Submissions/Adopting friendly virtual space policy

This is an accepted submission for Wikimania 2013.

Presentation Media

Submission no.: 3049
Subject no.: W1

The current environment for collaboration online isn't a friendly environment for everyone. The huge gender gap signals a serious challenge. Some people just smell from a distance the working environment will not be pleasant for them. The workshop will provide a friendly real life space to channel our combined effort in creating a friendly virtual space online. Adoption of a friendly virtual space policy is probably not sufficient in establishing one. Explore what elements are essential for you in such a policy and what we can do collectively to adopt such a policy for Wikipedia and other Wikimedia websites.

Title of the submission: Adopting friendly virtual space policy

Type of submission: workshop

Author of the submission: Ad Huikeshoven

Country of origin: Netherlands

Affiliation: Wikimedia Nederland

E-mail address: adwikimedia.nl

Username: Ad Huikeshoven (talk)

Personal homepage or blog: Ad Huikeshoven on meta

Abstract

Detailed proposal

Imagine Wikipedia and other Wikimedia websites would welcome newcomers in a positive way. Imagine the first edits of newcomers would be accepted, their contributions acknowledged. Imagine they would be encouraged to contribute more. That would be a warm and pleasant experience.

You are a conference attendant. You will have marked a tick box to show you've read, understand and will comply with the Friendly space policy. We all like an environment without harassment of any kind. Asking to comply with a friendly space policy is a positive and constructive approach. You would like a pleasant encounter, wouldn't you?

No such thing exists online. Wikipedia and other Wikimedia websites provide a virtual space for collaboration. The terms of use prohibit using any of the website to harass someone. The other day someone told me the WMF doesn't enforce their own terms of use. In my opinion prohibitions are negative, and enforcing rules even more so.

One of the strategic priorities of the Wikimedia Movement is to increase participation. The current environment for collaboration online for registered users isn't a friendly environment for everyone. The huge gender gap signals a serious challenge. Some people just smell from a distance the working environment will not be pleasant for them. The potential for increase in participation is huge. Just note the ongoing high rate of people who register as user. Conversion of registered users to active users is a tedious process. It is stagnating. Without change, Wikipedia will die.

The workshop will provide a friendly real life space to channel our combined effort in creating a friendly virtual space online. Adoption of a friendly virtual space policy is probably not sufficient in establishing one. With participants from all over the globe and many different projects you will both explore what elements are essential for you in such a policy and what we can do collectively to have such a policy adopted for all Wikipedia and other Wikimedia websites.

The disapproval matrix by Ann Friedman can be helpful in discussing where we come from and where we want to go to.

Track: WikiCulture and Community

Length of presentation/talk: 25 minutes

Language of presentation/talk: English

Will you attend Wikimania if your submission is not accepted?: Probably

Slides or further information (optional): Intended presentation, notes to come

Special requests: Please provide a comfortable friendly carpeted conference space with soft cushions to sit on, pillows and a tea table.

Attribution.

In a CC-BY-SA world attribution is due where applicable. The Friendly Space's parent is the original conference anti-harassment policy published at the Geek Feminism wiki, to the Ada Initiative. Sumana Harihareswara did take that version and customized it to a Wikimedia environment and introduced it for Wikimedia engineering events Sarah Stierch introduced a customized version to last year's Wikimania. The attribution is to the title and the idea as a matter of courtesy. No version of a friendly virtual space policy has been created yet. The purpose of the workshop is to create one collaboratively. Attribution was added after submission deadline and after consultation with one of the attributed authors. Ad Huikeshoven (talk) 09:52, 15 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Interested attendees

If you are interested in attending this session, please sign with your username below. This will help reviewers to decide which sessions are of high interest. Sign with four tildes. (~~~~).

--Claudia.Garad (talk) 19:41, 29 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Sharihareswara (WMF) (talk) 23:59, 30 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Interested as a critic (and not the only one) of the friendly space policy as currently constituted. CT Cooper · talk 22:53, 1 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Bishdatta (talk) 17:27, 2 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Thank god we had the friendly space policy last year! And again this year. :) SarahStierch (talk) 15:26, 3 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
LeslieCarr (talk) 18:23, 3 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
1Veertje (talk) 21:03, 3 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Superbellymonster (talk) 21:10, 3 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Might be interested - I'm currently a critic, but let's hear how strong the arguments are. Lodewijk 21:25, 6 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
We just adopted one in DC, would have been useful to have a presentation like this up online to help work through the various questions involved. Djembayz (talk) 12:37, 7 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Ocaasi (talk) 21:46, 8 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Atropine (talk) 13:55, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
BlaueWunder (talk) 22:10, 30 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Ilona Buchem (Beuth) Ilona Buchem (Beuth) (talk) 15:25, 8 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Roblespepe (talk) 22:30, 8 August 2013 (UTC) (Argentina)[reply]