the reality is that most Wikimania videos only get a few hundred views - I understand that on its face that its not very many. However the reality is that most Wikimania presentations only get a few hundred (at most) immediate audience - so we are more than doubling the viewership for a relatively small cost, compared with the cost of Wikimania.
Moreover the Q and A sessions are perhaps the most important part, as clarification is provided and new ideas are broached.
There is no need to have professional videographers, a single fixed camera and an auxiliary audio recording covers a great deal of what's wanted.
While many videos are being compiled, maybe they could be supplemented with slide decks and scripts by the presenters.
Wikimania may look like a party but it's a place of information exchange too. So making presentations available (video, slides, whatever) is interesting. As it is mostly founded by the Movement, it is a must. B25es (talk) 15:56, 31 July 2015 (UTC)[reply]
A few hundred views per video is huge, considering that probably most viewers are core wikimedians, who could have been part of the event from a distance and be inspired and informed by it for a budget price. I did watch most keynotes from Wikimania HongKong over three days and felt part of the event and inspired. And would have loved to do likewise this year. Erik Zachte (talk) 17:58, 31 July 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Most Wikimanias get most things right. However, most Wikimanias usually fail badly on some important aspect or another. Organsers are notorious for not learning from the mistakes of previous conferences while one would have thought that each team would be conscious of actually wanting to do better than its predecessors. In spite of its claimed $urplus, The Foundation appears to not do nearly enough to fund this most important event. I cringe when I think about what is going to go wrong in Italy next year. Kudpung กุดผึ้ง (talk) 18:30, 31 July 2015 (UTC)[reply]
A few thoughts / opinions on video recordings:
It's worth bearing in mind that this is also a disability / accessibility issue. I'm sure I won't be the only Wikipedian who is crippled in a way that means I can't easily attend a Wikimania — indeed my mental health meant that I failed to attend any events even last year, when it was in my home city.
Even without my mental health issues, I couldn't afford to travel to anything more remote than Western Europe and I'm pretty well paid. While I'm sure bursaries are available, we can't subsidise everyone who'd want to go.
Even if we could subsidise everyone and there were no accessibility issues, when did you ever go to a conference where not a single session clashed with something else that looked kinda interesting? :o)
Finally, even if only a few people watch one of the sessions by video, that's getting information to people who wouldn't otherwise have seen it and the cost need not be high, given the quality of smartphone recordings now. I'd be a firm supporter of making full video recording be mandatory for future bids, even if the mechanism could be something as simple as coordinating signup sheets for people to tape a session on their phone. — OwenBlacker (Talk)22:41, 31 July 2015 (UTC)[reply]
How many people watch the video in the first few weeks or months is not what is important. What is important is that we leave a permanent record that will be available for generations to come. --Guy Macon (talk) 22:54, 31 July 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I agree with Owen and Guy. I remember one BarCamp in London that I discovered was broadcasting live from one individual's laptop camera, and I felt like I was there as a participant. In that case, it was live-streaming and not preserved but the great thing about digital media is like any document or sources, you can continue to draw on it to share ideas and strategies. There was a talk at WikiConUSA that actually changed my life and I wish I could refer people to a link to this presentation. I don't think this will rival TED talks but the individuals who present at WikiMania go to a lot of trouble to organize and compose their presentation and I think all Wikipedia editors could benefit from having their talks available for viewing. And if this appeal doesn't work, think of it this way: these are primary sources, documenting the history and evolution of WMF. For future historians studying social organizations, I would urge the foundation to preserve these moments of history. They are a wealth of information for researchers in understanding WMF. For posterity! LizRead!Talk!02:33, 1 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
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