WikiStage Blog

www.wikistage.org

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Get Creative!

Have you recently encountered a thing called "creative block"? Are you in need of inspiration? Needing that extra something to get you going? WikiStage speakers Petronela Zainuddin and Martin Kupp explain how to recover that much needed spark. Enjoy!

Petronela Zainuddin tells a story on how a little invetion named "Awika" sparked her curiosity.

The "Aha moment" is when everything comes into place - Martin Kupp believes this is the essential component of creativity in individuals.

In another inspiring WikiTalk, Martin Kupp explains how to implement creativity boosting techniques on a group of people.

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Sharing Knowledge Across Borders at WikiStage Lille1

On May 9th, the WikiStage team was near Lille for the first WikiStage event in the North of France. “WikiStage Lille1: Sharing Knowledge Across Borders”

This topic is at the core of the WikiStage mission: we want to share knowledge across geographic borders, but also beyond social and cultural differences. We want to make knowledge free and accessible to everyone.

During this event, I learnt a lot about the future of education, multiculturalism and sharing. I now know everything about MOOCs thanks to Rémi Bachelet and Daniel Hennequin. I was amazed by the polyglot Sushmita Kashyap who convinced me that I should not be afraid to try and talk foreign languages. I got inspired by Frederic Kastner talking about knowledge and culture, and wondering if we are knowledge colonialists.

The musicians were pretty amazing too. We even got to listen to an awesome beatbox demo! I will always remember the time we spent altogether after the show. Some musicians stayed back and we all sang and danced together. There was no better way to end this great afternoon than to share this musical moment with people from the WikiStage team and the audience, and the musicians. Sharing across borders indeed.

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Do you believe in... Europe ?

I feel like the world is going crazy. When I open the newspapers, when I turn on the radio, I read or hear about this absurd plane crash in Ukrania, I try to understand why Israelis and Palestinians are at war. But I can’t. And all this makes me think of the European motto: “United in diversity”. I want to believe in this motto.

At WikiStage Maison de l’Europe de Paris, I realized that many people are like me. We want peace. We want solidarity. We want to build this world together, beyond cultural and social differences. Like Anne Houtman, we’re not “eurobéats” anymore. We have hope but we’re realistic people. We know this is not easy. We’ve seen it once more during the latest European elections with the rise of populism. So if you too want to fight the fears that are threatening our world, have a look at our videos and find back or strengthen your faith in Europe.

After watching them, you might want to contribute through the European media “CaféBabel”. You’ll be amazed by what Europe has already accomplished from your small town (with Babette Nieder) to space (with Michel Tognini). And maybe you will follow the trend and become a European social entrepreneur like Jean-Marc Borello, who knows?

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Like and Share... IRL ?

Did you come to WikiStage Centrale Paris on May 17th? Did you share this sunny parisian afternoon with us?

Eleven fascinating speakers did. They came to answer eleven questions about sharing, giving, and even biohacking. “Are we made to share?” asked Xavier Ristat. “What impact has Open Data on our lives?” for Charles Ruelle. “Is sharing the future of education?” wondered Antoine Amiel.

Speakers, organisers, technicians and spectators met during the breaks to talk about all these themes… and shared (not only the buffet)!

And we finished the day sharing a song with the musicians.

We all came back home full of questions and hopes for a more sharing world.

Do we share well? And… will you share the videos of this event?

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The 'W' of Science : Wonders !

WikiStage ENP Conference : a whole new concept popped up for the first time in Algeria and I had that piece of luck of being part of the organizing team.

March 15. was the fruit of several weeks of preparation. It was about the Wonders of Science. I recall Mr. Zouaghi saying : The"W" of Science is : Wonders !

A bouquet of Scientific rockstars made us say WAAAOOW !

In the world of science, the wanderlust of people was served : it all started with the Big Bang, the original dawn of the human kind achievements. What an impressive beginning of a fascinating journey !

Our Scientists have a different vision of the world. In fact they shared with us some stunning scientific explanations of natural phenomena and modern applications. Let me tell : it's not just about some binary codes, mathematical curves and definitely not about billion years dust... I mean we discovered life in stones... in mathematics, the irregular shapes are no longer a mystery and beyond all of that we were able to sense the limiteless, boundless and powerful brains capacity of perception and puzzle out the world !

