Wikipedia

WikiConference India

WikiConference India is a national Wikipedia conference organised in India. The first WikiConference India conference was held in November 2011, in Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It was organised by the Mumbai Wikipedia community in partnership with Wikimedia India Chapter [1][2] with the support of the Wikimedia Foundation.[3] The conference is positioned as the annual national flagship event for Wikimedia in India and is open to participation from citizens of all nations. The focus is on matters concerning India on Wikipedia projects and other sister projects in English and other Indian folk languages.[2][4][5] WikiConference India 2023 took place in Hyderabad from 28 to 30 April 2023.[6] Wikiconference India 2025 is in the planning phase.[7]

WikiConference India
Wiki Conference India 2023 logo
StatusActive
VenueHyderabad
Location(s)Hyderabad, India (28–30 April 2023)
Inaugurated2011 (2011)
Most recent2023 (2023)
Previous eventWikiConference India 2023
Next eventWikiConference India 2025
Filing statusNon-profit
WebsiteWiki Conference India 2025

2011

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A Hackathon (attendees pictured) was held in concurrently with the conference

WikiConference India aims to provide a common platform for all Indian Wikimedians to interact, share ideas and collaborate. The conference ran from 18 to 20 November 2011 and was held at Mumbai University in South Mumbai, the largest talks in the university's historic convocation hall.[1][8][9]

 
Jimmy Wales with one of the contributors to the Wikipedia before the Keynote address

The conference was inaugurated by a keynote address by Jimmy Wales.[1][10] Arnab Goswami spoke on "Neutrality" as an invited guest speaker.[11] Barry Newstead spoke on the last day.

Tracks showcased at the Conference included topics such as Wikipedia Impact, Gender Gap,[12] Indic Language wiki track, MediaWiki Translation Sprint, Institutions and Wikipedia, Fair use Workshop, etc.[13] It also included Editathon and WikiAcademy sessions.[2] Various sessions on topics such as:[2]

  • Free knowledge and free content
  • Legal Aspects of Wiki Culture
  • Usage of Ajax and jQuery in Wiki
  • Wiki Bhasha: Our Experiences with Multilingual Content
  • Wiki Women Web: Bridging the Gender Gap[12]
  • GLAM (Galleries, libraries, archives and museums) project initiation in indic language Wikipedias

Concurrent with the conference was a Hackathon, hosted by the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MACCIA) Kala Ghoda, South Mumbai.[2] Other activities included a city tour and a Heritage walk. Wikimedians and non-Wikimedians from all over India and other countries, Wikimedia Foundation staff and co-founder[14] A hundred applicants got scholarships based on their experience and contribution to Wikipedia and other projects.[15] More than 700 people attended the conference.[8] Microsoft Research, Omidyar Network, Kalnirnay, Yebhi.com, were the sponsors;[2][16] and eRegNow.com, Avignyata Inc., Kores India Ltd., Text100, Digital Signage Networks (DSN) and Panache were the partners.[16] There was a demonstration outside the conference by protesters against the map used by Wikipedia to show the borders of India.[8]

2016

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Katherine Maher and eminent poet Surjit Patar with cultural group

The second WikiConference India was held in Mohali, a city of Punjab State near Chandigarh. The venue of the Conference was CGC Landhran. Katherine Maher, Executive Director of WMF, and Nataliia Tymkiv, Board Member of WMF, attended this conference.[17]

2023

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WCI 2023 was a national-level conference that provided a common platform for Wikimedians and stakeholders interested in Indic-language Wikimedia projects and other aspects of the movement in India and a few South Asian regions. This was a space to meet, connect, share stories, learnings, best practices, and challenges, and discuss the future strategy of our region. The conference took place in Hyderabad from 28 to 30 April 2023.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c IANS (9 November 2011). "Mumbai to host first WikiConference in India". India Current Affairs. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Unattributed (9 November 2011). "Mumbai To Host First Ever National WikiConference In India". EFY Times. EFY Enterprises. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  3. ^ IANS (9 November 2011). "Wikipedia conference comes to India, set for Nov 18". Northern Voices Online. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  4. ^ "Wikipedia woos India with local languages". Hindustan Times. 19 November 2011. Archived from the original on November 21, 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  5. ^ Unattributed (10 November 2011). "Wikipedia eyes India for language growth". Dawn.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  6. ^ "WikiConference India 2023". Meta. 12 October 2022. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  7. ^ "WikiConference India 2025 - Meta". meta.wikimedia.org. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  8. ^ a b c Rajini Vaidyanathan (19 November 2011). "Wikipedia hosts India conference amid expansion push". BBC News Online. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  9. ^ Deo, Sumedha (9 November 2011). "Diary India - Nov 18-20". Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  10. ^ Gupta, Bhawna (10 November 2011). "Jimmy Wales To Open The First WikiConference In India". techcircle.in. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  11. ^ "Wikipedians not impressed with Arnab Goswami's talk in WikiConference". DNA. Mumbai: Diligent Media Corporation Ltd. 2011-11-20. Archived from the original on 2018-12-26. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  12. ^ a b "Wikipedia seeks more women contributors". Hindustan Times. 19 November 2011. Archived from the original on November 22, 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  13. ^ "WikiConference India 2011/Programs". wikimedia.org. Archived from the original on 2011-11-13. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
  14. ^ Joseph Michael Reagle; Lawrence Lessig (30 September 2010). Good Faith Collaboration: The Culture of Wikipedia. MIT Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-262-01447-2. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  15. ^ Kumaran, Uttarika (11 November 2011). "South India bags 50% of Wiki scholarships". DNA India. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  16. ^ a b "WikiConference India 2011/Sponsors". wikimedia.org. Archived from the original on 2018-12-26. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
  17. ^ "Hindustan Times". 6 August 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-08-07. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
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