Invitation to workshops on Wikipedia editing
Dear Ploversegg,

We are a team of researchers at the University of Oxford and AU Sharjah, researching the experiences of editors of content about the Arab world on Wikipedia. We are interested in your experiences of editing Wikipedia and are organising two events that we think you would be an excellent contributor to.

First, starting next week on Monday 27th August, we are hosting an online discussion about what it is like to contribute to Wikipedia in Arabic and to articles about the Middle East and North Africa. We are interested in what barriers you perceive to exist in Wikipedia, how articles can be made better and generally what can be done to expand and improve Arabic Wikipedia. This discussion will take place on a MediaWiki hosted at our institution and be available in English and Arabic. We will allow users to create their own discussion pages in addition to our discussions.

Second, we are hosting face-to-face workshops in Cairo from 21st-22nd October 2012. If you are interested in this we may be able to pay your travel and accommodation costs depending on where you live. This workshop will cover similar themes to the online discussion but will allow participants to meet one another and benefit from being together.  

We will take care of the organization and planning and all you have to do is show up and be ready to discuss. But if you would like to help shape some of the discussion themes in advance, please let us know. We have booked time in the workshops for Wikipedian-led discussions.  

More details can be found in our “Frequently Asked Questions” section below. 

We would be delighted to welcome you to either (or both) event. Please let me know (wikiproject@oii.ox.ac.uk) if you would like to participate and we can send you more details.

Sincerely,

Mark, Bernie, Ilhem, Ali, Ahmed and Heather

Dr. Mark Graham, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford
Dr. Bernie Hogan, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford
Dr. Ilhem Allagui, Department of Mass Communication, American University of Sharjah
Dr. Ali Frihida, National Engineering School of Tunis 
Heather Ford, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford
Ahmed Medhat, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford

Frequently Asked Questions:
 
What is the purpose of this project?

This project is about who represents the Arab World on Wikipedia, and how the Middle East and the Arab world is represented on Wikipedia. We are studying Wikipedia through statistics, edit  history data and personal experiences. Our ultimate goal is to help Wikipedia grow in size and fairness and do academic research on this topic. You can read more about the project here: http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/research/projects/?id=70 From this page, you can also find a biography of the researchers. You may also want to see our interactive visualizations about Wikipedia here: http://wikiproject.oii.ox.ac.uk/ 

Who is funding this project?

This project is funded by the International Development Research Centre (http://www.idrc.ca). This organization is funded by the Canadian government to improve infrastructure across the world, including online content. We have been working with the IDRC since June 2010. 

Why did you contact me?

Because you’re awesome. In all seriousness, we have been looking through Wikipedia for active editors based on user activity in either Arabic Wikipedia or articles about the Arab world. We have not contacted everyone we could, but we contact people that we think will help to balance the discussion and help us (and each other) learn more about the state of Wikipedia.  

Do I need to participate in both events?

Not at all. You are welcome to participate in both or just one. We recognise that it will be more convenient for some people to have online conversations and for others to speak in person. For some people it will not be practical to fly to the Middle East, but we still consider their contributions important and want to give them a voice in this work.

Can I use my Wikipedia handle in the online discussion?

You do not need to use any particular name on the online forum. All we need is a valid email address so you can register. You can post using your real name, your Wikipedia name or a completely different nickname, whatever allows you to speak your mind most effectively. 

What sort of travel funding will you supply for the face-to-face workshop?

We have funding for travel and accommodation costs for approximately twenty participants depending on where they are coming from. If you would like to join us in one of the face-to-face meetings then we wi