Monmouthpedia

Last updated

Monmouthpedia
Monmouthpedia logo.svg
The project's logo, stylised to look like the Wikipedia wordmark
Available inMultilingual [1]
Created by
  • John Cummings
  • Roger Bamkin
URL en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:GLAM/MonmouthpediA
CommercialNo
Launched19 May 2012;11 years ago (2012-05-19)
Content license
 Creative Commons Attribution/
Share-Alike 3.0
Introductory video to the project (in English, with French subtitles)

Monmouthpedia (styled as MonmouthpediA) is a collaborative project linking the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia and the town of Monmouth in Wales. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

The project uses QRpedia QR codes to provide multilingual smart phone access to Wikipedia articles covering notable subjects in Monmouth, such as places, people, artefacts, flora and fauna. [5] It was formally launched on 19 May 2012, and led to Monmouth being described as the "world's first Wikipedia town", "world's first Wikitown project". [6] [7] [8] The project was awarded the "Excellence in Marketing" award at the Monmouthshire Business Awards.

Inception

The idea of Monmouthpedia was conceived in late 2011 by John Cummings, a resident of Monmouth. Cummings attended a TEDx event in Bristol which discussed the QRpedia project in use at Derby Museum and Art Gallery. [9] Cummings founded the project with chair of Wikimedia UK, Roger Bamkin, who co-founded QRpedia. The project was subsequently supported by Monmouthshire County Council, and the council-owned Shire Hall later announced plans to instate a Wikipedian-in-Residence and introduce sessions to help visitors with contributions to the project. [9] [10]

Monmouthpedia's initial goal was to have 1,000 QR codes by April 2012, with each article having a corresponding ceramic plaque emblazoned with a code. [11] [12] By May, the project's home page reported 712 new and improved articles in 25 different languages. For non-English speakers, where available, articles in other languages are automatically displayed in the language of the user on the basis of the phone's language configuration. At project launch, some 500 articles in other languages were available thanks to the collaboration of editors abroad. [13] [14] In addition to this, the project covers over 250 pre-existing entries on Monmouth-related topics. In the same period, over 1,000 photographs were uploaded.[ citation needed ]

One of the issues that Monmouth faced in making the project a success was that there was poor 3G mobile coverage. To help with this, wireless (Wi-Fi) broadband was provided by local ISP Spectrum Internet in the high street and at most QR code plaque locations. [15]

Monmouth Library has become the first library in the world to add QR codes to books. Users with smart phones can now instantly find Wikipedia articles on the book and its author. Priority has been given to local literature and Welsh titles but more recent acquisitions on the Queen's Jubilee and the Olympics have also been QR coded. [16]

Reception

Glyn Moody, writing for Techdirt, questioned whether Monmouthpedia was the future of Wikipedia. [17] He described the project as creating "a kind of fractal Wikipedia" likening it to the 2010 film Inception , potentially enabling "[a] Wikipedia within a Wikipedia within a Wikipedia." [17] Within days of the launch, the initiative had led to widespread interest. A spokesman for Wikimedia UK reported that the project page had been viewed 10,000 times. They also reported there had been inquiries from towns in Norway, England, France, Scotland, and the US state of Texas. One test of success will however be the project's ability to attract more tourists to the town. [18] The initiative soon attracted interest from Gibraltar where the Gibraltarpedia project was launched on 13 July. [19]

Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of Wikipedia, was enthusiastic about the initiative: "Bringing a whole town to life on Wikipedia is something new and is a testament to the forward-thinking people of Monmouth, all of the volunteers and the Wikimedia UK team. I'm looking forward to seeing other towns and cities doing the same thing." [20] [21]

Monmouthshire County Council announced in July 2012 that it was planning to extend the initiative to other parts of the authority's area, starting with Chepstow and Raglan. [22] A new post, with the aim of delivering Monmouthshirepedia (sic), was advertised by the council in November 2012. [23]

Monmouthpedia was awarded the "Excellence in Marketing" award at the Monmouthshire Business Awards in October 2012. [24] Wynndel Property Management, developers of new housing at "Severn Quay" in Chepstow and sponsor of the award, praised Monmouthpedia on their website, noting that "Advertising value for Monmouth alone has been estimated at £2.12 million", and predicting that "Chepstow property, together with new developments in Chepstow and new developments in Monmouthshire, will also benefit" when a similar project starts for Chepstow. [25] [26]

