2021:FAQ
We have a series of informative posts focused on Wikimania 2021 on Diff, the Wikimedia movement blog. Take a look.
Overview
What is Wikimania?
Wikimania is the largest gathering of people around the world who support and contribute to Wikimedia projects, including Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, and others. Magic happens when Wikimedians get together.
What is the theme of this year’s Wikimania?
The theme for this year’s virtual Wikimania is inspired by Wikipedia’s 20th Birthday — Past, Present, Future. We will look back at our movement’s past, celebrate the present and our incredible achievements, and discuss – because we love talking about things – the future. Like the 20th birthday celebration, Wikimedia will focus on the humans that drive our projects. This year’s theme is a great way to spotlight people – and their groups and communities – across our global movement.
Do I need to pay to attend Wikimania? Why should I register?
Wikimania 2021 is completely free and it’s online. Registering for Wikimania will allow you to receive information from the organizers and it’ll provide you with access to Remo, which is the virtual platform selected for Wikimania 2021. In addition to attending sessions, Remo will allow you to connect with other participants, visit the Community Village and Unconference spaces, and virtually socialize.
Eventbrite was used for previous Wikimanias and several other community events and is used to support the registration of attendees. Eventbrite commits to not selling data on to third-parties and whilst they do market to users, you can opt-out of email marketing and close your account after the event.
I am registered on Eventbrite. What’s next?
If you have registered, you should have received a registration confirmation email already. Wikimania will take place on a virtual platform called Remo. The exact links for you to access the event page will be sent as a separate email — sent on Monday, Aug. 9 for anyone registered previously and on a rolling basis for later registrants.
Where will the event take place?
Here is a short video of how to navigate the Remo virtual platform at Wikimania 2021.
How can I find my way around Wikimania?
Conference venue - the Remo venue consists of six (6) buildings with ten (10) floors each. Each building will host a track (a group of presentations) complete with its own programming throughout the day. Building 1 is used for Plenary and Community Village. Buildings 2 and 3 are multilingual buildings supported by live interpretation. Buildings 4 and 5 are regular sessions, in English. Building 6 is for meetups as well as the Unconference track.
Plenary - the central space where all the keynote speakers and event entertainment will take place. When something is taking place in the Plenary, programming in other buildings will stop, except for Unconference.
Tables - Tables are spaces for you to have audio and video conversations outside the scheduled program. Building 6 will exclusively serve as a social networking space for participants with group and private table settings.
How can I connect and socialize with other participants?
In addition to Remo, the virtual platform, as is often the case with Wikimedia events, there are also Telegram channels: Wikimania General | Wikimania Social
Where can I find support? What if I am having technical issues?
- Before Wikimania: please see the Practice Days and Office Hours schedule and join the community conversation on Telegram.
- During the event
- Technical support helpdesk (Problems with the Remo platform): Remo Helpdesk
- On Telegram
- OT/WMF Helpdesk throughout the event schedule
Are there any digital assets? Is there a template we should use for our presentations?
We invite you to take a look at this year’s digital assets for Wikimania. Use, enjoy, and share.
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Am I allowed to take photos during Wikimania?
Please do not take pictures or any recordings without the consent of individuals involved. Privacy is highly cherished in the Wikimedia movement.
Technical
What is Remo?
Remo is a Virtual Event Platform that enables participants to be fully immersed and interactive. The Remo space for Wikimania will be structured like a conference and you can move around, attend sessions, run into friends and colleagues. There will be different buildings and floors, tables, chairs, whiteboards, etc. You can learn more about Remo in this Diff blog post.
Watch this short video to get an idea of how Remo works. The Wikimania team is also hosting Practice Events. We encourage you to attend the practice events and become familiar with Remo, ask questions, or just hang out!
Here is a short video of how to navigate the Remo virtual platform at Wikimania 2021.
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With what devices can I access Remo?
Remo works across multiple devices. Laptops and desktop computers of course, and Apple or Android mobile devices. Tablets and iPads are not fully supported. The Remo troubleshooting page answers many valuable questions around technical requirements, set up, presenting, and more.
How can I view sessions on Remo?
