Groups/Proposals/WikiWerkers

MediaWiki Group WikiWerkers is the user group for Dutch MediaWiki authors, editors and website builders and admins. Although WikiWerkers is open for individuals, non-profit as well as commercial participants, the group itself is strictly non-profit.

Issue

MediaWiki is an extremely powerful, scalable software and a feature-rich wiki implementation. The free server-based software is already in use by an increasing number of people and organisations worldwide. A key feature is the low threshold for starting a wiki website. For organisations with professional ambitions to apply this software to specific or individual needs, however, advanced professional software skills are required. At the moment it is hard to find out how to fulfill those requirements:

1. Companies or organizations who are seeking a MediaWiki software design & -support professional with advanced skills have a hard time to find out how to locate and recruit the right person.
2. Individuals working for a company or on personal title cannot easily find answers to practical issues they are encountering during their wiki-work. Information on wiki-text editing, wiki-design and maintenance is scattered across many internet locations. This information usually is in english and not available in dutch.
3. Software professionals who get stuck in designing new applications, are being served by mediawiki.org and many other support sites. Offline, hands-on support is not easy to find, though.

The current initiative is the establishment of a nexus (platform) where MediaWiki workers gather to discuss their software designing issues and where recruiters can find the right people for their jobs.

Focus group

MediaWiki Users are defined as people in The Netherlands (or outside The Netherlands, but using the Dutch language, including Flemish), who are either:

• Active users of wiki-websites, i.e. authors and editors of wiki texts, or
• Admins of websites running MediaWiki CMS (and extensions).

Of course developers of websites using MediaWiki CMS (and extensions) are not being excluded from the user group. Their specific interests in software development though, will not be the focus of the User Group.

Areas of collaboration

Support & educate Users in the dutch language

We will be a nexus of support for MediaWiki users. We mean to support web masters, admins, authors & editors of all MediaWiki websites, including the Wikimedia sites like Wikipedia. New and active Users in- and outside the WMF may have practical experience, but their is a need for training and education on wiki authoring, wiki community communications, workflows and publication principles. Additionally there is an ongoing need to provide practical answers to their support questions. 

We will primarily be a platform to facilitate the exchange of information and experience between MediaWiki web masters and admins. Also we will offer MediaWiki authors and editors training and support.

Foster the ecosystem around MediaWiki 

We recognise there is a range of developers, consultants, and companies that work with MediaWiki and improve functionality for their customers. We want to build a friendly environment for them to share their work and give them visibility. In addition, we want to make it easier for people seeking professional services and support to be able to find help.

Communication and coordination among MediaWiki users and admins in The Netherlands

We will strengthen the dutch MediaWiki community and encourage sharing. We will strive for more mutual support and co-operation between all MediaWiki users and admins. We will provide for virtual as well as real world means and opportunities for people to contact each other and collaborate on projects.

Point of Contact for other User Groups

Including but not exclusively:

• Wikimedia Foundation (WMF)
• Wikimedia Nederland
• MediaWiki Stakeholders’ Group and other MediaWiki Developers groups

Contribute to success of MediaWiki in NL and Globally

The Dutch MWUG will actively support Wikimedia, MediaWiki developers etc. and work indirectly on the success of MediaWiki as an CMS, through contributions and help to other user groups.

Activities to be deployed

To implement the goals of collaboration there will be a series of activities like – but not limited to:

• Online support website / wiki / forum
• Meet-ups & Workshops
• Online and in house training & certification
• Register of Wiki websites & users
• Register of professionals, service providers & websites for companies and organisations to get support

We are requesting official recognition from the Affiliations Committee for a first period of one year, after which we would become a permanent group.

News

• 2015-11-28: Presentation of the user group at the Wikimedia Netherlands 2015 conference
• 2016-4-2: First meeting: Brainstorm session on Program for Wikiwerkers; 6 attendees. Program (in dutch)
• 2016-6-4: Second meeting of WikiWerkers User Group
• 2016-7-2: Third meeting of WikiWerkers User Group
• 2016-9 : Planned Fourth meeting

• YYYY-MM-DD: Proposal announced to wikitech-l. (((link must point to the announcement. Feel free adding more links to announcements in other channels)))

Communication

So far, the official channel of communication of this group is its Discussion page.

Related

The Netherlands' Wikimedia Chapter:

• https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Nederland

See also:

• Website of WikiWerkers (in dutch)

Contributors

MediaWiki groups need at least 3 people to be approved.

Promoters

• Bart Mulckhuijse -- Initiator of WikiWerkers and head editor of Telewiki.nl - a private not for profit MediaWiki website about Telecommunications in The Netherlands - Bmulckhu (talk) 21:29, 28 October 2015 (UTC)
• Ilonka du Pree --Initiator of WikiWerkers and head editor of Keukenwiki.nl - a MediaWiki website for salesadvisors in Kitchen Retailindustry in The Netherlands - IlonkaDP
• Lydia Vroegindeweij -- Initiator and editor in chief of Kerkliedwiki.nl - a public not for profit MediaWiki website with extension Semantic MediaWiki, contents information about churchmusic and hymns in Dutch hymnals. Vroegje (talk) 14:33, 29 June 2016 (UTC)
• Ad Strack van Schijndel -- owner of Wikibase Solutions, a company that delivers wikis for companies.
• (((Introduce yourself briefly and sign by using "--~~~~".)))
• More promoters welcome! (((One is enough, but all the better if you have 2-3.)))

Members

• Ilonka du Pree --IlonkaDP (talk) 14:31, 22 November 2015 (UTC)
• Matthijs van den Berg --Ecthelion3 (talk) 13:14, 4 June 2016 (UTC)
• Lydia Vroegindeweij -- Vroegje (talk) 14:33, 29 June 2016 (UTC)

(((Add your name and sign by using "--~~~~". All the better if you Introduce yourself briefly.)))

Other endorsements

• (((Other people not planning to be members of this group can also express public support))).