cross-posting _____ *Béria Lima* Wikimedia Portugal <http://wikimedia.pt> (351) 963 953 042
*Imagine um mundo onde é dada a qualquer pessoa a possibilidade de ter livre acesso ao somatório de todo o conhecimento humano. É isso o que estamos a fazer.* 2011/5/23 Steven Walling <swall...@wikimedia.org> > Interesting press with direct link to ten.wikipedia.org. :-) Nice work > Wikimedia Deutschland! > > Worthy Online Resource, but Global Cultural Treasure? > By Kevin J. O'Brien > > http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/23/technology/23wikipedia.html?_r=1&hpw=&pagewanted=all > > BERLIN — In its 10 years of existence, Wikipedia, the global online > encyclopedia, has amassed an archive of 18 million entries in 279 languages. > It is one of the 10 most popular Web sites on the Internet. > > But is the volunteer-driven data depository an endangered world cultural > treasure worthy of protection, like French cuisine, the Argentine tango or > the Grand Canyon? > > That is the long-shot bet being made by Wikipedia, which plans to begin a > global petition drive Tuesday to earn a spot on one of the world heritage > lists of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. > > The bid, the first by a digital entity for a place on a Unesco list, will > no doubt be controversial among heritage professionals advising Unesco, who > tend to view online innovation as lacking the necessary effect or maturity > for listing. > > “Heritage professionals tend to be rather conservative types, or they > wouldn’t choose this kind of occupation,” said Britta Rudolff, a heritage > consultant who teaches on the subject at the Brandenburg University of > Technology in Cottbus, Germany. “They like to play with the past, and > something only a decade old is going to face challenges.” > > The idea of landing Wikipedia on a Unesco world heritage list came out of > Germany, where volunteers have produced 1.2 million entries, second only to > the number in English. Wikipedia’s German overseer, a Berlin nonprofit > called Wikimedia, proposed the idea in March to Wikipedia chapters at a > global conference in the German capital. > > The reception was enthusiastic, said a Wikipedia co-founder, Jimmy Wales. > > “The basic idea is to recognize that Wikipedia is this amazing global > cultural phenomena that has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands > of people,” Mr. Wales said in an interview. He said the online encyclopedia > had helped educate people around the world, providing a wealth of basic > facts, background information and key context. > > Mr. Wales also said that one aim of the petition drive — supporters can > register at a special Web page, Wikipedia 10 — is to raise awareness of > Wikipedia. > > “Of course, part of what we are trying to do is promote the idea of > Wikipedia as a cultural phenomenon,” Mr. Wales said. “Too often, people > think about us purely in terms of technology, when this is about culture, > high tech and learning.” > > Wikipedia is hoping to earn a place on Unesco’s most prestigious list, the > World Heritage List, which so far includes only historic monuments and > natural sites like the Great Barrier Reef and the Great Wall of China. > Failing that, Wikipedia could aim for Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage > List, a lesser-known directory that includes endangered traditions and > practices, like flamenco. > > Getting Wikipedia on either list will be an uphill battle. It will have to > negotiate a complicated approval process and overcome the skeptical regard > of Unesco and heritage consultants to be considered for recognition. Susan > Williams, the head of external media relations at Unesco in Paris, said a > bid by a digital entity like Wikipedia would be unprecedented. > > “Anyone can apply,” said Ms. Williams, who added that she was not aware of > Wikipedia’s plans. “But it may have difficulty fulfilling the criteria.” > > One of the criteria for inclusion, she said, is that the culture or > practice be endangered. > > She said that Wikipedia might consider applying for a third, even less > known honor, the Unesco Memory of the World Register list, which recognizes > valuable archive holdings and library collections. That list, however, lacks > the prestige of the others, which are funded more generously and promoted > more assiduously by Unesco and its member countries. > > Mr. Wales said Wikipedia was hoping to set off a debate over the role of > digital innovation in world culture. While Wikipedia, which allows anyone to > write or edit entries, has had problems with accuracy and plagiarism, the > organization has worked to improve its editorial controls and to help people > in repressive or less affluent societies. > > In Iran, where the government has periodically shut down or censored > portions of Wikipedia’s service, the online Web site is helping young > Iranians obtain information on health issues like HIV and has given some a > rare forum to post information and share views about recent anti-government > demonstrations. > > “I think Wikipedia is playing a significant role in spreading information > in Iranian society at the moment,” said one Iranian college student in > Germany, who is a regular contributor to Wikipedia’s Farsi content, which > includes 128,000 entries. The student, who did not want to be identified for > fear of government reprisal against his family, said that about 100 students > accounted for the bulk of Wikipedia Farsi entries. > > Volunteers use pseudonyms when making or editing entries, he said, adding > that the site was well read in Iran, inviting censorship and periodic > government shutdowns during civil unrest. In the past three months, the > Iranian government has allowed access to the site. > > “This gives us a window on the world that we would not normally have,” he > said. > > Similarly, in South Africa, Wikipedia is playing a role in providing free > information and learning materials in schools, many of which lack the money > to buy books and maintain libraries, said Charlene Foster, an organizer of > Wikipedia South Africa. The group in March began generating entries in > Afrikaans and Northern Sotho and will do so eventually in the country’s nine > other official languages. > > Aside from providing local-language access to basic information, Wikipedia > is giving South Africans a chance to write their own history, Ms. Foster > said. > > “South Africa and the African continent has been marginalized in terms of > information and cultural value,” Ms. Foster said. “But Wikipedia is helping > us with access to information for education not found in libraries.” > > On a practical level, Wikipedia will have to do more than just gather > signatures on a petition. Under Unesco rules, Wikipedia must find a country > to sponsor its nomination to either the World Heritage or Intangible > Cultural Heritage List. In the interview, Mr. Wales said he hoped that > Germany would sponsor Wikipedia’s bid for the World Heritage list. > > Getting nominated for the Intangible Cultural Heritage list will be more > difficult. The United States and Germany are not signatories to the 2003 > convention that created this list and cannot act as sponsors. > > But South Africa did sign on, and Ms. Foster, who lives in Johannesburg, > said she was in the early stages of asking officials in the government to > discuss the country’s making a bid on behalf of Wikipedia for one of the > lists. > > Even if Wikipedia’s South African supporters can persuade their government > to nominate Wikipedia, getting selected is by no means guaranteed. Winners > are selected by an intergovernmental committee of 24 countries. For the > intangible heritage list, those members include Iran and Cuba. > > But Ms. Foster, an organizational development consultant, said it was worth > a try. > > “We are realistic about it,” Ms. Foster said. “This has never been done > before. But we believe that the contribution Wikipedia has made is a good > argument in itself.” > > ### > > -- > Steven Walling > Fellow at Wikimedia Foundation > wikimediafoundation.org > > > _______________________________________________ > Internal-l mailing list > interna...@lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/internal-l > > _______________________________________________ foundation-l mailing list foundation-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l