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Wikipedia:Meetup/NYC

This New York City Meetup page coordinates the series of meetup events in New York City.

As of November 2007, meetings can focus on the projects of Wikimedia New York City, the local chapter for Wikipedians/Wikimedians in the New York metropolitan area. Meetups will be held on roughly a bimonthly schedule.

The 7th New York City Meetup event will be held on Sunday June 1, 2008 in the Columbia University area. This will be the fourth of the meetups with a session dedicated to discussing meta:Wikimedia New York City issues.

What, Where, When, and How?

There will be one public meeting in the afternoon at Columbia's Pupin Hall, where we can take further steps to organize the Wikimedia New York City local chapter.

Additionally, there will be optional post-meeting social activities at a local restaurant and (providing weather is OK) an observing session with telescopes on the roof of Pupin Hall.

Watch this space for future possible changes. And please watchlist this page.

Main public meeting (to discuss Wikipedia issues and chapter formation):

  • 1402 Pupin Hall, Columbia University. Take the elevator to the 13th floor and then walk up one flight of stairs. Meeting to be held in the library at the east end of the hall. 2:30 PM - 5:00PM

Optional post-meeting meetup

  • Meetup at Pupin Hall, and then walk together to The Symposium, a Greek restaurant. After the restaurant, we can return to Pupin Hall for an observing session with the telescopes on the roof weather permitting. 5:00 PM onwards.

Late arrival info and Transportation

If you plan on arriving late, and are concerned about not finding your way to the group, you can drop your mobile phone number ahead of time at Special:Emailuser/Pharos (e-mail will not be able to be checked during the actual meetup time, leave requests ahead of time).

Nearby subway stations:

Who can tape the meeting?

Since I will be unable to attend, someone else will have to record the meeting. As I recall, David Shankbone, Daniel Case, and one or two others have digital cameras with camcorder function, so for those who like to keep a record of the meeting (I'd like to be able to view it myself afterwards), you'll have to make arrangements. Sorry! Nightscream (talk) 04:58, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

Agenda

Bring your own ideas!

  • Follow-up on ideas raised in the March 16, 2008 meeting minutes
  • Chapter business
    • "Wiki Week" or "Wiki Conference" is planned with Columbia Free Culture for Fall at Columbia University (see below)
      • A Wikipedia:Academy (requires on-site volunteers)
      • Wikipedia Takes Manhattan 2 (bigger and better)
      • High-profile speakers
      • Would it be better as a few events held over a week, or as an intensive conference over one or two days?
    • Wikimedia New York City forming as a non-profit
      • Organization makes more sense now, since it has come to light that under 508(c)(1)(B) we can achieve non-profit status without going through the difficult 501(c)(3) process, as long as we have <$5,000 in income—and if we do plan for a larger budget, we have 15 months to decide anyway
      • Increased collaboration with the Columbia group and others on big events makes such organization more necessary
      • A draft by-laws will be presented at the meeting
      • At least 3 interim board members (18+ only, state of residence unimportant) will be elected, resposible for finishing the by-laws, submitting them to the Chapters Committee, and incorporating in New York State
      • Volunteers to the board are encouraged to put themselves forward at the meeting for President, Treasurer, Secretary, and other positions, especially if they have relevant experience
      • People will have to serve on the board under their real names (see here for example, but if you don't want to publicly associate your name with a user account that shouldn't be a problem)
        • Can people volunteer for the board of electors, or be able to vote for a candidate, in absentia? I can't make this Meetup. Nightscream (talk) 01:55, 20 May 2008 (UTC)
          • I don't think that would be practical at this time. In the future, when we are organized and have a roster of registered members, online voting will be possible, and we can implement this at the next election after we are incorporated. For now, there might be non-board officer positions that will be created, that would be open to appointment by the board.--Pharos (talk) 04:27, 20 May 2008 (UTC)
    • Do we want to hold a satellite event during Wikimania 2008? Do we want to make a bid for meta:Wikimania 2010 or future years?
    • Proposals of date and place for next meeting (should we have a more regular schedule?)
    • 2nd annual WikNYC Picnic in Central Park this August?
    • Grassroots Jam June 14-15 with OLPC
    • How are our neighbors doing with the Philadelphia Meetups? (we have an overlapping membership)
    • Same for the DC meetup, maybe. I attended. — Becksguy (talk) 04:01, 4 May 2008 (UTC)
  • Speakers and roundtable discussions
    • User:ScienceApologist's pseudoscience update
    • User:MBisanz on the Wikipedia:Admin coaching program
    • David Shankbone on the problems with Biographies of Living Persons; anonymity and privacy on Wikipedia.
      • I would encourage anyone with a desire to present to sign up here, and we'll try to make room for you.--Pharos (talk) 05:06, 20 May 2008 (UTC)
    • Question-and-discussion session with non-Wikipedians who have been invited to the meeting
  • Date/time/location for next meeting. While Columbia University Pupin Hall 14th Floor Library is nice: it might be better if we could find a place that wasn't so limited access.
  • —

