Wikipedia:Meetup/Palmerston North/2016 Edit-a-thon
What's it about?
[edit]An Edit-a-thon is an all-day attempt to improve the Wikipedia pages on a particular topic. Led by an experienced Wikipedia editor, participants learn to edit pages, correct mistakes, add references, and upload photos. Complete beginners are welcome; training and troubleshooting is provided.
When and where
[edit]Sunday 13 March, 2016Postponed until later in 2016 due to lack of enrolments- Central Library, 4 The Square, Palmerston North. Report to the customer service desk on the mezzanine floor; the Edit-a-thon itself is on the second floor, in Research & Archives.
- Participants from anywhere in the world are welcome to join in remotely, hashtag #PNeditathon
Timetable
[edit]- 10:00 onwards: Setting up, meet and greet, account creation if needed
- 10:15–12:00: How to edit and create articles on Wikipedia (morning tea supplied)
- Lunch break (BYO lunch or forage nearby)
- 12:30–16:00: Wikipedia editing. The theme is The Manawatu and all topics connected to that. Take the opportunity to improve Palmerston North's pages!
What to bring
[edit]- Laptop and power cord. The library can provide a computer or tablet if that's not an option for you.
- Any snacks and drink you want, but morning and afternoon tea are supplied.
- Any books, journals, magazine or newspaper articles relevant to pages you're interested in. The library will have reference books and resources available of course.
- Photos you've taken that could illustrate Wikipedia articles; local buildings and landmarks especially.
How to sign up
[edit]The Edit-a-thon is free; we just ask that you sign up and make a commitment to coming, so we can plan catering. Register here.
Preparation
[edit]If you're coming, try to create a Wikipedia account beforehand: don't wait until the day to do it! Here's a form you can use. Creating an account make editing much easier (more info). You'll need to pick a "handle" for your username; you could use your real name, but it's nicer to have the option to be a bit anonymous if you want. Mike's username is Giantflightlessbirds.
Read up on Wikipedia: there are lots of tutorials on the Wiki Wednesday Help page, like the Wikipedia Adventure.
Have a think about topics you'd like to work on. Check out their pages and see if there are obvious mistakes or problems. Maybe even do a little research first so you're prepared. Bring along references for information you want to add. If the topic you're interested in doesn't have a Wikipedia page, we could even create one. If you're stuck, there are lots of pages that need work, and we will keep a list below of ones you could improve.
Pages to get you started
[edit]Useful Stuff
[edit]- How to edit pages using the Visual Editor: for when you go Edit
- A cheatsheet for wiki markup: for when you go Edit Source
Attendees
[edit]Add your Wikipedia username if you have one. Tip; you can just type asterisk-space-three tildes (* ~~~)
- Giantflightlessbirds (facilitator)
Outcomes
[edit]A personal thanks to Palmerston North City Library staff Maria Shiva and Harley Bell for making Palmerston North's first-ever Edit-a-thon a reality. —Giantflightlessbirds (talk)