
• Kaza Foundation http://www.kasa.am/,
• IT school http://www.itschool.am/,
• National centre of educational technologies http://www.ktak.am/news.php,...

In couple we usually organize hackatons.

In relation volunteers, up to now active wikipedians (around 10 people ) have participated in some of our outreach events. We are planning to organize chain of events during the preparing of the conference: hackatones, advertisements on media: to make mature Wiki movement at the conference time. We believe that before the conference we outreach our volunteer group. The main thing that worry me not enough knowledge and acknowledgement of importance of Wiki projects within educational institutions.

Best, Susanna.

Reply from Solstag

Hi Susanna :)

You're welcome, and thanks for answering me.

I'm happy to learn that you have most bases covered, and I hope my comments are helpful!

I made a table out of your schedule so you can later paste it into the proposal and change it as necessary (I hope you like it!).

hajoghut’yun!

--Solstag (talk) 22:03, 15 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Solstag.

Thank you for your help. I am very touched.

Obrigado!

Shnorhakalutjun!

Best regards. SusikMkr (talk) 09:33, 19 March 2012 (UTC)

GAC members who have read this request but had no comments

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