We are sensitive to marvels by nature and Curiosity leads us to questions :How to succeed in making your own way ? How to reach your glowing star ? How must we see the world ? Dipping into sciences helps us deduce the footsteps of those who build up the world we're living in, and make our own !

WikiStage ENP, not just any other message ... Young scientist, Young fellow : It's about time to Know more !

Kamila

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Make Knowledge Go Viral : Support WikiStage !

WikiStage needs you to help us build a video library for learning: a global platform to address the world's most interesting questions.

We want you to participate in many ways:

Give a WikiTalk

Organise your own WikiStage Event

Help us to translate the talks

and... support our new crowdfunding campaign!

With your support more WikiStage events can be organised, more WikiTalks can be recorded and more questions can be answered. To thank you for your contribution we’ll offer free tickets, membership, or even a dinner with our team !

So follow the link and contribute to the growth of the new WikiStage online video library!

Our team says thank you !

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Why so... curious ?

At the beginning of every “Batman” story, there is a villain. At WikiStage ESCP Europe, the villain destroyed our scenery with a Christmas tree… True story (but we still love him).

In every “Batman” story, there is a guy dressed-up in a bat costume. At WikiStage ESCP Europe,  we had a speaker dressed in black who gave a fascinating WikiTalk about “thinking differently”. Surely that is a superpower in its own right?

In every “Batman” story, there is a beautiful intelligent young woman each normal guy would wanna go on a date with. We had the beautiful young and intelligent Petronela.

December 8. in Paris, good triumphed over the evils of close-mindedness at ESCP Europe.

Why so curious ? Watch our videos and find out !

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Remember, remember, the 27th of June…

I remember everything ! It was my first time. My first time at the Anticafé. My first WikiStage event. At that time I was only a spectator...

“Answer questions about time in no time (let’s say a few minutes)”, and yes, I liked the idea.I discovered that I could have a beer with Hemingway thanks to X-rays (Jean-Michel Gillet said so.) I now know there has been a moment “0” for the universe, thanks to Etienne Klein. Later on, I got hypnotized by Rimed, who played the guitar and sang along.

How time flies ! Cant’t wait til’ the next WikiStage event !

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Why create a Video Wikipedia?

What is the use of a "collaborative video library?" Why do we need such a platform when Wikipedia already exists in text form? The founder of WikiStage, Johannes Bittel, addresses the question in his 6 minute WikiTalk. (Video in French)

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Where will the next big start up come from?

Most people are expecting the next big start-up to come out of Silicon Valley. But they might just be wrong. There’s a case to be made for start-ups from the arab world.

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Happiness and success: can you have both?

An ever greater number of people are working hard to become successful. We often perceive a trade off between the two. But does it have to be that way?

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Social business - why do it?

There's a growing group of Social Entrepreneurs out there. But what do they actually do? And who are they?

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The 3 kinds of WikiStage Events

Most people have seen WikiTalks that were recorded at a WikiStage Conference in a big hall or theatre with many people. This, however, is only one of the ways that WikiTalks can be produced. There are the classic big WikiStage Conferences, smaller WikiStage Sessions and WikiStage Studios. Organisers can obtain a license for each of these three formats. Spreading vs Recording Talks The reason for these three recording formats is that the purpose of WikiStage is not to spread content from a few to many people - on the contrary, at the origin of WikiStage is the idea to share knowledge from many to many. At WikiStage, we don't primarily focus on spreading existing talks but on finding and recording new ones.

To achieve this democratisation of knowledge, WikiStage Conferences, Sessions and Studios are our way to listen to you and what you have to say.

Whether you are interested to give your own WikiTalk, organise your own WikiStage Event, become sponsor for WikiStage or simply attend a WikiStage, we are confident that one of our three event formats is for you. 1) WikiStage Conferences

The first way to "Celebrate Curiosity" is at a WikiStage Conference. These conferences are typically celebrated in a bigger venue such as a grand hall or a theatre. The first WikiStage Conference, for example, took place in the main lecture hall of a university in Paris with 400 people in the audience. It was a half-day conference that started after lunch and included two coffee breaks and a cocktail in the evening. In contrast to a WikiStage Session, WikiStage Conferences are always stand-alone conferences and can not be simply a part of the program of another conference.

