Why do I get this ??
You probably do not remember it but you are an member of the mailing list "Announce-l". This list is created in November 2002. Even in that time, when Wikipedia was much and much smaller then now, it was not easy to follow everything what was going on on the mailing lists and on the Wikis.
The idea of this list "Announce-l" was that important things where announced on that list. So that the ambassadors could get feedback from there home-wiki and participated in the discussion. And also so that you do not need to read all the mailing lists posting and watch many wiki-pages to know what is going on. There was no support for this. A new attempt was done recent;
This time only to use to announce technical changes and problems that have an impact for the end-users of the wikis. This has received more support. But because of the lack of co-operation of the technical staff of Wikimedia also this did not work out. And now there is the attempt do do whit "Wikizine" something useful whit this dead mailing list. And this "Wikizine" is using the dead list"Announce-l" for sending its message. And that is why go you are getting this.
And what is "Wikizine"?
Basically it is an overview of news regarding the Wikimedia-community that the editor has discovered and thinks is important. There are many places inside the Wikimedia-world where there can be found news. And it is also hidden under many other messages. The idea of "Wikizine" is to give an selection of that news whit an very small summary and the url where you can read about. Wikizine is not for writing news but to collect the fragments of news and linking to them.
Who should read Wikizine?
Everybody who likes to do so may read it off course. But the target audience is definitely; stewards, ambassadors, bureaucrats and sysops, members of the board of one of the wikimedia foundations. It is for the people who are doing the Wiki-management. The focus will be on the technical aspect. News about changes in the way the wikiworks, news functions. Things that are broken. Other Wikimedia news will also be included but the focus is technical news that has an impact for the users and readers of the wiki.
Who is creating Wikizine?
For now I, Walter Vermeir, am creating it. I try to find out all the news that I can find and if I find it is is important I put it in Wikizine. If you know some news you may send it to my: walter at wikipedia.be
Time-line
This type of editions of Wikizine will be special. It is not the idea of Wikizine for writing this type editorials. A normal edition will be send once a week on Monday (more or less). The can be very short. It is not my intention to include a lot of other things when there is not much important news when there is urgent news you will receive a Wikizine extra edition.
Example: Some time ago I discovered that the emails whit questions from visitors send to the dutch language Wikipedia where not received. There was a problem with the email system of Wikimedia. So for some days the emails where lost. We, the email team of the dutch wiki, did not know that. We where not informed. If this was the case now I would send a "Wikizine extra". For know this Wikizine-thing is an experiment. It is possible it will stop after some editions. You have received now also the first real "Wikizine".
Number "-5" (minus 5). So long the have negative numbers it will only be send to you, those few current members of Announce-l. There will not be made any notice about this experiment any where. If we make it to edition "zero" it will be announced on Wikipedia-l and Wikimedia-l and we will go public. But that is still some weeks from now. For now please do not forward Wikizine to other mailing lists. Wikizine is still alfa. You are the testers. Also, do not respond on these messages. This list is only for the sending of Wikizine, not for discussion.
Unsubscribe
It is an mailing list. So you can unsubscribe the normal way if you are not interested. I prefer to have 10 readers who read it then 30 who delete it.
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