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Welcome to the General reading room. On this page, Wikibookians are free to talk about the Wikibooks project in general. For proposals for improving Wikibooks, see the Proposals reading room.
Book scope evaluation: October 7th Massacre
[edit source]I noticed that the book October 7th Massacre was recently created. This struck me in the context of the above discussion (Wikibooks:Reading room/General#WB Notability) about whether a theoretical book titled "Infraction of Vienna Convention: The Israeli bombing of the Iranian embassy" would be in scope. I think that if we say that this theoretical book is not in-scope, then October 7th Massacre would definitely not be in-scope either. Conversely, I think that if October 7th Massacre is in-scope, then the theoretical book could be in-scope. As it stands, I'm personally still not sure that either one is in-scope—since they are related to ongoing sociopolitical events, they would both need significant investment and effort to ensure NPOV and to make sure they have 1) a nuanced historical and political lens and 2) a very well-outlined set of instructional aims to be considered an instructional book in-scope here (consider what a classroom textbook on the subject would look like). Plus, October 7th Massacre seems potentially encyclopedic and redundant to w:2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. Would appreciate people's thoughts here. —Kittycataclysm (discuss • contribs) 14:55, 4 May 2024 (UTC)
- Thing is, you could have a book on a massacre. The question is more of whether we can have a book on an ongoing event, and I think that's kind of untested. Leaderboard (discuss • contribs) 15:15, 4 May 2024 (UTC)
- A fair point! This may come down to "instructibility" criteria again, which seems like a recurring issue. I just made a proposal at Wikibooks talk:What is Wikibooks#"Instructibility" criterion elaboration to get at some of these issues. —Kittycataclysm (discuss • contribs) 15:34, 4 May 2024 (UTC)
- Hi, since I have only started work on this book, that’s why it doesn’t have that much content in it yet. I don’t see how this book is worse than other history books found in Shelf:History. All of them also detail events that have their own pages in Wikipedia. The book is intended to describe the events that happened during one of the most important days in Israeli history. Also this isn’t an “ongoing event”, as it isn’t a book about the ongoing war in Israel, but a book about the October 7th massacre. Describing the massacre and the battles that happened isn’t a POV. -D1n05aur5 4ever (discuss • contribs) 17:28, 4 May 2024 (UTC)
- For whatever it's worth, I do think a lot of the books on the history shelf have issues with being "instructional" texts—like I mentioned, I go into more detail at Wikibooks talk:What is Wikibooks#"Instructibility" criterion elaboration. To avoid this issue, my personal recommendation for you with this book is to include discussion questions and other exercises to make it more instructional. Cheers! —Kittycataclysm (discuss • contribs) 23:40, 6 May 2024 (UTC)
- Hi, it was pointed out in the discussion you linked that instructional can also mean “intended for teaching”. I’m not entirely sure what you mean by “discussion questions and other exercises”. Could you please elaborate on that? Thanks in advance, -D1n05aur5 4ever (discuss • contribs) 09:52, 9 May 2024 (UTC)
- Hi @D1n05aur5 4ever. My personal opinion is that instructional books should engage the reader in some way on the information given, rather than just presenting facts and leaving it at that. In my view, a good instructional book will have exercises that ask the reader to apply the information. In a cookbook, recipes are a way for the reader to apply what they've learned about ingredients, techniques, etc. In a math/science book, practice problems help reinforce the concepts and theorems presented. In a music book, there may be songs or scales for the reader to play/sing, as well as other exercises. In a history/sociology book, "why" and "how" exercises, as well as analytical essay prompts will help the reader make connections and analyze the information presented. This is not currently policy, but it is what I think makes a high-quality instructional book rather than a simple collection of facts, which can be educational but not necessarily, in my view, instructional. Happy to elaborate more on what I think would improve your book specifically. Cheers —Kittycataclysm (discuss • contribs) 12:39, 10 May 2024 (UTC)
- Hi, I appreciate the detailed response. I haven’t managed to come up with any questions that would actually improve the book, though I would gladly have such questions added. -D1n05aur5 4ever (discuss • contribs) 15:26, 14 May 2024 (UTC)
- Hi @D1n05aur5 4ever. My personal opinion is that instructional books should engage the reader in some way on the information given, rather than just presenting facts and leaving it at that. In my view, a good instructional book will have exercises that ask the reader to apply the information. In a cookbook, recipes are a way for the reader to apply what they've learned about ingredients, techniques, etc. In a math/science book, practice problems help reinforce the concepts and theorems presented. In a music book, there may be songs or scales for the reader to play/sing, as well as other exercises. In a history/sociology book, "why" and "how" exercises, as well as analytical essay prompts will help the reader make connections and analyze the information presented. This is not currently policy, but it is what I think makes a high-quality instructional book rather than a simple collection of facts, which can be educational but not necessarily, in my view, instructional. Happy to elaborate more on what I think would improve your book specifically. Cheers —Kittycataclysm (discuss • contribs) 12:39, 10 May 2024 (UTC)
