“The Hoxne Challenge” How quickly can Wikipedians produce a top quality article if given access to the world's best resources?

Yes, Hoxne Hoard became a Featured Article, and a very fine one, but it took a while longer than a week! This remains one of the most successful editathons ever, and was a lot of fun. Thanks to all participants, on the day or later, and to the British Museum and all their staff who contributed!

As of May 2013, there is a Featured Article in the French Wikipedia, effectively a translation of this, and another long translation in Italian, as well much shorter versions in Arabic, Persian, Danish and Simple English.

Friday, June 25th, 2010

• Online participants - editing from 2pm London Time (1300 UTC, 0900 New York), meeting at the article talkpage - Talk:Hoxne hoard

of course, you're very welcome to start editing and leaving questions for the experts on the talkpage before then!

• On-Site participants - meeting at Midday London time

Meeting point at the British Museum great court information desk. See the Museum's getting here" instructions for transport information.

This is a high importance article, with high popular awareness and copious published sources and readily available experts at the BM, but it is of very low quality on Wikipedia (see also WP:GLAM/BM#Qualitative). Nevertheless, the article was one of the highest individual referral articles to the British Museum website last month.

The complete hoard is held at the British Museum and most of the scholarly resources about it were produced by museum staff. It has featured in both the Our Top Ten Treasures and A History of the World in 100 Objects ^{(item 40)} series.

• The objects themselves summary and notable hoard items
• The experts (see list below)
• Wikipedians:
  • A crack squad of 10 Feature Article writing Wikipedians (see list below)
  • Editors from around the globe ( sign up below)
• Access to all documentation for use as references
• Public gallery tour of the collection and private showing of items not on display
• A large meeting room with WiFi, projector, whiteboard, Coffee/Tea...
• Lunch in the staff cafeteria (sponsored by Wikimedia UK)

British Museum experts attending on the day and ready to receive questions online:

• Richard Hobbs - Curator of the Hoxne Hoard [1]
• Jonathan Williams - Keeper (director) of the Department of Prehistory and Europe [2]
• Roger Bland - Head of portable antiquities and treasures [3]
• David Prudames - Senior content commissioner, able to modify the BM website on the day
• Ben Roberts - Curator, European Bronze Age and one of the tour leaders on the Backstage Pass [4]
• Roberta Tomber - Visiting fellow, Department of Conservation and Scientific Research [5]
• Catherine Johns - Author of the museum's catalogue
• Matthew Cock - Head of the Web department
• Richard Abdy - Curator of Roman Coins [6]
• Sam Moorhead - Finds Adviser for Iron Age and Roman coins [7]
• Ian Leins - Curator of Iron age and Roman coins [8]

Participating Wikipedians on-site (Bring your own laptop):

1. Johnbod
2. Victuallers
3. Prioryman (from about 14:00)
4. Fæ
5. Ϣere SpielChequers
6. The Land Am free to attend. However, I lack a laptop. Is anyone able to help with this at all... ?
7. More than likely. Ceoil ( talk) 20:21, 18 June 2010 (UTC) reply
8. Charles Matthews ( talk) 10:10, 22 June 2010 (UTC) reply

more announced soon...

Participating Wikipedians online:

Sign up here

• Awadewit I don't have time to do in-depth research this summer, but I can help guide the FA-writing process, review the article at various stages, and copyedit.
• SlimVirgin Tentatively, if I can gain access to suitable references; if not I'll be confined to copy editing.
• Casliber ( talk · contribs) - I can try and chip in with some copyediting. Casliber ( talk · contribs) 20:45, 17 June 2010 (UTC) reply
• PKM ( talk) ( contribs) Focusing on historical context, formatting, references; starting now as I am traveling during the event
• Willow - I'll do my best :)
• 83d40m - I can devote some time to it also, remotely, but have some time conflicts during the proscribed work schedule. Presume we will be shown the ropes while working on it.
• Serendipodous - I'm not sure if I have time, and since I am unfamiliar with the topic I don't know how much use I would be, but I'll see how I do.
• BabelStone - I won't be free until about midnight on Friday, so have started to do some editing already, focussing on the discovery and relationship with other hoards.
• More than likely. Reoving myself from attandance, unfortunatly, due to work committments. Will try and help remotely. Apologies for this at last notice. Ceoil ( talk) 20:21, 18 June 2010 (UTC) reply

For those participating online:
Work on the article has already begun! But the onsite event will begin at 14.00 London time (13.00 UTC, 09.00 New York, 23.00 Sydney) on Friday 25th where you can join in for real-time collaboration.

For those attending on-site:

-- ask your questions here---

1. Photography - will we able to take photos? will we be able to request specific items to photograph? e.g. if I said "I'd like to take a photograph of the two Constantine III siliquae and a handful of clipped coins to illustrate how the hoard was dated?" is that likely to happen? The Land ( talk) 21:12, 17 June 2010 (UTC) reply

You can take photos in the galleries of what's on display as per usual but we won't be able to take those things off display for the purposes of the day. No doubt we'll be allowed to take photos in the non-public part of the tour too. Witty Lama 21:39, 17 June 2010 (UTC) reply