Dear Colleagues,
There comes a point where one must conclude that the probability of an
improvement in a situation has decreased beyond the point that it can be
recovered.
Just over a year ago the first Board meeting of Wiki Educational Resources
ltd - Wikimedia UK - took place. At that meeting a number of decisions
were made and actions allocated to individuals present who confirmed their
intention and ability to undertake those actions.
In the event there was a failure by inaction, and then a disappearance.
The internet enables a virtual company to operate, and there are backup
mechanisms of the telephone and postal services, but ultimately any
organisation relies on the pro-active capabilities of its members which
they have declared they can provide, and their good intentions to actually
do the job they were selected by the wider support group and agreed to
undertake. The fact that the inactions of that member of our team have, in
essence, stopped the further activities of our undertaking and are
preventing our offering the service to members and the public that we had
hoped to provide is most regrettable.
Despite the best efforts of myself and others to motivate our initial team
it is clear that there has been a systemic failure to progress. Subsequent
to that first disappearance there have been other difficulties in
communication both locally (UK) and globally (relations with WMF) and, at
this anniversary point, it is clear that there is unlikely to be any
substantial improvement in the near future.
It is the responsibility of the leader of a group to motivate and guide
the team to produce the desired results. In that, despite a number of
successes, the group has failed to ensure that we reached our initial
targets and I must decide upon an appropriate action to take. In a more
commercial world we would be able to replace the failing component and
move on. In the voluntary one, however, we are reliant upon the individual
to stay motivated as we cannot enforce their due activity upon them.
Similarly they cannot be forced to step aside if they later refuse to
accept that responsibility to act which they took upon themselves at the
start of the venture.
Over recent weeks I have tried to find an acceptable way around this
impasse but now, regrettably, have concluded that one does not exist that
meets the requirements of Company Law alongside the expectations of the
wider group of editors who set this organisation in motion. It it thus the
case that as the leader of this organisation I must take responsibility
for that failure to progress and therefore must tender my resignation to
the Board.
Alison M Wheeler
Chair / CEO Wiki Educational Resources Limited
ps. It is for the Board to decide whether to restrict any decision on what
action to now take to just themselves - as required by law - or to
accomodate the wider input from those who would be formal members had we
been enabled to progress to the point of being able to accept them. I have
thus copied this to the appropriate email list for information.
0816 Evangelical Christians in the U.S are arguing that online
encyclopedia Wikipedia too much of a liberal bias. We speak to Andy
Schlafly who has now set up Conservapedia as an alternative and Jim
Redmond who's an editor and administrator for Wikipedia.
Current quote from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/
With audio (no transcripts).
Gordo
--
"Think Feynman"/////////
http://pobox.com/~gordo/
gordon.joly(a)pobox.com///
At 12:43 +0000 10/1/07, Steve Block wrote:
>David Gerard wrote:
>> follow Morwen's infallible ale detector to the Shakespeare's Head near
>> Holborn tube station, another Wetherspoons but this time of the
>> tolerable variety.
>
>This was a much better choice if you ask me, and might be one to
>bookmark if we ever do it again. I really enjoyed myself.
>
>> We got LOTS of people along and this was really good and productive,
>> despite the horrible first venue. Did anyone write up an attendance
>> list?
>
>I didn't, but from memory Jimbo, Morwen, yourself, myself, Gordo,
>Psychonaut, Whouk, Edward, Thryduulf, AJR, steve from openstreetmap, Tim
>Starling, Angela, Theresa Knott, um, Geni, Andrew Gray?. I didn't
>really circulate well and was half cut by the time we were in a quiet
>enough pub to do introductions. Apologies to those I have left off,
>because there most definitely was more people.
>
>
>--
Yes, I was there!! Honest!!!
Gordo
--
"Think Feynman"/////////
http://pobox.com/~gordo/
gordon.joly(a)pobox.com///