2) WikiStage Sessions: the smaller events

In short, WikiStage Sessions are smaller WikiStage Events. Sometimes, it doesn't need to be the big venue and a full-day conference. For those who prefer a smaller and often less formal location, a WikiStage Session is the right format.

WikiStage Sessions are typically shorter: The first WikiStage Session was organised in a Café in Paris and took about 2 hours.

The Session was an evening event that started after work and welcomed about 60 people. In contrast to a WikiStage Conference, a WikiStage Session can also be organised as part of an existing conference. Contact us if you would like to add a WikiStage Session to your event. We decided to add the appendix "Session" to all events with this format to quickly communicate the type of your event to your audience.

3) WikiStage Studios: professional recording of WikiTalks

The third way to produce your WikiTalk is in a video recording studio. It works, when somebody with access to a video recording studio or professional camera equipment obtains a WikiStage Studio license.

The organiser of a WikiStage Studio could, for example, be a university that aims to share the knowledge of its lecturers, students and professors through WikiTalks.

Generally, a WikiStage Studio organiser can be any person or organisation that disposes over the technical equipment and the drive to enrich the WikiStage video library with quality content.

The WikiStage Studio is attractive because organising an event takes time and the number of speakers is limited by the event's duration. We do, however, recommend that you invite a small audience to your studio event as well - even if it is just 5 or 10 people. WikiTalks are often better and more human if the speaker doesn't just talk into a camera, but to an audience.

For those who want to record more WikiTalks - and do it professionally, the WikiStage Studio is the right format. If you are ready to give your own WikiTalk in our WikiStage Studio in Paris, apply here.

Learn more about becoming an organiser of either of these formats here.

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Give your own WikiTalk!

Spotlight on: Get on stage. Are your ready to deliver your own WikiTalk?  You are an artist? Are you ready to perform on a WikiStage? The WikiStage is not reserved for the rich and famous. We believe there are a lot more remarkable people and ideas out there. In our society, we are more educated today than ever before in history, yet, many people with remarkable expertise are not invited to speak at traditional conferences or on TV. The WikiStage is your stage. You or your friends are passionate about or knowledgeable in something? We give you a stage to share it.

There are three formats to give your WikiTalk: a WikiStage Event, a smaller WikiStage Session, or a WikiStage Studio. In the form below, we invite you to either nominate a friend or to apply yourself to speak. Before you apply, however, please take a moment to learn what WikiStage is about and: What is a WikiTalk?

Click on "read more" to open the application / nomination form below.

Wird geladen...

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Our values

Our team at WikiStage has identified 3 core values for this project. Here they are:

Curiosity The purpose of WikiStage is to "Celebrate Curiosity". The reason why WikiStage matters to us is because we believe that to stay curious and to never stop learning is part of what gives meaning to our lives. Those who lose curiosity become indifferent.

Community We believe that a great way to ignite the spark of curiosity is to bring people together to discover fascinating questions. This can happen with a community online, yet, we know that nothing can ever replace people meeting each other in real life. WikiStage events are there to connect you with those people around you who ask those questions that matter to you. Openness We are proud to carry the word "Wiki" in our name because it represents more than just a technical term. Wiki stands for openness and the democratisation of knowledge. The WikiStage is your stage. What counts for us is not the notoriety of the speaker, but the quality of the answer. A WikiStage event can be organised by everybody who respects our quality standards and the public has free access to the videos online.

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WikiStage - how is it unique?

WikiStage is a non-profit Wiki Project of event organisers who create a free library of educational videos. How is this different from Wikipedia, YouTube, TED and open university lectures? At the heart of WikiStage are WikiTalks, where experts address one specific question in 3, 6 or 9 minutes. These WikiTalks are recorded at WikiStage events and uploaded as short educational clips to the free video library of WikiStage online. 

Wiki Spirit and Wiki Project

We love the spirit in which Wikipedia editors engage and contribute to what has become the largest encyclopaedia on the planet. This "Wiki Spirit", which causes people to collaborate to create this vast text-based library, inspired our choice to associate our project with the Wiki brand. With WikiStage, we want to build a "Wiki Project" where people work together in a similar spirit. 

How is a WikiTalk different from a Wikipedia article? Besides the obvious difference of text vs. video, the content of a WikiTalk can be very different from a Wikipedia article. While Wikipedia lets its articles be edited by a great number of people, a WikiTalk is given by one expert who is responsible for his content. 

