Wikipedia is the dominant source of information for members of the public learning about science and research, but most researchers never even think of it as an outreach tool. This workshop is for those interested in changing that. Complete beginners are welcome; training and troubleshooting is provided. We will learn how to edit Wikipedia pages, targeting low-quality Critter of the Week articles, and incorporating the newly-uploaded Des Helmore illustrations in Commons into Wikipedia. All 1094 illustrations are here.

• Wednesday 17 October 2018
• 10:00 am – 3:00 pm NZST (bring your lunch)
• AgHort Computer Lab, Massey University, Palmerston North

Editors who can't make it to Auckland are of course welcome to join in remotely. Email Mike at mikegiantflightlessbirds.com if you would like to Skype in and meet participants.

• 
  Etnalis spinicollis
• 
  Huhu beetle
• 
  Synacalles histriculus
• 
  Ptilonesia auronotata
• 
  Hydrometra strigosa
• 
  Tyria jacobaeae

The workshop is free and open to all. You don't need to be an experienced Wikipedia editor to take part, nor do you need to be a subject expert (though you're welcome to work on articles in your area of expertise).

• No laptop required: there are 30 computers available.
• Photos you've taken that could illustrate articles; you'll learn how to donate these to the Commons so other Wikipedia articles can use them.
• Resources that could be cited in Wikipedia: journal articles, news stories, magazine articles, and official publications. Some resources might be available online, and some won't: it doesn't matter.

1. 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 if you like. Creating an account makes editing much easier (here's more info on why you should). You'll need to pick a "handle" for your username; you could use your real name, but it's nice to have the option to be a bit anonymous if you want. Here's some advice on picking a username.
2. Read up on Wikipedia. Wikipedia Basics is a nice step-by-step tutorial that walks you through editing and preparing for your first edit-a-thon. Less overwhelming than the official Help pages!
3. If you add photos to Commons so they can be used Wikipedia, they'll need to be free of any copyright or released under a Creative Commons license that lets anyone use them. If you're not familiar with Creative Commons, see Useful Links below. If you've taken photos and are happy to donate them, great! Bring them along. If you know of anyone who has good photos, approach them and ask them if they'd like their work to be seen and used by people all over the world (with them credited, of course).

• This workshop will be following "friendly space" guidelines; check them out. Harassment and disruption won't be tolerated, online or offline.
• A nice explanation of Creative Commons, Wikimedia Commons, and crowdsourced photos by Harry Chapman
• How to create a species stub article in Wikipedia: handy notes for biology Wikipedians
• Editing Wikipedia Species Articles guide (aimed at students, but still useful)
• Suggested layout of beetle articles; Suggested layout of lepidoptera articles: helpful for all insect articles.

If you create or edit a page, add it to the list here.

Many thanks to Mary Morgan-Richards for supporting this workshop. This event is indirectly supported by the Wikimedia Foundation through the NZ Wikipedian at Large Project Grant.