For a while I have had a strong sensation, possibly unjustly so, of a
highly over-complicated result. There are many good words, but I keep not
seeing a simple, concise, intuitively understood statement. I feel we are
still missing an understandable elevator pitch. If asked, I seriously
doubt I would be able to explain where things are headed.
It is easy to explain in a complicated way. It is very hard to explain it
simply. Or as Einstein put it, “If you can't explain it simply, you don't
understand it well enough.”
On Mon, Oct 2, 2017 at 4:35 PM, Guillaume Paumier <gpaumier(a)wikimedia.org>
wrote:
Hello,
If you feel a strong urge to reject the text, there is obviously nothing
preventing anyone from creating a Meta-Wiki page to that purpose. However,
I would first ask to reflect on the process, its outcome, and where it's
going.
Strategy is complicated. Building a movement strategy even more so [
https://blog.wikimedia.org/2017/05/19/wikimedia-strategy-2030-discussions/
]. One person's serious issue may be another person's slight preference.
People's serious issues may be at odds with each other (and I can tell you
from experience that they are indeed). Balancing all those priorities is a
difficult exercise, and I certainly don't claim to have done it perfectly.
But I do think the outcome we've arrived at represents the shared vision of
a large part of the movement.
As I was writing, rewriting and editing the text of the direction, I did
consider everything that was shared on the talk page, and the last version
is indeed based on those comments, as well as those shared during multiple
Wikimania sessions, individual chats, comments from the Drafting group,
from affiliates, from staff, and so on.
While I did consider all of those, I didn't respond to every single
comment, and there is little I can do about that except apologize and
endeavor to do better. I should have set clearer expectations that not
every comment would be integrated in the text. I ran into an issue all too
familiar in the Wikiverse where one person had to integrate comments and
feedback from a large group of people at the same time.
High-level vision and strategy integration isn't really something that can
be spread across a group of people as easily as writing an encyclopedia
article, and so I ended up being a bottleneck for responding to comments. I
had to prioritize what I deemed were issues that were shared by a large
group, and those that seemed to be more individual concerns.
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not the "everything must be positive,
fantastic, yeehaw-we-are-number-one" type. If anything, I'm rather the
opposite, as I think many Wikimedians are. If we had unlimited time, I'd
probably continue to edit the draft for years, and I'm sure there would be
other perfectionists to feed my obsession.
However, others in my personal and professional circles have helped me
realize in the past few weeks that even getting to this stage of the
process is remarkable. As Wikimedians, we often focus on what's wrong and
needs fixing. Sometimes, our negativity bias leads us to lose focus of the
accomplishments. This can clash with the typical American culture, but I
think somewhere in the middle is where those respective tunnel visions
widen and meet.
One thing I've learned from Ed Bland, my co-architect during this process,
is that sometimes things can't be perfect. Sometimes, excellence means
recognizing when something is "good enough" and getting out of the
asymptotic editing and decision paralysis loop. It means accepting that a
few things annoy us so that a larger group of people is excited and
motivated to participate.
From everything I've heard and read in the past two months, the last
version of the direction is agreeable to a large part of individuals,
groups, and organizations that have been involved in the process. Not
everyone agrees with everything in the document, even within the
Foundation, and even me. But enough people across the movement agree with
enough of the document that we can all use it as a starting point for the
next phase of discussions about roles, resources, and responsibilities.
I do hope that many of you will consider endorsing the direction in a few
weeks. While I won't claim to know everyone involved, I think I know you
enough, Ziko and Fæ, from your work and long-time commitment in the
movement, to venture that there is more in this document that you agree
with than that you disagree with. I hope that the prospect of moving in a
shared direction will outweigh the possible annoyances. And so I hope that
we'll endorse the direction together, even if it's in our typically
Wikimedian begrudging fashion.
2017-10-02 6:56 GMT-07:00 Ziko van Dijk <zvandijk(a)gmail.com>om>:
Hello Katherine,
This is actually sad news. In my opinion, the draft is far away from
being
a useful and appropriate document for our
future.
The serious issues from the talk page are only partially addressed in the
rewrite. So I contest your claim: "The version on Meta-Wiki is based on
the
feedback you offered."
