A geonotice is a top of page message (see WP:WLN) similar to a MediaWiki:Sitenotice, MediaWiki:Anonnotice or MediaWiki:Watchlist-messages notice, but it is displayed only to users who are physically located in some subset of the Earth. The purpose of geonotices is to announce events that would be of great interest to people in a specific region, but that would not be interesting to most of our readers. The use of targeted messages allows us to scale our communication better; rather than flooding people with multiple messages or avoiding messages entirely, we can display messages only to the people who are most likely to find them useful.

Example uses for targeted messages are: to announce upcoming Wikipedia meetups and local events, for local chapter activities and to advertise mailing lists focused on geographical areas. They might also be used to display customized fundraiser notices that are better targeted to improve our fundraising results.

Currently, only a watchlist geonotice exists (although you can also make meta:CentralNotice banners geotargeted). No data or personal information is gathered from users to make this notice possible, nor does this notice share any user's personal information with outsiders.

See this auto-generated map of currently pending and running geonotices.

The current implementation works by loading the user's latitude and longitude from geoiplookup.wikimedia.org and using a small bit of JavaScript (Geonotice-core.js and Geonotice-list.js) to determine whether or not to display a notice to the user. The location detection is IP address-based, using a lookup system at geoiplookup.wikimedia.org. To identify appropriate bounding boxes, the Flickr API offers a handy reference database - eg/ British Columbia. Currently, MediaWiki:Gadgets-definition specifies the geonotices to be listed at MediaWiki:Gadget-geonotice-list.js.

The notice can be persistently dismissed using a hide button that is displayed with the message. It can permanently be hidden by disabling the Geonotice gadget in your preferences. It will also be hidden if you have opted to hide other watchlist notices.

Geonotices are currently a candidate to be integrated into MediaWiki proper. One significant open question is how best to allow users to specify the locations of interest for a message. Right now, the location range must be hard-coded in the the JavaScript itself.

Create request

To propose a geonotice, simply create a new third level section (using ===) under the "Requests" section, using the boilerplate text below, and follow the instructions in this section.

=== [[Related page name (e.g. meetup page)]] ===
'''Locations required:'''
<!-- List the area to be notified.  Please either give a country (eg "Ireland")
     or a set of geo-coordinates specifying the corners of the area covered,
     in the form [45,10], [46,12]. We cannot target named cities, only
     geographic areas.

     You can get a bounding box from http://boundingbox.klokantech.com/ . See
     below under Locations for details.
     -->
* 
* 
'''Possible messages:'''
<!-- Only one is necessary, but feel free to list options if you are unsure.
     Include a wikilink, not an external URL -->
* 
* 
'''Date range required:'''
<!-- Please give us at least 5 days warning, unless you have an important reason -->
* 
'''Misc info:'''
* ''Reason for requesting:'' 
* ''User requesting:'' <!-- sign here with FOUR tildes -->
'''Discussion'''

Locations

Try to be as specific as possible with the location. For example, a Washington, D.C. meetup would not be appropriate to advertise to everyone in the United States. Be aware that the detection is not flawless; due to varying boundaries and the inaccuracies of IP locating, the result cannot be perfect.

It makes things much easier if you can give us geographic coordinates. If in doubt, pick a central point and go a degree or two in all directions.

For country-wide geonotices, we can target the geonotice to a specific country with something such as country: 'US'. The geonotice tool uses ISO 3166 Country Codes. (see full list). This method is generally more reliable.

To get a bounding box, you can use http://boundingbox.klokantech.com/ . Drag and drop the yellow handles to position and size your bounding box, then under "Copy & Paste" (at bottom), choose DublinCore. You can include that string in your request.

Messages

Messages should be one or two sentences in length, and they should not contain any flashy text or images. It is a good idea to provide at least two options, in case one is deemed inappropriate.

Messages exceeding four sentences are deemed too large, except in cases where the sentences are short.

Geonotices should always be used with the understanding that some of the intended audience will be excluded and that some unintended people will be included. As such, the message should be written in a way that would be suitable for display to all users. For example, write "The New York City Wikipedia Meetup will be on August 12" rather than "Hello resident of Long Island...".

Remember to link the event signup page (where appropriate) in the notice - and please use a wikilink (to Wikipedia, Meta, etc) rather than a URL. External URLs do not always work reliably.

Date range

Try to post your request at least five days (preferably seven to ten days) in advance. It may take a while for requests to be handled.