Diversity is created at WikiStage when one particular question is addressed by different experts in several WikiTalks.

With our slogan "Celebrate Curiosity", we express our ambition to make learning fun and knowledge sexy.

For this reason, we do not expect our speakers to simply cite factual information but to bring otherwise dry knowledge to life and to make it relevant and accessible. At times, what counts is not just the content of a message, but also who delivers it, and how.

A common format for educational videos

At WikiStage, we love the freedom that video platforms, such as YouTube, provide to the user. Unlike traditional TV, people are now empowered to create their own content and to watch what they are interested in whenever they need it. However, we do not consider a commercial video platform to be a Wiki Project. For this, the content is too diverse and the users do not work together towards a common objective. What we propose to establish with WikiStage is a library of educational videos where users can expect a consistent format and quality content.

How is it different to TED? Events and online video are very powerful tools to win experts to share their insights. One great company that does exactly that is TED Conferences LLC. TED gathers famous and influential individuals in their annual conferences and is a very successful multi million dollar media corporation.

TED speakers are asked to "give the talk of their lives" and often present new technologies or world changing ideas. The TED videos recorded at TED conferences are watched at smaller TEDx events. Most TEDx events don't just show the TED Talks but also invite live-speakers. 

WikiStage is very different. This becomes obvious when looking at the different ways how WikiTalks can be recorded.

Spreading ideas vs sharing curiosity

We are a non profit association created by students in Paris. Our bottom-up organisation is supported by grassroot-style volunteers who believe in our potential impact for free education.

Our objective is not to spread ideas from a few to many, but to share curiosity from many to many.

WikiStage is not about selecting only the top 1% of the talks that may change the world, but our aim is to create a searchable video library of intriguing questions through a Wiki Project that invites you to contribute. This is why we offer not just the format of big events; we propose the additional formats: WikiStage Session and WikiStage Studio.

It's easy to join the Wiki Project

We strive to make it easy for you to become an event organiser and instead of imposing a large catalogue of rules, we trust and support you when you decide to enrich our collective puzzle with your piece of knowledge.

Curiosity vs teaching

Universities are a great place to host WikiStage events. This raises the question of how WikiStage is different from traditional conferences or open online courses. We know that at times, professors and conference speakers tend to get into a speaking or teaching routine that focuses more on giving you the information or the answers rather than to arouse your interest for the question.

At WikiStage events, we work to create an environment that encourages the expert to use the short time of a WikiTalk to help the audience understand why he is passionate about his subject and why his question should matter to us.

"Celebrate Curiosity" expresses our ambition to tease a person's interest for a new question rather than providing all available information about a subject.

The objective of a WikiTalk is not so much to answer a question in every detail, but to spark curiosity: to make the audience interested in the question.

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How WikiStage was born

The WikiStage project was brought to life by a group of students in Paris. In this blog post, the Founder and President of the WikiStage Association, Johannes Bittel, answers the question: 

Where did the idea for WikiStage come from?

The time I had studying in London, Madrid and Paris allowed me to meet many fascinating people: entrepreneurs, professors, activists, authors and in particular classmates who did some remarkable things. Some wrote a book, others started companies and some ran associations, played great music or engaged in good causes.

I believe that many people in our society are more educated today than ever before in history.

Yet, too often this enormous potential is not tapped into enough. Very few among us are invited to speak at traditional conferences or share their insights on TV. The Institution that is most successful in tapping into the wisdom of the crowd is Wikipedia for me.

Personally, I have always loved to organise events because this allows me to give a stage to the most interesting people around me.

When I see somebody doing something great, it is profoundly rewarding for me to be able to put that person in the spotlight and to amplify this voice.  The idea of WikiStage is to create a collaborative platform, such as Wikipedia that empowers people to share their knowledge with the world - in video. Imagine a huge selection of quality videos that each addresses one specific topic, similar to an article. If such a platform existed, the content would be created by the community - and it would exist in many languages.

I am a curious person and I wish for myself that I will never stop learning. My dream is that WikiStage will allow many people to do just that. 

The reason for the short format of 3, 6 or 9 minutes and the guideline that each speaker addresses only one question on stage is to get the audience interested in a new topic: to make them curious to learn more.

Many brilliant people have never spoken at a conference before or shared their knowledge with a video - WikiStage empowers you to contribute your piece of knowledge.