Re: [Gendergap] Fwd: Announcing the shutdown of the Ada Initiative
Our MySQL process died briefly. It should be working now. Please be reassured that our materials are available and properly licensed. We've had these materials licensed CC BY-SA and up on our web page for literally years. The license information is inside each document. If you have any more trouble finding the materials or the licensing information, please email me off-list. -VAL On Wed, Aug 5, 2015 at 4:08 PM, Pine W wrote: > OK. I'm getting database errors from several web pages like > https://adainitiative.org/what-we-do/workshops-and-training/ > > Also, is the CC BY SA license noted somewhere? I just see "© 2011–2015 Ada > Initiative" on the bottom of the homepage. > > Thanks! > > Pine > > > On Wed, Aug 5, 2015 at 4:04 PM, Valerie Aurora > wrote: >> >> They will continue to be hosted on our web site indefinitely, and the >> licenses are all CC BY-SA so you may also copy them to Wikisource if >> you would like. >> >> -VAL >> >> On Wed, Aug 5, 2015 at 2:48 PM, Pine W wrote: >> > Hi Val, >> > >> > Would it be possible for Ada to copy many of its materials to >> > Wikisource, >> > where hopefully they can be reused indefinitely? I have some other >> > options >> > in mind that could also work depending on the licensing. >> > >> > Pine >> > >> > >> > On Tue, Aug 4, 2015 at 12:30 PM, Valerie Aurora >> > >> > wrote: >> >> >> >> Hi all, >> >> >> >> Thanks for the kind words, Pine! >> >> >> >> When it comes to Wikimedia projects and the Ally Skills Workshops, I >> >> will >> >> be starting a for-profit consulting business doing the Ally Skills >> >> Workshops >> >> and would be quite happy to continue the Wikimedia admin training >> >> through >> >> that avenue if the community decides it is useful. Wikimedia affiliates >> >> would be very useful in supporting and hosting this training. >> >> >> >> -VAL >> >> >> >> On Tue, Aug 4, 2015 at 10:58 AM, Pine W wrote: >> >>> >> >>> I am sorry to hear about this news. My impression as an outsider is >> >>> that >> >>> the Ada Initiative was doing good work, and I had hoped to participate >> >>> in an >> >>> ally skills workshop someday. >> >>> >> >>> I would like to think that the Wikimedia affiliates are collectively >> >>> supportive of women in tech, including Wikimedia technical and content >> >>> contributors. This theme is important to our collective interest in >> >>> disseminating human knowledge of and for everyone. >> >>> >> >>> Is there anything that the Wikimedia affiliates can do to continue the >> >>> Ada Initiative's good work as it relates to Wikimedia and open >> >>> knowledge? >> >>> >> >>> Pine >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> ___ >> >>> Gendergap mailing list >> >>> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> >>> To manage your subscription preferences, including unsubscribing, >> >>> please >> >>> visit: >> >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> Valerie Aurora >> >> Interim Executive Director >> >> >> >> ___ >> >> Gendergap mailing list >> >> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> >> To manage your subscription preferences, including unsubscribing, >> >> please >> >> visit: >> >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >> > >> > >> > >> > ___ >> > Gendergap mailing list >> > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> > To manage your subscription preferences, including unsubscribing, please >> > visit: >> > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >> >> >> >> -- >> Valerie Aurora >> Interim Executive Director >> >> ___ >> Gendergap mailing list >> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> To manage your subscription preferences, including unsubscribing, please >> visit: >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap > > > > ___ > Gendergap mailing list > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > To manage your subscription preferences, including unsubscribing, please > visit: > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap -- Valerie Aurora Interim Executive Director ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org To manage your subscription preferences, including unsubscribing, please visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Fwd: Announcing the shutdown of the Ada Initiative
They will continue to be hosted on our web site indefinitely, and the licenses are all CC BY-SA so you may also copy them to Wikisource if you would like. -VAL On Wed, Aug 5, 2015 at 2:48 PM, Pine W wrote: > Hi Val, > > Would it be possible for Ada to copy many of its materials to Wikisource, > where hopefully they can be reused indefinitely? I have some other options > in mind that could also work depending on the licensing. > > Pine > > > On Tue, Aug 4, 2015 at 12:30 PM, Valerie Aurora > wrote: >> >> Hi all, >> >> Thanks for the kind words, Pine! >> >> When it comes to Wikimedia projects and the Ally Skills Workshops, I will >> be starting a for-profit consulting business doing the Ally Skills Workshops >> and would be quite happy to continue the Wikimedia admin training through >> that avenue if the community decides it is useful. Wikimedia affiliates >> would be very useful in supporting and hosting this training. >> >> -VAL >> >> On Tue, Aug 4, 2015 at 10:58 AM, Pine W wrote: >>> >>> I am sorry to hear about this news. My impression as an outsider is that >>> the Ada Initiative was doing good work, and I had hoped to participate in an >>> ally skills workshop someday. >>> >>> I would like to think that the Wikimedia affiliates are collectively >>> supportive of women in tech, including Wikimedia technical and content >>> contributors. This theme is important to our collective interest in >>> disseminating human knowledge of and for everyone. >>> >>> Is there anything that the Wikimedia affiliates can do to continue the >>> Ada Initiative's good work as it relates to Wikimedia and open knowledge? >>> >>> Pine >>> >>> >>> ___________ >>> Gendergap mailing list >>> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >>> To manage your subscription preferences, including unsubscribing, please >>> visit: >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >> >> >> >> >> -- >> Valerie Aurora >> Interim Executive Director >> >> ___ >> Gendergap mailing list >> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> To manage your subscription preferences, including unsubscribing, please >> visit: >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap > > > > ___ > Gendergap mailing list > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > To manage your subscription preferences, including unsubscribing, please > visit: > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap -- Valerie Aurora Interim Executive Director ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org To manage your subscription preferences, including unsubscribing, please visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Fwd: Announcing the shutdown of the Ada Initiative
Hi all, Thanks for the kind words, Pine! When it comes to Wikimedia projects and the Ally Skills Workshops, I will be starting a for-profit consulting business doing the Ally Skills Workshops and would be quite happy to continue the Wikimedia admin training through that avenue if the community decides it is useful. Wikimedia affiliates would be very useful in supporting and hosting this training. -VAL On Tue, Aug 4, 2015 at 10:58 AM, Pine W wrote: > I am sorry to hear about this news. My impression as an outsider is that > the Ada Initiative was doing good work, and I had hoped to participate in > an ally skills workshop someday. > > I would like to think that the Wikimedia affiliates are collectively > supportive of women in tech, including Wikimedia technical and content > contributors. This theme is important to our collective interest in > disseminating human knowledge of and for everyone. > > Is there anything that the Wikimedia affiliates can do to continue the Ada > Initiative's good work as it relates to Wikimedia and open knowledge? > > Pine > > ___ > Gendergap mailing list > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > To manage your subscription preferences, including unsubscribing, please > visit: > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap > -- Valerie Aurora Interim Executive Director ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org To manage your subscription preferences, including unsubscribing, please visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Help us fill the Ally Skills Workshop at Wikimania!
The workshop will absolutely not be recorded. If we do record a future workshop, it will be done the same way as the video currently on our web site: I will repeat everyone's comments myself and the video editor will edit out all the participant comments. -VAL On Tuesday, July 14, 2015, Carol Moore dc wrote: > Another good option. People who want to speak out should not be silenced > by those who say they don't want to be taped. (And heavens forbid it be the > guys who want to harass us or their female enablers.) > > On 7/14/2015 10:02 AM, WereSpielChequers wrote: > >> Hi Carole, >> >> But if you ask people to lurk out of camera shot and not ask questions >> unless they are willing to have them taped aren't you making them second >> class participants at that event? >> >> Better in my view to create an edited taped version, and if someone >> isn't prepared to be in the final cut try to resolve their objections. >> It may be they are OK if a narrator says their words and their face is >> pixellated, or perhaps they need their bit replaced by a shot of someone >> reacting to their words and the narrator saying "a participant gave a >> personal example of harassment" >> >> >> >> On 14 July 2015 at 13:40, Carol Moore dc > <mailto:carolmoor...@verizon.net>> wrote: >> >> I definitely understand Risker's point, but despite my jokes about >> metaphorical "gang bang at Wikipedia", this really isn't a >> discussion of personal violence and assault, but of organized >> political intimidation. And we should feel free to speak out about >> that and make sure lots of people hear us. Otherwise we are just >> victimizing ourselves by embracing our oppression instead of >> fighting it. >> >> Having attended some such events at Wikimania 2012, and seen the >> issues discussed at least briefly in one or more taped >> presentations, off hand I don't remember any guys being really >> obnoxious. (I do remember the story of the NYC event where guys WERE >> being obnoxious, however.) Hopefully, they are NOT becoming more >> organized like the guys who disrupted the Gender Gap Task Force. >> >> Probably the best thing is to discuss whether to tap and let >> participants decide and if only a few object they can stay out of >> camera range and ask any comments they make not be taped. That is >> done at a lot of different events. >> >> On 7/13/2015 10:46 PM, Risker wrote: >> >> >> >> On 13 July 2015 at 21:37, Carol Moore dc >> mailto:carolmoor...@verizon.net> >> <mailto:carolmoor...@verizon.net >> <mailto:carolmoor...@verizon.net>>> wrote: >> >> On 7/13/2015 3:50 PM, Valerie Aurora wrote: >> >> Hi folks, >> >> Several people have asked whether the Ally Skills >> Workshop will >> be an >> unpleasant experience for women attending - specifically, >> whether men >> will dominate the conversation, dismiss what women say, >> etc. We >> spend >> the first 20 minutes of the workshop setting up >> discussion rules so >> that this doesn't happen - in fact, the workshop is >> real-world >> practice in how to have a discussion in ways that give >> women an >> equal >> chance to be respectfully heard. >> >> >> Make sure you tape it and they all know it will be going up >> online? >> >> >> >> >> >> I hope not, or it will really, really change the willingness of >> participants to share their experiences and stories. In some >> cases it >> would have the effect of revictimizing the victims. >> >> I can sympathize with your wish to see how it goes, Carol - I'll >> be in a >> required session a few doors down the hall while this takes place, >> although I'd really like to participate. But from the bigger >> picture, I >> think it's better that the session not be publicly accessible. >> >> Risker/Anne >> >> >> ___ >> Gendergap mailing list >>
Re: [Gendergap] Help us fill the Ally Skills Workshop at Wikimania!