Reason requesting

In the case of a meetup, where that page is linked and it is obvious by the message, this is not necessary. If there is possible confusion regarding the reason for the geonotice, please state a clear reason.

Notify geonotice maintainers

In case there is no feedback in a few days after posting the request, ask an administrator to take a look.

Add new requests to the top of this list. Please include coordinates where possible, as this will speed up processing. Note that this page is quite low-traffic - if you've had no response after a day or two, or if it's urgent, please poke Andrew Gray (talk · contribs), GoldenRing (talk · contribs) or any admin.

Wikipedia:Village_pump_(proposals)#Proposal:_A_US-only_CentralNotice_in_support_of_Net_Neutrality

Locations required:

• United States

Possible messages:

• Please participate in an discussion about whether to temporarily display a banner in support of Net Neutrality to U.S. readers only.

Date range required:

• ASAP to whenever the discussion is closed - we could add a hidden comment to the top of the discussion asking the closing admin to remove the geonotice.

Misc info:

• Reason for requesting: The discussion has a relatively high amount of input for the time it's been up, and is likely of interest to many United States editors who aren't regularly watching the pump, given the proposal's reach and effect.
• User requesting: ~SuperHamster Talk Contribs 23:50, 6 May 2018 (UTC), one of the writers of the proposal.[reply]

Discussion

• @GoldenRing: @Andrew Gray: Pinging due to short time-frame (on-going discussion). Thanks, ~SuperHamster Talk Contribs 23:50, 6 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]
• @Redrose64: Also pinging you if you could take a look. Thanks, ~SuperHamster Talk Contribs 16:57, 7 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

• @SuperHamster: done - have put it up notionally until 30/5 but I'm sure it'll be closed one way or another before then and can be removed. Andrew Gray (talk) 20:39, 7 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]
• Andrew Gray, I think this should be removed ASAP. This was not discussed and is basically nothing more than an attempt to undermine the current discussion about whether or not we should have a geonotice to begin with. TonyBallioni (talk) 21:05, 7 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Meta:Meetup/Cambridge/37

Locations required:

• England

Possible messages:

• Interested in having a chat with fellow Wikipedians? There is a forthcoming meetup in Cambridge, 29 April!

Date range required:

• ASAP to 29th April.

Misc info:

• Reason for requesting: Standard UK practice
• User requesting: ∰Bellezzasolo✡ Discuss 22:51, 19 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion

• @Bellezzasolo: It's prepared (weeks ago) at m:User:Redrose64/geonotice it just needs pasting in. I have this down as a task for tomorrow. --Redrose64 🌹 (talk) 23:01, 19 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:GLAM/Ikon

Locations required:

• English Midlands, centred on Birmingham; say: 51.49,-0.12; 53.82,-3.00

Possible messages:

• Come and write about contemporary art and artists at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, on Sunday 27 May
• (Alternative suggestions welcome)

Date range required:

• ASAP, until 25 May

Misc info:

• Reason for requesting: GLAM editathon
• User requesting: Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 13:22, 3 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion

•  Done Andrew Gray (talk) 12:44, 1 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:Meetup/Pittsburgh/ArtandFeminism2018CMOA

Locations required:

• Southwest Pennsylvania and surrounding areas: westlimit=-80.8852; southlimit=39.5733; eastlimit=-78.8444; northlimit=40.917

Possible messages:

• Join Carnegie Museum of Art in collaboration with Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Pittsburgh for this year's Pittsburgh Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon.

Date range required:

• 21 March 2018 - 25 March 2018

Misc info:

• Reason for requesting: Folks at Carnegie are sponsoring this event and I want to help them get word out on wiki.
• User requesting: Chris Troutman (talk) 20:29, 19 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion

• To editors Andrew Gray and Pharos: Can you help? It's been a couple days and the event is this weekend. Chris Troutman (talk) 21:50, 22 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

 Done Andrew Gray (talk) 22:01, 22 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:Meetup/Albany-Capital_Region/ArtAndFeminism_2018

Locations required:

• Greater Capital District, NY Area: westlimit=-74.240521; southlimit=42.504563; eastlimit=-73.325909; northlimit=43.103299

Possible messages:

• You are invited to an Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon at the University Library, University at Albany, on Monday April 9. Drop-in hours noon to 3pm.

