Press releases/Wikimania comes to Washington DC


 * Wikimania, the global Wikimedia/Wikipedia conference, comes to Washington, DC, July 12-14, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC -- May 30, 2012 -- Wikimania 2012 is coming to Washington, DC, this summer. Wikimania has been, since 2005, the premier annual international gathering of the Wikimedia community, including experts, academics, and enthusiasts whose vision is to empower people around the world through free access to global knowledge. Wikimania has been previously held in Frankfurt, Germany; Boston, United States; Taipei, Taiwan; Alexandria, Egypt; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Gdańsk, Poland; and Haifa, Israel. Expected attendance this year is 1000+ global participants.

On July 12, Wikimania’s opening session will feature Mary Gardiner, co-founder of the Ada Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing participation among women in open technology and culture; and Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, the world’s largest online encyclopedia with over 21 million articles in 285 languages.
 * WIKIMANIA’S OPENING SESSION

The theme this year is “Explore. Engage. Empower.” More than 100 presentations out of 400 global submissions have been selected. Presentations are divided into five categories: Wikis, Collaboration, and the Public Sector; GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, & Museums); Culture & Community; Research, Analysis, and Education; and Technology & Infrastructure. More information is available at www.wikimania2012.org
 * WIKIMANIA PROGRAM

A press conference will take place following the Opening Session on July 12 at the Lisner Auditorium. The Opening Ceremony starts at 9:00 AM. The press conference follows at 11:20 AM. The press conference panel includes Jimmy Wales, Sue Gardner (Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation), Mary Gardiner, and Nicholas Michael Bashour (President of Wikimedia District of Columbia).
 * PRESS CONFERENCE

George Washington University, Foggy Bottom Campus Plenary Sessions: Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st St NW Breakout Sessions: Marvin Center, 800 21st St NW
 * WHERE

Wikimania Hackathon: July 10-11, Conference: July 12-14, Unconference: July 15
 * WHEN

Wikimania 2012 is organized by Wikimedia District of Columbia in partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedia Deutschland. Collaborators for Wikimania 2012 include the US Department of State, Office of eDiplomacy; the Library of Congress; and the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
 * PARTNERS & COLLABORATORS

Wikimania 2012 is sponsored by Google, Ask.com, Wikia, WikiHow, The Saylor Foundation, The Lounsbery Foundation, and the Encyclopedia of Life. Irene Lynch, a 78-year-old great grandmother from New Jersey, is also a sponsor.
 * SPONSORS

Press passes are available. Journalists interested in obtaining Press Credentials should contact presswikimediadc.org.
 * PRESS PASSES


 * About Wikimedia DC

http://wikimediadc.org/

Wikimedia District of Columbia is the official regional chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation in the District, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Delaware. A non-profit educational organization, Wikimedia DC is dedicated to the advancement of general knowledge and the collection, development, and dissemination of educational content under a free license or in the public domain.


 * About the Wikimedia Foundation

http://wikimediafoundation.org

http://blog.wikimedia.org

The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. According to comScore Media Metrix, Wikipedia and the other projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation receive more than 473 million unique visitors per month, making them the fifth-most popular web property world-wide (comScore, April 2012). Available in 282 languages, Wikipedia contains more than 20 million articles contributed by a global volunteer community of more than 100,000 people. Based in San Francisco, California, the Wikimedia Foundation is an audited, 501(c)(3) charity that is funded primarily through donations and grants.


 * Press contact
 * Nicholas Michael Bashour
 * Phone: (313) 377-4589,
 * presswikimediadc.org