Short on time but still want to contribute to Open Knowledge? Quick and easy ways to get involved and stay involved in the Wiki world
By Rupal Karia, Outreach and Community Coordinator for Wikimedia UK
Wikimedia UK is launching a new campaign in February, Mini Wiki, to help you get involved in the Wiki world. It’s for when you don’t have much time on your hands, but still want to keep contributing to open knowledge.
Every month, on this blog, we will be showcasing different mini wiki tasks you can get involved with, so you can dip in whenever you have a little bit of time on your hands. Use the hashtag #wmuk in your edit summary so we can see your contributions!
February – translation and folklore
For February, we are kicking off with translation and folklore. The 21st February is International Mother Tongue Day. Why not record bite size audio recordings on Lingua Libre to help build an open-license audiovisual resource in over 250 languages? It’s simple to start using. It will present you with a word to read aloud, before moving on to the next. The recordings are automatically uploaded onto Wikimedia Commons, and can then be used on Wiktionary, or to illustrate proper nouns on Wikipedia articles. They can also be used as pronunciation guides for language students. You can use your Wikimedia Commons login to get started.
Or, if you have a little bit more time on your hands and are multilingual, how about translating an article from English into another language or vice versa. Or you can improve an existing translated article. These can be done over a course of a few sessions, when you have some spare time.
Articles needing translation into English and Articles needing translation from English.
If you are an Arabic or Persian speaker you can help with translating the image descriptions from any of these collections on Wikimedia Commons. Some of the image descriptions are short and don’t describe all the elements of the image, maybe you might be able to add more detail? If there is Arabic or Persian text visible, like an inscription on an object, can you say what it is and add it to the file description?
February also sees the start of Wiki Loves Folklore (WLF); an international photographic contest where you can contribute media (photographs, video, and audio) about your local folk culture to Wikimedia Commons under free licenses. These media help to illustrate and increase coverage of intangible cultural heritage. You can explore here for inspiration and ideas wherever you are. To upload your images please use your country page below.
- England
- Scotland
- Wales (also available in Welsh)
When saving any of your edits, please use the hashtag #wmuk in your edit summary to help us track contributions. Stay tuned for next month’s Mini Wiki task, and feel free to tag us on social media if you’d like to share your progress @wikimediauk!