- Hi, it was pointed out in the discussion you linked that instructional can also mean “intended for teaching”. I’m not entirely sure what you mean by “discussion questions and other exercises”. Could you please elaborate on that? Thanks in advance, -D1n05aur5 4ever (discuss • contribs) 09:52, 9 May 2024 (UTC)
- For whatever it's worth, I do think a lot of the books on the history shelf have issues with being "instructional" texts—like I mentioned, I go into more detail at Wikibooks talk:What is Wikibooks#"Instructibility" criterion elaboration. To avoid this issue, my personal recommendation for you with this book is to include discussion questions and other exercises to make it more instructional. Cheers! —Kittycataclysm (discuss • contribs) 23:40, 6 May 2024 (UTC)
- The book seems fine for me but the scope should be clearer.--Xania
talk 03:01, 5 May 2024 (UTC)
- Thanks God WB inclusion criteria has gone under attack another time. Vagueness of WB inclusion criteria has let user create strangest books ever. Doostdar (discuss • contribs) 17:38, 3 July 2024 (UTC)
Voting to ratify the Wikimedia Movement Charter is now open – cast your vote
[edit source]- You can find this message translated into additional languages on Meta-wiki. Please help translate to your language
Hello everyone,
The voting to ratify the Wikimedia Movement Charter is now open. The Wikimedia Movement Charter is a document to define roles and responsibilities for all the members and entities of the Wikimedia movement, including the creation of a new body – the Global Council – for movement governance.
The final version of the Wikimedia Movement Charter is available on Meta in different languages and attached here in PDF format for your reading.
Voting commenced on SecurePoll on June 25, 2024 at 00:01 UTC and will conclude on July 9, 2024 at 23:59 UTC. Please read more on the voter information and eligibility details.
After reading the Charter, please vote here and share this note further.
If you have any questions about the ratification vote, please contact the Charter Electoral Commission at cec@wikimedia.org.
On behalf of the CEC,
RamzyM (WMF) 10:51, 25 June 2024 (UTC)
- The voting to ratify the Wikimedia Movement Charter is a significant step for the community, marking a milestone in defining roles and responsibilities across the movement. This inclusive approach ensures that every member has a voice, and the creation of the Global Council is a promising development for governance. As someone involved in a logistics company in Dubai, I appreciate the clear structure and transparency this charter aims to bring. Make sure to cast your vote before July 9, 2024, and help shape the future of the Wikimedia Movement. VerdenLogistics (discuss • contribs) 06:19, 28 June 2024 (UTC)
Voting to ratify the Wikimedia Movement Charter is ending soon
[edit source]- You can find this message translated into additional languages on Meta-wiki. Please help translate to your language
Hello everyone,
This is a kind reminder that the voting period to ratify the Wikimedia Movement Charter will be closed on July 9, 2024, at 23:59 UTC.
If you have not voted yet, please vote on SecurePoll.
On behalf of the Charter Electoral Commission,
RamzyM (WMF) 03:45, 8 July 2024 (UTC)
U4C Special Election - Call for Candidates
[edit source]- You can find this message translated into additional languages on Meta-wiki. Please help translate to your language
Hello all,
A special election has been called to fill additional vacancies on the U4C. The call for candidates phase is open from now through July 19, 2024.
The Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C) is a global group dedicated to providing an equitable and consistent implementation of the UCoC. Community members are invited to submit their applications in the special election for the U4C. For more information and the responsibilities of the U4C, please review the U4C Charter.
In this special election, according to chapter 2 of the U4C charter, there are 9 seats available on the U4C: four community-at-large seats and five regional seats to ensure the U4C represents the diversity of the movement. No more than two members of the U4C can be elected from the same home wiki. Therefore, candidates must not have English Wikipedia, German Wikipedia, or Italian Wikipedia as their home wiki.
Read more and submit your application on Meta-wiki.
In cooperation with the U4C,
-- Keegan (WMF) (talk) 00:02, 10 July 2024 (UTC)
Wikimedia Movement Charter ratification voting results
[edit source]- You can find this message translated into additional languages on Meta-wiki. Please help translate to your language
Hello everyone,
After carefully tallying both individual and affiliate votes, the Charter Electoral Commission is pleased to announce the final results of the Wikimedia Movement Charter voting.
