Enhancing the Involvement of Local Wikimedia Communities in Regional Language Preservation Through the WikiTeroka 5.0 Program in Indonesia

The WikiTeroka 5.0 program, organized by Wikimedia Indonesia, aims to increase community involvement in creating and developing Wikipedia content in regional languages. The participating communities were selected based on several considerations. First, the community had not held a regional language competition in the previous fiscal period in GSF23. Second, it provides an opportunity for new communities to participate in the competition and introduce more unexplored, regionally based language content. Another consideration is the uneven activity of communities, especially those with interests in regional languages.

These communities have the potential to make more specific contributions to regional languages and cultures, but they lack sufficient media to optimize member involvement in Wikimedia projects. The selected communities include Wikimedia Jakarta, Wikimedia Madura, Wikimedia Banjar, Wikimedia Nias, Wikimedia Gorontalo, and Wikimedia Medan.

On Each Competition Side

The WikiSeratSerèt competition, organized by the Wikimedia Jakarta Community, aims to increase the number of articles on Betawi Wikipedia. Although only 26 people registered, the competition successfully motivated 11 active participants who contributed to adding articles. One of the notable achievements of this competition is the involvement of many new contributors, thus enriching the documentation of Betawi culture on Wikipedia. However, the competition faced several challenges, such as edit clashes among participants due to miscommunication. Additionally, some new participants began writing at the end of the competition, affecting the writing process. To address this, a fairer point system and better socialization at the start of the competition are needed to help participants become more organized and understand the rules and mechanisms from the outset.

The WikiTiyar competition, organized by the Wikimedia Madura Community, aims to enrich Wikipedia with articles in the Madurese language. There were 17 registrants, with 8 participants actively writing articles. This competition successfully increased the number of Madurese language articles and encouraged many new participants to join in developing regional language content on Madura Wikipedia. However, several challenges arose, such as article duplication among participants and a lack of understanding of the proper writing procedures for Wikipedia. To resolve this, it is recommended to utilize an automated system for collecting, evaluating, and categorizing articles, thereby facilitating easier verification and enhancing competition efficiency in the future.

The WikiMahabar competition, organized by the Wikimedia Banjar Community, successfully increased the number of Banjar language entries in Wikikamus. Despite having only 22 registrants, with 14 participants contributing during the competition and 11 completing it, the competition achieved most of its goals. A total of 1,784 entries were created and developed, although slightly below the target of 2,000. Nevertheless, the quality of edits improved, with entries meeting the standards for word classes, definitions, and sentence examples. This shows the success of the competition in enriching the Banjar language content in Wiktionary.

The WikiMartandang competition in North Sumatra, organized by the Wikimedia Batak Toba Community, achieved its goals despite facing several challenges. There were only 21 registered participants, with 6 actively contributing and 5 completing the competition. However, the results were satisfactory, with 148 new articles created, surpassing the minimum target of 50 articles. Many participants who were initially unfamiliar with Batak Toba’s Wikipedia editing actively asked questions and learned, showing the success in attracting new contributors. However, challenges included technical difficulties in selecting articles, image limitations, and issues with community social media management. For future competitions, it is suggested to involve other projects such as Wiktionary and Wikimedia Commons.

The WikiMelebani competition, organized to increase the number of entries in the Nias Wiktionary, faced significant challenges in terms of participation, with only six registrants and three active contributors. Despite this, the competition still had a positive impact on enriching content in Wikikamus, with the committee improving its ability to analyze entries and benefiting from facilities like WikiKlinik to help participants overcome technical difficulties. One major challenge was the low enthusiasm of participants despite socialization through various channels, including social media and posting posters in several universities and high schools in Gunungsitoli. To increase participation in the future, it is recommended to hold this competition regularly, offer more varied prizes, and enhance socialization, especially for new users, to enable them to compete more effectively and on an equal footing.

The WikiMolamahu competition, held by the Wikimedia Gorontalo Community, began with the WikiLatih Wiktionary event on December 14, 2024, attended by 27 participants. Although only 14 registered, 11 were active, contributing 1,999 entries in Gorontalo and Indonesian languages, exceeding the expected target of 1,500 entries. One positive aspect of this competition was the number of original Gorontalo language words successfully included, showing active communication with native Gorontalo speakers. The main challenge was the lack of a standardized spelling for Gorontalo, which resulted in variations in spelling across entries. The committee repeatedly reminded participants to follow the established guidelines, with deductions applied to entries with incorrect spelling.

Despite challenges in participation and technical issues related to spelling, the competition largely achieved its goals. Participants were able to learn a lot from the WikiLatih Wiktionary event, and the results exceeded the target number of entries. To improve the quality of future competitions, it is suggested that a minimum of two gatherings be held after WikiLatih, supported by funding from Wikimedia Indonesia. This will help strengthen the material taught, better prepare participants, and attract more new participants to contribute in the future.

Human Resources and Digital Literacy

In the context of WikiTeroka 5.0, human resources (HR) play a crucial role in the success of the competition, which focuses on regional languages. HR, in this case, encompasses not only the competition participants but also the committee that supports the competition’s implementation, as well as those involved in organizing and promoting the event. Most participants come from communities of regional language speakers who have great potential to contribute to the development and preservation of their languages. However, limitations in technical skills and digital literacy often pose significant barriers to optimizing their contributions. Therefore, the development of HR involved in these competitions greatly affects the quality and quantity of the contributions produced.

The human resources involved in competitions such as WikiSeratSerèt, WikiTiyar, and others have a direct impact on increasing the number of articles and entries focusing on regional languages. Moreover, through the WikiLatih training sessions held earlier, participants gained technical training on how to edit articles on Wikipedia, which improved their technical skills in managing content. However, the main challenge remains in digital literacy and the ability to use the platform effectively. As participants’ technical competence grows, either through training or experience, the quality of their contributions will improve. Competitions like these also provide opportunities for local communities to introduce more vocabulary and regional cultures that were previously underrepresented, ultimately enriching Wikipedia with a more diverse range of knowledge.

The positive impact of HR development in this regional language competition is felt in the long term. When competition participants gain a better understanding of technology, they not only contribute to the development of their regional languages but also become agents of change in empowering their communities. Strengthening HR involvement in these activities, driven by ongoing competitions and in-depth training, can produce more contributors who are not only active in the Wikimedia world but also become key supporters in the preservation and development of regional languages. Therefore, regional language competitions are not just about producing articles, but also about building better HR capacities to preserve and spread local cultural and linguistic.