Wikipedia:WikiProject National Register of Historic Places/Organizing the 2016 photo event

This page is intended to help start the process of organizing a 2016 photo event, similar to the U.S. subset of the Wiki Loves Monuments and the Summer of Monuments from past years. Based on the discussions from the project talk page, the intent is to encourage the uploading of non-illustrated NRHP sites, while discouraging activity with already illustrated sites. This is to conserve volunteer resources in reviewing and placing uploads, and to focus attention on the non-illustrated sites.

Volunteers

If we don't get a sufficient level of interest, we won't pursue this, no harm, no foul. If you can't commit in either of the sections below, but still want to help in the definition phase, please do. We'll talk about post-event activities as we move forward.

Requests for Organizers

Please add your id below if you are willing to contribute to the effort to define and organize the event.

• Generic1139 (talk · contribs)
• Smallbones (talk · contribs)

Requests for volunteers to run the event

Please add your id below if you are willing to commit to five to ten hours a week during the month of September, 2016, and probably a week or two before as well. This would include, at least, handling the increased level of adding photos to lists and articles, answering questions, giving feedback to participants so they aren't tossing photos into a black hole, and screening photos to get the shortlist that goes to the jury. Commit, of course, is understood to be intent, as modulated by real life, and the 11 month lead time.

• Generic1139 (talk · contribs)
• Smallbones (talk · contribs)
• McGhiever (talk · contribs)

If we don't get a sufficient level of interest, we won't pursue this, no harm, no foul. If you can't commit in either of the categories above, but still want to help in the definition phase, you are welcome to do so.

Goals

This first step is to define our goals for this event. Priming the pump:

• Attract new photographers
• Get photos of non-illustrated sites
• Attract new/existing editors to the project

Elements to consider in the event planning

(Initial list from Smallbones and others on the project talk page)

• making sure we have a system set up to help new photographers so that we can avoid all the frustrations that they can have, and so that they will stay and submit more photos later. (I think we've been fairly weak on this in earlier WLMs)
• placing the pix in both the lists and in articles (we've been great in doing this so far!)
• coordinating with the international WLM, if we want to get the benefits of working with them (e.g. the banner)
• setting up a jury to judge the final 300 or so pix (I don't think this has been a problem)
• pre-screening for photos that go to the jury (this might be the most time consuming part)
• setting up on off-Wiki website where we can blog and try to motivate photographers, thank any sponsors
• coming up with $ for prizes
• writing introductory material on "How to find NRHP sites" and "How to get better photos"
• finding an easy way to focus on non-illustrated sites and politely say "Sorry, but we really don't need more pix of the Washington Monument or the Statue of Liberty."

Deliverables

At the completion of the organizing phase, we should be able to present a plan of action, and a list of near-term actions such as early coordination with other groups, coordinating with script writers and bot wranglers for any ease-of-use changes we'd like to see, the upload campaign, etc. We'd have a plan to start thinking about public-facing activities such as an event page, and contest announcements in non-wikipedia locations.