Reports/2013/January
Below is the Wikimedia UK monthly report for the period 1st to 31st January 2013. If you want to keep up with the chapter's activities as they happen, please subscribe to our blog, join a UK mailing list, and/or follow us on Twitter. If you have any questions or comments, please drop us a line on this report's talk page.
Program activities
Community
Microgrant outcome
GLAM activities
- Robin Owain, Fae and Roger Bamkin met people in Aberystwyth to discuss the release of information into the public domain on the 11th January. This followed up on a number of initiatives that were launched as a result of contacts made as a result of Monmouthpedia. Leighton Andrews, the Welsh minister is encouraging Welsh cultural bodies to publish information more freely.
- Andrew Gray ran workshops on editing Wikipedia at the British Library, Royal Opera House, University College London, and Senate House Library, for around thirty people.
- Preparations for the GLAM-WIKI 2013 conference are well underway, with the key speakers organised and the call for participation currently ongoing.
- Work on GLAM Wikimedians in Residence continues, with Natural History Museum and Science Museum recruiting in January, and other organisations getting ready to do so.
Technology
In January major steps were made on the new infrastructure, with CiviCRM and Email being migrated to the new servers.
Other activities
Microgrants
- Approved this month: Microgrants/Wrecks on Doom Bar
- Updates this month: Microgrants/Core Contest (prizes)
Information about microgrants that are currently running, and how to submit a microgrant application of your own, are at Microgrants/Applications.
UK press coverage (and coverage of UK projects & activities)
- http://boingboing.net/2013/01/02/notable-deaths-in-2012-as-rec.html
- http://mashable.com/2013/01/03/most-interesting-wikipedia-stories/
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2257482/The-war-Wikipedia-fooled-years-Bicholim-Conflict-article-elaborate-4-500-word-hoax.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
- http://www.journalism.co.uk/press-releases/wikipedia-s-top-searches-for-2012-show-facebook-and-death-as-top-rankers/s66/a551678/
- http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article3654239.ece
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/jan/11/fake-wikipedia-researcher-hack-bumi-chairman
- http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/premium/malaysia/bumi-chairmans-hackers-posed-wikipedia-writers-20130114
- http://www.wired.com/business/2013/01/wikivoyage/
- http://blogs.computerworlduk.com/simon-says/2013/01/wywo-digital-rights/index.htm
- http://uk.news.yahoo.com/wikipedias-goan-war-unmasked-elaborate-hoax-081407983.html
- http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/infrastructure/3421482/wikipedia-may-face-disruption-as-it-migrates-data-centre/
- http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/18/wikivoyages_launches/
- http://www.cio.co.uk/news/3421552/wikipedia-may-face-disruption-as-it-migrates-data-centre/
- http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/4756589/Website-publishes-page-of-hoax-entries.html
- http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/williamhenderson/100008717/why-were-about-to-discover-more-wikipedia-hoaxes/
- http://yourcardiff.walesonline.co.uk/2013/01/31/llandaff-plans-to-become-wikipedia-town/
- http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/need-to-read/2013/01/31/wikipedia-how-a-project-launched-in-monmouth-has-gone-global-91466-32713327/
Upcoming activities in January and February
January
- 08 - Board meeting - call
- 12 - Manchester meetup
- 13 - London meetup
- 13 - Oxford meetup
- 14 - AHRC Wikipedia training workshop at the British Library
- 16 - IRC office hours
- 20 - Reading Meetup
February
- 08 - Introduction to Wikipedia workshop at the British Library
- 09–10 - Board meeting - in person
- 10 - London meetup
- 16–17 - Wikimedia Chapters Association Meeting, London
- 16 - Liverpool meetup
- 17 - Coventry meetup
- 18 - Technology Committee - 1900 - 2100 UTC on Skype (add wmukstaff)
- 20 - IRC office hours
- 21 - Martin Poulter delivering a workshop about "The future of Wikimedia and Higher Education" at Changing the Learning Landscape Strategy Implementation Programme event, Bristol
- 23–24 - Training the Trainers/February 2013 event - Manchester
For events in March 2013 and onwards, please see Events.
Administrative activities
Finances
The Financial Year ended on 31 January, and the various balances from 2012/13 are in the process of being closed off. We're also working with our accountants to produce the Annual Report. In 2013/14, we'll be starting with a new version of our accounting software (Sage) and a new Chart of Accounts, which our new treasurer, Greyham Dawes, will be helping to define.
The Q4 Management Accounts are viewable at Media:Management Accounts (Q4 2012).pdf. The figures in them are subject to revision, and the next set of management accounts will look markedly different to this set. It's worth looking at the final page of the accounts, which is the end-of-year commentary: it's a very basic view of where we have over and underspent during the year, which will help members understand which projects have over- or under-achieved this year.
Board activities
- There was a Board phone call on 8 January 2013, where the main item of business was to approve the 2013-4 Budgets. The minutes are here.
- There was also a phone meeting of the Executive Working Group on 24 January 2013; minutes are also available here.
- The Board also received, with regret, the resignation of John Byrne. John had served as Treasurer since the 2012 AGM. There's more on our blog
- Work continued during January on the independent review of Wikimedia UK's governance, conducted by Compass Partnership, which was published at the beginning of February.
News from the Chief Exec
- For information on Jon's activities this month, see News from the Office.
Communications
Please see the above links to relevant press coverage received in January.
January was a fairly quiet month in terms of communications. We re-introduced a scheduled monthly IRC chat for the Wikimedia UK community, volunteers, trustees and staff to get together for a discussion. This doesn't replace other means of communication but is a useful supplementary event. These now take place on the third Wednesday of every month.
Planning for an event for journalists continued well. This is now booked in for March. Other meetings with journalists were also fruitful and some positive features will develop from these in the future. The communications strategy underwent a review in January with a paper prepared for the Board meeting at the beginning of February.
If you're interested in getting more involved with our communications or have any questions or comments, please email Stevie Benton – stevie.benton@wikimedia.org.uk
Fundraising and Membership
- Fundraising
This month, we received £6,320 in one-off donations, with 27 individual donations, one of which was a major gift of £5000. The average donation amount with the major gift removed from consideration was £50.76 - 30.7% of these donors have had Gift Aid Declarations made and matched with their records. If anyone would like a full (but anonymised) csv file with more information, please get in touch with katherine.bavagewikimedia.org.uk and let her know your requirements.
There were 5148 successful direct debits this month, bringing in a total of £20,158.74.
- Membership
Up to 31st January 2013:
- 159 new (membership commenced in preceding three months) and current members - with 3 new join-ups in January.
- 117 'grace' members (membership within six months after date membership should be renewed)
- This adds up to 276 members who are eligible to vote