It is central coordination space for Wikimedians working on any Indian language Wikimedia projects, and also for those working on related to India on multi-lingual projects such as Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons. More about the portal can be read from the about section.
Why was the portal named "Indic Wikimedia Portal"?
Before deciding on this name, several names had been considered, such as "Indian Languages Help Desk" and "Indian Wikimedias Coordination Desk" A very simple reason is that it is very simple and appropriately represents what this portal wants to do. The reason for each word is explained below. Suggestions for selecting this title, including some reasoning for the words have been provided by Kritzolina and Satdeep Gill.
Indic: Though Indian was an option, Indic has been preferred. Though it speaks about Indo-Aryan languages, it also has another meaning, which says "Pertaining to India or its people, culture and languages; Indian."ref So it is fine to use Indic to represent the Indian community.
Wikimedia: Since the word "Wikimedia" itself represents and the whole ecosystem of all Wikimedia projects, it fits here. Use of "Wikimedias" would be a mistake because it is equivalent to using "Children" or "Peoples"
Portal: "Portal" sounds like a place for people to actively engage themselves and co-create process, whereas desk sounds more like a service providing platform.
How did it all start?
The initial steps and conversations for this initiative took place during Wiki Advanced Training 2018. During the event, there were many conversations about state various policies on Indian Wikipedias, with a comparison to some best practices on English Wikipedia. Participants realised that there was not any place where Wikimedians from Indian language Wikimedia projects will be able to discuss and get opinions. It all started with that thought.
What is the purpose of having this portal?
There may be an opinion that each language Wikipedia have their "Village Pumps" and there is even a common mailing list for the Indian community. The mailing list can be a good place for announcements and also for small discussions; lengthy discussions often lose track. Regarding the village pumps, cross-community discussions aren't practically possible, and we don't have any such for the same. This portal will serve to deal with the said issues, and the archival process can be more structured and easy to navigate, compared to mailing lists.
How will this help Indian Wikimedia communities?
The portal is just not for discussion but also intends to provide support to Wikimedians with resources, and also seek support for projects. If this is well-used, it can be a one-stop place for all matters related to Indian Wikimedia communities.
What is the scope of this portal?
This portal primarily aims to coordinate and support Wikimedia projects of Indic languages, and any content that relates to India on multi-lingual projects such as Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons. This is also applicable to the projects that are currently hosted on Incubator as well. Though the discussions may be limited (not certain) to those related India, Wikimedians from across the globe can participate, provide help, and share their expertise here. The languages include, but are not limited to; English (content related to India), Assamese, Bihari, Bengali, Doteli, Goan Konkani, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Tamil, Telugu, Tulu, and Urdu.
Are topics for coordination limited to existing topics?
NO, definitely not. Initially, it was only intended to start a discussion forum, but later other aspects were included on the way. Similarly, nothing is rigid here, neither the topics nor the processes. But before starting a new topic for coordination, please start a discussion on the talk page, so that everyone is aware of the initiative.
How do I get involved?
A user may get involved in several ways, which may include; starting a discussion that would positively affect the communities, helping with the open requests at Indic-TechCom, help with open threads at the Wikisource helpdesk, request for resource at the Resource Exchange, help with graphical content, or even maintain the events and news page with the latest updates. Also, you can promote the use of this portal in your respective communities.
Are there any guidelines for participation?
There aren't strict rules around participation. But all the users are expected to be civil towards others, and follow the Urbanity policy of Meta-Wiki. Also kindly observe the Code of Conduct policy.
Will this portal offer any guidance for events or projects?
In principle, YES! Though there isn't any special structure for that, you may start a discussion on the talk page and invite people to participate and give advice on your idea or project.
