Hello everyone,

let's not overestimate the risks. Looking on the provided pages, I currently see no mention of students organized to contribute to Wikipedia, nor do I currently see any link with Wikimedia whatsoever. Mozilla community, for example, sure can decide on its own if they want to cooperate with Facebook.

And even if they did include Wikimedia in their plans, restricting such companies from providing us valuable help would make us look like complete ... (add a suitable noun here). :-)

Vojtech

************************

Vojtěch Dostál

Mail vojtech.dostal@centrum.cz

______________________________________________________________
> Od: Mina Theofilatou <theoth@otenet.gr>
> Komu: <fredbaud@fairpoint.net>, Wikimedia Education <education@lists.wikimedia.org>
> Datum: 20.11.2013 07:55
> Předmět: Re: [Wikimedia Education] An alarming piece of news: Facebook teamswith opensource???
>

Sorry for the delayed reply, busy day yesterday and another ahead:)

Having read all of your comments carefully, I think you're missing my point.
Perhaps I didn't stress my main point enough: I understand that profit can
be made from non-profit endeavours and that this is not something that
should be criticized.

What is BEYOND me is the role Facebook has arbitrarily taken on in this
case. Facebook is playing the middleman (there's a more "vulgar" expression
in Greek that would be more appropriate, for those of you who understand
Greek it's "νταβατζής").

I read the project description on the Fcebook page created for the "Open
Academy Program".
https://www.facebook.com/notes/open-academy/welcome-to-the-open-academy-program/216150918554109.
If they're so keen on encouraging students to tackle real-life projects, why
don't they offer paid internships? Why are they using Opensource as nothing
more than a vehicle for their middleman role? Are Opensource communities
like Mozilla so "desparate" to find developers so as to consent to Facebook
being the "magic link" between Opensource and the academic community?

Asaf Bartov and members of the Greek Wikipedia Community certainly remember
the conflicts we had with an EU and state-funded organisation that was
trying to do the same with promoting Wikipedia in Greece. And they were not
even a commercial enterprise!

If we are to be so lax in what we find acceptable in terms of
opensource/open-content ethics, the future is certainly not promising, at
least not in my eyes... I can only shudder at what we will see (and consent
to) next.

Mina

----- Original Message -----
From: "Fred Bauder" <fredbaud@fairpoint.net>
To: "Wikimedia Education" <education@lists.wikimedia.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2013 2:47 PM
Subject: Re: [Wikimedia Education] An alarming piece of news: Facebook teams
with opensource???


> "Facebook is giving back to open source" They use substantial open source
> programs in the operation of their sites. As to "not being allowed",
> perhaps their initiative will prove unpopular if enough opposition is
> ginned up. Open source includes profitable uses.
>
> Fred
>
>> Hello all
>>
>> I just wanted to share a link that I just found. It seems that Facebook
>> is running a campaign to encourage Computer Science students to earn
>> academic credits by contributing to opensource projects:
>>
>> http://venturebeat.com/2013/11/13/facebook-partners-with-22-universities-to-give-compsci-students-academic-credit-for-open-source-projects/#!
>>
>> I don't think Facebook should be allowed to do this. Imagine Facebook
>> tried to pry its way into Wikimedia: I would expect all of us to revolt.
>> A for-profit organization taking advantage of non-profit ideals??? MAKING
>> PROFIT on non-profit? Would they even consider converting THEIR project
>> into an open-source one? Of course not. Don't Mozilla and other Open
>> Source Projects have ways of campaigning to attract CompSci students in
>> their own organisations? Why does Facebook have to be the middleman? I
>> find it revolting... if this is their idea of corporate social
>> responsibility, I'll have to find away to stop using Facebook altogether
>> in reply.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Education mailing list
>> Education@lists.wikimedia.org
>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/education
>>
>
>
>
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>


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