Hi folks, Several people have asked whether the Ally Skills Workshop will be an unpleasant experience for women attending - specifically, whether men will dominate the conversation, dismiss what women say, etc. We spend the first 20 minutes of the workshop setting up discussion rules so that this doesn't happen - in fact, the workshop is real-world practice in how to have a discussion in ways that give women an equal chance to be respectfully heard. Another question is whether people can find out who else will be attending the workshop. I can't release the attendee list, but I can tell you that I have a 5-person review committee looking at each application and checking people's wiki contributions and online output. We reject anyone who seems unlikely to contribute positively to the workshop, whether that's because they don't have much experience in contributing to Wikimedia projects, they don't have the background to contribute to the workshop right away, or they seem like trolls. I have kicked people out of the workshop in the past and will do it at this workshop if necessary (but I'm pretty sure it won't be). All that being said, the workshop already has enough people registered that if we closed applications today we'd have a fantastic workshop. Applications are still open for now but we will probably close them soon. And I'm working on getting it on the official programme! Sorry for the trouble there. https://adainitiative.org/2015/06/apply-now-for-the-ally-skills-workshop-at-wikimania-2015/ Thanks everyone for their helpful comments and suggestions and see y'all in Mexico City! -VAL On Wed, Jun 24, 2015 at 1:35 PM, Valerie Aurora wrote: > Hi long-suffering Gender Gap list members, > > I have good news! Thanks to the hard work of many of the people on > this list, the WMF funded a grant to run a pilot Ally Skills Workshop > at Wikimania in July: > > https://adainitiative.org/2015/06/apply-now-for-the-ally-skills-workshop-at-wikimania-2015/ > > The Ally Skills Workshop teaches men simple, everyday ways to support > women in their communities. This workshop will be laser-focused on > techniques that work specifically in Wikipedia and related projects, > including how to use existing policies and suggestions for advocating > for new policies. It will also teach people about the mindset of > trolls and what strategies work best for foiling them. > > If it goes well, we'll apply for another WMF grant to run a > train-the-trainers, with the end goal of teaching the workshop to many > of the Wikipedia admins around the world. The goal is to get them > educated and wised up to the sexist tactics often used against women > editors, women's bios, and women's causes on Wikipedia. > > If you are going, or if you know someone who would be a good person to > attend this workshop, please sign up or encourage them to sign up! You > can also retweet the announcement here: > > https://twitter.com/adainitiative/status/613803456692793344 > > Thanks, > > -VAL > > -- > Valerie Aurora > Interim Executive Director > > You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and > culture! > Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ -- Valerie Aurora Interim Executive Director You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and culture! Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org To manage your subscription preferences, including unsubscribing, please visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Help us fill the Ally Skills Workshop at Wikimania!
The workshop is fundamentally unsuited to online participation, which is unfortunate because I hate traveling. I would be very excited if someone else figured out how to make the workshop work in an online format, but I haven't in the 4+ years I've been teaching it. The materials are CC BY-SA, so there's no barrier to adapting them. Until then, the most scalable approach is to train a bunch of people distributed around the world to teach the workshop. -VAL On Tue, Jul 7, 2015 at 12:09 AM, Pine W wrote: > I'd just thought that I would note that WMF's Community Dept said recently > that anti-harassment initatives will be a focus for them in their goals for > this quarter. > > Also, I would like to ask about the reach of this initiative. If the pilot > is deemed a success, would it make sense to offer online workshops instead > of, or in addition to, more expensive and logistically complicated in-person > workshops? I do believe that there can be important benefits from in-person > workshops, but with thousands of globally distributed Wikimedians the only > practical ways to reach the majority of highly active Wikimedians is to > offer online training, perhaps supplemented by in-person workshops that are > led by Wikimedia affiliate staff or volunteers who receive the proposed > train-the-trainer instruction. The train-the-trainer instruction could be > offered online or at events like Wikimainia and the Wikimedia Conference. > > Thanks, > > Pine > > On Jul 6, 2015 10:36 PM, "Risker" wrote: >> >> Thank you, Val. I don't know many people who are planning to attend >> Wikimania and who don't already have something scheduled at the same time (I >> will be in a different closed session at the same time), but I have reached >> out as best I can. >> >> It occurs to me that, although the main thrust will be supporting women >> who edit, many of the same techniques that can be used to support women can >> be used to support *all* editors. While women on the internet are known to >> be more likely to be subjected to certain types of online harassment and >> trolling, I've seen similar behaviour directed to trans editors, gay >> editors, straight male editors too. >> >> Risker/Anne >> >> On 6 July 2015 at 22:23, Valerie Aurora wrote: >>> >>> Hey folks, >>> >>> We really appreciate everyone's concern and help with the Ally Skills >>> Workshop! Some answers to questions or concerns on this thread: >>> >>> 1. We are working to get the workshop into the programme. >>> 2. The workshop is on the Wikimania wiki here: >>> https://wikimania2015.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ally_Skills_Workshop >>> 3. The workshop is about half-full, and we would appreciate you >>> inviting people to apply using the above link. >>> >>> -VAL >>> >>> On Mon, Jul 6, 2015 at 5:54 PM, Risker wrote: >>> > This is a bit of a problem, as I see it. While it is invitation only >>> > (and >>> > at this point, there is no feedback about what percentage of the >>> > available >>> > seats are taken), the very limited advertising is not targeting people >>> > who >>> > are actually going to be at Wikimania. Now, it could be that all the >>> > seats >>> > are full, in which case no further advertising is needed. But >>> > attaching >>> > this to Wikimania and then not bothering to take advantage of the >>> > advertising power of Wikimania wiki at least does not seem terribly >>> > helpful. >>> > >>> > There are several sessions that will occur that are strictly >>> > invitation-only, but those invitations are much more narrowly focused >>> > and >>> > the potential invitees have been communicated with much more directly. >>> > Perhaps Valerie or someone else directly involved in the seminar can >>> > advise >>> > if all the seats are full and, if not, how many more applicants they >>> > are >>> > seeking. >>> > >>> > Risker/Anne >>> > >>> > >>> > On 6 July 2015 at 19:53, J Hayes wrote: >>> >> >>> >> it's not on the programme >>> >> it's invitation only >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> https://adainitiative.org/2015/06/apply-now-for-the-ally-skills-workshop-at-wikimania-2015/ >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> On Mon, Jul 6, 2015 at 4:46 AM, Chris Keat
Re: [Gendergap] Help us fill the Ally Skills Workshop at Wikimania!
Hey folks, We really appreciate everyone's concern and help with the Ally Skills Workshop! Some answers to questions or concerns on this thread: 1. We are working to get the workshop into the programme. 2. The workshop is on the Wikimania wiki here: https://wikimania2015.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ally_Skills_Workshop 3. The workshop is about half-full, and we would appreciate you inviting people to apply using the above link. -VAL On Mon, Jul 6, 2015 at 5:54 PM, Risker wrote: > This is a bit of a problem, as I see it. While it is invitation only (and > at this point, there is no feedback about what percentage of the available > seats are taken), the very limited advertising is not targeting people who > are actually going to be at Wikimania. Now, it could be that all the seats > are full, in which case no further advertising is needed. But attaching > this to Wikimania and then not bothering to take advantage of the > advertising power of Wikimania wiki at least does not seem terribly helpful. > > There are several sessions that will occur that are strictly > invitation-only, but those invitations are much more narrowly focused and > the potential invitees have been communicated with much more directly. > Perhaps Valerie or someone else directly involved in the seminar can advise > if all the seats are full and, if not, how many more applicants they are > seeking. > > Risker/Anne > > > On 6 July 2015 at 19:53, J Hayes wrote: >> >> it's not on the programme >> it's invitation only >> >> https://adainitiative.org/2015/06/apply-now-for-the-ally-skills-workshop-at-wikimania-2015/ >> >> >> >> On Mon, Jul 6, 2015 at 4:46 AM, Chris Keating >> wrote: >>> >>> Hi Valerie, >>> >>> Is the workshop listed on the Wikimania programme? I can't see it. >>> https://wikimania2015.wikimedia.org/wiki/Programme >>> >>> (Great that this is happening, though!) >>> >>> Chris >>> >>> >>> >>> On Wed, Jun 24, 2015 at 9:35 PM, Valerie Aurora >>> wrote: >>>> >>>> Hi long-suffering Gender Gap list members, >>>> >>>> I have good news! Thanks to the hard work of many of the people on >>>> this list, the WMF funded a grant to run a pilot Ally Skills Workshop >>>> at Wikimania in July: >>>> >>>> >>>> https://adainitiative.org/2015/06/apply-now-for-the-ally-skills-workshop-at-wikimania-2015/ >>>> >>>> The Ally Skills Workshop teaches men simple, everyday ways to support >>>> women in their communities. This workshop will be laser-focused on >>>> techniques that work specifically in Wikipedia and related projects, >>>> including how to use existing policies and suggestions for advocating >>>> for new policies. It will also teach people about the mindset of >>>> trolls and what strategies work best for foiling them. >>>> >>>> If it goes well, we'll apply for another WMF grant to run a >>>> train-the-trainers, with the end goal of teaching the workshop to many >>>> of the Wikipedia admins around the world. The goal is to get them >>>> educated and wised up to the sexist tactics often used against women >>>> editors, women's bios, and women's causes on Wikipedia. >>>> >>>> If you are going, or if you know someone who would be a good person to >>>> attend this workshop, please sign up or encourage them to sign up! You >>>> can also retweet the announcement here: >>>> >>>> https://twitter.com/adainitiative/status/613803456692793344 >>>> >>>> Thanks, >>>> >>>> -VAL >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Valerie Aurora >>>> Interim Executive Director >>>> >>>> You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and >>>> culture! >>>> Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ >>>> >>>> ___ >>>> Gendergap mailing list >>>> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >>>> To manage your subscription preferences, including unsubscribing, please >>>> visit: >>>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >>> >>> >>> >>> ___ >>> Gendergap mailing list >>> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >>> To manage your subscription preferences, including unsubscribing, please >>> v
[Gendergap] Help us fill the Ally Skills Workshop at Wikimania!
