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Press release writing session in Leuven on 29 June 2013 about World War I

From Wikimedia Belgium

To commemorate the beginning of the First World War, now 99 years ago, in some European countries and in Australia an edit-a-thon about World War I is organized simultaneously. The local edition in Belgium is organized on Saturday 29 June 2013. An edit-a-thon is an event where volunteers come together to write new articles and improve and expand existing Wikipedia articles.

We will be present with a number of experienced volunteers from Wikipedia who want to share their experience and knowledge behind these electronic encyclopedia. Anyone interested to write about the First World War is welcome to come along.

When publishing the Wikipedia articles, we may also use the images collected by Europeana 1914-1918.

Everyone is welcome, but registration in advance is required for organizational reasons at the latest on Thursday 27 June 2013. This can be done via the following email address: wmbe@wikimedia.org.

Details

  • Date: 29 June 2013
  • Time: 10:00-16:00
  • Location: in the AGORA Leercentrum of the KU Leuven
  • Address: E. Van Evenstraat 4, B-3000 Leuven

Background

With half a billion monthly visitors worldwide, Wikipedia is currently the sixth largest website. Less people realize that this popular online encyclopedia is written entirely by volunteers themselves.

Wikimedia is the movement and organization behind Wikipedia, and aims to make all human knowledge freely available to everyone under the vision Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. That's our commitment.

The Wikimedia Foundation is a foundation established in the United States, with a network of national associations (called "chapters"). In Belgium we are going to start next year with such Wikimedia association. Wikimedia Belgium is currently in creation: our statutes are almost ready to be approved and then appear in the Belgian official journal. We want to support all Belgian volunteers who are committed for Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. Wikimedia Belgium will also be a point of contact for government agencies and cultural associations that want to donate a portion of their collection or archive as free knowledge to Wikipedia.