By Dr Lucy Hinnie, Digital Skills Wikimedian at Wikimedia UK.
As we begin to look towards 2022, and move towards the end of 2021, we thought it was a good time to reflect on the first three months of the Connected Heritage project at Wikimedia UK.
The projects so far
In August, Leah and I began our posts as Digital Skills Wikimedians. Our first task was to familiarise ourselves with the cultural heritage landscape in England and Wales, and to identify potential participants for our first series of introductory webinars. Many emails, tweets and messages were sent out into the world, and we were lucky to have a great response to our offering.
September was the month of webinar creation: we worked hard to design an hour of content that was welcoming, informative and engaging, and offered an overview of the project and our vision. We rehearsed with some willing Wikimedia UK colleagues and developed the presentation into something we are very proud of!
The webinars started in earnest in October. We were blown away by the enthusiasm from participants, and the wide variety of groups and organisations represented. We ran four webinars, and engaged with new faces from all over the cultural heritage sector.
November has been busy thus far: we ran an additional webinar for evening participants, and our first Wikithon for potential partners who had attended a webinar and were interested in the next step. We are in the preliminary stages of our first partnerships, and broadening our understanding of what our audience is looking for. The Wikithon in particular was a great success, with over 10 new editors trained and engaging with Wikimedia through Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons.
What next?
We have another webinar running before the year concludes: if you’re thinking ahead to 2022, and wishing you’d attended one earlier, now is the time! The session will run from 2pm on Thursday 2nd December and we’d love to see you there. We’ve had great feedback from participants saying they are feeling more confident, more engaged and positive about Wikimedia and open knowledge.
Thinking further ahead?
If you’re feeling the end of year burnout already, and would rather look towards 2022, we’re one step ahead: we’ve set up four introductory webinars and a Wikithon! Start your 2022 with some Connected Heritage, we’ve got webinar sessions running on 18th January, 2nd February, 17th February and 4th March, and an International Women’s Day Potluck Wikithon on Friday 11th March. You can sign up now via Eventbrite.
I’d like to partner with you – how do I do this?
In short, let’s talk. We have a meeting calendar set up here, and you can book in for a slot to chat with us about your questions regarding your organisational needs and aims. Or you can email us at connectedheritage@wikimedia.org.uk. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.