Interviewed in the Wikipedia Signpost

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Pete Forsyth

This week, I was interviewed for the Wikipedia Signpost: Does Wikipedia Pay? The Consultant: Pete Forsyth

Some of my comments:

It’s not only possible, but vitally important to the future of Wikipedia that engaged, experienced, and mission-driven Wikipedians develop consulting skills. It’s not an easy path, and it’s not for everyone; I’ve worked hard to get this far. But the demand for expert advice in how to engage with the biggest, most widely read body of work in human history is not going to subside. … I try to work with clients who have an interest in improving a general topic area, building goodwill as a good “digital citizen,” and/or learning something about online community engagement through an exploration of Wikipedia. I believe staying active in these areas, both in my paid work and as a volunteer contributor, is essential.

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Wikipedia traffic thrives on news events

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Pete Forsyth

Since the beginning of 2008, the highest number of page views for Wikipedia's "open educational resources" article was on April 5, 2012.

On April 5, the popular news site Tech Crunch ran a story about a lawsuit involving Boundless Learning, a Boston-based maker of open educational resources (OER).

I’ll let you go straight to the source for that important story; but here, I’d like to use it as an example, to show how improving Wikipedia content can pay off at unpredictable times.

Importantly, Tech Crunch linked to Wikipedia’s article on OER. Continue reading →

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Open Educational Resources: it’s time to document ourselves!

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Pete Forsyth

When aspiring Wikipedians work and learn together, good things happen. Photo from San Francisco Wiki Women's Edit-a-thon, March 2012, by Matthew Roth. Licensed CC BY-SA.

When I first started editing wikis, I didn’t start with the most ambitious encyclopedia project in human history; I started with a non-profit where volunteers and staff convened to work together in person. Learning this unfamiliar tool along with others—some experienced, some green like me—made it fun, challenging, and relevant to my other work. Before long, editing and improving Wikipedia and a host of other wikis had become part of my day-to-day activities.

In the Open Education Collaborative Documentation Project—announced yesterday at the Hewlett Foundation’s annual Open Educational Resources (OER) meeting—we will facilitate the educators and leaders in the OER world in creating similar experiences.

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Consumer Reports to support Wikipedia article improvement

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Pete Forsyth

Dr. James Fasules discusses the American College of Cardiology's participation in Choosing Wisely as part of a panel including Dr. Glen Stream, Dr. Steven Weinberger, and Dr. Christine Cassel (President of the ABIM Foundation). Photo by Pete Forsyth, CC-BY 3.0.

A Wikipedian in Residence, in a six month engagement at the offices of Consumer Reports magazine, will guide collaboration between experts on consumer issues, experts in medical science, and experts in Wikipedia publishing.

Using a model and practices established by Wikipedians at world-class museums and archives, the Wikipedian in Residence’s central role will be to create opportunities for mutual learning. As they produce content according to Wikipedia’s policies and editorial standards, Wikipedians will have opportunities to consult with the network of experts convened in the Choosing Wisely initiative. They will also have be invited to guide and advise those same experts in becoming Wikipedians themselves. Continue reading →

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Wikipedia: tying it all together

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Pete Forsyth

These days, few would disagree that Wikipedia is a useful resource. But what does the site do best? What can be accomplished with Wikipedia that we don’t see in other publications, that makes a tangible difference in the world we live in?

In this blog post, I’ll tell the story of a short article I wrote a few years ago, and why I think it’s important.

A proposal for a 60 acre off-reservation casino in the Columbia River Gorge (the first designated U.S. National Scenic Area) came up in the late 1990s, and quietly dominated regional politics for over a decade. It impacted the 2002 Oregon gubernatorial election, and drove the heaviest campaign contributions (from Indian tribes on both sides of the issue) of the 2006 election. Elections across the river in Washington were affected as well; even a former Idaho governor weighed in.

The site of the 60 acre casino would have been near the left end of this photo. Portland is down the river to the right. Photo by Scottywong, CC-BY-SA.

But as a citizen, even if you followed the news closely, you’d hardly hear about this vitally important issue. Sure, big campaign contributions would get a mention, and the local press would document major decisions by local and federal entities. But if you wanted a bird’s eye view of how the deliberations were progressing, so you could put the current news item in context? Forget it.

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Two Wikipedian in Residence positions expand the field

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Pete Forsyth

I’m delighted to announce two new listings for Wikipedians in Residence, on both coasts of the U.S. Both offer experienced Wikipedians the opportunity to help respected non-profit organizations update their practices to incorporate the improvement of Wikipedia content, and to build relationships with the Wikipedia editorial community. Both offer compensation, an increasingly important factor as expectations of Wikipedian in Residence programs rise, and as opportunities for experienced Wikipedians proliferate.

Consumer Reports, a magazine and organization devoted to serving consumers with useful and unbiased information, offers a three month position (with a $4,000/month stipend) based in Yonkers, New York. This Wikipedian in Residence will be focused on consumer health issues, and will design programs that bring Consumer Reports staff and Wikipedians together to present useful information in both publications. A background in the sciences is desirable for this position.

The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), which provides services including the WorldCat database that underlies the inter-library loan system, offers a position (with compensation based on experience) in its San Mateo, California offices. This Wikipedian in Residence will have the opportunity to help OCLC to adapt its own practices to incorporate Wikipedia, and also guide libraries in Wikipedia engagement.

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Wikipedia in the College Classroom

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Pete Forsyth

Last week, I had the honor of speaking to the faculty of the University of Mississippi, through the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning’s Faculty Development Luncheon series. Below are my slides from the presentation. (I have video as well, and may post it online if there is interest.)


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GLAMcamp DC, part 1: Planning

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Pete Forsyth

This is the first of a three-part series, on planning and facilitating GLAMcamp DC, a Wikipedia leadership workshop, in February 2012.
1: plan » 2: act » 3: reflect

My favorite measure of success: laughter. Original photo by Benoit Rochon, CC-BY-SA.

The challenge was irresistible.

Last October (2011), I was honored with an invitation to work with the dynamic community of Wikipedia volunteers and consultants working with cultural institutions (Wikipedians in Residence, and their supporting cast) as they convened for a focused work session at GLAMcamp DC. In my own work to help institutions connect with Wikipedia, I had been in close contact with this community, but had not had the opportunity to work with them directly. It was a timely and welcome opportunity to strengthen important working relationships and learn from accomplished Wikipedians.

  • The goal: to meet the rising demand among GLAMs (for the uninitiated: Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) for substantive engagement with Wikipedia.
  • The challenge: Having excelled at individual prospecting and engagement, established Wikipedians in Residence would need a new approach. Cloning themselves, sadly, was not an option.

In this post, I cover our planning process; future posts will cover the event in detail, and offer some broader reflections.

Continue reading →

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Launching the blog

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Pete Forsyth

I’ve been busy working, but not blogging. All that will change. Welcome to the all new Wiki Strategies blog!

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