Newsletter Februari 2025
OpenRefine: The Key to Clean and Structured Data
Are you working with large data sets and looking for an efficient way to clean, structure and enrich them? Meet OpenRefine, a powerful open-source tool for data experts, researchers and archivists.
At a recent Wikimedia upload workshop on February 11th, Meemoo explored how OpenRefine can help link data to Wikidata, making information more reusable and accessible.
What makes OpenRefine indispensable?
- Automatically clean up duplicate values - Save time by detecting and correcting inconsistent data.
- Enrich data with external sources - Integrate additional information from different databases.
- Quickly detect and correct errors - Prevent sloppiness in your dataset.
- Easy to work with Wikidata - Editing and supplementing items becomes a breeze.
Want to get started with OpenRefine yourself? Discover the possibilities at: 🔗 OpenRefine
Curious about future workshops and trainings from Meemoo? Keep an eye on the website: 🔗 meemoo
Have you used OpenRefine yet? We'd love to hear about your experiences!
Wiki editathon: dance heritage
On Wednesday, 25th of February, STUK, in collaboration with meemoo and Wikimedia Belgium, brought together lovers of dance and heritage for an inspiring writing session. The goal? To give dance a more prominent place on Wikipedia, the world's most consulted encyclopedia.
The day began with an engaging introduction by Bart Magnus (meemoo), who introduced participants to the world of Wikipedia and taught them the ropes of article writing.
Relevant topics and sources were then discussed, followed by the first writing exercises. Participants added new information to existing pages or worked on translations.
After a well-deserved lunch break, the afternoon was spent on editing work, in which there was plenty of writing, improving and refining.
During the afternoon, no fewer than ten pages were edited and one completely new page was created. And the work doesn't stop here: several participants spent the next few days putting the finishing touches on their articles.
It was a productive and inspiring day that literally and figuratively gave dance heritage more space!
New release: Unlocking free knowledge with Wikidata, Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons!
Do you want to contribute to making culture, heritage and nature accessible to the general public? With our updated guide Unlocking free knowledge with Wikidata, Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons you will learn step by step how to share information via the Wikimedia platforms.
In this practical booklet, you will discover how to:
- Edit information on Wikipedia and write new articles.
- Upload photos, videos and audio clips and use them correctly.
- Create Wikipedia entries and structure free knowledge.
- Settle everything rights-wise for publication.
📖 Some chapters covered:
- Become a Wikipedian - Take your first steps on Wikipedia.
- Every beginning starts with a Q number - Discover the power of Wikidata.
- Getting started with Wikipedia - Get to know editing, sources and style.
📚 Good news! Everyone who attends one of our writing sessions will receive a free copy of this booklet. So you can get started sharing free knowledge right away!
📥 Download the Guide.
International Women's Day 2025 - Write women into history!
Did you know that less than a quarter of English-language Wikipedia articles are about a woman? Let's change that together!
Between 7 and 11 March, we are organising writing sessions at various locations in Flanders to bring more women out of the shadows. Whether you are an experienced writer or just eager to contribute, you are welcome!
Come write with us and help close the gender gap on Wikipedia.
Dates and locations:
- Antwerp - Plantin Moretus - Monday 10/03/2025 (13:00 - 17:00)
- Bruges - Public Library - Monday 10/03/2025
- Leuven - KADOC & Cemper (Mechelen) - Monday 10/03/2025 (13:00 - 17:00)
- Ghent - meemoo - Monday 10/03/2025 (11:00 - 16:00)
- Ghent - Industriemuseum - Monday 10/03/2025 (16:00 - 19:00)
- Sint-Niklaas - Erfgoedcel Interwaas & Stadsarchief - Tuesday 11/03/2025 (09:00 - 12:00)
More information about these writing sessions can be found here.
Join the Planetary Science Wiki Edit-a-thon! 🚀
We are excited to announce the Wiki 2025 Edit-a-thon, an inspiring initiative organised by Europlanet and the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB)! In collaboration with Wikimedia Belgium and with support from the Ernest Solvay Fund (managed by the King Baudouin Foundation), we are committed to promoting diversity in planetary science
What can you expect?
📖 Wikipedia Training (February - March 2025): Learn how to edit and create articles, this can be done online or physically.
🔎 Research & Resource Collection (March - May 2025): Map inspiring women and underrepresented groups.
✍ Writing Wikipedia biographies (May - June 2025): Create valuable content.
🌎 Translations (June - July 2025): Increase impact with multilingual articles.
🎤 Final presentation @ EPSC 2025, Helsinki (7-12 September 2025): Showcase your contributions to an international audience!
Would you like to contribute to a more inclusive view of planetary science while gaining valuable skills? Join us and make a difference!
Follow Wikimedia on Bluesky too!
Did you know that we are active with Wikimedia on quite a few platforms within social media? For instance, we are active on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and as of now also on Bluesky (which may eventually replace X).
Bluesky, unlike X, is a decentralised network. This ensures that organisations retain more control over their data themselves instead of one company having complete power over a platform (as is the case with X).
Bluesky is separate from the much-discussed algorithms, so we are not dependent on hidden recommendation systems and we know that our messages can be distributed more fairly.
Many organisations are struggling with the increased negativity and fake news on X. Bluesky has more focus on content moderation and a friendlier community. This is obviously very attractive to businesses, non-profits and government agencies.
Although Bluesky is still relatively small, the platform is growing rapidly and attracting engaged users. By getting there early, you can get a head start and position your organisation as an innovator.
So to grow our audience, we are looking for followers.... Quickly click on the link and join us to discover what Bluesky has to offer.
Wikiflix Streaming Platform
WikiFlix is a video streaming platform that curates a vast collection of over 3,600 films, primarily focusing on older public domain classics and select Creative Commons-licensed movies.
By leveraging Wikidata, WikiFlix identifies and aggregates freely available films hosted on platforms such as Wikimedia Commons, YouTube, and the Internet Archive.
Here are three notable films you can enjoy on WikiFlix:
- It's a Wonderful Life
- My Man Godfrey
- The Phantom of the Opera
These films exemplify the rich cinematic history available on WikiFlix, offering viewers an opportunity to explore and appreciate classic storytelling and filmmaking.
Celebrate Compliment Day with Wikimedia Belgium!
On 1 March it's Compliment Day - a great time to reflect on the many volunteers who make Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects in Belgium possible.
Thanks to your efforts, free knowledge continues to grow and be accessible to everyone.
Whether you write articles, add images, correct errors or just enthusiastically read along: your contribution makes a difference!
Would you like to thank a fellow Wikimedian? Leave a compliment on a discussion page, send a friendly message, or share an inspiring Wikipedia article with your network.
Together, we are building a world where knowledge is freely available to everyone.
Thanks for your efforts! 💙
Want to know more or contribute yourself? ?
Activity Report 2024
We present our 2024 Activity Report. This report provides an overview of our initiatives and collaborations over the past year.
One of the highlights was the General Assembly on 8 June 2024 where we welcomed not one, but two new board members. Welcome: Griet and Inge.
We also organised some photo competitions and had several, fruitful, collaborations with various museums and libraries.
Want to know more? Click here to read the full report.
Contact Us
Wikimedia Belgium NPO (WMBE)
Antwerpselaan 40 Boulevard d'Anvers
B-1000 Brussel/Bruxelles
+32 471 82 20 26 (voice/sms/Signal/Telegram/WhatsApp)
Enterprise 0563.775.480 – RPR Brussel – Not liable to VAT
www.wikimedia.be •
info@wikimedia.be