Hi long-suffering Gender Gap list members, I have good news! Thanks to the hard work of many of the people on this list, the WMF funded a grant to run a pilot Ally Skills Workshop at Wikimania in July: https://adainitiative.org/2015/06/apply-now-for-the-ally-skills-workshop-at-wikimania-2015/ The Ally Skills Workshop teaches men simple, everyday ways to support women in their communities. This workshop will be laser-focused on techniques that work specifically in Wikipedia and related projects, including how to use existing policies and suggestions for advocating for new policies. It will also teach people about the mindset of trolls and what strategies work best for foiling them. If it goes well, we'll apply for another WMF grant to run a train-the-trainers, with the end goal of teaching the workshop to many of the Wikipedia admins around the world. The goal is to get them educated and wised up to the sexist tactics often used against women editors, women's bios, and women's causes on Wikipedia. If you are going, or if you know someone who would be a good person to attend this workshop, please sign up or encourage them to sign up! You can also retweet the announcement here: https://twitter.com/adainitiative/status/613803456692793344 Thanks, -VAL -- Valerie Aurora Interim Executive Director You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and culture! Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org To manage your subscription preferences, including unsubscribing, please visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] a gender gap meet-up?
I'd attend a Bay Area meetup! -VAL On Mon, Dec 1, 2014 at 2:07 AM, Ryan Kaldari wrote: > Does anyone else feel like it might be time for a gender gap meet-up? I love > the mailing list, but it's such a limited (and formal) means of > communication. I'm curious what kind of ideas and discussion would come from > an in-person get together. I know several of the people on this list are in > the Bay Area, so maybe we could put something together in San Francisco or > Oakland. Does this sound like an interesting idea to anyone? > > Kaldari > > ___ > Gendergap mailing list > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap > -- Valerie Aurora Executive Director You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and culture! Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Calling all women in tech - Scholarships for UK based attendees of AdaCamp Berlin 2014
Just want to add, this conference is for women in open tech AND culture - in the past, about 40% of attendees do not have jobs in IT. Applications for AdaCamp Berlin are currently running about 30% Wikimedians and we are hoping for 50% Wikimedians across AdaCamp Berlin and AdaCamp Bangalore. In particular, we are hoping to continue the great conversations started at the Wikimedia Diversity Conference last year hosted by WM DE. http://berlin.adacamp.org/apply/ http://bangalore.adacamp.org/apply/ -VAL On Fri, Jul 25, 2014 at 1:52 AM, Daria Cybulska < daria.cybul...@wikimedia.org.uk> wrote: > Hi All, > > Please have a look and spread widely - really hope to see some of you at > the event. The event is worth attending; I'm raising it particularly as > there are scholarships for UK attendees. > > > > > > > > > * AdaCamp is a conference dedicated to increasing women’s participation in > open technology and culture. It brings women together to build community, > share skills, discuss problems with open tech/culture communities that > affect women, and find ways to address them. It has been taking place for > several years in the US and Australia, but in 2014 it is coming to Europe > for the first time. The Berlin AdaCamp will be October 11-12, 2014 at the > Wikimedia Deutschland <http://wikimedia.de/> offices. It will also focus > strongly on the Wikimedia community in particular. It is a valuable > opportunity for UK Wikimedians to attend a focused event (of only about 50 > attendees) where we will focus on learning practical things and planning > future projects. If you have experience in open tech/culture, experience or > knowledge of feminism and advocacy and the ability to collaborate with > others, you should apply! We would like to help build a community of UK > Wikimedians supporting women in open tech/culture - especially Wikimedia > projects - and for that reason we are offering scholarships for UK > applicants. To learn more about the event visit http://berlin.adacamp.org/ > <http://berlin.adacamp.org/> To read about the application process and find > out how to receive a scholarship, please visit > http://berlin.adacamp.org/apply/ <http://berlin.adacamp.org/apply/> If you > have any questions about the UK scholarships, contact Daria Cybulska at > daria.cybul...@wikimedia.org.uk * > > -- > Daria Cybulska - Programme Manager, Wikimedia UK > +44 (0) 207 065 0994 > +44 7803 505 170 > -- > > Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and > Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513. Registered > Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT. > United Kingdom. Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a global Wikimedia > movement. The Wikimedia projects are run by the Wikimedia Foundation (who > operate Wikipedia, amongst other projects). > > *Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit charity with no legal control > over Wikipedia nor responsibility for its contents.* > > > > -- > Daria Cybulska - Programme Manager, Wikimedia UK > +44 (0) 207 065 0994 > +44 7803 505 170 > -- > > Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and > Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513. Registered > Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT. > United Kingdom. Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a global Wikimedia > movement. The Wikimedia projects are run by the Wikimedia Foundation (who > operate Wikipedia, amongst other projects). > > *Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit charity with no legal control > over Wikipedia nor responsibility for its contents.* > > ___ > Gendergap mailing list > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap > > -- Valerie Aurora Executive Director You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and culture! Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] [Research] The encyclopedia must fail! - Notes on queering Wikipedia
I'm only a third of the way through this great article, but this quote was so good I wanted to share it: "Thus, if Wikipedia must simultaneously become the place where we write, the book that we publish and the classroom that we imagine, the tropes of failure and queering must be engaged in each context to generate a productive mode of practice that posits the encyclopedia as a formation or an ongoing process rather than a fixed site. Phrases like 'live' and 'anyone can edit' not only signify its instability but also the desires for it to remain dynamic and the hope that we can modify it." <3 <3 <3 http://adanewmedia.org/2014/07/issue5-raval/ -VAL On Fri, Jul 11, 2014 at 12:02 PM, Netha Hussain wrote: > Dear all, > >Here is a research authored by Noopur Raval (User: Noopur28) on Ada, a > journal of gender, media and technology : > http://adanewmedia.org/2014/07/issue5-raval/ > > > Netha > -- > Netha Hussain > Student of Medicine and Surgery > Govt. Medical College, Kozhikode > Blogs : nethahussain.blogspot.com > swethaambari.wordpress.com > > > ___ > Gendergap mailing list > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap > -- Valerie Aurora Executive Director You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and culture! Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Adrienne Wadewitz featured in short piece about Gendergap on the English Wikipedia
Hi Emily, I appreciate your good intentions and your desire to point out the ways in which many different kinds people are harmed and oppressed. Just so you know, when you do it in the context of people talking about ways that women are specifically harmed and oppressed in the context of Wikimedia projects, it comes across as derailing: http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Derailment That is, as a result of comments like these, we end up having a discussion about something other than women's participation in Wikimedia projects. When this happens frequently, people end up feeling discouraged from bringing up topics like "There is a lot of misogyny in these comments, is there anything we can do about it?" because they know they are likely to get a response of, "Men/people of color/other oppressed groups have this happen to them too." I know it is not your intention to shut down discussion about women in Wikimedia projects, but that's often the effect of comments like these. -VAL On Wed, Jul 9, 2014 at 5:52 PM, Emily Monroe wrote: > Actually, I think that's true for all minorities--I know the comment section > in the online edition of one of my local newspapers can turn pretty ugly if > an article is written about a black guy getting arrested. That's less likely > to happen if the suspect is white. > > From, > Emily > > > On Wed, Jul 9, 2014 at 7:31 PM, Valerie Aurora > wrote: >> >> Abusive comments are a gender thing. Stories about or by women are >> more likely to get abusive comments, in public and private, based >> solely on the gender of the subject or the author. >> >> -VAL >> >> On Wed, Jul 9, 2014 at 3:37 PM, Emily Monroe >> wrote: >> > I doubt that the comments issue is even a gender thing. Comment sections >> > are >> > pretty non-discriminatory in regards to starting up drama. >> > >> > From, >> > Emily >> > >> > >> > On Tue, Jul 8, 2014 at 10:01 PM, Sarah Stierch >> > wrote: >> >> >> >> Never read the comments. Never . >> >> >> >> On Jul 8, 2014 6:50 PM, "Keilana" wrote: >> >>> >> >>> If only, Tom. I would be shocked if that ever got removed. >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> On Mon, Jul 7, 2014 at 6:15 AM, Tom Morris wrote: >> >>>> >> >>>> That’s really cool. >> >>>> >> >>>> (Just don’t read the comments. Awful misogyny contained therein. Is >> >>>> there any way we can get that crap removed?) >> >>>> >> >>>> -- >> >>>> Tom Morris >> >>>> <http://tommorris.org/> >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> - Original message - >> >>>> From: Jane Darnell >> >>>> To: Increasing female participation in Wikimedia projects >> >>>> >> >>>> Subject: [Gendergap] Adrienne Wadewitz featured in short piece about >> >>>> Gendergap on the English Wikipedia >> >>>> Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2014 12:54:55 +0200 >> >>>> >> >>>> In case you missed it, the Signpost this week gives a link to this: >> >>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP8QCG7keQw >> >>>> _ >> >>>> Gendergap mailing list >> >>>> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> >>>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >> >>>> >> >>>> ___ >> >>>> Gendergap mailing list >> >>>> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> >>>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> ___ >> >>> Gendergap mailing list >> >>> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >> >>> >> >> >> >> ___ >> >> Gendergap mailing list >> >> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >> >> >> > >> > >> > ___ >> > Gendergap mailing list >> > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >> > >> >> >> >> -- >> Valerie Aurora >> Executive Director >> >> You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and >> culture! >> Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ >> >> ___ >> Gendergap mailing list >> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap > > > > ___ > Gendergap mailing list > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap > -- Valerie Aurora Executive Director You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and culture! Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Adrienne Wadewitz featured in short piece about Gendergap on the English Wikipedia
Abusive comments are a gender thing. Stories about or by women are more likely to get abusive comments, in public and private, based solely on the gender of the subject or the author. -VAL On Wed, Jul 9, 2014 at 3:37 PM, Emily Monroe wrote: > I doubt that the comments issue is even a gender thing. Comment sections are > pretty non-discriminatory in regards to starting up drama. > > From, > Emily > > > On Tue, Jul 8, 2014 at 10:01 PM, Sarah Stierch > wrote: >> >> Never read the comments. Never . >> >> On Jul 8, 2014 6:50 PM, "Keilana" wrote: >>> >>> If only, Tom. I would be shocked if that ever got removed. >>> >>> >>> On Mon, Jul 7, 2014 at 6:15 AM, Tom Morris wrote: >>>> >>>> That’s really cool. >>>> >>>> (Just don’t read the comments. Awful misogyny contained therein. Is >>>> there any way we can get that crap removed?) >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Tom Morris >>>> <http://tommorris.org/> >>>> >>>> >>>> - Original message - >>>> From: Jane Darnell >>>> To: Increasing female participation in Wikimedia projects >>>> >>>> Subject: [Gendergap] Adrienne Wadewitz featured in short piece about >>>> Gendergap on the English Wikipedia >>>> Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2014 12:54:55 +0200 >>>> >>>> In case you missed it, the Signpost this week gives a link to this: >>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP8QCG7keQw >>>> _ >>>> Gendergap mailing list >>>> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >>>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >>>> >>>> ___ >>>> Gendergap mailing list >>>> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >>>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >>> >>> >>> >>> ___________ >>> Gendergap mailing list >>> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >>> >> >> ___ >> Gendergap mailing list >> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >> > > > ___ > Gendergap mailing list > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap > -- Valerie Aurora Executive Director You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and culture! Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Addressing incivility (was: men on lists)
