To celebrate World Tourism Day, Wikimedia Bangladesh and the Chattogram Wiki Community collaborated to orchestrate a significant event and jointly organized the first editathon on Bangla Wikivoyage (bn.wikivoyage.org) since its creation in 2018. World Tourism Day Editathon 2023 marked a noteworthy milestone as it was the first of its kind since the inception of Bangla Wikivoyage. At the time, Bangla Wikivoyage was ranked 20th globally out of 25 languages regarding the number of articles available on the platform. With this editathon, our primary objective was to augment the number of articles substantially.
Over three intensive days, enthusiastic Wikivoyagers gathered to participate in this collaborative editing endeavour. Their collective efforts were directed towards creating new articles and enhancing existing ones, all centred around diverse travel destinations worldwide and various travel-related topics. It was a three-day-long editathon, and the campaign’s primary objective was to create new articles focusing on travellers’ interests. It played a pivotal role in fostering engagement among the editors of Bangla Wikivoyage, making a sense of community and shared purpose that had not been witnessed to this extent in the past. In essence, this editathon was a testament to the power of collaborative knowledge-sharing and the dedication of the Wikivoyage community to promoting and enriching travel-related information in the Bangla language. Through their hard work and dedication, this event not only celebrated World Tourism Day but also contributed significantly to the growth and vitality of Bangla Wikivoyage.
Preparations
In previous years’ experience, an event page was created with a table containing a list of articles indicating whether they exist. The Fountain tool was used for article submission and review. This technology facilitated the submission of articles by participants and enabled efficient review and evaluation of their contributions. A significant amount of time has been invested in inviting Wikivoyage communities to join and support this event. These outreach efforts aimed to build a sense of collaboration and inclusivity within the broader Wikimedia ecosystem. Fortunately, the response from communities exceeded our expectations, with a significant number of enthusiastic participants coming forward to contribute their expertise and knowledge. As a token of appreciation, participants were honoured with Wikivoyage Barnstar, a prestigious recognition within the Wikimedia community, signifying their outstanding contributions. Additionally, e-certificates issued by Wikimedia Bangladesh were bestowed upon the participants, providing evidence of their participation and contributions to the event. These gestures of recognition motivated and inspired continued engagement and collaboration among the contributors, fostering a sense of pride and accomplishment within the Wikimedia Bangladesh and Wikivoyage community.
Outcomes
The three-day editathon was a resounding success from September 26th to 28th, 2023. We are delighted to report the positive outcomes of this collaborative event. 14 dedicated participants from Bangladesh and West Bengal contributed their expertise and effort to the cause. Their combined contributions created an impressive total of 35 new articles during the editathon. Additionally, Wikidata pages for the newly created articles have been updated. Wikivoyager Moheen has written a maximum of seven articles. On the other end of the spectrum, six Wikivoyagers contributed one article each, while RockyMasum played a vital role in reviewing articles. This editathon serves as an exemplary model for enhancing the content available on Bangla Wikivoyage. The participants’ collaborative spirit and concerted efforts have significantly bolstered the platform’s travel-related information, benefiting native Bangla speakers and travellers seeking insights into the Bangla language. Looking ahead, we aspire to continue this successful arrangement in the coming years, aiming to repeat the editathon and explore variations and novel approaches to engage other interested Wikimedia communities.
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