An Edit-a-thon is an all-day attempt to improve Wikipedia’s coverage of a particular topic. Led by experienced Wikipedia editors Mike Dickison and Siobhan Leachman, participants will learn how to edit pages, correct mistakes, add references, and upload photos. Complete beginners are welcome; training and troubleshooting is provided. This edit-a-thon will focus on adding content on New Zealand and Australian endangered plant species to Wikipedia.

—Registration for this activity via Eventbrite—

Draft programme:

9:00–9:15 Meet and greet
Introductions, name lanyards, and account creation if needed

9:15–10:30 Intro to Wikipedia

We’ll learn how Wikipedia works and how to improve and create articles. There will be experienced editors present who’ll be buddied up with newcomers.

10:30–11:00 Break
11:00–13:00 Editing
13:00–14:00 Lunch
14:00–17:00 Editing

Our goal is to improve the representation of endangered plants in Wikipedia; we’ll focus today on plants, but you’re welcome to pursue any project you want. You can improve existing articles, add photos, or create stub articles for plants missing from Wikipedia.

This all-day Wikipedia Edit-a-thon is FREE and open to the public. It will take place in Te Papa’s Hīnātore / Learning Lab. Spaces are limited, and registration is required. Morning and afternoon tea will be provided.

—Free Activity—

What to bring:

• Your own device and power cord. Te Papa has free wifi.
• Any books, journals, magazine or newspaper articles relevant to pages you’re interested in.
• Photos you’ve taken that could illustrate species articles; you’ll learn how to donate these to the Commons so other Wikipedia articles can use them.
• Your own lunch, or plan to eat at one of Te Papa’s cafés.

What to do prior to the workshop:

• If you’re coming, please create a Wikipedia account beforehand: don’t wait until the day to do it! Here’s a form you can use. You’ll need to pick a “handle” for your username; you could use your real name, but it’s nice to have the option to be a bit anonymous if you want. Make a note of your password.
• Read up on Wikipedia: there are lots of tutorials, like the Wikipedia Adventure, useful guides, like the Editing Wikipedia tutorial or a How to Edit Wikipedia 2018 tutorial on YouTube.
• Have a think about any species you’d like to work on. Check to see if their pages exist yet, and if they do look for any obvious mistakes or problems. Maybe even do a little research first so you’re prepared.