On Thu, Jul 3, 2014 at 10:56 AM, Carol Moore dc wrote: > On 7/3/2014 1:40 PM, Ryan Kaldari wrote: >> >> >> The problem on en.wiki at least is that a vocal minority effectively >> prevent any enforcement of the civility policy. > > > The other problem is double standard enforcement. A bunch of guys may > complain about mild incivility by a female and she'll get warned by an admin > at an ANI. A guy can get away with a lot of bullying, insults and > harassment before complaints are taken seriously and there is even an admin > comment on an ANI. I agree, policies against harassment can be co-opted to further harass marginalized people and there is a long history of this in other areas (see SLAPP and anti-SLAPP in U.S. law for example). People on this list might be interested in some experiments in other open tech/culture communities where people are extending any policy about harassment to take into account the surrounding power structure of society. That is, they explicitly say that they will take into account the power imbalance between parties before deciding whether something is harassment. "In order to protect volunteers from abuse and burnout, we reserve the right to reject any report we believe to have been made in bad faith. The Geek Feminism Anti-Abuse Team is not here to explain power differentials or other basic social justice concepts to you. Reports intended to silence legitimate criticism may be deleted without response." http://geekfeminism.org/about/code-of-conduct/ "A supplemental goal of this Code of Conduct is to increase open source citizenship by encouraging participants to recognize and strengthen the relationships between our actions and their effects on our community. Communities mirror the societies in which they exist and positive action is essential to counteract the many forms of inequality and abuses of power that exist in society." http://opensourcebridge.org/about/code-of-conduct/ -VAL > That's why it's important to have the talk page of the gender gap task force > page open to a listing of various ANIs and enforcement actions involving > editors known to be women. A couple women going to each one and pointing out > when these gender gap double standards obviously exist, over and over again > would be a big help. That way there's some hope editors and admins > especially will understand that double standards exist and are "bad"! Same > with Harassment, incivility, etc. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. > > Going to Admins talk pages directly after the rule "wrong" can be helpful. > I've seen some obnoxious individuals get away with stuff because they'd > chummy up to the Admin on their talk page and explain the righteousness of > their behavior ad nauseam, as if to brainwash the admin. More squeaky wheel > stuff. > > CM > > > > _______ > Gendergap mailing list > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap -- Valerie Aurora Executive Director You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and culture! Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] men on lists
On Thu, Jun 26, 2014 at 1:15 PM, phoebe ayers wrote: > > > > On Tue, Jun 24, 2014 at 6:29 AM, Valerie Aurora > wrote: >> >> Hi Derric, >> >> This list is not for the purpose of improving people's communication >> skills. If you would like to help women in Wikimedia projects and you >> know that you have difficulty communicating without offending people, >> working on your communication skills in another venue is a good first >> step. A good second step is to search the internet for resources on >> ally skills. > > > This response seems a bit harsh to me; the list may not be about > communication skills in general, but good communication is certainly a part > of learning to be a good ally, and thus seems to fall within our discussion > remit. Hi Phoebe, Thanks for your thoughtful and carefully explained comment! The perspective I am coming from here is over 13 years of experience with spaces for supporting women in open tech/culture, starting with LinuxChix in 2002. A pattern that groups like this have found over and over again is that a spaces designed to support women in these areas inevitably attract men with poor social skills, who then ask the group for (unpaid) help improving their social skills. In most open tech/culture groups, such requests would be unthinkable, but we are often socialized to expect women to provide emotional support and help to others (especially men and children) on request, without consideration for the value of their time and energy. The result is that, without a strong awareness and guarding of the original purpose of the group, the group dedicates an ever-larger portion of its time to teaching men social skills. Many of the people who are interested in the original purpose of the group tend to lose interest and depart. This is exactly what happened to LinuxChix - our IRC channel became primarily about counseling various men who had found a welcoming and supportive environment, and our mailing lists were more enjoyable and fulfilling for men looking for emotional boosts than for women looking for a supportive environment where they could talk about Linux. In short, I agree with you that there is some potential benefit to providing free social skills counseling to men who are interested in supporting women in open tech/culture. In my experience, the cost is much greater: the time and emotional energy of many women that could be used much more effectively on other projects. -VAL -- Valerie Aurora Executive Director You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and culture! Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] A reason to celebrate
I find this email, like many others of Shlomi's, to be creepy and inappropriate. -VAL On Fri, Jun 20, 2014 at 5:08 AM, Shlomi Fish wrote: > Hi Christine, > > On Sun, 8 Jun 2014 22:16:17 -0700 > Christine Meyer wrote: > >> Hi all, >> >> Yes, I'm responsible for the Angelou article. I must say, when I saw the >> view counts in the Signpost, I was overwhelmed and honored that for my part >> in bringing Dr. Angelou's bio article, as well as all seven of her >> autobiographies, the list of her works, and articles about her poetry and >> themes in her autobiographies, all to FA status. I also feel proud that >> the English WP honored this great artist with high-quality articles when >> the world most needed them. >> > > Many thanks for your work on it. Here's a photo of a kitten whom I found very > cute as a token of my appreciation: > > * http://imgur.com/NmQOgTH > > Love you (♥)! > > Regards, > > Shlomi Fish > > -- > - > Shlomi Fish http://www.shlomifish.org/ > > I feel much better, now that I’ve given up hope. > — Ashleigh Brilliant > > Please reply to list if it's a mailing list post - http://shlom.in/reply . > > ___________ > Gendergap mailing list > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap -- Valerie Aurora Executive Director You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and culture! Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] A cautionary tale
On Mon, Jun 23, 2014 at 8:23 AM, Moriel Schottlender wrote: > Did this really just happen? > > Did we really just read someone suggesting that women are not participating > as much in the mailing list -- with the more-than-subtle suggestion of the > cause being that they didn't feel this group is completely woman-friendly -- > and your response was to "remind us" what the point of this group is about? > Did I misunderstand your email? > > > We're all here for the same goal, but some of us experience this problem > differently than others, and some appear to have gone frustrated and annoyed > and are not participating as much as they used to. That's a problem. That's > not something we should ignore. And we should figure out why it happens > (because it seemed to have happened to more than just two arguing women) and > how to make sure it is getting better. > > > Here's my (shocking) suggestion, as a starting point, at least in this > mailing list, to make things a tad better for women to participate in: > > In a group about the gender gap, men should attempt to take a step back. Can we get this in the footer of every email? Or a link to: http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Statement_of_purpose:_communities_including_men Then these threads can be one reply with a pointer to the link. :) -VAL > That is *not* to say they shouldn't participate: they absolutely should. But > they should understand that the dynamic between the genders is so > unbalanced, that at least in a group dedicated to the issue, they should > take extra care to listen, not be confrontational, and overall to not sound > like they are overtaking the conversation, making assumptions or > generalizations. > > The discussions would be a lot more productive, and women may feel a lot > less frustrated -- and choose to share more of their experiences with the > rest of the group which might actually bring us to consider solutions. > > And who knows, maybe we'll even have *one* space where women don't feel like > they need to constantly defend the "reasons" for their experiences and > feelings or be worried of the harassment that is otherwise a pretty usual > experience. > > > Moriel > > > > On Mon, Jun 23, 2014 at 9:57 AM, Derric Atzrott > wrote: >> >> >> Carol Moore dc, 23/06/2014 06:34: >> >> A lot of women used to be outspoken about all this here when this email >> >> list started, but that stopped after a bunch of guys joined and started >> >> hassling them about it. >> >> SURPRISE!! >> > >> > By looking at this directory, I can tell that I mostly stopped reading >> > this list in January 2012, one week after a fight between two vocal >> > women. >> > >> > Nemo >> >> Nemo and Carol both, I really don't like the direction that this >> discussion is >> going. Can we please steer it back on topic and remember why we are all >> here? >> >> From the Mailing list signup page: >> "Addressing gender equity and exploring ways to increase the participation >> of >> women within Wikimedia projects. >> >> Wikimedia Foundation surveys show that the participation of women in >> Wikipedia >> and related projects are between 9 and 13 percent. This mailing list is >> provided by the Wikimedia Foundation as a communication tool to >> collectively >> address the realities of the gender gap within our projects. We are >> focused >> on discussing solutions and exploring opportunities that may serve as a >> starting point to improve gender equity, increase the participation of >> women >> and trans women, and reduce the impact of the gender gap within Wikipedia, >> Wikimedia Commons, and the 'free knowledge movement'. We want to encourage >> you >> to engage with others in this effort. Your thoughts and opinions in this >> regard matter to us and to the community." >> >> Thank you, >> Derric Atzrott >> >> >> ___ >> Gendergap mailing list >> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap > > > > > -- > No trees were harmed in the creation of this post. > But billions of electrons, photons, and electromagnetic waves were terribly > inconvenienced during its transmission! > > ___ > Gendergap mailing list > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap > -- Valerie Aurora Executive Director You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and culture! Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] men on lists
Hi Derric, This list is not for the purpose of improving people's communication skills. If you would like to help women in Wikimedia projects and you know that you have difficulty communicating without offending people, working on your communication skills in another venue is a good first step. A good second step is to search the internet for resources on ally skills. To be crystal clear: you will not be helping women in Wikipedia by continuing to ask for help from anyone on this list or centering yourself in the discussion. -VAL On Mon, Jun 23, 2014 at 10:05 AM, Derric Atzrott wrote: > Would anybody object to me hijacking this thread to use as a sort of meta > thread for what just happened? I have further questions and things to > explain and get feedback on. I can start another thread if wanted. > > This whole situation sort of reminds me of when I tried suggesting on > Wikitech-l that people make use of NVC and people were really offended. Like > there my intention was never to come off as condescending, but apparently I > am just really awful at not coming off that way via email. I'd like to work > on that and also find out what sort of things men on this list can do to make > the environment better are and in specific myself. I think a polite > discussion of what just happened would help advance all of those goals. > > Thank you, > Derric Atzrott > > > ___ > Gendergap mailing list > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap -- Valerie Aurora Executive Director You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and culture! Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] topless cheesecake on the en.wiki Main Page
