If decentralization is the future of social media, where millions or even billions of people share knowledge, then we can learn a lot from how the Open Knowledge Foundation (@okfn) and the Wikimedia Foundation (@wikimediafoundation) built cross-border, international movements with clear missions.

These two organizations are just two examples, but they demonstrate an important point: decentralization worked because communities were intentionally nurtured, not just because the technology was open.

The Fediverse, powered by the ActivityPub protocol, already has the technical capacity to thrive (UI tweaks aside).

What we still lack is the decentralization of communities, including shared ownership, coordination, and a mission that extends beyond individual instances.

Cc @eloquence @bjoernsta @_elena

#Fediverse #ActivityPub #Openknowledge #Wikimedia #Decentralization #SocialMedia

If decentralization is the future of social media, where millions or even billions of people share knowledge, then we can learn a lot from how the Open Knowledge Foundation (@okfn) and the Wikimedia Foundation (@wikimediafoundation) built cross-border, international movements with clear missions.

These two organizations are just two examples, but they demonstrate an important point: decentralization worked because communities were intentionally nurtured, not just because the technology was open.

The Fediverse, powered by the ActivityPub protocol, already has the technical capacity to thrive (UI tweaks aside).

What we still lack is the decentralization of communities, including shared ownership, coordination, and a mission that extends beyond individual instances.

Cc @eloquence @bjoernsta @_elena

#Fediverse #ActivityPub #Openknowledge #Wikimedia #Decentralization #SocialMedia

@mellifluousbox I’m reminded of my early days at the Open Knowledge Foundation @okfn , first as a volunteer and later as an ambassador in Brazil.

After some time, I suggested forming a local group. Due to my involvement, I later worked as a consultant. A member of the core organization coordinated local leadership, supported ambassadors, and held open meetings periodically. That structure was important.

Out of that structure, I founded Open Knowledge Brasil @okbr , which I ran for years before moving to Europe. Being close to people with strong communication and advocacy skills was invaluable, that's where I learned the most.

Today, I see similar energy in the Fediverse, with accounts such as @FediTips and @mastodonmigration. There are also communication professionals, for example, @hpod16 runs a highly strategic account for the @EUCommission. Or people like @bjoernsta , leading the awesome campaign #SaveSocial .

Resources may be limited, but there is clearly a passionate and capable community.
It might be worthwhile to find ways to involve and coordinate this existing expertise more intentionally.

#Decentralization #Mastodon #Wikimedia #OpenKnowledge

@mellifluousbox I’m reminded of my early days at the Open Knowledge Foundation @okfn , first as a volunteer and later as an ambassador in Brazil.

After some time, I suggested forming a local group. Due to my involvement, I later worked as a consultant. A member of the core organization coordinated local leadership, supported ambassadors, and held open meetings periodically. That structure was important.

Out of that structure, I founded Open Knowledge Brasil @okbr , which I ran for years before moving to Europe. Being close to people with strong communication and advocacy skills was invaluable, that's where I learned the most.

Today, I see similar energy in the Fediverse, with accounts such as @FediTips and @mastodonmigration. There are also communication professionals, for example, @hpod16 runs a highly strategic account for the @EUCommission. Or people like @bjoernsta , leading the awesome campaign #SaveSocial .

Resources may be limited, but there is clearly a passionate and capable community.
It might be worthwhile to find ways to involve and coordinate this existing expertise more intentionally.

#Decentralization #Mastodon #Wikimedia #OpenKnowledge

在 Living Data 2025 中有一場 Wikidata 專題演講：【 #Wikimedia 與生物多樣性資料：在開放知識生態系中的互惠關係】，議程中探討了 Wikimedia 各專案（ #Wikipedia、 #Wikidata 、 #Commons）與全球生物多樣性基礎建設（如 #GBIF、 #iNaturalist、Biodiversity Heritage Library／ #BHL）之間的交會點，並強調它們在資料動員、標準化、公共參與與知識傳播上的協同作用。

此外，同時討論了 Wikimedia 的社群特性如何協助串連標本資料、文獻以及多媒體資源，朝向建立一個鏈結式(Linked)的生物多樣性知識圖譜。

該議程提供一個討論空間，希望聚焦於生物多樣性資料如何與 Wikimedia 平台連結，確保生物多樣性知識能以開放、結構化、且易於研究者、政策制定者與大眾取得的方式呈現。

議程演講已經公開歡迎至 YouTube 觀看：https://youtu.be/wXaHJ85g88A

#維基數據 #維基資料 #開放資料
#OpenData

在 Living Data 2025 中有一場 Wikidata 專題演講：【 #Wikimedia 與生物多樣性資料：在開放知識生態系中的互惠關係】，議程中探討了 Wikimedia 各專案（ #Wikipedia、 #Wikidata 、 #Commons）與全球生物多樣性基礎建設（如 #GBIF、 #iNaturalist、Biodiversity Heritage Library／ #BHL）之間的交會點，並強調它們在資料動員、標準化、公共參與與知識傳播上的協同作用。

此外，同時討論了 Wikimedia 的社群特性如何協助串連標本資料、文獻以及多媒體資源，朝向建立一個鏈結式(Linked)的生物多樣性知識圖譜。

該議程提供一個討論空間，希望聚焦於生物多樣性資料如何與 Wikimedia 平台連結，確保生物多樣性知識能以開放、結構化、且易於研究者、政策制定者與大眾取得的方式呈現。

議程演講已經公開歡迎至 YouTube 觀看：https://youtu.be/wXaHJ85g88A

#維基數據 #維基資料 #開放資料
#OpenData

[2010] Found footage.

