Wikipedia:Meetup/London 1
We had been talking about a London meetup anyway, and Jimbo Wales trip might be a good catalyst.
Wikipedians who might be in the area and interested? (starting the list randomly)
- Angela
- ChrisO
- G-Man
- James F. (talk)
- Martin
- Morwen
- Oliver P.
- Pete/Pcb21
- rbrwrˆ
- sannse (talk)
- Secretlondon
- theresa knott
- Timwi
- Warofdreams
Comments, ideas
I started this comments section without having a clue what Jimbo's schedule is, so refactoring may be required. Pete/Pcb21 (talk). <- Hadn't read Jimbo's user page!
- Presumably it will be simply a social occasion? Any ideas for a location?
- To maximize the chances of people around the country being able to attend, and given the notorious fickleness of the British railway system at weekends, I recommend an afternoon start. (Morning people can't get there in time, Evening it is last train home time very early for many places)
- Minimizing the average distance to major train stations, I unilaterally propose 3pm at Piccadilly Circus. There is very wide mix of price and style bars/pubs very nearby (although inevitably London will seem outrageously expensive to non-locals) including Cafe Royal, Tiger Tiger, The Cheers Bar (had to throw that one in... Jimbo may be homesick by the Saturday) through to Wetherspoons. If the weather is good, Jimbo's proposal of a picnic would be possible in Green Park. Pete/Pcb21 (talk) 20:50, 6 Apr 2004 (UTC)
I'm travelling with my wife and little girl, so afternoon stuff is best for us. Kira (3 years old) is the most sociable of us, too, ha ha. [...] it sounds great. 3PM Picadilly, very good Jimbo Wales 03:28, 7 Apr 2004 (UTC)
- There could be a Wikipedia-based quiz or two. Perhaps one on general knowledge gleaned from Wikipedia articles, and another on Wikipedians? Martin 14:16, 12 Apr 2004 (UTC)
- 250,000 articles is a lot of general knowledge... but I like the idea... are you volunteering to be Magnus Magnusson and gather some questions? Pete/Pcb21 (talk) 22:09, 14 Apr 2004 (UTC)
- P.S. I restored Jimbo's basic approval for the above as it got lost in the date correction tidy up. However I would re-iterate that I am sure more ideas are welcome from newcomers to the page! Pete/Pcb21 (talk) 22:09, 14 Apr 2004 (UTC)
Should we have a plan?
If only 3-4 people were going to show up, we could just meet somewhere and hang out. But if it looks like more people are coming, perhaps we need a more specific plan, like reservations in a room/pub/restaurant? Perhaps SecretLondon can take us all to some mysterious abandond bomb shelters. :-)
Here's an absolutely astounding fact that might be hard to even imagine -- after more than 3 years of doing this, and nearly 2 years of Nupedia before that -- this meeting in London will be the very first time that I've ever met any Nupedians/Wikipedians in person!
Larry Sanger doesn't count, obviously, because I knew him before Wikipedia/Nupedia. Michael Hardy doesn't count, because I knew him before Wikipedia/Nupedia. In terms of purely meeting people who I know only from Wikipedia, this is the first.
Wild, isn't it?
Jimbo Wales 19:18, 15 Apr 2004 (UTC)
- We should probably arrange to meet in a pub and to stay there for some time, so people can arrive early or late and its no big deal. My experience of internet meetups suggests booking anything will be tricky as the number of people on the list may bear no resemblance to the number of people who actually turn up. Morwen 19:23, Apr 15, 2004 (UTC)
- The other logistical question is how do we recognise each other? Phoning each other up and asking what table we are at doesn't really scale... Morwen 19:27, Apr 15, 2004 (UTC)
- We need to consider Jimbo's daughter if we are meeting in a pub. As for recognising each other - I did consider bringing my Wikipedia canvas bag, but maybe that would just be too sad ;) Maybe once we have decided a venue the best way to recognise each other will be easier work out. -- sannse (talk) 20:08, 15 Apr 2004 (UTC)