WikiConference India 2023 successfully organized in Hyderabad, 200 volunteers participated.
WikiConference India 2023 (WCI 2023) has been successfully organized in Hyderabad between 28-30 April. It was a major community gathering of Indian and South Asian contributors to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects, attended by around 200 people. This was the first major meeting of Wikimedia contributors since 2016, with participants from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. WCI 2023 focused on the theme of strengthening partnerships. There was a serious discussion about support systems and cross-learning.
Wikipedia is the world’s largest online encyclopedia and one of the most visited websites. Indian volunteers are very special for this website. Wikipedia is available in 24 languages spoken across India for which these volunteers provide content.
Indian volunteers also contribute to other Wikimedia platforms such as Wikimedia Commons, Wikisource and Wikidata, and help with technology development and improving features on Wikimedia websites. Readers in India visit Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects more than 797 million times a month, the fifth highest number of visits from any country. India is one of the biggest markets for Wikimedia and Wikimedia is constantly trying to increase its users.
Lisa Seitz-Gruell, Deputy CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, said that WikiConference India is an opportunity to celebrate achievements in expanding access to free knowledge to our local communities. The conference also organized panel discussions, workshops, project showcases and learning sessions. The event was organized by IIIT-Hyderabad and Department of Language and Culture, Government of Telangana.
