Road to 500: When Wikipedia Meets Social Media
Speakers
I have been active in the Wikimedia movement for over a decade, focusing on gender equity and community engagement. I have co-led annual Art+Feminism edit-a-thons in collaboration with cultural institutions and have participated in multiple Wikimanias, both in-person and online. My work includes training new contributors, fostering partnerships with cultural organizations, and advocating for inclusive knowledge production within Wikimedia communities.
Abstract
One evening I opened my contribution counter and realized something that startled me. In nearly a decade of activity, with pauses and bursts, uploads to Commons, community work and expansions, I had written almost 500 full articles. Four hundred and seventy something. Only three deleted. Instead of quietly celebrating, I decided to turn the milestone into a public project. Every day I wrote one new article. When I finished, I filmed myself speaking about it. Sometimes about the subject itself. Sometimes about what people do not understand about Wikipedia. I edited a short video and posted it to TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn under the hashtag Road to 500. This session explores what happens when Wikipedia editing becomes visible. Not marketing. Not institutional outreach. A volunteer showing the process, the discipline, the doubts, and the joy. I will share metrics, unexpected reactions, criticism, and what changed in my own writing once I knew I would explain each article publicly. This is a case study about consistency, transparency, and turning personal contribution into community storytelling.
Additional information
Liberté is reflected in the freedom to contribute, but also in the freedom to speak openly about the process. By documenting my writing journey publicly, I exercised both editorial freedom and freedom of expression about how knowledge is built. Égalité appears in the choice of topics. Across the 500 articles, I consciously included women, overlooked figures, and subjects that tend to receive less attention. Visibility creates accountability. When you explain your choices publicly, you confront your own blind spots. Fiabilité is strengthened through transparency. Showing the research process, the sources, and the editorial discipline builds public trust. Instead of presenting Wikipedia as a finished product, I exposed the work behind it. Reliability grows when people understand how content is created. The project connects personal discipline with public trust in free knowledge.
This session will resonate with: * Editors struggling with consistency * Community builders exploring social media outreache * Affiliates thinking about public perception * Volunteers interested in personal productivity Gender gap activists who want visibility for their work the presentation will include concrete elements: how I structured the daily writing routine, how I chose topics, what platforms worked differently, and how I handled criticism online. I will also address the emotional side. Burnout. Imposter syndrome (article that I wrote BTW!!). The pressure of daily output. Rather than offering a communication strategy from above, I will speak as an individual contributor who turned her editing habit into a visible journey. Participants will leave with practical ideas and a realistic understanding of what it takes to sustain momentum.
Everyone can participate in this session