Wikimedia Meta-Wiki

Wikimedia Belgium/Members

< Wikimedia Belgium
Please officially confirm at Candidate founders that you want to found Wikimedia Belgium (planned for November 2013, 5).
Historical This page is currently inactive and is retained for historical reference.
The page is no longer relevant because a new initiative has been started and the current list can be found at wmbe:Founding/Interested people.


First members

The following users have confirmed their interest and participation or support to the local chapter:

  1. User:Dereckson (2008-09-01)
  2. User:Youssefsan (2008-09-01)
  3. fr:User:Speculoos (2008-09-02)
  4. Francis Schonken (2008-09-02)
  5. Henna (2008-09-02)
  6. Commons:User:Kameraad Pjotr (2008-09-03)
  7. fr:User:Lebob (2008-09-04) (from Genève)
  8. fr:User:Matthieumat (2008-09-04)
  9. fr:User:Égoïté (2008-09-04)
  10. fr:User:Didier Misson (2008-09-04)
  11. fr:User:Min's (2008-09-04)
  12. fr:User:Piston (2008-09-04)
  13. Brian McNeil (2008-09-04)
  14. fr:User:Cymbella (2008-09-04)
  15. Pierre Bauduin (2008-09-05)
  16. fr:User:N&G (2008-09-05) (have free time only from October or November)
  17. fr:User:Chacal65 (2008-09-05)
  18. Guy Van den Broeck (2009-05-06)
  19. Commons:User:Wouterhagens (2009-02-13)
  20. user:Foroa Foroa (2009-02-13)
  21. fr:user:M0tty (16-03-2009)
  22. fr:user:Pmartin (12-08-2009)
  23. nl:user:Glaedr (12-08-2009)
  24. nl:user:Bartjedj (12-08-2009)
  25. Evil berry 21:12, 12 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  26. Sonuwe 09:51, 13 August 2009 (UTC) (=nl:User:Zonneschijn en/et fr:User:Sonuwe)[reply]
  27. The RedBurn (2009-08-14)
  28. Kamphuus 14:03, 17 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  29. nl:user:MADe 11:41, 30 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  30. Huib talk 12:17, 31 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  31. MMaerkk 13:27, 8 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  32. Andries Van den Abeele, 16 oktober 2009
  33. Meneerke bloem (2009-10-24) (active as fr:Utilisateur:Meneerke bloem (main site), nl:Gebruiker:Meneerke bloem and en:User:Meneerke bloem, and occasionally as de:Benutzer:Meneerke bloem).
  34. DerekvG (2009-11-06)
  35. Wikibelgiaan (16-11-2009)
  36. Guillaumesmo (16-11-2009)
  37. Romaine 21:41, 4 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  38. Lionel Scheepmans Message 12:02, 10 October 2011 (UTC)
  39. WouterVH (06-01-2012)
  40. --Dimi z (talk) 21:46, 7 September 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  41. --Stefn (talk) 12:45, 9 September 2012 (UTC)[reply]

People to contact yet

The following members have announced their interest at the 2005 proposal, but a confirmation is required:

With reserves

The following members have expressed their interest but with reserves:

