A Japanese Wikimedian in Wikimedia Deutschland office

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On 15 March 2024, I (User:Eugene Ormandy) visited the office of Wikimedia Deutchland (WMDE) to learn about their activities.

Before the visit

When it was decided that I would visit Berlin in March 2024, I started looking for an opportunity to visit the WMDE office in Berlin. Then I sent an email for info@wikimedia.de

It was lucky for me that soon after I sent the email, I had an online meeting with Sakti Pramudya, a Wikimedia Foundation staff member. In the meeting, I told Sakti about my wish and he immediately started to coordinate my visit. Thanks to his kindness, it was decided that Alan Ang, a WMDE staff member, would welcome me to the office!

To make the discussions at the office more effective, I made slides showing my activities and interests and shared them with Alan before the trip.

Alan Ang at Wikimania 2023 Singapore (Alan Ang (WMDE), CC BY-SA 4.0)

Office tour!

On 15 March 2024, I visited the office at 15:00 (with jet lag). After waiting a few minutes in a comfortable room, I finally met Alan. He gave me a tour of the office. I was really fascinated by the environment. It was very comfortable and there were a lot of rooms divided according to the divisions of WMDE. During the tour, Alan introduced me to various members of the WMDE staff. I was very impressed by the friendly people.

Waiting room (Eugene Ormandy, CC0)
Posters (Eugene Ormandy, CC0)
Meeting room (Eugene Ormandy, CC0)

Converations with Alan

After the tour, I had a one-to-one meeting with Alan in a meeting room. First, I shared my activities, interests and concerns using the slides I had sent in advance. Then Alan introduced me to WMDE’s activities and his role. All the stories were interesting, but the explanation of Wikidata and Wikibase, which Alan is mainly working on as a Senior Partner Manager, was quite interesting.

What I will learn

The visit broadened my horizons and I was very encouraged. I will learn more about Wikidata and Wikibase by referring to Alan’s user page [[User:Alan Ang (WMDE)/How to: Wikidata]].

I appreciate the hospitality of WMDE and WMF staff. Thank you for this great opportunity!

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