Israel's 13th PM Naftali Bennett with "Yesha Council" (The Occupied West Bank colonial self-appointed council) at a 2010 training on editing Wikipedia to suit Zionist propaganda.

I wasn't aware of all of this when I started editing the Hebrew #Wikipedia... needed a quick recap when I realized all me edits were being tracked by a group of right-wing editor, blocking any reference to #Palestine or Palestinians as people, #LGBTQ rights or the environment.

#Wikimedia Israel was informed, but no action was taken, including complaints about editors being called a Nazis etc.

[2010] Found footage.

Israel's 13th PM Naftali Bennett with "Yesha Council" (The Occupied West Bank colonial self-appointed council) at a 2010 training on editing Wikipedia to suit Zionist propaganda.

I wasn't aware of all of this when I started editing the Hebrew #Wikipedia... needed a quick recap when I realized all me edits were being tracked by a group of right-wing editor, blocking any reference to #Palestine or Palestinians as people, #LGBTQ rights or the environment.

#Wikimedia Israel was informed, but no action was taken, including complaints about editors being called a Nazis etc.

Ce week-end, opération sauvegarde du Musée de la gourmandise (avec plein de gens d'ici) sur #Wikimedia, musée qui va fermer.

Ce soir, numérisation de livres rares, anciens et absents d'internet.

Petit à petit, ils vont arriver sur #Commons et, plus tard, sur #Wikisource.

#MissionGourmande #wikipedia

Ce week-end, opération sauvegarde du Musée de la gourmandise (avec plein de gens d'ici) sur #Wikimedia, musée qui va fermer.

Ce soir, numérisation de livres rares, anciens et absents d'internet.

Petit à petit, ils vont arriver sur #Commons et, plus tard, sur #Wikisource.

#MissionGourmande #wikipedia

Several papers by members of the #WikiKult network in the #Wikidata issue of the Journal of Open Humanities Data:

https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.443
https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.427
https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.425
https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.430
https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.412
https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.434
https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.434

These papers illustrate the depth of work with the open knowledge graph by GLAM researchers!

More about WikiKult: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiKult_-_Offene_Kulturdaten

@wikimediaDE @JensB @KlausBulle @HannaMeiners

#openglam #wikimedia

Image du 29 janvier :

Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) and Gadwall (Mareca strepera) in misty Taudaha Lake during winter, near Kathmandu, Nepal.

License : CC BY-SA 4.0
Artiste : Prasan Shrestha
Crédits : Own work

#wikimedia #cpod #fr

Image du 29 janvier :

Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) and Gadwall (Mareca strepera) in misty Taudaha Lake during winter, near Kathmandu, Nepal.

License : CC BY-SA 4.0
Artiste : Prasan Shrestha
Crédits : Own work

#wikimedia #cpod #fr

Several papers by members of the #WikiKult network in the #Wikidata issue of the Journal of Open Humanities Data:

https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.443
https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.427
https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.425
https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.430
https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.412
https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.434
https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.434

These papers illustrate the depth of work with the open knowledge graph by GLAM researchers!

More about WikiKult: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiKult_-_Offene_Kulturdaten

@wikimediaDE @JensB @KlausBulle @HannaMeiners

#openglam #wikimedia

#Wikisource Export v.3.1.3 released today. If anyone notices anything weird, please let me know!

https://gitlab.wikimedia.org/toolforge-repos/wsexport/-/releases/3.1.3

#Wikimedia #toolforge

🇺🇸 - 🇬🇱 The US military really doesn't have the best track record in #Greenland.

🛬 - 💥 It's shocking how irresponsible the #USA has been with it's nuclear weapons!

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pituffik_Space_Base#Accidents

#US #Nuclear #NuclearWeapons #History #Historical #EU #Europe #Military #uspol #uspolitics #america #american #weapons #bombs #nuclearbombs #coldwar #wikipedia #wiki #wikimedia #screenshot #denmark #unitedstates #airplane #crash #militarybase #thuleairbase #PituffikSpaceBase #Pituffik #arms

I hope #Wikimedia got something good out of this, otherwise it feels a lot like extortion. "Give us direct access to your data or we're going to scrape the shit outta your site over and over and over until you go broke paying for data transfers." I mean, logically this kind of deal makes sense to avoid the constant data scraping, but wow it feels like they're getting screwed in the deal unless there's some part of the arrangement that isn't public yet.

https://www.engadget.com/ai/wikimedia-announces-ai-partners-including-meta-and-microsoft-162834383.html

#Wikipedia

Zum 25. Geburtstag von Wikipedia spricht Markus Beckedahl bei ZDF heute über aktuelle Gefahren und Probleme für die Plattform und ordnet diese ein.

Ausschnitt aus ZDF heute 15.1.2026

https://www.zdfheute.de/wissen/wikipedia-25-jahre-online-lexikon-enzyklopaedie-100.html

#Wikipedia #Wikimedia #Chatbot @markus_netzpolitik