Hi folks, I'm going to point out that posting sexually objectifying photos of people of any gender or sexuality in a venue that is intended to be equally accessible to all is still inherently discriminatory towards women specifically. This is because the sexualized imagery occurs in the context of widespread misogyny and sexism which includes the sexual double standard for women, the objectification (in a very literal sense) of women in sexual situations, and a much higher prevalence of sexual violence against women than men (I don't know the stats for people who don't identify as either but I'm sure they aren't good either). In other words, because the vast majority of humans alive today live in cultures where sexual attitudes about women are so negative, bringing up sex in a venue like this immediately creates a hostile environment for women. I am repeating some of what Sumana already wrote, just being very clear that pictures of male cheesecake or sexualized photos of homosexual men also create a hostile environment for women. Other venues are a different matter. It is indeed possible to create a safer and more welcoming environment in which sex can be discussed or displayed with less or no harm to women, but Picture of the Day is not it. This is something I have to explain constantly to tech startups here in the Bay Area, comprised often of mostly men who think there's nothing wrong with literally covering the office walls with penis jokes because "we're making fun of male genitalia, so that can't be sexist towards women." These attitudes have real and lasting harm, both for Wikimedia project participation and content, and for many other areas of society. -VAL On Wed, May 14, 2014 at 6:56 AM, Lane Rasberry wrote: > Hello, > > I wrote to a company which does male fashion and I might write to more, > asking them to donate media. > > Fashion is controversial but as an industry it has driven world history. > Part of fashion is sexuality and Wikipedia is harmed by suppressing > sexuality and the world is harmed when Wikipedia does this. Fashion is both > what is marketed and how people present themselves in any context. > > Two Wikipedians, Dorothy Howard (user:OR drohowa) and Jason Moore > (user:Another Believer) are coordinating a Wiki Loves Pride event to > commemorate June as LGBT Pride month. Especially if we could present other > photos equally objectifying and celebrating a range of genders and body > types then this kind of picture presentation could become a more positive > experience among a general call for appreciation of sensual beauty in all > its forms, rather than just pop-media marketing ideas. > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wiki_Loves_Pride_2014> > > The Wikimedia Commons challenge will also be LGBT-themed for June > <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Photo_challenge> > so perhaps people can upload sexiness and fun from various gay pride events > around the world in June. Flickr in particular has and will continue to have > lots of LGBT pride pictures from around the world. See also > <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:LGBT_events_by_year> > > I would love to see this controversy turn into a discussion about acceptance > of all kinds of people and praise for healthy expression of sexuality. > > yours, > > > > > On Wed, May 14, 2014 at 8:57 AM, LtPowers > wrote: >> >> > So where is the dude cheesecake? :) >> >> >> >> We don't appear to have any that has reached Featured Picture status yet. >> >> >> >> I'm kind of torn on this one. I don't think we should be making value >> judgments on whether or not a particular FP is "worthy" of being featured on >> the Main Page or not; if it's good enough to be FP, it should be good enough >> to be POTD. But the opponents are right that this would turn off a lot of >> editors and potentially cause a firestorm. That makes this seem like a case >> of maintaining our ideals versus being practical about the impact, but maybe >> that's oversimplifying? >> >> >> >> >> >> Powers &8^] >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> ___________ >> Gendergap mailing list >> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >> > > > > -- > Lane Rasberry > user:bluerasberry on Wikipedia > 206.801.0814 > l...@bluerasberry.com > > ___ > Gendergap mailing list > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap > -- Valerie Aurora Executive Director You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and culture! Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Changing the Chelsea Manning article (and how women were shouted down)
On Wed, Sep 4, 2013 at 5:50 AM, Jane Darnell wrote: > Actually you would be surprised at the nature of some of the renaming > debates on Wikipedia in the area of artists like the one you mention, > but also artists from the 17th-century. One could probably write a > funny book about renaming debates on Wikipedia. I do think the Shirley > Temple article should be named Shirley Temple for the notability > issue. In the second screen effect, during a Shirley Temple movie, > people will google Shirley Temple and not Shirley Temple Black. Okay, I've been wondering about this argument for a while - "It's what people search for so we have to keep that as the name of the article." As far as I can tell, that's what redirects are for: search for "Shirley Temple" and you can get a page named "Shirley Temple Black" with a little note at the top that says "Redirected from Shirley Temple." Can someone with more WP experience explain why redirects aren't sufficient for the "what people search for" argument? (FYI I'm on the "call people what they want to be called, including pronouns" side of the question.) -VAL -- You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and culture! Donate today at http://adainitiative.org/donate/ ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Category:Nude portrayals of computer technology
On Sun, May 19, 2013 at 6:34 AM, wrote: > Actually, I found the descriptions well written and helpful. I don't quite > understand Sarah's objection. To expand on Sarah's explanation: We are discussing these images precisely because viewing them causes many people, including people on this list, to feel uncomfortable and unhappy. Describing them in words causes a similar effect. Perhaps an analogy would help: Imagine that you don't like gory horror movies. So instead, someone narrates one out loud while you cover your eyes. While it won't be quite as horrifying, it will still upset you. -VAL -- You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and culture! Donate at http://donate.adainitiative.org ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] [Report] International Women's day events in India
This is so impressive! Netha, you are a force to be reckoned with! (Sorry for the delay, catching up on my email today!) -VAL On Mon, Apr 1, 2013 at 8:28 AM, Netha Hussain wrote: > FYI > > Here is a report of the events conducted in India during the Women's History > Month in 2013. > > Regards > > Netha Hussain > > -- Forwarded message -- > From: Netha Hussain > Date: Mon, Apr 1, 2013 at 8:52 PM > Subject: [Report] International Women's day events in India > To: wikimedia-in...@lists.wikimedia.org, > wikimediaindi...@lists.wikimedia.org, wikik...@lists.wikimedia.org, > wikim...@lists.wikimedia.org > Cc: Ditty Mathew , Pavithra H > , Rohini Lakshané , > Out of India Managing Editor > > > > Dear all, > > The Women's History Month events, which ran during the month of March in > India, has concluded. The event happened in Malayalam, English, Telugu, > Kannada and Hindi language Wikipedias. > > Events: > > The inagural event of the Women's day celebrations happened in Nirmala > Institute of Education, Goa. The workshop was led by Nitika Tandon and > Rohini Lakshane and arranged by Harriet Vidyasagar. > > Two online edit-a-thons were conducted on English Wikipedia during the > second and third weekends of March. 14 users participated in the first > edit-a-thon and 5 users in the second. > > A Wikipedia workshop for women was conducted in Ernakulam, Kerala to > familiarize women with Malayalam Wikipedia. The workshop was conducted by > Ernakulam Wikimedians and led by Ditty Mathew. > > Free Software Movement of Karnataka conducted a workshop for women in Jyothi > Nivas College, Bangalore on 9th March 2013. Eight volunteers and 26 > participants signed up for the event. Nine new articles were created as a > part of the workshop. > > Led by Pavithra, Wikimedians from Bangalore organized a Wikipedia Workshop > for Women at ServeLots Infotech. 14 participants registered for the event, > and 9 of them participated. > > A women for Wikipedia event was conducted in IIT-M, Chennai by FSFTN and > Wikimedia India on 31 March 2013. The event was coordinated by Anupama > Srinivas and Bala. Three new articles were created during the > hands-on-workshop conducted as part of this event. > > Outcomes: > > In Malayalam Wikipedia, 26 users signed up for the event. 107 new articles > were created and 13 articles were significantly expanded. 14 users > participated in the event in English Wikipedia, 19 new English articles were > created and one article was expanded. Two users signed up on Telugu > Wikipedia for the event. > > Press: > > The women's day events were given good coverage by the media. Links to the > articles on various newspapers are given below: > > 1. Times of India: http://goo.gl/t3E8d > 2. Times of India Crest: > http://www.timescrest.com/society/world-wide-wiki-womens-web-dot-com-9981 > 3. Prajavani (kn): http://goo.gl/NSssJ > 4. Loksatta (mr): > http://www.loksatta.com/mumbai-news/wikipedia-celebrate-international-womens-day-75560/ > 5. Kannada Prabha (kn) : http://archives.kannadaprabha.com/pdf/1032013/3.pdf > > Led by Srijana Timsina, Nepali Wikiwomen are conducting Women's day > edit-a-thon in English and Nepali language Wikipedias. Articles which are > primarily of importance to Nepali women will be created during the > edit-a-thon. > > > Thanks to all Wikimedians who helped us to make this event a grant success. > All of you who created or significantly expanded articles would soon receive > barnstars from us! > > In WikiLove > User: Netha Hussain > > > > > - > Netha Hussain > Student of Medicine and Surgery > Govt. Medical College, Kozhikode > Blogs : nethahussain.blogspot.com > swethaambari.wordpress.com > > > > ___ > Gendergap mailing list > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap > -- You can help increase the participation of women in open technology and culture! Donate at http://donate.adainitiative.org ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] My second Wikipedia article: Sarah Stierch
Can you believe Wikipedia Community Fellow and first Smithsonian Wikipedian-in-residence Sarah Stierch didn't have a Wikipedia biography until today? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Stierch It's only my second article creation, and I could use some help expanding it from a stub if you have some time to contribute! Thanks for all your hard work, Sarah, -VAL -- Increasing the participation of women in open technology and culture http://adainitiative.org ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Free as in sexist? Free culture and the gender gap by Joseph Reagle
On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 5:50 AM, Joseph Reagle wrote: > On 01/10/2013 10:04 PM, Emily Monroe wrote: >> >> (I do realize that Asperger's and other afflictions along the autism >> spectrum are supposed to be somewhat gender-linked.) > > > As I mentioned to Mike off-list, in earlier drafts I actually do mention > that I was the typical computer obsessed nerd -- and I can identify with > many asperger-type characteristics. However, this is a topic requiring much > care so as not to demonize or pathologize, so I didn't engage it since I > didn't think it was essential to understanding the gender gap problem in > free culture. I can point out that typical geek identity/behavior can be > alienating without conjecture about its source. Similarly, in the context of > the openness of these communities, I can claim "difficult people" are > alienating without conjecture as to what (if any) anti-social personality > disorder is present. > > That said, something that affected my thinking on the geek/autism/gender > issue was that the differences between genders might not be as great as we > originally thought, or, it's more complicated than we thought. Recommended > intervention for children often includes early and intensive social skills > therapy. Some argue girls *already* experience this simply as being raised > and expected to perform as girls. We are *just* starting to study [1] the > relationship between genetics, socialization, and the presentations of > autistic behavior in males and females (e.g., the topic of "special > interests"). > > [1]: > http://nhregister.com/articles/2012/09/14/news/doc5053f7b0f172f814146475.txt I just had to say: +1. Thanks, -VAL -- Increasing the participation of women in open technology and culture http://adainitiative.org ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] OA week / Ada Lovelace edit-a-thons?