Wikimedia UK governance

On 7 February 2013, Monmouthpedia was cited as one of the conflicts of interest that prompted a governance review of Wikimedia UK (WMUK). The report found that WMUK was ineffective at handling such conflicts, and found that Roger Bamkin's acceptance of consultancy fees for Monmouthpedia provided an opportunity for WMUK's reputation to be damaged. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monmouth</span> Town in Monmouthshire, Wales

Monmouth is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, two miles from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8,877 in 2001. Monmouth was the county town of historic Monmouthshire, although Abergavenny is the largest settlement and Monmouthshire County Council has its main offices at Rhadyr, just outside Usk. Monmouth is in the Monmouth UK Parliament and Senedd constituencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chepstow</span> Town in Monmouthshire, Wales

Chepstow is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about 2 miles (3 km) above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western end of the Severn Bridge. It is the easternmost settlement in Wales, situated 16 miles (26 km) east of Newport, 28 miles (45 km) east-northeast of Cardiff, 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Bristol and 110 miles (180 km) west of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monmouthshire</span> County in Wales

Monmouthshire is a county in the south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the south, and Torfaen, Newport and Blaenau Gwent to the west. The largest town is Abergavenny, and the administrative centre is Usk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monmouthshire (historic)</span> Historic county in Wales

Until 1974, Monmouthshire, also formerly known as the County of Monmouth, was an administrative county in the south-east of Wales, on the border with England, and later classed as one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales. Its area now corresponds approximately to the present principal areas of Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Newport and Torfaen, and those parts of Caerphilly and Cardiff east of the Rhymney River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monmouth (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918 onwards

Monmouth is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The seat was created for the 1918 general election. Since 2005 the Member of Parliament (MP) has been David Davies of the Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">District of Monmouth</span> Former district of Gwent, Wales

Monmouth District was one of five local government districts in the county of Gwent in Wales between 1974 and 1996. In 1988 the district was granted a charter conferring borough status, becoming the Borough of Monmouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monmouthshire County Council</span> Local government of Monmouthshire, Wales

Monmouthshire County Council is the governing body for the Monmouthshire principal area – one of the unitary authorities of Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A466 road</span> Road in England and Wales

The A466, also known as the Wye Valley Road, is a road from Hereford, England to Chepstow, Wales via Monmouth, Tintern and the Wye Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wikimedia UK</span> UK charity and chapter of the Wikimedia movement

Wikimedia UK (WMUK), also known as Wikimedia United Kingdom, is a registered charity established to support volunteers in the United Kingdom who work on Wikimedia projects such as Wikipedia. As such, it is a Wikimedia chapter approved by the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF), which owns and hosts those projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulwark, Chepstow</span> Human settlement in Wales

Bulwark is a predominantly residential area of Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales, largely developed during the twentieth century. The area is so named because of its Iron Age fort, which is now maintained as a public open space. Substantial development in the area began during the First World War, with housing being provided for the military and civilian workforce brought to the area for the National Shipyard no.1 at Chepstow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">QRpedia</span> QR codes linking to Wikipedia articles

QRpedia is a mobile Web-based system which uses QR codes to deliver Wikipedia articles to users, in their preferred language. A typical use is on museum labels, linking to Wikipedia articles about the exhibited object. QR codes can easily be generated to link directly to any Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), but the QRpedia system adds further functionality. It is owned and operated by a subsidiary of Wikimedia UK (WMUK).

The Monmouth Heritage Trail is a walking route which connects various sights in the town of Monmouth, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rolls Hall, Monmouth</span> Building in Monmouth, Wales

The Rolls Hall, Whitecross Street, Monmouth, Monmouthshire is a Victorian hall, now public library, donated to the town in celebration of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee by John Rolls, the future Lord Llangattock. It is a Grade II listed building as of 8 October 2005, and is one of 24 buildings on the Monmouth Heritage Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Wye Bridge, Chepstow</span> Bridge in Tutshill, Gloucestershire

The Old Wye Bridge or Town Bridge at Chepstow, also known historically as Chepstow Bridge, crosses the River Wye between Monmouthshire in Wales and Gloucestershire in England, close to Chepstow Castle. Although there had been earlier wooden bridges on the site since Norman times, the current road bridge was constructed of cast iron in 1816 during the Regency period, by John Rastrick of Bridgnorth, who greatly modified earlier plans by John Rennie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monmouthshire Libraries</span>

Monmouthshire Libraries are a collection of six libraries in Monmouthshire, Wales owned by Monmouthshire County Council. The libraries are located in Abergavenny, Gilwern, Monmouth, Usk, Caldicot and Chepstow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punch House, Monmouth</span> Public House in Monmouth, Wales