  • User:Chtit draco (quite interested, but currently not enough time due to studies) (2008-10-26)
  • User:Smiley.toerist (Is a Belgian, but lives in the Netherlands, dont expect me to go to meetings in Belgium. Wil assist if posible)
  • fr:User:Sardur (depending of the evolution of the ambiance on fr.wikipedia)
  • fr:User:Triton (thinks the project is interesting but have not time)
  • User:Kvdh (interested in participating in a be-vl chapter, working in collaboration with a be-fr chapter)
  • nl:User:Dolledre interested but definately not convinced. 90+% is French, though 60+% in BE is Dutch.
  • nl:User:Annabel per Dolledre. And in addition to what Walter says, there are legal issues regarding subsidies. If you want subsidies (which are definitely needed for public activities), you need to obtain them from the ministeries of education, etc. Unfortunately, these departments are not federal, but regional. So if there is a Belgian chapter, you also need a Flemish, Walloon and German subchapter.
  • user:Walter I have my doubts of there a reason to created a Belgian chapter, besides that fact to have a chapter. I am also not sure of a "Belgian" chapter can work. Very few national Belgian organisations still exist anymore. There are all dived between a Flemish and Walloon organisation. At best is there only still a shell organisation at the national Belgian level. Just like Belgium actually. I think it would better to found a Walloon chapter. And so long there does not exists a Flemish chapter the Walloon chapter can also do represent Wikimedia in Flanders.
  • user:Kilian It sounds great, but in don't think I've enough time to work for it. When you want to participate you've to do it for 100%, else you better can't...
  • nl:User:BjornR Ask whatever Wikimedia needs (besides money) and i'll work hard to get it done but keep in mind Wiki* isn't a primary job, other candidates may be more suitable for certain functions.
  • from the phrasing of the invitation "vertaling zou worden gemaakt OP WEG NAAR", it seems you will need some assitance in translating to Dutch. Although I don't have so much time to spare to this, I want to contribute whenever I can. --Xxl filip 08:10, 13 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • nl:User:Tbc - I agree with Walter and would be in favour of a Flemish chapter
  • Wikibelgiaan - In stead of wasting our energy trying to translate every announcement in English, I think we'd better keep ourselves to using Dutch, French and German. I agree with Annabel that legally, it would be more efficient to use communitary chapters. We could for example found a Flemish organization, a French-speaking organization and a German-speaking organization, that could all receive their own subsidies. For events (like Wiki Loves Art) we could work together in a Belgian chapter, which unifies all three local organizations.
  • Basketter1991 - I agree with Wikibelgiaan and with Walter.
  • SPQRobin - interested, but I also agree with most of the people above that we should form a Flemish and Walloon chapter
  • de:Benutzer:Homemadeglass agreeing mostly with Wikibelgiaan, but imho the co-operation should not be limited to specific events. The federal structure of Belgium doesn't prevent us from working closely together. I also agree with evil_berry further down on the page Homemadeglass 08:05, 1 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Belgian man (nl na en) 09:30, 1 September 2009 (UTC) = nl:Gebruiker:Cars en travel = fr:Utilisateur:Belgian man - I will probably support the Belgian chapter but I do not have many time. I don't understand why English has to be an "administrative language". In Belgium, the official languages are Dutch, French and German. No discussion about that.[reply]
  • Too busy to devote to this chapter the time it deserves. Also, I agree with several of the above people that German is an official language of Belgium, and English isn't. If some or most of the business has to be conducted in English, it will be because English is the working language of most metawiki discussion, and for interfacing with the inter-wiki world, but I'm not convinced of the necessity of submitting to English-language hegemony even when conducting business internal to Belgium. Why not let every participant use his/her own language, with translations to the other two (among fr, nl, de) when deemed necessary? As for keeping Flemish, Francophone and deuschsprächige-belgisch organizations apart from each other, it may prove necessary if we want federal subsidies, but I believe we already have far too much linguistic apartheid in Belgium as-is. Couldn't we for once stay together — L'union fait la force, Eendracht maakt macht, Einigkeit macht stark — or doesn't it? In Belgium, it might sound like "Disunion gets you money" :-(. --Tonymec 00:23, 19 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • As many before me: interested, but forming a Flemish and Walloon and eventually a German chapter would seem logical. --Ida Shaw 17:39, 22 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Three subchapters indeed Patio 10:37, 23 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
  • A Flemish chapter of course, which cooperates with the Walloon chapter for things related to photo's. For all things related to writing articles (still our core business), and making promotion it should cooperate with the Dutch chapter.Nico (talk) 07:58, 23 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Comments

