Discussions/Submissions/Common Confusions about the Wikimedia Movement (and how we can help correct them)

Common Confusions about the Wikimedia Movement (and how we can help correct them)

Title: Common confusions about the Wikimedia Movement (and how we can help correct them)
Proposed by: Zack McCune, Heather Walls
Description: On the Communications team at the Wikimedia Foundation, we often correct public and media confusions about the Wikimedia movement. From how articles are edited, to which "Wiki" projects are part of the Wikimedia movement, we see clear patterns in misconceptions. In this session, we would like to log confusions from across chapters, countries, projects, and cultures. What does the public misunderstand about your chapter or your work? Then we will work to itemize potential solutions. What types of blog posts, videos, press resources, or public messaging can the Communications team offer to help?
Purpose: Identify common misconceptions about the Wikimedia movement, and propose solutions (especially communications and messaging) to aid better public understanding of Wikimedia.
Targeted participants: Anyone in the movement! Anyone in the "public"!
Relevant experts: PR and Communications leads who lead Wikimedia Foundation liaisons with press and media
Preparatory readings or materials: (none)

Questions and Comments 29

Hi Zack and Heather, thank you for your proposal. How can we make sure this won't be a presentation or a workshop? Also, have you reached out to other movement organizations with significant press experience such as the large European chapters regarding this proposal? Thanks, --Gnom (talk) 12:08, 17 April 2016 (UTC)[reply]
I'm trying to wrap my head around how this could be turned into a discussion proposal rather than an interactive presentation. There are some more communication focused proposals, maybe we can combine them and extract one urgent question you'd really like to get some feedback on, something you've been struggling with that is different across cultures? I can imagine for example that we could discuss scaling the PR across countries better, and how we could make optimal use of our capacities. Some items you mentioned would surface in that too, but the goal would be much clearer. Effeietsanders (talk) 20:14, 20 April 2016 (UTC)[reply]
@ZMcCune, Heatherawalls: congratulations! Your proposal has been accepted by the Discussion Room committee as the main basis for one of the Discussion Room sessions that will be centered on dealing with common misconceptions, Misconceptions about the Wikimedia movement, and what can we do about them. It is tentatively scheduled for Saturday 14.45-15.25, 25 June 2016, but that is subject to change. Please let me know if you have any questions or if there's anything our team can do to assist you with preparations for this discussion. Please be bold and include further reading materials if you want! I look forward to meeting you at Wikimania; safe travels! Galio (talk) 16:28, 29 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]