AWA Anglophone Bi-weekly Webinar: Performing edits on Wikivoyage

On July 26, 2024, Code for Africa’s African Wikipedia Alliance (AWA), hosted its second July bi-weekly webinar for the Anglophone community, titled “Performing Edits on Wikivoyage.” The online meetup was facilitated by Iwuala Lucy a member of the Igbo Wikimedians User Group and a working group member for  AWA, and was moderated by Bukola James, the Community Coordinator of AWA. The session had nine participants, including project leads and volunteer Wikimedians from Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, and Nigeria. It provided participants with an advanced understanding of performing both minor and major edits on  Wikivoyage.

Key Highlights

The webinar, led by Lucy, began with a brief recap of the previous session, “Introduction to Wikivoyage,” before moving on to the current session’s learning objectives. These included mastering minor and major edits, creating new articles on Wikivoyage, activating essential wiki tools for effective optimisation, formatting articles (as an example of minor edits), expanding Wikivoyage phrasebooks, and adding listings and coordinates to articles.

Lucy provided an in-depth explanation and practical guide on the different types of editing available on Wikivoyage, which include the Source Editor (using source code) and Visual Editor (which presents the editing process in a more readable, alphanumeric format). She explained the various ways participants could contribute to Wikivoyage, such as:

• Performing Major Edits: Adding coordinates, subheadings, listings, and categories with new information like updated prices or times, or creating entirely new articles. Lucy emphasised the importance of following guidelines and using the article skeleton templates to ensure a consistent layout. Participants were also encouraged to use their sandboxes for drafting new articles.
• Performing Minor Edits: Improving the typography of articles through grammatical corrections, punctuation, spelling, font size adjustments, and by italicising, bolding, or highlighting text.

Lucy also introduced participants to the Wikivoyage phrasebook, a digital resource that can be used online, downloaded for offline use, or printed. The phrasebook offers a list of useful words and phrases in foreign languages, alongside their translations, primarily for travellers. It also provides insights into the language and culture of the destination area. The session touched on phrasebooks in various languages, such as Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba.

She walked participants through the structure of a typical phrasebook, which includes a brief introduction to the target language and its people, a pronunciation guide, grammar sections (subdivided into addressing people and reading/writing), a phrase list, and resources for further learning.

The session concluded with a hands-on exercise where participants practised contributing to Wikivoyage by drafting content on Sunrise Park.

Conclusion

The session concluded with an interactive Q&A segment, where participants had the chance to ask questions and deepen their understanding of the editing processes on Wikivoyage. Lucy encouraged participants to actively apply the skills they had learned by contributing to the platform, stressing the importance of continuous engagement in enhancing the quality and breadth of content on Wikivoyage. She urged attendees to explore and experiment with both minor and major edits, thereby enriching the platform with fresh, diverse perspectives and accurate, up-to-date information. This webinar not only provided participants with the practical tools and knowledge required to contribute effectively to Wikivoyage but also fostered a sense of community and collaboration among Wikimedians. As the session came to a close, participants left with a solid foundation for future contributions and were encouraged to join upcoming webinars to further advance their skills and knowledge.

For those interested in revisiting the session or those who might have missed it, the recorded version is available on the community programmes page. Ensure you are registered for the upcoming CfA WiR Bi-weekly webinar and immerse in our vibrant community. To stay abreast of our initiatives, complete this form, and let’s shape the future together!