Once you are logged in and have access to the platform, you will be able to select your track of choice.Once sessions start, you will not have to do anything to be able to watch the session; this will pop up for every participant that’s on the platform and you can click to join. You can travel from one floor to another, and from one building to the next by using easily accessible and visible banners. There are 6 buildings at Wikimania 2021 and each building will have 10 floors with the same set-up. You can familiarize yourself with this year's awesome program.
I can't get into Remo. Help!
With Remo and other virtual platforms, the first thing to try is to REFRESH YOUR PAGE. You can also try re-opening Remo in a NEW WINDOW, not a new tab.
Programming in building 1, i.e. the plenary sessions, will be broadcasted across all buildings (except building 6, Unconference). If you are not able to get into building 1, please try buildings 2, 3, 4, or 5.
Why Remo?
As organizers, we had to balance the priority to use free and open source software with the need to ensure a safe, welcoming, multilingual, interactive, and easy-to-use platform. Where we could not use free and open source software we have taken steps to protect participant privacy and data by negotiating agreements.
We took into consideration needs around audio and video, chat, Q&A, polling, whiteboards, tech support, and presentation functions. At the same time, we had to ensure we could support multilingual participation, which has been a growing requirement for Wikimedia events.
Remo was used during the 2020 Hackathon, when it worked well and received favorable reviews from participants.
How do I move between buildings?
On the top left corner on your screen, click on the menu button or the 3 horizontal lines. Click Joined Events. You will be warned that you are leaving the event. Accept. Then select the building you want to go to. You can also look under My Events if this option is available to you. If this does not work, please go to the program on Meta, and click on the Join On Remo for the appropriate building.
How do I move in between tables?
Double click on a table to join it. There is a max of 6 people per table.
How do I move between floors?
Use the “elevator” option to the left hand side of your screen.
How do I find another participant?
In the chat function (at the bottom of your screen during conversation mode and to the right of the presentations in presentation mode), use the search bar to search their name. You can then chat and ask where they are within the event.
How do I share my screen? (This is how you share your poster)
Select ‘Share Screen‘ in your controls at the bottom of the screen. You then have three options:
- Share your entire screen: this is everything on your screen, including any notifications that occur
- Share an application window: such as PowerPoint or Keynote
- Share a tab: you can select a specific tab within your browser
Select one of the 3 options, then click on the image that you want to share. Once you do, ‘Share‘ at the bottom right will turn blue and you can click on it. Your screen will be shared. To stop, select ‘Stop Sharing‘ at the bottom of your screen.
Tip: If you want to be able to see the powerpoint window AND Remo at the same time, go to “Slide Show” then “Set Up Show” and then choose “Browsed by an individual (window)”.
How do I access different language options?
See the language support page.
عَرَبِيّ | 漢語 | English | Français | Deutsch | Pусский | Español
Please follow the instructions in the Interactio guide available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Russian, and Spanish (see Diff). Here is a summary:
- You must mute Remo on your computer - via Volume Mixer or by going through Remo's sound settings and muting output volumen. Open app.interactio.io in a new window and use the code Wikimania2021
- Open a new window (NOT a new tab) and go to app.interactio.io, use the code Wikimania2021
- Select your language, enjoy
- For mobile, you need to download the Interactio App on Android or iOS
How will Etherpads work for Wikimania 2021? How will Q&A work during my session?
Each presenter should have received a link to Streamyard and Etherpad for their sessions. Every session has a dedicated Etherpad with a pre-made slug where Q&A + general help volunteers, production managers, and / or session participants can post questions from Remo participants and share with presenters on Streamyard. It's not a perfect model, but Streamyard allows us to coordinate with speakers behind the scenes, share media, and ensure a smooth stream. Remo allows participants to engage almost like in real life. For the moment, there is no easy way to go between the two and for participants on Remo to ask speakers questions, this has to be done manually and at Wikimania 2021, we are doing it the wiki way on Etherpad.
Program
What are the event times? What is this year's program like?
The program schedule will have rotating time zone blocks over the five days of the event to facilitate a global participation. Read more about our approach on this Diff blog post. Wikimania starts with a 24-hour Hackathon on August 13, 2021 – to ensure this portion of the event is accessible to all participants wherever they may be. The opening of Wikimania will be on Saturday Aug 14, kicking off the official program. There will be more live content during the weekend than during the weekdays. Don't forget to browse the great selection of on-demand content from contributors around the world. Finally, we also have designed a virtual Unconference space - to give community full control of hosting sessions at Wikimania. Unconference allows you to use any type of session format that works for your topic. Unconference tables are available for sign up and can sit up to 20 individuals.
