Wikipedia Edit-a-thon on March 6th

When: Tuesday March 6th from 5:30pm – 8:30pm

Where: CoMotion On King at 115 King Street East (3rd floor), Hamilton, ON

Organizer: Canada Learning Code (@learningcodeyhm) and Broad Conversations (@broadconvos)

Register: eventbrite.ca/e/ladies-learning-code-wikipedia-edit-a-thon-hamilton-registration-42593044944

Details:

Long gone are the days of Encyclopedia Britannica on the shelves of homes or trips to the library to complete a book report. Generations young and old are turning to the internet and resources like Wikipedia to discover important information about the world around them. The benefits are endless – technology has increased access and ease while minimizing many barriers that previously existed. Information now transcends rooms and borders turning anyone into an author or historian. But, women still remain underrepresented.

Wikipedia has a gender bias problem. Their own surveys have indicated that only about 8–16 percent of Wikipedia editors are female and a 2009 Wikimedia Foundation survey showed only six percent of super editors (more than 500 edits) were female. This is an issue for many reasons, including reports of harassment of female editors on Wikipedia forums.

The lack of female editors on Wikipedia also creates a bias in the content generated by their editor community. We need more women participating to ensure that women are represented equally in the massive fabric of human history that is Wikipedia. One approach to address this bias is running female edit-a-thons, which are growing in popularity and have taken place across the globe.

All feminists welcome – men included!

The event is free but please register to indicate that you plan to attend. Organizers will email all registrants with important ahead-of-time preparation (just a few easy steps!) that you need in order to start editing right away at the event.

This facility is accessible by elevator.