  • I'm in favour of a Belgian chapter because there currently isn't any represention in Belgium of the Wikimedia foundation. Therefore Belgians are (more or less) "excluded" from projects of the Dutch, the French and the German chapter (e.g. wikilovesart.nl, Commons:Category:ENVT thesis digitized by Wikimedia France). A Belgian chapter could for example start similar projects, like wikilovesart.be, digitalisation of dissertation from Belgian universities that are in the public domain, etc. Evil berry 21:51, 12 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Either the Dutch chapter should include all of Belgium and Luxemburg - with their four languages - or Flanders should join the Dutch chapter as it is now. The Dutch chapter should definitely be more in favour of the Belgian and Luxemburg members. A Belgian chapter would, I'm afraid, increase the separation that has been going on for decades in this region. - Art Unbound 19:07, 31 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]
and having Flemish Wikipedians join the Dutch chapter wouldn't? As for having the Dutch chapter become a quadrilingual Benelux chapter (Nederlands, français, Deutsch, Letzebuergesch), I don't believe in it. IMHO the Flemish (or the non-native-Dutch-speakers for that matter) in a Dutch organization will always be "second-class citizens" -- let's hope I'm mistaken. --Tonymec 23:50, 18 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Of course, anyone, from any country wishing to join the Dutch chapter is very welcome, and we do have a few members from Belgium. However, a 'benelux' chapter would be pretty difficult to set up, for many reasons, including things like under which law the chapter would fall. Husky 15:37, 11 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • The working language of Wikimedia Belgium is English, with translation efforts to French and Dutch: Thanks, but no thanks. Moreover, in Federal Belgium serious work is done on the regional level, where "translation efforts" are not necessary (in the Capital Region, all are bilingual of course). - Dampinograaf 11:51, 15 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
"Of course" :-D But not always between French and Dutch in practice. Where I live, practically all inhabitants are bilingual, but mostly between French and one of Arabic, Turkish, Polish, Lingala, Kikongo or even Greek :-þ. Among Wikipedians from the Brussels Capital Region, I'm sure there are many who don't master both French and Dutch. This said, why no consideration for "deutschsprächige Belgier" on the part of the chapter founders? AFAIK, German is an official language of Belgium, and English isn't. Furthermore, in federal Belgium cultural efforts belong on the language community level, not the regional level. Not that the French and German communities enjoy the funding they deserve -- as for the "Dutch" one, it has "enjoyed" from the start a confusion with the Flemish region. --Tonymec 23:50, 18 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • A chapter is an organization who serves as central focuspoint, central contactpoint and helps people in an area with working together on the same goal. At the moment I am organizing Wiki Loves Monuments in Belgium and Luxembourg and one particular key aspect is that working together on crossing the bounders of language is a must for succeeding in a project as Wiki Loves Monuments, as with a chapter in Belgium. Chapters should stimulate people from different nations to work together, as also they should stimulate Dutch speaking people to work together with French speaking people, to work together with German speaking people. There must be come far much better contact with the different groups of people in the different languages, because that is something what would enrich Wikimedia with all her projects. What we need is information about Flemish subjects on fr-wiki, and French subjects on nl-wiki, and both on de-wiki, that is the way Wikipedia and Wikimedia will grow: making all the information in the world available, with as result that Dutch subjects would be on fr-wiki, and French subjects on nl-wiki, and Wikimedia belgium is there to play a vital role in working together to make this world a better place. Wallonian and Flemish users working together is in my opinion essential for a succesfull Wikimedia Belgium.
  • A German chapter is impossible due the lack of Wikipedians who participate, as a chapter requires (according to the Foundation 10-20 users). And Brussels with their two languages makes it impossible to divide the country in parts with seperate organizations. One organization who can form a bridge between alle parts of the country is the thing what is needed most. Greetings - Romaine 21:58, 4 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]
    The thing is that almost nothing relevant remains at the Belgian level. Subsidies by communities, monuments by regions, ... Sure, we can work together but a Belgian chapter doesn't really make sense. Besides, the German-speaking part could form one with Luxembourg. SPQRobin (talk) 12:53, 5 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • In Q4 2011, several people decided to found a Belgian chapter of the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKFN-BE). Open Knowledge encompasses all topics related to open content, open data, free culture,... OKFN-BE will be an official non-profit organisation, but is open to all topics promoting open data, open content,.. This can range from just bringing like-minded people together to organising events, hackathons & conferences. cfr. http://wiki.okfn.org/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter/Belgium IMHO, OKFN-BE can act as an umbrella-organisation also for local wikimedia-related projects by having a Wikimedia-working group. If this group is active enough, with enough active participants, the decision can be made to spin-off into a more formal organisation to become an official Wikimedia-chapter. WouterVH 23:04, 5 Januari 2012 (UTC)

Dead or Alive

Ladies and Gentlemen, i'm wondering if this project is still alive or has it expired? Ifit has been abandonned it should be archived and removed from this area. --DerekvG 13:36, 22 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

This project might have died silently, because of the needed subsidies as mentioned above by nl:User:Annabel --Ida Shaw 06:45, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
The project have a certain interest, with at least 37 people interested by a unique chapter, 12 people prefering subchapters and some supporting with reserves about time needed;
We need someone to make a consensual proposal about one unique chapters or the subchapters system and explaining the advantages/drawbacks of each. --Dereckson 21:46, 27 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Retrieved from "https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikimedia_Belgium/Members&oldid=19768328"