As communicated by the Charter Electoral Commission, we reached the quorum for both Affiliate and individual votes by the time the vote closed on July 9, 23:59 UTC. We thank all 2,451 individuals and 129 Affiliate representatives who voted in the ratification process. Your votes and comments are invaluable for the future steps in Movement Strategy.
The final results of the Wikimedia Movement Charter ratification voting held between 25 June and 9 July 2024 are as follows:
Individual vote:
Out of 2,451 individuals who voted as of July 9 23:59 (UTC), 2,446 have been accepted as valid votes. Among these, 1,710 voted “yes”; 623 voted “no”; and 113 selected “–” (neutral). Because the neutral votes don’t count towards the total number of votes cast, 73.30% voted to approve the Charter (1710/2333), while 26.70% voted to reject the Charter (623/2333).
Affiliates vote:
Out of 129 Affiliates designated voters who voted as of July 9 23:59 (UTC), 129 votes are confirmed as valid votes. Among these, 93 voted “yes”; 18 voted “no”; and 18 selected “–” (neutral). Because the neutral votes don’t count towards the total number of votes cast, 83.78% voted to approve the Charter (93/111), while 16.22% voted to reject the Charter (18/111).
Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation:
The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees voted not to ratify the proposed Charter during their special Board meeting on July 8, 2024. The Chair of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees, Nataliia Tymkiv, shared the result of the vote, the resolution, meeting minutes and proposed next steps.
With this, the Wikimedia Movement Charter in its current revision is not ratified.
We thank you for your participation in this important moment in our movement’s governance.
The Charter Electoral Commission,
Abhinav619, Borschts, Iwuala Lucy, Tochiprecious, Der-Wir-Ing
MediaWiki message delivery (discuss • contribs) 17:51, 18 July 2024 (UTC)
Vote now to fill vacancies of the first U4C
[edit source]- You can find this message translated into additional languages on Meta-wiki. Please help translate to your language
Dear all,
I am writing to you to let you know the voting period for the Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C) is open now through August 10, 2024. Read the information on the voting page on Meta-wiki to learn more about voting and voter eligibility.
The Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C) is a global group dedicated to providing an equitable and consistent implementation of the UCoC. Community members were invited to submit their applications for the U4C. For more information and the responsibilities of the U4C, please review the U4C Charter.
Please share this message with members of your community so they can participate as well.
In cooperation with the U4C,
RamzyM (WMF) 02:46, 27 July 2024 (UTC)
Reminder! Vote closing soon to fill vacancies of the first U4C
[edit source]- You can find this message translated into additional languages on Meta-wiki. Please help translate to your language
Dear all,
The voting period for the Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C) is closing soon. It is open through 10 August 2024. Read the information on the voting page on Meta-wiki to learn more about voting and voter eligibility. If you are eligible to vote and have not voted in this special election, it is important that you vote now.
Why should you vote? The U4C is a global group dedicated to providing an equitable and consistent implementation of the UCoC. Community input into the committee membership is critical to the success of the UCoC.
Please share this message with members of your community so they can participate as well.
In cooperation with the U4C,
-- Keegan (WMF) (talk) 15:29, 6 August 2024 (UTC)
Coming soon: A new sub-referencing feature – try it!
[edit source]Hello. For many years, community members have requested an easy way to re-use references with different details. Now, a MediaWiki solution is coming: The new sub-referencing feature will work for wikitext and Visual Editor and will enhance the existing reference system. You can continue to use different ways of referencing, but you will probably encounter sub-references in articles written by other users. More information on the project page.
We want your feedback to make sure this feature works well for you:
- Please try the current state of development on beta wiki and let us know what you think.
- Sign up here to get updates and/or invites to participate in user research activities.
Wikimedia Deutschland’s Technical Wishes team is planning to bring this feature to Wikimedia wikis later this year. We will reach out to creators/maintainers of tools and templates related to references beforehand.
Please help us spread the message. --Johannes Richter (WMDE) (talk) 10:36, 19 August 2024 (UTC)
Sign up for the language community meeting on August 30th, 15:00 UTC
[edit source]Hi all,
The next language community meeting is scheduled in a few weeks—on August 30th at 15:00 UTC. If you're interested in joining, you can sign up on this wiki page.
This participant-driven meeting will focus on sharing language-specific updates related to various projects, discussing technical issues related to language wikis, and working together to find possible solutions. For example, in the last meeting, topics included the Language Converter, the state of language research, updates on the Incubator conversations, and technical challenges around external links not working with special characters on Bengali sites.
Do you have any ideas for topics to share technical updates or discuss challenges? Please add agenda items to the document here and reach out to ssethi(__AT__)wikimedia.org. We look forward to your participation!
MediaWiki message delivery (discuss • contribs) 23:18, 22 August 2024 (UTC)