Learning patterns/Wikimedia organizations can use the Reports page on Meta!

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Wikimedia organizations can use the reports page on Meta!

problemIt can be difficult to find information about the accomplishments of Wikimedia organizations for somebody not already familiar with those organizations.

solutionAll Wikimedia organizations, including smaller Wikimedia chapters and user groups, can add information about their work to the central Reports page on Meta.

creator• Wolliff (WMF)

created on7 January, 2015

Pro tip. The reports page on Meta can be found here: Reports!

What problem does this solve?

Most Wikimedia organizations already do something to record what they are doing and what they have learned. Sharing this information can be valuable to people interested in knowing what organizations in different parts of the world are doing, to other groups or program leaders who don't want to constantly reinvent the wheel, to organizations eager to show off the accomplishments of their volunteers, and to organizations that need to meet annual reporting requirements (like Wikimedia chapters and thematic organizations).

At the same time, finding information about a Wikimedia organization's work can be difficult and time-consuming since organizations all have very different ways of organizing information about themselves, and because information is sometimes only available in a local language. This also makes it difficult to track if organizations are meeting reporting requirements, and increases the number of times that organizations may need to respond to requests for information.

What is the solution?

All Wikimedia organizations, large and small, are encouraged to add information about their work to the central Reports page on Meta. To do this:

1. Visit the Reports page on Meta.
2. Find the column for your organization in the correct table (there are separate tables for Wikimedia chapters and thematic organizations, and for user groups).
3. Add a link to your organization's blog, most recent report, or reporting hubpage if it isn't there already.
4. Go back to the Reports page and update it when your organization has more news.

This way, anyone visiting this page will be able to easily find recent news about your work, and the Affiliations Committee and the Wikimedia Foundation will also know that your organization has submitted its reports.

When to use

• When you are a Wikimedia organization (Wikimedia chapter, thematic organization or user group) recognized by the WMF Board of Trustees and/or Affiliations Committee, or a closely allied group that wants to make sure the movement has information about your work.
• When your Wikimedia organization does something public (like a blog, newsletter, or formal report) to record and share its activities.
• Especially when your Wikimedia organization is required by its agreement with the Wikimedia Foundation or the terms of its recognition from the Affiliations Committee to do certain reports.

See also

Related patterns

• Short reports go a long way