The Punch House is a public house and hotel located at Agincourt Square, Monmouth, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibraltarpedia</span> Project by the Government of Gibraltar

Gibraltarpedia is a project by the Government of Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, to improve coverage of Gibraltar-related topics on Wikipedia. It builds on Monmouthpedia, an earlier project along similar lines linking Wikipedia and the town of Monmouth in South Wales. The Gibraltarpedia project was announced in July 2012 by the Government of Gibraltar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freopedia</span> Wikitown project in Fremantle, Western Australia

Freopedia began as a project to install QRpedia codes at sites around Fremantle, Western Australia to link people to articles on Wikipedia. It has since evolved into a WikiTown project aiming to build comprehensive coverage of Fremantle on Wikipedia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarapedia</span>

Amarapedia is a collaborative project linking the quarter of Amara in Donostia-San Sebastián and the on-line encyclopaedia Wikipedia, which is focused on the facilities of local information system, covering subjects such as places, buildings, facilities, and streets. Amarapedia is inspired by the Welsh experience of Monmouthpedia and it was a pilot project for future larger-scale projects that took place in the city of Donostia-San Sebastián in 2016, when the city was the European Capital of Culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Fox (Welsh politician)</span> British Conservative politician

Peter Alan Fox OBE is a British Conservative politician who is the Shadow Minister for Finance in the Senedd. Fox was Leader of Monmouthshire County Council from 2008 until May 2021, when he was elected as a Member of the Senedd (MS) for the Monmouth constituency.

References

  1. ↑ Sawyers, Paul (30 December 2011). "Monmouthpedia: Wikipedia's new project covering life in the Welsh town of Monmouth". The Next Web. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  2. ↑ "Wikipedia project to cover life in Monmouth". BBC. 30 December 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  3. ↑ Clayton, Nick (17 May 2012). "World's First Wikipedia Town Launches". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  4. ↑ "World's First Wikipedia Town to Go Live". ABC News. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  5. ↑ "MonmouthpediA – The World's First Wikipedia Town". Monmouthshire County Council . Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  6. ↑ "Monmouth to be Wales' first WiFi town". monmouth-today.co.uk. 29 February 2012. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  7. ↑ "Welsh town of Monmouth gets Wikipedia treatment". Computer Active. 26 January 2012. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  8. ↑ "Monmouth to be first Wiki-town". cinderford-today.co.uk. 18 January 2012. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  9. 1 2 "Monmouth becomes the world's first Wikipedia town". Monmouthshire County Council. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  10. ↑ "Monmouthpedia: Wikipedia's very own QR-coated Welsh town (video)". Engadget. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  11. ↑ Morris, Steven (26 January 2012). "Wikipedia puts Monmouth on frontier of a new kind of local history". The Guardian . Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  12. ↑ Souppouris, Aaron (17 May 2012). "Monmouth in Wales becomes the world's first 'Wikipedia town'". The Verge. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  13. ↑ "Monmouthpedia : la ville Wikipédia", GNT, 18 May 2012. (in French) Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  14. ↑ "Monmouth to be world's first 'Wikipedia town'". The Telegraph. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  15. ↑ "Public Wifi – Spectrum Internet". spectruminternet.com. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  16. ↑ "Monmouth Library First in the World", Monmouthshire Libraries, 21 May 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  17. 1 2 Moody, Glyn (5 January 2012). "Is Monmouthpedia The Future of Wikipedia?". Techdirt . Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  18. ↑ Erika Morphy, "Tiny Welsh Burg Paints the Town Wiki", TechNewsWorld, 21 May 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  19. ↑ "Gibraltarpedia" Archived 10 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine , Vox. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  20. ↑ Timon Singh, "Monmouth: The World's First Wikipedia Town Launches In Wales" Archived 9 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine , Inhabitat, 22 May 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  21. ↑ Cassandra Vinograd (17 May 2012). "World's first Wikipedia town to launch in Wales". The Washington Times.
  22. ↑ Melissa Jones, "Monmouthpedia could bring Wikipedia effect to Chepstow", South Wales Argus, 23 July 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  23. ↑ Monmouthshire County Council, Digital Communities Coordinator job description [ permanent dead link ]. Retrieved 13 November 2012
  24. ↑ "'Brilliant' Monmouthshire businesses praised". Free Press. 10 October 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  25. ↑ "Is Chepstow is next 'Wikipedia town'?". severnquay.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 October 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  26. ↑ "Business Award Categories". Monmouthshire Business Awards. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  27. ↑ Wikimedia UK review. Civilsociety.co.uk.
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