Wiki Week

This could be a pretty big event, a prelude to Wikimania even. Do you think we should have an outreach events format or a conference format? Can you think of other types of event besides Wikipedia Academy and Wikipedia Takes Manhattan that might draw in people (think primarily Columbia students), and engage them with the Wikimedia projects in a visceral way?

Add any comments or your own wacky suggestions below.

  • Wikipedia:Academy (small-scale)
    • Is there a way we could design this as a more "fun" event (reflecting the thoughts of the Columbia people)?--Pharos (talk) 20:17, 6 May 2008 (UTC)
  • Musical event?: live performance and recording of historically significant music (concert or contest?)
    • OK, this is a truly wacky (and possibly topical) suggestion for the creation of PD music of encyclopedic value, a "Wikipedia Presidential Election History Jamboree". See the campaign song page for a couple of songs I convinced someone to record earlier. I happen to own a big book with dozens of these, and a lot of them are quite fun (especially the negative ones). We could even do sing-alongs.--Pharos (talk) 20:17, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Likely attendees

Possible attendees

  • — TravellingCarithe Busy Bee 03:31, 8 May 2008 (UTC) : depends on whether I'm moving that weekend.
  • Mblumber (talk) 12:39, 19 May 2008 (UTC)— I have other plans for the day, but there's a high probability that they will fall though and I can come.
  • GlassCobra 00:03, 20 May 2008 (UTC) - sounds interesting! I'll try to get off work that day.
  • —
  • JAF1970: Maybe. JAF1970 (talk) 01:31, 20 May 2008 (UTC)
  • Staffwaterboy Critique Me Guestbook Sandbox 16:38, 20 May 2008 (UTC) I can possibly attended depends what time i get off of work.
  • DCDuring (talk) 13:46, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Regrets

  • Nightscream Sorry, but it's my cousin's college graduation party. Make sure someone else brings a camcorder to tape the meeting! I'd like to see it myself!
  • JustPhil I'll be in Germany during this time. Sorry, guys!
  • Robert Greer Sorry, I've got ballet tickets (not sorry I've got tickets, just sorry I can't be in two places at the same time!)
  • Markus Poessel (talk) – whose idea was it to hold this event during the last day of New York City's first big science festival? In any case, I would have liked to come, but I'm involved with the festival, so that's where I'll be...
  • Swatjester: Wish I could make it, but I'm working at a firm in florida all summer, and I left today. I don't get back to DC until August. I'll see some of you at DC #5 in August though, and hopefully the next NYC meetup.
  • Blue387: I will be busy that afternoon with Forgotten NY tour 34. Maybe another day? Or record the thing and upload to Youtube?
  • DanTD: I'm already in NYC this month, but I'll be returning to Florida on May 22, 2008.
  • Sharkface217: I will be camping in Pennsylvania that day and I won't get back until very late. Sorry I can't make it!
  • hmwithτ 22:57, 25 May 2008 (UTC): I cannot make it this June, but I would love to attend the next one.
  • Alas, I have a paper I desperately need to finish.--ragesoss (talk) 02:09, 28 May 2008 (UTC)