Dynamics of Wikipedia
Thursday, November 22nd, 2007 — 5:30 to 7:00pm
There will be networking from 5 to 5:30pm.
RSVP
Positive RSVPs only please: rsvp@vanue.com
Session abstract
Wikipedia, the encylopedia that anyone can edit, “can never work in theory, only in practice.” Accounting for one in every 200 page views on the Internet, it has become a part of our everyday lives. Wikipedia is changing the way we think about the economics of the web, the potential and the pitfalls of engaging the masses, and the role of professional information architects in a world in which content arrives from literally every direction.
In this session, we’ll explore the nuts-and-bolts of how the Wikipedia project works. Who writes Wikipedia, and why? How does the English Wikipedia maintain quality, consistent tagging, and coherent organization across over two million articles? What happens when contributors disagree? We will take a tour behind the scenes at Wikipedia to learn what happens when users are encouraged to - as they say on Wikipedia… “be bold.”
About our speaker
Su-Laine Yeo has worked in the software development industry since 1996 as an interaction designer, usability specialist, technical communicator, and software trainer. She is currently an Interaction Design Specialist at JustSystems, where she is responsible for analyzing user requirements and continually improving the usability of the XMetaL product family. Su-Laine has presented at the WritersUA and the Content Management Strategies conferences on DITA, an emerging XML standard. For about a year and a half, she has also been spending too much time on her hobby of writing for Wikipedia.
Location: VFS (Vancouver Film School)
The VFS Digital Design campus is located at 420 Homer Street between Pender and W. Hastings. Enter through the side door on the east side of Homer Street. The event will take place in Theatre 1 accessible from the main foyer.
Our Sponsors
Location Sponsor: VFS
A huge thank you to VFS for hosting us for another year. VFS has been supported VanUE since our inception and we would like to thank them for their generosity!
Sponsor: Adaptive Path
Adaptive Path will be bringing their UX intensive to Vancouver in November. This intermediate-to-advanced workshop series examines the four key elements that contribute to a successful interactive experience: Design Strategy, Design Research, Interaction Design and Information Architecture. Workshops are led by Adaptive Path’s team of experts, including: Dan Saffer,
Chiara Fox, Brandon Schauer and Todd Wilkens.