Wikimedia chapters/Reports/Wikimedia Czech Republic/Annual report 2012

Wikimedia Czech Republic 2012 Annual Report

This report covers the time period between two regular General Assemblies: The first one on 17th March 2012 and the second one on 6th April 2013. It is presented by the Board of Wikimedia Czech Republic Overview

A year of tranquility finally came to Wikimedia Czech Republic. Main themes in 2012 were: maintaining the direction set in second half of 2011 by our Board (after Michal Reiter was elected chairman). Ideas of this Board were developed and promoted. Ideas from many of our members came to realization and the Board tried to find a way how to incorporate them into its own concept of Chapter development. Since March 2012 there is a new Auditing Committee (Frettie, Zirland and Reo On). Gampe became the fifth Board member in June 2012.

However, the Board failed in realization of several bigger goals, like the new web presentation, closer connection of the Czech Wikimedia and Wikipedia community, as well as attracting new members to our Chapter.

GLAM and SPW

The maintaining of the course defined in 2011 can be explained better as the developement of activities, initiated in the second half of 2011. The GLAM and Students Write Wikipedia groups prospered and the portfolio of their projects grew.

GLAM continued in the cooperation with several museums and institutions, like the National Heritage Institution, Mayrau Mining Museum or Třebechovice Crib Museum.

The Students Write Wikipedia project successfully cooperates with universities and vocational schools in Prague, Brno and Olomouc. There are 4 ambassadors total. It succeeded in raising the awareness of the Wikimedia projects as well as in reaching new people that can contribute to these projects.

Grants

In Mediagrant and Presentation & Outreach there was more than 130 tickets passed. Many of the subgrants initialized already in 2011 continued in operation. The Grants helped to finance many new activities of our Chapter. As a new project, we were present on the Bambiriáda fair, we also participated on Wiki Loves Monuments,. The Wikimedia projects were also presented on the Ostrava and Havlíčkův Brod Book Fairs. Presentation & Outreach helped to finance the 4th Annual Wikiconference that took place in National Technical Library in Prague, CZ.

Mediagrant supported already running activities, like: Protected areas, Photos of Czech villages, Jewish monument, Acquiring of specialized photos, etc. There were 2 photographic workshops that tried to reflect our experiments from previous events of this kind and to find a new face for this kind of activities. New photographic equipment was bought. The digitalization of the stereo slides from the Map Archive of the Science Faculty, Charles University in Prague commenced.

Members and internal affairs

The number of our members reached 41 in the end of 2013. However, there were changes. Some old members left and new ones came.

There was 10 Board meetings total. The Board also met several times informally, mostly discussing ongoing issues to keep everyone informed about what did happen or what is going to happen soon.

Regular meetings of the Wikipedia community also continued. From the Roura Bar we met to several different places throughout Prague. Aside from these, there were several meeting in other towns as well, like i n Brno or Pardubice. The Board considered as a key goal to spread the wikimeetings out from Prague, which was successful. The first meeting in Brno took place in Vallhala, 2 more took place later. The regular community meetings were also used as a good time for various presentation on current events or topics.

The decision to open our internal wiki for broader public was not done due to several reasons that blocked it decision in the previous year as well. There is a ongoing discussion on this topic.

At the end of 2012 a long-standing question about having or not having an office was opened again. There is a chance of some sort of outcome in April 2013.

International cooperation and relations with WMF

The Wikimedia Czech Republic representatives participated on many of the activities of international nature, both in the region (Central and Eastern Europe) as well as the global ones.

Chmee2 (Petr Brož), Jagro (Jan Groh) were our representatives at the Wikimania Conference. Both of these our members spoke with other chapter representatives from other chapters as well as in WMF. They informed them about our projects and in the meantime they learned new information and got passion for new ones that were initiated either in autumn 2012 or are going to be realized in 2013. Our role in various certain events that became the key ones in the global Wiki movement was explained.

Members of Wikimedia Czech Republic cooperate with regional chapters as well. For the third time, there was Czech participant (Jan Groh - Jagro) on the polish Wikiexpedition in August 2012. Several projects of Wikimedia Czech Republic were – aside of the Wikimania in Washington D. C. -presented also in Paris (March 2012) and Berlin (March 2012). Two representatives (Aktron, Jagro) participated on the first CEE Meeting that took place in October 2012 in Belgrade, Serbia.

The most active member of our Chapter participating in this event is Limojoe, followed by other ones (Board members as well as the willing members).

Public relations

There were 2 issues of the Wikimedium Magazine published in the described time period.

Wikimedia Czech Republic did participate on several book fairs and several other activities (ie. Bambiriáda in Prague). The Chairman as well as other Chapter members (Gampe, Vojta Dostál, Jana Lánová) had presentations in various institutions, where they spoke about Wikipedia. The Wikimedia Foundation's projects were also presented in nation-wide TV channels, newspapers and radio.

A press release was published when the 250 000 milestone was reached on the Czech Wikipedia. Some both traditional and online newspapers published it.

Wikimedia Czech Republic was given a free advertisement space in Prague-Špejchar for 1 month (December 2012).

The Limojoe's initiative to apply the QR codes related to Wikipedia achieved a great success. Prague district no. 10 responded positively and other cities and districts are also interested (České Budějovice, for example). In last weeks of 2012 there were about 10 signs placed already with the QR codes linking to the Wikipedia articles about local monuments (churches, memorials etc). The project also attracted the attention of the Czech television that had an interview with our chairman.

Wiki Loves Monuments also achieved quite an attention. There were 2 press releases related to this contest (when it was started and when the winners were announced). One of the winners was also Carmelo Baycaral from Philippines – his prize was given to the representatives of the Philippine Embassy in Prague. The Embassy informed about his success on their webpage.

There was also a press release related to the 4th Annual Czech Wikiconference. During Autumn 2012 the „Experts for Nature“campaign, initiated by the Protected Areas group inside of our chapter hit several radios and magazines.