A wiki ambassador is anyone who acts as an organizer of online Wikimedia projects between the Wikimedia community and any group or organization off-wiki. Whereas most Wikimedia contributors have conversations about Wikimedia projects in the Wikimedia websites, Wikipedia ambassadors do Wikimedia community outreach off-wiki. This outreach can include supporting students and classes to engage Wikimedia projects, providing wiki training and support to institutions like community centers or nonprofit organizations, or organizing local wiki meetups of any kind for Wikimedia contributors in any region.
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Anyone may call themselves a wiki ambassador and do whatever Wikipedia outreach they like. However, wiki ambassadors are expected to encourage collaboration which follows community guidelines. To promote success and avoid problems, wiki ambassadors are encouraged to seek and maintain affiliations with any existing wiki community group. Having a group affiliation allows for mutual support among on-wiki and off-wiki project stakeholders. Almost every Wikimedia volunteer who does outreach off-wiki has an affiliation with a like-minded wiki community group.
The "ambassador" concept refers to both Wikimedia community members and partners from outside of the wiki-community. A Wikimedia community member may be an ambassador to an off-wiki organization, and a member of an off-wiki organization may be an ambassador to the Wikimedia community for a partnership. In either case, the role described here is the same. There is not an expectation that wiki-community ambassadors would have expertise in the field of an off-wiki partner, and there is not an expectation that an off-wiki partner would need deep understanding of Wikimedia projects before mediating a partnership. A little mutual understanding helps, but this role is intended to minimize pressure and time commitment and maximize the likelihood of having easy, productive collaboration.
Guide to becoming a wiki ambassador
- Identify yourself as a wiki ambassador
- Make a Wikimedia account
- On your account userpage, write a note saying, "I am a wiki ambassador at (location or organization)"
- (recommended but optional) Seek out a Wikimedia organizational affiliation
- Consider having a talk with a Wikimedia movement affiliate. Informally write them and say, "I am doing this project. Can you assist?" They will advise whatever they can do.
- If not a Wikimedia movement affiliate, then consider whether there is an existing group of Wikimedia contributors which might offer support. There are Wikimedia groups in almost every field of information.
- Consider if you need beginner support for contributing to Wikipedia or Wikimedia projects
- The minimal expectation from the community is that wiki ambassadors do not create a problem
- Usually nothing goes wrong by telling any group, "Feel free to go to Wikipedia and do what comes naturally..."
- Understanding Wikipedia:Expectations and norms of the Wikipedia community is helpful
- Wiki ambassadors are expected to attempt to avoid making large online problems. An example problem is telling a large number of people to write content for Wikipedia which cannot be accepted and would be quickly deleted. Please know in advance what kind of contributions are and are not acceptable.
- Consider if you need Wikipedia tools set up before the event
- A common need is assistance setting up an event page.
- Event pages are sign-in and tracking pages for in-person and online Wikipedia events
- It is typical for all Wikipedia events to be paired with an on-wiki event page.
- At in person events the wiki ambassador typically needs Wikipedia:Account creator userrights
- By default, if 6 people make Wikipedia accounts from one IP address (meaning a single, physical location), then Wikipedia shuts off further account creation in that place to prevent vandalism
- This userright gives the ambassador special permission to create more accounts for a group of people
- The person with the userright is responsible for making sure the accounts created are used in good faith
- A common need is assistance setting up an event page.
- Consider whether you want an event report to share after the event
- Event reports typically contain a list of attendees, what they did, and who reads the content contributed
- There are different automated reports to suit different needs
Frequently asked questions
- What is a wiki ambassador?
- What is the major duty of a wiki ambassador?
- When is the wiki ambassador role useful?
- Is "wiki ambassador" a formal title, rank, or affiliation?
- What kind of people become wiki ambassadors?
- Are wiki ambassadors paid?
- What are the benefits of being a wiki ambassador?
- Do wiki ambassadors need to be experienced Wikipedia contributors?
- Do wiki ambassadors get special Wikipedia privileges?
- What is the history of the wiki ambassador program?
Wiki ambassador tool kit
The wiki ambassador is a public figure. May nothing ever go wrong, but in the media and in public view, if something does go wrong it is helpful to already know where to go for support. Wiki ambassadors are recommended to identify themselves to any established Wikimedia community group and follow that group's advice for organizing outreach and events. A common practice is for the wiki ambassador to give advance notice to their affiliate organization as a courtesy to let the organization know that an event is happening. In return, the organization might offer support or a safety net if anything goes wrong.
Find an affiliate at
A wiki ambassador's affiliate organization is best point of contact for deciding how to do Wikimedia outreach. The organizations which do the most outreach have their own developed systems for outreach in their particular field. Getting specific advice from an organization with experience is better than trying to understand online guides. Anyone doing Wikimedia outreach but who does not partner with an affiliate organization is encouraged to make friends on Wikipedia somehow just to have easy access to second opinions and other perspectives when questions arise.
It is not recommended that any wiki ambassador read through outreach guides without first getting advice from an affiliate organization. However, if anyone wishes to read anyway, the guides are called "learning patterns".
Wikipedia does not allow more than 6 people to make user accounts from a single IP address within a time period of a few hours. The workaround is that if the wiki ambassador is designated as an "account creator", then that person can make any number of new Wikipedia accounts.
To get account creator rights, request them at Wikipedia:Account creator and follow instructors of the moderators there.
An event page is an online tool which assists in managing the Wikimedia contributions made from any list of Wikimedia user accounts. The standard event page is an instance of the Outreach Dashboard.
Anyone may set up an event with this tool. The wiki ambassador should provide a link to this event page to all event participants. Event participants should register their Wikimedia usernames on this event page. Following the event, the outreach Dashboard will provide the following and more:
- A list of the Wikipedia accounts of all registered event participants
- A list of all Wikipedia and Wikimedia pages edited
- Over time, a count of the pageviews by the audience who viewed the pages presenting the content submitted
The event page is the primary report for describing with numbers what happened at any event.
Often institutions host Wikipedia events. In such cases, the wiki ambassador may need to make a report back to the institution to help them understand what happened at their event. If an event page was created, then the institution may want want. Many organizations want even more metrics about the impact of Wikipedia in their field of interest. Specialized tools for traffic reporting to Wikimedia projects is available through links at