Wikipedia:Meetup/South Florida/2013

The 2013 South Florida Great American Wiknic will be held near the Pompano Beach Pier located in Pompano Beach, Florida. The "wiknic," a portmanteau of "wiki" and "picnic," is an opportunity for casual discussion and networking among wikimedians, free culture enthusiasts, and anyone else interested in developing and increasing access to free knowledge. Similar events will be held concurrently throughout the United States. This wiknic appears to be one of the first wiki events in the South Florida region, so come!

Where & When?

There are various picnic-esque areas adjacent to Pompano Beach (the beach, not the town) that have lush, medium-short trimmed grass similar to golf putting greens. The designated meeting point is about a half-block south (which is right as you face the beach) of the Pompano Beach Fishing Pier / Pier Concession and children's playground, specifically:

50 North Pompano Beach Boulevard
Pompano Beach, Florida, USA
[1]

Saturday, 22-June-2013 at noon-ish.
It's a casual event, so stay and converse!

User:GChriss is 5'9", has short brown hair, and will be wearing a light-pink, short-sleeve polo shirt with dark-blue baseball cap. I'll print a small 8.5x11 Wiknic sign too.

User:Jwboone is 5'10", has short brown hair, and looks kind of like a mixture of Josh Hartnett and Jason Bateman. He'll probably be wearing khaki shorts and a button-down shirt.

User:domiter is 5'11, (older man) has short brown hair, and will be wearing a light blue T-short tan shorts, a tan beach hat..

Pavilion Bonus

The City of Pompano Beach accepts pavilion reservation requests. No reservation currently exists but in the event of light rain, excellent weather (with a crowded beach), or significant picnic turnout a pavilion would be nice. Reservations are subject to availability and cost $125 USD for the day (non-resident rate).

Florida Weather & Raindate

Light Rain

As of 21-June (Fri) the National Weather Service is predicting "Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms. High 88F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%." which is typical weather for the Miami area ("light rain"). In the event of a continuous downpour we'll try to relocate to a dry, indoors location but without objections we'll just forge ahead without a designated raindate.

Hurricanes

Well, this is Florida, so one never knows...though there will be prior warning.
As of 17-June no hurricanes are forecast by the National Weather Service. Future wiknics may be postponed in the event of a tropical storm or tornado watch/warning.

Transit

Pompano Beach was chosen as a location readily accessible from Miami with 'reasonable' driving times from Tampa and Orlando. Additionally, Pompano Beach is a 20-minute drive from Fort Lauderdale.

Parking

At least two surface parking lots service the Pompano Beach Pier area, in addition to metered street parking (12 min. = 25¢ or $1.25/hr., quarters only). Surface parking lots are $1.25/hour, enforced 24/7, change and Visa/Mastercard cards accepted.

Food

Please bring food! (Open to ideas and requests.)

GChriss

Maybe sandwiches (special requests?)
Seedless watermelon
Ice/plastic utensils/paper plates

Domiter

Tabbouleh
Cups
Club Soda
Strawberries

Boone

Beer
Triscuits and chips
Soda
Sriracha peas

What to Bring

Food, such as any of the dishes on Wikibooks' cookbook. Consider bringing enough to share!
Friends
An identifying marker such as the Wikipedia or Wiknic logo.
High-SPF sunscreen, although shady areas are provided.
Picnic tables are provided but maybe a beach towel or picnic blanket (optional)

Please note that alcoholic beverages and pets are not permitted. Pompano Beach does not appear to have municipal WiFi coverage so BYOI (bring your own internet) if needed.

Who?

Who should come? You should. Really.

If you are interested in Wikipedia or other Wikimedia projects, regardless of your level of experience or involvement, or if you are otherwise involved with free content you are invited and welcome. Please post any questions about this event on the talk page.

Attendees

Feedback

General discussion

Discussion topics:

Introductions
Explanation of the benefits of registering a user name and anonymity
Incorporation of video in Wikipedia and corresponding discussions (i.e., media literacy, ease-of-editing, and neutrality requirements)
Introduction to the Internet Archive, book scanning, and Wayback Machine
Editor collaboration tools (e.g., IRC, in-person communication)
Assignment of Wikipedia in the classroom (see: Jimmy Wales Keynote, NY Wikiconference 25-July-2009]
History of wikitext syntax, introduction to templates, and ongoing work on WYSIWYG editing
Future (enthusiastic) discussion on future Miami-based edit-a-thons hosted by Florida Atlantic University

Worked well

The location itself was seen as favorable: noise levels, surrounding activity, and shade were all within reason. Warm weather in the 90's -- the beachfront was full of people but not overly crowded. Plenty of food, too.
Pompano beach was a good starting point – generally accessible, but Ft. Lauderdale may be better for indoor meetups due to closer proximity to Miami.

Needs improvement

Some attendees expected to see large banners/yard signs – needed in large public places.
Picnic blankets were in short supply