On Fri, Oct 12, 2012 at 8:10 AM, phoebe ayers wrote: > Hi folks, > > Do we have a comprehensive list somewhere of all of the edit-a-thons > that are happening for Open Access week [22-26 Oct] and/or Ada > Lovelace day [16th Oct]? There's a lot going on! > > If there's not a list yet, maybe folks can just reply to the mailing > list letting others know about their events and we can try to put a > list together. The Ada Initiative is co-hosting an Ada Lovelace Day event at Wikimedia Foundation in San Francisco: http://adalovelacedaysf.eventbrite.com/ Everyone on these lists is definitely invited! If we get enough Wikipedians, I'd love to do a low-key edit-a-thon as one of the activities. -VAL -- Increasing the participation of women in open technology and culture http://adainitiative.org ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Category: Female Wikipedians
I don't know enough about Wikipedia conventions to talk about this specific topic, but I can talk about the value of lists of "women in X." When we have few role models because there are few women in a field, one of the ways to increase women's participation is to show women or girls considering joining examples of women who are part of the field. -VAL On Sun, Sep 9, 2012 at 3:29 PM, Risker wrote: > See nowI don't see a lot of value in categorizing articles this way. > I'm not even certain that being a Wikipedian is a notable enough category to > include for an article, let alone being a *female* Wikipedian. The standard > for including someone in a category is that the category is representative > of something actually discussed in the article. Sure Sue occasionally edits > Wikipedia - but it's not even mentioned in her article, so she doesn't > qualify for the category from the "article" perspective. > > (I'm not sure which Valerie you're referring to, so I can't comment there.) > > There is also the longstanding tradition that any category that refers to a > person's Wikipedia status/preference/etc is considered a "user" category > rather than an "article" category. I don't think the two should be mixed. > > Risker/Anne > > > On 9 September 2012 18:25, Thomas Morton > wrote: >> >> I'd suggest having a different category for that. (although I am not sure >> it is utile in the first place). >> >> To avoid the mix up of back end admin and academic content. >> >> Tom Morton >> >> On 9 Sep 2012, at 23:21, Sarah Stierch wrote: >> >> Oh, sorry, I meant to say the Wikipedia articles about people who are >> Wikipedians :) >> >> Both of them have Wikipedia articles and also state on their Wikipedian >> user pages that they are who they are. >> >> -Sarah >> >> On 9/9/12 2:30 PM, Risker wrote: >> >> Umm, please don't do that. Users themselves should be the sole deciders >> of what categories they wish to link to. For example, I hope nobody puts >> that category on my userpage, and if they do it will be removed as soon as I >> can log in. >> >> Some people deliberately choose not to categorize themselves. >> >> Risker/Anne >> >> On 9 September 2012 17:10, Sarah Stierch wrote: >>> >>> >>> Don't forget, you can also add the category to any women you might know >>> who have Wikipedia articles and are Wikipedians. >>> Such as Sue or Valerie! >>> >>> >>> -Sarah >>> >>> -- >>> Sarah Stierch >>> Wikimedia Foundation Community Fellow >>> >>Mind the gap! Support Wikipedia women's outreach: donate today<< >>> >>> ___ >>> Gendergap mailing list >>> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >>> >> >> >> >> ___ >> Gendergap mailing list >> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >> >> >> >> -- >> Sarah Stierch >> Wikimedia Foundation Community Fellow >> >>Mind the gap! Support Wikipedia women's outreach: donate today<< >> >> ___ >> Gendergap mailing list >> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >> >> >> ___ >> Gendergap mailing list >> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >> > > > ___ > Gendergap mailing list > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap > -- Increasing the participation of women in open technology and culture http://adainitiative.org ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] *thread kill* Re: Apologies from the Parlympic Games Opening Ceremonies for making others uncomfortable
My experience during over a decade of advocacy for women has been that active moderation of online forums is both an absolute requirement for creating a safe space for women and also incredibly hard on the people doing the moderation itself. Thank you to everyone who does the hard work to create places where women and men feel comfortable participating! -VAL On Wed, Aug 29, 2012 at 9:33 PM, Kevin Gorman wrote: > Beria was correct that this list has not had a particularly welcoming > atmosphere to women outside of the US. I would go further and say > that this list has not had a particularly welcoming atmosphere to > anyone in the recent past, regardless of gender or place of residence. > > I have hated the idea of having to use technical means of moderation > on this list. I've previously felt and hoped that relying on our > shared humanity and our common desire to ameliorate what is an > incredibly significant problem for the Wikimedia movement - and I > think for the globe - would be enough to restore a safe atmosphere to > this list. It has become clear that this is not the case. > > Beria has been unsubscribed from this list, and will remain so for the > indefinite future. This is the first time that any of us have ever > used the listserv admin toolkit, except to remove spambots and for > maintenance work. I hope it will be the last time. But going > forward, I'm no longer okay sacrificing the ability of this list to > have potentially productive discussions just in order to avoid using > technical means of moderation. > > We will be moderating this list in a far more aggressive manner moving > forward. We will in almost all situations talk to people ahead of > time, and try to head off problems. We can understand occasional > slip-ups and elevated tensions - we all experience them. But if you > habitually behave in a way that makes other members feel uncomfortable > or otherwise habitually disrupt this list, you will be removed. > > > Kevin Gorman > > On Wed, Aug 29, 2012 at 9:04 PM, Sarah Stierch > wrote: >> >> Hi everyone, >> >> Beria has been unsubscribed from the list. This was moderator decision, not >> just on my end. >> >> Sorry that your email box had to be the victim of this and I hope all of you >> - wherever you live, and whatever your gender of choice is, can move beyond >> the recent conflict. >> >> From here on out if discussions start to get heated and we fail to live up >> to [[WP:CIVIL]] [1] then the moderators will turn whole list moderation on, >> and every email will be moderated until the drama llama is calmed. >> >> Let's be grown ups, work together, and celebrate our collective passion for >> wanting to "mind the gap" regardless of gender, language and location. (And >> let's have fun doing it?! Right?!) >> >> Thanks, >> >> -Sarah >> >> [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Civil >> >> >> >> >> On 8/29/12 8:02 PM, Béria Lima wrote: >> >> I would like to say to the moderator team - especially Sarah who now decided >> to create a "WWC" initiative (and I'm now requesting her to change the name) >> - to fuck off and try to do half of what Laura is doing for women in >> Wikipedia.. >> >> I'm with Laura in this. If this list isn't welcoming to women from outside >> USA, it failed the propose to exist. If isn't a safe place for women, it has >> no reason to exist. >> _ >> Béria Lima >> >> Imagine um mundo onde é dada a qualquer pessoa a possibilidade de ter livre >> acesso ao somatório de todo o conhecimento humano. Ajude-nos a construir >> esse sonho. >> >> >> On 29 August 2012 19:56, Emily Monroe wrote: >>> >>> I would like to thank the mod team for intervening, in any case. >>> >>> From, >>> Emily >>> >>> >>> >>> On Wed, Aug 29, 2012 at 5:53 PM, Kevin Gorman wrote: I am sorry to see Laura go. Her leaving the list was not requested by the mod team here, and was not the desired or expected outcome of my interaction with her. She's welcome back at any point that she would like to resubscribe. Sarah and I have recently been approached by people in private indicating that Laura's posting style has made them uncomfortable participating in public discussions on this list. After talking with Sarah, I sent Laura an email asking her to step back and consider if her messages could make others uncomfortable before sending them out, and asking her to take into consideration other people's feedback when they offer it. (She's not the only member who we've sent a similar message to.) --- Kevin Gorman ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >>> >>> >>> >>> ___ >>> Gendergap mailing list >>> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >>> >> >> >> >> __
Re: [Gendergap] Maya Angelou
On Sat, Aug 4, 2012 at 2:17 PM, Pete Forsyth wrote: > On Aug 1, 2012 11:09 AM, "Sarah Stierch" wrote: >> Miss Angelou > > Sorry to be a nitpicker, but while in high school I had the privilege of > meeting DOCTOR Angelou (through a Facing History and Ourselves program), and > it was impressed on us early and often (and effectively, it seems) before > that meeting that DOCTOR Angelou's name is DOCTOR Angelou, not Maya, Miss > Angelou, etc :) I forget to use women's titles sometimes too, but if I remember, I take positive pleasure in calling women with PhD's "Dr." - especially in areas where people don't often use their titles. :) -VAL -- Increasing the participation of women in open technology and culture http://adainitiative.org ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Maya Angelou
On Tue, Jul 31, 2012 at 9:24 PM, Christine Meyer wrote: > I've been doing my part in addressing the gender gap in en.Wikipedia, and > this week marks a major accomplishment for me in this area and for me as an > editor. [[Maya Angelou]] is now a featured article. This is amazing work! Congratulations on getting it as a featured article, and thanks for writing and telling us about how you ddi it. I personally find this very inspiring. -VAL -- Increasing the participation of women in open technology and culture http://adainitiative.org ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Wikimania Feedback Comment on luncheon
I do really like having these kinds of introductions - I am always amazed by the breadth and variety of interests that people have and it is a good lesson for me about my stereotypes and assumptions about women I haven't overcome yet. It's also a great way to find people you want to meet. But I agree it took too long. That introduction format worked really well at AdaCamp DC - for a variety of reasons that didn't apply at that lunch and I wasn't even aware of during the AdaCamp intros. You can get through 125 introductions of that form very quickly if you have: * Good models to start the introductions off by adhering strictly to the (very short) format * Strict reinforcement of the format whenever people start to get wordy * Two microphones so you don't have mike-passing time in between intros I first saw this style of introduction at FOOCamp, which has it down to a science, but it's harder than it looks, as we found. :) My two cents is that the lunch should be longer! I like to schedule at least an hour and half. :) Overall, I was thrilled with the whole lunch. -VAL On Wed, Jul 25, 2012 at 6:00 PM, Gillian White wrote: > I agree that 125 introductions is not a productive or fun way to use a short > amount of time. In this instance, the process halted all conversation and > created a no-win situation for members of the audience - either try to > concentrate on an impossible-to-remember roll-call, or ignore the speakers. > Neither is good and leaving the room would be even more impolite. However, > it is good to have a problem that results from success! > > A solution depends on what the purpose of the meeting is. If the purpose > changes from a lunch meeting, different approaches could be used but > multiple meetings or more scheduled talks should probably become strands of > the conference. The trick is to balance structure and lack of structure in > line with the principles and purpose. > > Assuming the meeting continues to be a lunch meeting, I think the principles > that need to be remembered for such an event involving such a number of > people are: > - there is not much time and that time has to allow for eating (IMHO that > does not mean wandering around trying to hold food and talk at the same > time); > - anything repetitive is bound to be tedious; > - since there is a major conference in session, anything formal, other than > a welcome from Sue, would either not be a lunch meeting or should be added > to the conference agenda itself; > - flexibility and a degree of spontaneity are necessary. > > So, one