File:Wikimania 2024 - Istanbul - Day 1 - Bringing a fork to the the dronefight- encyclongs of the Russian Wikipedia.webm

English: “Forking” - creating a copy of the existing content - is one of the fundamental features of the open-source movement. Russian Wikipedia has spawned numerous forks called “encyclongs” - after early copying that automatically replaced “wiki” with “encylo”. The “encyclongs” usually lack NPOV and promote a particular, usually right-wing POV, have a dedicated if the small community and usually devolve into a dictatorship. Finally, the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war led to the creation of the two forks by long-term wikimedians, wulfson and DrBug. This session will discuss the current state of the Russian Wikipedia encyclongs.

A presentation followed by a discussion in English, Russian and Ukraininan.

A session about the forks of Russian Wikipedia will aim to achieve several objectives, including: Understanding History: Explore the historical context and reasons behind the creation of various forks in Russian Wikipedia. This would involve tracing the timeline of events leading to the forks and understanding their ideological, political, or cultural motivations.

Comparison and Contrast: Analyse the similarities and differences between the original Russian Wikipedia and its forks. This would involve examining content policies, editorial guidelines, community dynamics, and user demographics.

Impact on Knowledge Dissemination: Assess the impact of the forks on knowledge dissemination and accessibility in Russian-speaking communities. This could involve examining factors such as readership, editor engagement, and the availability of information on different platforms.

Community Dynamics: Explore the community dynamics within each fork, including governance structures, decision-making processes, and dispute-resolution mechanisms. This could provide insights into the strengths and weaknesses of different organizational models.

Future Directions: Consider the prospects and challenges facing the Russian Wikipedia.

This could involve discussing potential strategies for collaboration, reconciliation, or integration between different branches and the evolving role of Wikipedia in the digital age.

Overall, the session could serve as an opportunity for participants to deepen their understanding of the complex dynamics surrounding Russian Wikipedia forks and explore ways to promote knowledge sharing and collaboration within the Russian-speaking community.