Friday, August 03, 2007

Local Wikipedia chapter aims to promote collaborative editing

Taipei, Aug. 3 (CNA) The local chapter of the popular online reference Web site Wikipedia aims to promote collaborative editing, knowledge sharing and the Web site in Taiwan, the organizer of the chapter said Friday on the sidelines of an annual Wikimedia conference.

Wikimedia Taiwan was officially approved by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports nine free information projects including Wikipedia, in July as one of the foundation's 10 local charters around the world, Wikimedia Taiwan President Deng Chieh said.

Taiwanese users have been one of the most active groups in generating Chinese-language content on Wikipedia, a multilingual, Web-based, free content encyclopedia project, Deng said.

Wikimedia Taiwan plans to work with government agencies, academic institutions and schools as more and more of them have expressed interest in the new way of sharing free information, said Deng. The chapter will also be in charge of redistribution of content, organizing small group meetings to improve Chinese content, holding promotional events and trying to collect content directly from institutions such as local museums and libraries.

Wikipedia has become one of the most popular reference Web sites in Taiwan, especially among students, Deng said.

"The Web site traffic always peaks before final exams and dramatically hits bottom during summer and winter vacations, " he pointed out.

The current development of the Web site shows a lot of potential, he added, as many local companies have inquired about using the free licensed content for future development of commercial services.

The Wikimedia Foundation has been working on establishing local charters in many countries to foster better communication with locals and better content for various languages, said Florence Devouard, chair of the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation.

Wikimedia Taiwan was established in February 2007 and has more than 40 members, Deng added.