Date range required:

• From March 19 to April 9, 2018

Misc info:

• Reason for requesting:'We hope some experienced Wikipedians might be able to attend to help new editors.'
• User requesting: TrudiJ (talk) 19:54, 19 March 2018 (UTC)TrudiJ[reply]

Discussion  Done Andrew Gray (talk) 21:59, 22 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:Meetup/San Diego/April 2018

Locations required:

• Southern California & northern Baja California: westlimit=-120.8388; southlimit=31.792; eastlimit=-114.4008; northlimit=34.9925

Possible messages:

• You are invited to a bonfire on Shelter Island on Saturday evening, April 14, organized by San Diego Wikimedians User Group.

Date range required:

• From April 1 until April 13, 2018

Misc info:

• Reason for requesting: Spread the word about our upcoming meetup, in order to grow the user group.
• User requesting: RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 08:28, 19 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion  Done Andrew Gray (talk) 21:57, 22 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:Meetup/Rochester,_NY/RIT/Women_on_Wikipedia_2018

Locations required:

• Greater Rochester, NY Area: westlimit=-77.9645; southlimit=42.7793; eastlimit=-77.168; northlimit=43.3711

Possible messages:

• You are invited to a Women on Wikipedia Edit-a-thon on Saturday, March 24, 2018, from 11 am to 4 pm at Wallace Library, RIT.

Date range required:

• March 14th-24th 2018

Misc info:

• Reason for requesting: Spread the word about our upcoming edit-a-thon

• User requesting: – 𝕘wendy | ☎  19:46, 7 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

@Andrew Gray: Can you help with this? Thanks! – 𝕘wendy | ☎  19:35, 13 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

 Done Andrew Gray (talk) 23:47, 13 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:Meetup/San Francisco/Art+Feminism@SFMOMA 2018

Locations required:

• San Francisco Bay Area: [ [38.74, -123.55], [36.82, -121.40] ] (from Santa Cruz to Napa, and from SF to Sacramento)

Possible messages:

• You're invited to an Art+Feminism edit-a-thon at SF MOMA in San Francisco on Thursday March 8, 5-9 pm!

Date range required:

• Start date can be anytime between now and the next several days. End date should be March 8, 2018.

Misc info:

• Reason for requesting: To encourage local Wikipedians to attend this event. Thanks!
• User requesting: Dreamyshade (talk) 22:42, 3 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Royal College of Surgeons Ireland: Female Firsts

Locations required:

• Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, 26 York Street, Dublin

Possible messages:

• Join in celebrating Irish Female Firsts in medicine and science this International Women's Day in the Royal College of Surgeons Thursday 8 March 9:30-12:30pm.

Date range required:

• As soon as feasible to 7 March.

Misc info:

• Reason for requesting: Upcoming Wiki edit-a-thon
• User requesting: Smirkybec (talk) 12:40, 26 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:Meetup/Minneapolis/To Wikipedia, With Love/Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia)

Locations required:

• Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area: NW corner: (45.11, -93.45) SE corner: (44.81 -92.97)

Possible messages:

• Join in spreading the love of human creativity! Share your favorite artist or artwork "To Wikipedia, With Love" at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Saturday, February 17, noon to 4 pm.
• Share your favorite artist or artwork "To Wikipedia, With Love" at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Saturday, February 17, noon to 4 pm.

Date range required:

• February 1 to February 17th.

Misc info:

• Reason for requesting: Upcoming GLAM/Wiki edit-a-thon
• User requesting: McGhiever (talk) 04:34, 28 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Hong Kong Wikipedia Editing Tutorial, February 2018

Locations required:

• Hong Kong

Possible messages:

• A tutorial in English for Wikipedia editing is coming on 24th February in Hong Kong. Assistance in teaching new users in the tutorial session is appreciated.

Date range required:

• Until 24th February.

Misc info:

• Reason for requesting: To invite local Wikipedians to attend a Hong Kong-based Wikipedia Editing Tutorial on 24th February and provide assistance that the event requires. Subject to alterations once we know the exact timeslot and venue.
• User requesting: Spring Roll Conan ( Talk · Contributions ) 14:44, 11 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion

I would like to ping @Deryck Chan of this request.

• Wikipedia:Geonotice/Old requests/2017
• Wikipedia:Geonotice/Old requests/2016
• Wikipedia:Geonotice/Old requests/2015‎
• Wikipedia:Geonotice/Old requests/2014
• Wikipedia:Geonotice/Old requests/2013
• Wikipedia:Geonotice/Old requests/2012
• Wikipedia:Geonotice/Old requests/2011
• Wikipedia:Geonotice/Old requests/2010
• Wikipedia:Geonotice/Old requests/2009
• Wikipedia:Geonotice/Old requests/2008 (2008 and older)