Will there be any streaming? Is there anywhere else I can enjoy Wikimania?
Outside of Remo, most sessions will also be streamed on YouTube:
- Buildings 1-3 from Remo will be streamed on the Wikimania Foundation channel
- Buildings 4-5 from Remo will be streamed on the Wikipedia Weekly channel
- Building 6 (the unconference) will not be broadcast on YouTube.
All sessions will be archived and made available on Wikimedia Commons by mid-September. If you would like to assist with the archiving of Wikimania sessions on Commons, we are looking for volunteers. Please submit your interest on the Wikimania wiki.
What types of sessions are provided at Wikimania?
Please refer to our exceptional daily program. Through a peer-reviewed and community-led submission process, sessions from movement groups and affiliates and those from individuals (or collectives of individuals) were accepted for this year's first ever virtual Wikimania. There will be both live and pre-recorded sessions with plans for plenty of on-demand content given time zones around the world and varying schedules.
What languages are supported at Wikimania? How is Wikimania made more accessible?
A Wikimania first — all sessions in buildings 1 (plenary), 2, and 3 will have live two-way interpretation in Arabic Chinese, English, French, German, Russian, and Spanish. Please refer to this Diff post and follow the instructions for accessing Interactio on your computer or mobile.
We will also provide closed captioning in English for all pre-recorded sessions and live via YouTube. All sessions will be available on-demand on the Wikimania YouTube channel with automated multilingual captioning service.
If I am a session host / facilitator / moderator, what do I do?
Before your session, please create your session page in the program. Every session already has an easy to fill template with instructions and a designated Etherpad. Create the session page and make sure the header template has as much info as possible - especially date and time - and an etherpad will be linked to your page.
Sessions will be coordinated behind the scenes on Streamyard and ever session lead must've already received a Streamyard link from the organizers. If you have not or if you have any other questions or issues about your session, please visit the Help page or instantly get in touch with the organizers on Telegram.
How do I join Unconference?
Unconference is happening in BUILDING 6 and is meant to be a casual, community-led space. There will be a link available to building 6 at all times. You will be able to click that link and join a specific table, go between different floors using the virtual elevator. The Unconference space will have many tables. Each one of those tables will represent aun unconference session. The maximum number of participants at a unconference table is 20. Double click on a table to join it.
What is a Hackathon?
This year’s Hackathon is a remote event organized to provide a space to gather the technical community and onboard people who would like to get involved in the development of MediaWiki, technical, and many other areas in Wikimedia’s technical ecosystem. The Wikimania 2021 hackathon will take place on the first day, August 13th starting at 5:00 UTC and lasting for 24 hours. With an open schedule and a light, self-organized format, the hackathon day is the perfect opportunity for you to try new projects, formats or to gather people and start working on a new idea.
The hackathon is open to everyone, including people who don’t have prior knowledge in Wikimedia’s technical areas and development. The main space to find help are the social channels, especially the newcomers Telegram group. Link to Telegram.
Help and Safety
How do I seek technical assistance?
See the Remo help documents linked on this page or click the orange "help" button inside Remo. If you are a speaker: please consult the directions you were emailed carefully, and contact your speaker contact with any questions.
- During the event
- Technical support helpdesk (Problems with the Remo platform): Remo Helpdesk
- On Telegram
- OT/WMF Helpdesk throughout the event schedule
Where do I go for help?
- See also: 2021:Help
Inside the Remo platform, there will be two help buttons: one red button labeled "Help! Safety" and one orange button labeled "Help".
- If you need general conference help, such as assistance with the program or technology, please click the orange "help" button which will take you a Telegram group for live help.
- If you need help because of the behavior of another participant, on the Remo platform you can click the red button labeled "Help! Safety" to be taken to a confidential trust and safety group where you can report the issue. Please report any violations of the Friendly space policy there. You can also directly join the Telegram group. If you can't or won't use Telegram, you can use the email information at the contact page.
For help with technical issues, you can also refer to the technical documents on this page. For general questions you don't need an answer to immediately, you can also post on the 2021:Help_desk.