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Living Paths! Llwybrau Byw! was a project which aimed to empower local communities with simple Wikipedia web-authoring skills in all coastal counties that border the Wales Coast Path. These new editors developed Wikipedia and WikiVoyage articles based on the path and surrounding area. It also aimed to support and encourage existing Wikipedians and inspire them to write in other languages.
As well as on-site training of local groups, the project also produced step-by-step guides on Wikipedia editing and creating Wikipedian articles.
The importance of the Welsh and English Wikipedia and the use of open content was recognised in 2011 by the Welsh Government, following direct consultation with Wikipedia Cymraeg with both the First Minister Carwyn Jones and the Minister responsible for IT, Digital Media, Education and the Welsh language: Leighton Andrews. Page 15 of the Government's Welsh Language, Technology and Digital Media Action Plan recently published states: Action Points: Develop the skills and confidence of Welsh speakers to create digital content by a) supporting the efforts of Wicipedia Cymraeg to train Welsh speakers and raise awareness with regard to adding Welsh language content to Wicipedia and b) exploring whether any Welsh Government investments in Welsh-medium technology could be licensed on a Creative Commons basis.
During the last two years we have had dialogue about Crown Copyright and open data sharing with Cadw, the Royal Commission, the National Library of Wales, the National Museum of Wales and Casgliad y Werin (The People's Collection of Wales). As a result of these talks thousands of images, documents and other files are now available to us for use on Wikimedia Projects.
- Inform, inspire and train champions in local communities to create rich local content
- Enhance the existing information currently available to the world
- Inform businesses within communities of the importance of local knowledge
- Inspire existing and new editors.
Indirectly, existing Wikipedians from all over Wales, Britain and the rest of the world will be inspired to contibute an estimated 3,000 new articles in different languages. The articles will relate to points of interest (such as communities) along or near the Wales Coast Path.
The main outcomes of the Living Paths Project were:
| Outcome
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Target
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Actual
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| *Number of people trained (excluding SAW)
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180
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180
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| *Number of 'other language' articles created
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400
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2702
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| *Total new articles up to 31 December 2014: 14,400 + estimated 15% uncategorised = 16,560
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4000
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16560
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| *Estimated upload of images
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1000
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12289
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| Quarter
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Outcomes
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Completed
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Notes
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| Q 1
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Printed and distributed 6,000 bilingual A4 guides to advertise group training
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Yes
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Surpassed. All Keep Wales Tidy Community groups and over 200 secondary schools were surface mailed info by the KWP partnership.
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Relevant Councils contacted
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Yes
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Half page add in Golwg
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Yes
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Ad with yellow background
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Letter / press release to Papurau Bro
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Yes
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20 new Welsh-language, online training videos
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Yes
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A total of 40 videos were done
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| Q2
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2,000 communities or Listed Buildings with a Wicipedia entry in Welsh
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Yes
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Nearly 8,000 articles can be seen under the Categori:Living Paths on cywiki
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10 existing English-language, online training videos subtitled
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Yes
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Surpassed; see above
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30 local 'Group Champions' received training
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Yes
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Surpassed; see below
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Materials on-line
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Yes
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here
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400 articles in 'other' languages on Wikipedia
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Yes
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This was surpassed. New articles included: Breton (398), Catalan (58), Cornish (713), Galicia (20), German (32), Irish Gaelic (660), Norwegian (Bokmål) (14) Scottish Gaelic (680), Slovak (14) and Spanish (16).
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| Q3
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A total of 50 'Group Champions' trained
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Yes
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Surpassed; see below
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Each group will have created or enhanced 2 new articles
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Yes
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Surpassed; see below
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| Q4
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A total of 100 groups trained
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Yes
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168 local Champions trained by the Project. In addition to this we trained 7 SAW trainers who continue to teach Wiki-skills (Feb 2015)
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Each group will have created or edited 2 new articles
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Yes
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2,000 communities or Listed Buildings with a Wicipedia entry in English
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Yes
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The '20/20 Challenge' brought in nearly 300 mostly new (some greatly improved) articles. Trained groups wrote an average of at least two articles each. Note: Category:Living Paths was recently deleted on enwiki. Number of new articles: 2,778. A full time Training Manager was employed to deliver training: Aled Powell, for a period of 5 months.
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500 listings and links on Wikivoyage
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Yes
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This included 'The Fistful of Nuggets Challenge' as well as trained editors adding listings to communities in Wales.
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| Q1-4
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Releasing content onto an open licence. ‘Exploring whether any Welsh Government investments in Welsh-medium technology could be licensed on a Creative Commons basis.’
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Yes
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Images taken and uploaded by users to create rich content = 2,540 images uploaded
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Yes
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Cymdeithas Edward Llwyd releases a database of over 13,000 species; trainees (two, using AWB) starts Uploading new articles containing taxobox etc.
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Yes
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Welsh Book Council sent us their database of books Printed in Wales since 1996 (English and Welsh) and agreed for us to upload image covers. Number of images uploaded to cywiki: 3249 (cy), 6,500 out of possible 12,000 (en) (ongoing).
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Additional Outcomes
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Ongoing
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Wikipedian in Residence post at the Coleg Cymraeg The content released by the WiR has not been included in the above numbers.
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Ongoing
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Wikipedian in Residence post at the National Library of Wales The content released by the WiR has not been included in the above numbers.
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Yes
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4 brochures for wiki trainees adapted into Welsh; two published
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Ongoing
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Software Alliance Wales continues to teach wiki-skills eg five courses were held in December 2014 (these new editors have not been included in the above numbers).
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Ongoing
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5,000 images from Cymdeithas Edward Llwyd website have been approved to be uploaded to Commons on a CCBYSA Licence.
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Ongoing
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A Pilot was started with the aim of using images from Commons (preferred Wikidata image) into every entry on their (Illustrated) Species Dictionary and type 'buwch' - to see 50 types of ladybirds. They have over 13,000 species with standardised names awaiting images from Commons.
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Ongoing
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Wikimedia UK's Home Page now has a link to the Welsh language version which is updated every two weeks.
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The main problem that occurred was that standardised placenames do not exist. Three different databases were aquired, villages were checked manually and the best-fit chosen. A Twitter account was used to gather new users to double-check and edit the relevant page. This account also harvested a number of new trainees, and will be further developed in the next few months. Eventbrite was used to register trainees, as well as our own website. Looking back, the Eventbrite website was better, although it was monolingual (English) and therefore used in tandem with our own bilingual 'front'.
Looking back, I don't think that 12 months was enough to create the momentum needed; a logo was created for example, which with hindsight was not needed. We had to create our own training resources, videos and on-line step-by-stem instructions, and all this took a good chunk out of the 12 months.
The main statement made by the existence of the Project was 'Wales is here, we're different and we have Government backing for free and open information', and that would not have been possible without the backing of Wikimedia UK. In other words, we have to some extent changed the mindsets of people in Wales and all over the world. Wikipedia is Welsh and belongs to Wales as much as any other community!
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