suggestion for a Wikimania Wiki Women's lunch meeting (and I am sure > there are other possibilities that will be considered between now and the > next conference) is to print up multiple copies of some theme labels for > people to grab and put on their table as they go into the lunch room. For > example, there could be labels for tables for women who want to: > - meet new people/conference participants; > - talk about the conference sessions; > - NOT talk about the conference sessions; > - continue an unfinished earlier discussion; > - plan some women's meetings to be held during pre-allocated times during > the conference (eg the women's edit-a-thon suggested above). > There are many more possible but you get the drift. > > If multiple rooms are available the same procedure could be applied in > advance and rooms allocated for lots of smaller lunch groups. That sort of > thing depends on the venue but breaking it up means missing the opportunity > for a gathering of everyone together. Also, requiring a forced choice for > women who have a range of interests and commitments is something to avoid. > > Whiteghost.ink > > > On 26 July 2012 07:01, Orsolya Gyenes wrote: >> >> Yes, we really didn't expect over 120 women (double as much as last year) >> and I think it was right to get to know each other and learn where we all >> coming from and what we are interested in. Usually that doesn't happen on >> this list. >> >> Maybe we could organize a female edithaton during the Hacking Days in HK, >> if there's a need for it. >> >> ~Orsolya >> Deputy Program Chair >> >> >> 2012/7/25 Carol Moore DC >>> >>> From >>> http://wikimania2012.wikimedia.org/wiki/Feedback#Other_meetups_and_meetings >>> >>> The Women's Luncheon on Saturday was something I was very much looking >>> forward to, but it fell short of my expectations. I was enjoying bonding >>> with the women at my table, asking the speakers about their presentations >>> and hoping to form some more solid relationships with veteran and new >>> Wikipedians alike. Being required to sit back quietly while 125+ women each >>> stood up to introduce themselves felt like a waste of an opportunity to >>> build a stronger female editing community. Knowing that the women are >>> passionate about sharing was good, but wouldn't have been more to the >>> purpose to encourage networking so all the women in attendance would be more >>> inclined to stay act
Re: [Gendergap] WikiWomen's Luncheon at Wikimania
On Thu, Jul 5, 2012 at 11:18 AM, Karen Sue Rolph wrote: > Dear colleagues, > > I hope someone with survey design experience will be at this event and > collect data on how many mothers manage to attend this event. We need to > know whether women have adult or young children, and whether they are single > parents, their ethnicity, and professional training. This will provide > truly useful data, if done scientifically. I can help write an instrument > if called upon to do so. Let us not overlook single parent fathers and > alternative parents. My hypothesis is that there will be extremely few of > any of these. Dads (in some ethnicities) get a social 'bonus' for being > parents (increased social status), unlike mothers, so its important to > distinguish clearly who is supporting and raising children, not just having > parented and kids exist in the world kinds of data. FYI, every event for women in open technology and culture that I have attended where we asked for this information had a very low rate of women who were parents - around 5%. At the Ada Initiative, we believe we must include women with children in our mission. Since one of our co-founders has a small child, we are aware of at least some of the challenges involved in having children and participating in open technology and culture. This is one of the reasons that the Ada Initiative is providing free childcare to AdaCamp attendees, although we only had one person apply in time for the deadline to register for childcare. We plan to advertise it better in the future. Childcare has turned out to be fairly easy to provide, and we hope to be able to help other conferences provide childcare in the future. -VAL -- Increasing the participation of women in open technology and culture http://adainitiative.org ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] WikiWomen's Luncheon at Wikimania
On Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 6:28 AM, Sarah Stierch wrote: > Hi everyone, > > Are you a woman attending Wikimania? Join us for the WikiWomen's Luncheon on > Saturday, July 14 in the Grand Ballroom. > > This is a great opportunity to meet women from around the world who > contribute to and advocate for Wikimedia projects. > > Sign up to participate here: > > http://wikimania2012.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiWomen%27s_Luncheon I'm really looking forward to this lunch! Can't wait to see you all! Thanks, Sarah, for publicizing it, -VAL P.S. As someone who used to be part of a "*Chix" organization and got tired of explaining why we called ourselves "chicks", I'm all in favor of naming things "*Women" instead. :) -- Increasing the participation of women in open technology and culture http://adainitiative.org ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] Reminder: AdaCamp DC applications are open
Hello Gender Gappers, Just a reminder that applications for AdaCamp DC are still open! We've accepted about 75 applications and have room for 75 - 125 more people. Deadline to request childcare is June 8, deadline for all applications is June 29, conference is July 10 - 11. Apply early in case we sell out! http://dc.adacamp.org/apply FAQ: * What is AdaCamp DC? AdaCamp DC is a unconference aimed at increasing the participation and status of women in open technology and culture, organized by the Ada Initiative. Topics include Wikimedia projects as well as open source software, open data in general, fan/remix culture, and other areas. To get an idea of what to expect, read about the first AdaCamp in Melbourne: http://melbourne.adacamp.org * When and where will it be? AdaCamp DC is co-located with Wikimania 2012 in a venue about a mile away (the Washington Post building). It will be the two days prior to Wikimania, July 10 - 11, from about 9am to about 5pm. * That's the same time as the Wikimania hack-a-thon! Can I attend both? We're really sorry AdaCamp DC conflicts with the hack-a-thon! The venues are about a mile apart, so switching at lunch time or attending one day of each is practical. If you attend AdaCamp DC, you are not obliged to be there all day every day. * Who should apply? We're looking for people who have significant experience in open technology and culture, have at least moderate knowledge of the issues women face in these areas, take a feminist approach to solving these issues, and collaborate well with others. While we support women-only events, this Ada Initiative event welcomes people of all genders who fit these criteria. If you're not sure if you're qualified, please apply anyway! * What is the format? AdaCamp DC is an unconference, meaning the schedule and topics are chosen by the attendees each morning. We will begin the day with a plenary session, then attendees will suggest session topics to be discussed during the rest of the day. We will have between 6 and 9 parallel sessions of between 30 and 60 minutes in length. The day will end with another plenary session in which we review what we produced that day. Please feel free to forward this information to other forums or people that might be interested in attending! Valerie Aurora Executive Director, Ada Initiative -- Increasing the participation of women in open technology and culture http://adainitiative.org ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Larry Sanger's blog post: Should gender gappers really pay attention?
On Wed, May 30, 2012 at 11:37 AM, Laura Hale wrote: > > > On Thu, May 31, 2012 at 4:28 AM, Pete Forsyth wrote: >> >> I believe issues relating to pornography are germane to a list discussing >> the gender gap, and I'm happy to be informed about them (as with Andreas' >> initial post) on this list. It's one of the reasons I subscribe to this >> list. >> >> Laura, if there was consensus around a different point of view at your >> conference, that's fine; but it's not binding on anybody who wasn't part of >> that consensus. >> > > Pete, > > As a woman, can you tell me if you regularly find pornography on Wikipedia > and you are offended by it? > > This is not an issue of "my conference" but an issue of a group of women > involved in the global movement were together for several days and discussed > these issues almost all the time. This was the first WMF gender gap > conference. It was the first WMF women's only event. Do you realise how > offensive it is to dismiss us this way? Seriously, it is greatly offensive > to dismiss the conference and our outcomes and our conversations like you > just did. Can you please apologise for your incivility in dismissing us > this way? > > Do you know why the issue even came up to begin with? Because I saw the > conversation appear here so often that I thought "Surely pornography must be > an important global issue that makes it difficult for women to contribute." > I was point blank told: "This is a problem for women from the USA and is > used to derail important conversations." Beyond that, the issue of > pornography was so unimportant as not to be discussed. I can understand the viewpoint that inappropriate pornography is only an important barrier to a subset of potential or current Wikipedia editors, and that it can be frustrating when people succeed in derailing a discussion about the worldwide gender gap by changing the topic to prudery. However, my personal approach is to work hard to combat derailing rather than avoid the topic that triggers derailing - that is, it's the people doing the derailing that is the problem, not the topic of discussion. For example, responding with "Please don't derail the conversation" and a link to the definition of derailing can help, as well as general education on the original topic. I'm not sure how to make progress on the gender gap while also avoiding topics that are targets for derailing. My personal approach to people using pornography in a manner that creates a hostile environment is to educate people on the effect of a sexualized environment on how women are perceived and treated: http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Sexualized_environment I find that most people simply don't realize that pornography produced for a certain specific audience doesn't produce the same feelings of happiness and pleasure in everyone who views it, or that it only does so in appropriate contexts. After all, even if a person enjoys this specific kind of pornography, many people aren't interested in becoming sexually aroused in, e.g., a public auditorium at a technical conference, or while doing research for a non-pornographic topic. -VAL -- Increasing the participation of women in open technology and culture http://adainitiative.org ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] civility/behavioral standards