You have announced that organizations and individuals are invited to
endorse the draft. Will there also be a possibility to reject the draft?
I
remember the 2011 image filter referendum, when
the WMF asked the
community
how important it finds the filter, but not giving
the option to be
against
it.
https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Image_filter_referendum/en&
uselang=en
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Image_filter_
referendum/en&uselang=en>
The drafts tries to enforce a new definition of the "community": "from
editors to donors, to organizers, and beyond". I thought that "community"
were people who are contributing to the wiki Wikipedia on a regular basis
as volunteers.
I am very positive of having an open Wikimedia *movement*. But if in
future
more or less everybody will be *community*: that
is in fact abolishing
the
community.
Kind regards,
Ziko van Dijk
2017-09-30 22:28 GMT+02:00 Katherine Maher <kmaher(a)wikimedia.org>rg>:
> Hi all,
>
> Since my update last month, we have been collecting, processing, and
> including your most recent input into the lastest version of the
movement
strategic
direction. This version is available on Meta-Wiki.[1]
We're so close! The direction will be finalized tomorrow, October 1.
Starting tomorrow, we will begin to invite individuals and groups to
endorse our movement's strategic direction. I want to share my greatest
thanks and appreciation for the work and contributions so many of you
have
made throughout this first phase (Phase 1) of
developing a shared
strategic
> direction.
>
> In the coming weeks we will be preparing for Phase 2, which will
involve
> developing specific plans for how we achieve
the direction we have
built
> together. I do not have many more details to
share right now, but will
of
> course offer an update as they become
available.
>
> *Strategic direction*. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on
the
draft
introduced at Wikimania. The version on Meta-Wiki is based on the
feedback you offered.
*Endorsements*. Once the strategic direction closes tomorrow,
organizations, groups, and individuals within the movement will be
invited
to endorse the direction, in a show of support
for the future we are
building together. We'll be sending an update next week on the process
and
timeline.
*Concluding Phase 1*. Please join me in offering thanks to the
volunteers,
staff, and contractors who came together to make
this possible! As we
transition into Phase 2, some of these roles will be concluded and new
ones
created in their place. We'll keep you
updated.
*Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2017*. I was fortunate to join Wikimedians from
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) last weekend at the sixth annual
Wikimedia
CEE Meeting[2] in Warsaw, Poland. Nicole Ebber
and Kaarel Vaidla led a
series of discussions on the direction, including what it means for
CEE.[3]
Thank you our hosts, Wikimedia Polska, and to all
of the attendees for
such
a wonderful event!
*In other news.* I've heard from many people how much you appreciate
these
updates as a means of keeping track about what is
going on. I'm talking
to
> the Communications department about keeping them going once the
strategic
planning
process concludes, with a focus on more general updates. Keep
the
> feedback coming.
>
> Since my last update, our planet has reminded us of its incredible and
> often unforgiving strength. My thoughts, and those of many within the
> Wikimedia Foundation, are with our Wikimedia family which have been
> affected by the natural disasters of recent weeks. We have been in
touch
> with our affiliates in the areas impacted,
and will offer any support
we
can.
Finally, as our CFO Jaime mentioned last week,[3] the Foundation is in
the
> process of moving into our new office, in One Montgomery Tower. We
invite
> you to visit its new page on Meta-Wiki.[4]
>
> We are at the halfway mark of this movement strategy process, and I am
> incredibly proud of the work we have done together on the strategy.
Thank
you,
again, to everyone for your contributions to this process. We have
more work ahead but should be proud of what we have achieved already.
Ten cuidado (Spanish translation: “Be safe”),
Katherine
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/ 2017/Direction
[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_CEE_Meeting_2017
[3]
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CEE_meeting_2017_%
E2%80%93_Movement_Strategy.pdf
[4]
https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2017-
September/088654.html
[5]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_headquarters
--
Katherine Maher
Executive Director
*We're moving on October 1, 2017! **Our new address:*
Wikimedia Foundation
1 Montgomery Street, Suite 1600
San Francisco, CA 94104
+1 (415) 839-6885 ext. 6635
+1 (415) 712 4873
kmaher(a)wikimedia.org
https://annual.wikimedia.org
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