I came to this epiphany with the help of Sue Gardner, the Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation and advocate to shrink the gender gap in Wikipedia. Sue had mentioned the importance of events, and how women can encourage other women to participate. She also mentioned the theory of how women need an invitation to participate. I’m not one to support blanket statements, but, I found myself thinking about my own path as a Wikipedian, as someone who usually identifies as a female, and realized that I needed an invitation.

Lori Phillips, Wikipedian in Residence at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, did just that for me. She invited me to join the cultural partnerships list for Wikipedians, a list for those involved in the GLAMWIKI movement. I knew the list existed, but, I didn’t think my work mattered…it did. Then came Katie Filbert, who was the primary planner behind the Wikipedia 10 event at the National Archives in January. I was introduced to Katie via email and she encouraged me to participate, and I did, presenting about WikiProject Public Art at my first Wikipedia event.

These two events changed my little Wiki-life. I felt that my work was validated, that people cared, and I was not just a name - I was a face, a figure, and a movement in myself amongst a movement to share knowledge for free with the world. And there were also a lot more nice people than there were rude geeks. Good geeks abounded.

So, you want to know one way we can get more volunteers? Invite someone to participate.