On Sun, May 6, 2012 at 2:03 PM, Kevin Gorman wrote: > Hi all - > > As was announced several months ago, I am now one of the moderators of > this list. > > Some time ago, there was a discussion on this list about behavioral > standards for this list. There was widespread agreement in the > initial thread that it's important for this list to remain a safe > space for discussion, even if that means enforcing a behavioral > standard higher than is the norm on other Wikimedia mailing lists. I > think that given the nature of this list, it would be especially, > extraordinarily, unusually counterproductive to allow a consistently > combative or consistently uncivil environment to take root here. > Given the previous thread about it, and some off-list conversations > I've recently had, I know I am far from the only list member to feel > that way. > > Given this, I'm going to change how the moderation of this list is > handled a little bit moving forward. Previously, there has been no > hands-on moderation of this list. From now on, there will potentially > be some. It won't be draconian - and really, I hope it'll never be > used at all - but I think it's important to guarantee that the > atmosphere of this list remains friendly, and I wanted to announce how > I will be approaching it. > > If, after an initial direct request to change their behavior, anyone > behaves in a way that is significantly disruptive to this list, a way > that is consistently uncivil, or a way that consistently makes other > list members feel uncomfortable participating on this list, I will be > putting them on +moderate, which means that all of their emails will > be held until I approve them - and I'll only be approving emails that > don't do those things. I obviously don't mean that dissenting > opinions aren't okay; I think they should always be welcomed and > moderation will not be done on the basis of the opinion someone > expresses. But, I do think that all opinions can be expressed in a > civil way that doesn't make other list members feel uncomfortable. > > We could create an enumerated list of rules trying to cover every > scenario that could come up, but I don't think that would be necessary > or productive. I think that most people realize when they stop over a > line - and if they don't before someone else speaks up about it, they > certainly should afterwards. I normally watch most traffic on this > list, but I don't always (this week is finals for me :).) If you have > a complaint about someone's behavior that you think needs moderator > attention that has been missed, please send me a direct email. If > someone else emails you asking to change your behavior or expressing > discomfort in your posting style, please take a minute to step back > and see if there could be something to their request. It's > understandable that sometimes tensions will run high on gendergap > issues and no one will be moderated unless their posts are > consistently problematic even after being approached about it. > > Feedback on this is welcome, although the basic idea (that members > whose presence is disruptive to this list being a safe space) is > unlikely to totally change. Thanks, Kevin. This announcement agrees with my personal understanding of the role of a male ally. First, the action you are taking is in response to the expressed wishes of many women. Second, you took up this role after a long time of waiting for someone else to step up. Third, the actions you take will again be in response to the requests of many women. Acting in this capacity seems totally congruent with being an ally in my opinion. -VAL -- Increasing the participation of women in open technology and culture http://adainitiative.org ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] BuzzFeed articles
On Mon, Apr 2, 2012 at 8:41 AM, Andreas Kolbe wrote: > Two recent Buzzfeed articles: > > > 1. Wikipedia's Gender Gap, As Measured By Famous Birthdays, by Anna North > > http://www.buzzfeed.com/annanorth/wikipedias-gender-gap-as-measured-by-famous-birt > > A gender gap continues to plague Wikipedia, and one of its main effects is > on the kinds of people the encyclopedia considers noteworthy. We took a look > at this through the lens of birthdays. > > > 2. The Epic Battle For Wikipedia's Autofellatio Page, by Jack Stuef > > In the underbelly of Wikipedia is an exhibitionist subculture dedicated to > one thing: Ensuring that their penis is the visual definition of penis. Meet > Jiffman, one such exhibitionist. (This article is very probably NSFW.) > > http://www.buzzfeed.com/jackstuef/inside-the-seedy-world-of-wikipedia-exhibitionism Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention! I think this is useful insight into the motivations of people trying to get specific sexualized content onto Wikipedia in ways that aren't compatible with the overall goal of Wikipedia. Probably the discussion would have better results if participants acknowledged that perhaps not all attempts to get sexualized content on Wikipedia are motivated purely by the desire to educate, and not all attempts to remove it are motivated purely by prudery. Framing it as education vs. prudery makes only one outcome possible, we need to re-frame it in another way if we want change. An interesting side note: I've been working the Wikipedia article for Mary Ware Dennett, who wrote a sex education pamphlet that was the subject of the court case that overturned the Comstock "anti-obscenity" laws in the United States. She ended up drawing her own diagrams of the sexual organs because she couldn't find any useful, medically accurate diagrams at the time! I strongly support Wikipedia as a medium to distribute information about human sexuality to empower people around the world, I'm far less enthusiastic about using it as a way to flash or gross out a larger audience. :) -VAL -- Increasing the participation of women in open technology and culture http://adainitiative.org ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] List of lists of women
I think this is a great idea. Since research has shone that women's biographies are proportionately underrepresented on Wikipedia, lists of women in particular areas are a useful tool for people interested in writing biographies of women to fill in the gaps. It's also a great place to start for new editors (and we all want new editors!). Someday these lists won't be necessary, I hope. But until then they are useful and fun as well. -VAL On Wed, Feb 8, 2012 at 8:44 AM, emijrp wrote: > It is a good work Sarah. But I don't understand why those lists where women > are separated from men are needed. I think that the only reason is that > there are persons who would need to read only about "female chessplayers", > "female ...", etc. But in the same fashion, there are persons who need to > read only about "male chessplayers". > > We can see as http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Lists_of_men is less > populated than http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Lists_of_women Probably > you would say that the "male" version of that lists are the "regular" one. > But we can see that the female astronauts that are included here > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_astronauts are also > here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_astronauts_by_name (see ♀ symbol), > but there is no a "List of male astronauts". If we are going to take this > approach, we have to start lists for both gender, separated and joined. > > By the way, I'm interested in searching for missing female biographies > comparing Wikipedia biographical corpora in an automated way and make some > lists of red links. I will think about that. > > 2012/2/8 Sarah Stierch >> >> Hi everyone, >> >> A few of us came together on the WikiWomen's History Month page to create >> a "List of Lists of Women" on English Wikipedia. Plenty of red links >> throughout the lists included, and yes everything is covered involving >> women! Even women pirates... >> >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lists_of_women >> >> I know we'd love to see a similar collection in other languages, and use >> them as tools for figuring out what other lists need to be created, but also >> what articles need to be made. >> >> Also, please take a look at our English WikiWomen's History Page: >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiWomen's_History_Month >> >> We have more events that have been added, so please get involved, online >> or offline! There are also discussions on the talk page. >> >> Looking forward to seeing some great things happen in March, >> >> Sarah >> >> -- >> Sarah Stierch >> Wikimedia Foundation Community Fellow >> >>Support the sharing of free knowledge around the world: donate today<< >> >> ___ >> Gendergap mailing list >> Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap >> > > > ___ > Gendergap mailing list > Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap > ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] Tweet about Mind the Gap and Ada Lovelace awards!
Hey all, I want to encourage you all to give the new Mind the Gap and Ada Lovelace awards, and then tweet about it and cc the Ada Initiative (@adainitiative) so we can retweet it. Here's our blog post thanking Sarah Stierch for leading the development of these awards and asking for tweets: http://adainitiative.org/2011/10/new-wikipedia-awards-ada-lovelace-and-mind-the-gap/ Please feel free to share! -VAL ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] HOWTO Encourage Women at Wikipedia?
On Mon, Apr 4, 2011 at 10:35 AM, Sue Gardner wrote: > Hey folks, > I've always thought that Val Henson's HOWTO Encourage Women in Linux is a > terrific document: it's well-researched, carefully-written and > comprehensive, and I think it works really well as an iconic, permanent > document. I've pointed lots of people towards it, and it's saved me saying > the same thing over and over again, many times. > http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Encourage-Women-Linux-HOWTO/ Thanks for the compliments! While I coordinated the HOWTO and wrote most of the text, the HOWTO was an extremely collaborative work written with the contribution of dozens of people from the Linux community, and I blame them for its success. > It occurred to me the other day that we could make something similar for > Wikipedia. So I wrote Val a note (Val may be on this list, I can't remember. > If so, hi Val!) asking how she'd feel about that, and she's completely Hi, Sue! Yes, I'm on this list. (For those who are wondering, I'm Val Henson, I just changed my name since I wrote that HOWTO.) > supportive. So I wonder: does anyone here want to volunteer to facilitate > the creation of a version of Val's HOWTO, adapted and customized for > Wikipedia? I'd be really happy to help, but I don't want its development to > be perceived as a Wikimedia Foundation initiative; I'd rather it be > understood as coming out of the Wikimedia community. I agree, these kinds of documents can only come from the community, and writing one has to be led and coordinated by someone who has direct and long-term experience with the subject at hand. (In other words, a woman who has edited Wikipedia for several years and has a wide contact network with other women editors.) If you're thinking about leading this but not sure you can do it on your own, I would be thrilled to mentor, advise, review, etc. I learned a lot from writing HOWTO Encourage Women in Linux and I'd be glad to pass it on. Also, keep in mind that you can copy or slightly edit the parts of the Linux HOWTO that apply to Wikipedia, so you won't have to write the entire thing from scratch. Feel free to contact me privately if you are on the fence. Thanks, -VAL ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Proposal: Forking gendergap: Main list for women and transgender, sublist for male supporters
On Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 8:37 PM, Angela wrote: > On Tue, Mar 15, 2011 at 11:14 AM, Laura Hale wrote: >> I'd like to propose that the gendergap be forked. The main list would be >> for women and transgendered who want to work together to help increase >> female participation on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia Foundation projects. >> The fork list would be for male allies who want to work towards a similar >> goal. > > There already is the WikiChix [1] list just for female editors. There > were two problems with it. One was the difficulties in ensuring only > females joined, and the other was inactivity. How would a fork of the > gendergap list avoid those issues? On the practical side, I founded and administered a women-only list for several years. Our method was to make subscription requests moderated, and only approve requests if the subscriber sent an email to the list administrator email address explicitly stating, in some form: 1. I am female. 2. I am interested in $TOPIC_OF_LIST. As far as we could tell, very few men were interested enough in eavesdropping on the list to state, even in a private email, that they were female. In practice, we ended up with a list where women felt comfortable participating publicly far more than any of our mixed gender lists, and for some time it was our highest traffic forum. As for inactivity, in my experience constructive public discussion requires curation. I don't know who has the time and qualifications to do so, for this list or any forks of it. -VAL ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] Take the Ada Initiative Census of women in open technology and culture
Today we started the Ada Initiative Census of women in open technology and culture: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/adacensus2011-email The survey (intended for both women and men) asks two broad sets of questions: What open projects are you working on, and what is your opinion of how women are treated in your project and in the open community in general? The goal of the census is to periodically "take the temperature" of women in the open technology and culture community, so we can know what areas to work on and whether the Ada Initiative is making a difference for women in the community. The survey takes only 5 minutes to do. Take the census now! The census closes on March 29th, 2011. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/adacensus2011-email Want to spread the word? Check out the census page for ideas and draft text: http://adainitiative.org/projects/census/ Please especially post this on women in open source, open data, and other open "stuff" mailing lists, blogs, and other forums! ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
