I would think that Wikiversity certainly ought to be hesitant before effectively appointing such a representative. Ray's concerns are totally grounded, if not paramount to the issue.

Wikiversity is not a commercial entity. We are not out to make money. We do not need money. We rely on volunteer, unpaid donations of manpower to function, and we function perfectly well on the manpower we have at present (not to say that growth and expansion is out of the question, simply that it is not as essential, as was implied by Brian's mood of optimising monetary gain through what could possibly be misdirected initiative).

If Brian is this inclined to support the cause of Wikiversity, I should think that he is perfectly free to contribute to core Wikiversity initiatives. Once he has been involved in such tasks for a reasonable period of time and is trusted by the community to represent WMF, we could certainly consider a fundraiser dinner (although personally I feel it is outside of the scope of WMF's fundraising, and could call into question WMF's 501(c)(3) status).

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for WMF fundraising in general, but Brian has a clear fascination with the collection of monetary resources that is simply not in the interests of Wikiversity. To put it bluntly - do we want to appear as an organisation obsessed with money? To reiterate Ray's concerns, do we really want to be represented by someone out to gain funding from "really really Rich people"?

I quote Brian: "[Wikiversity] needs content and Money". An emphasis on "Money"? Sorry, not today.

--Draicone

On 8/26/07, Shady Mostafa <m.shady@gmail.com> wrote:

Can't you see all that we are abandoning the main issue & arguing about minor issues??

On 8/26/07, Ray Saintonge < saintonge@telus.net> wrote:
Perhaps so, but when someone is looking for support in this way
credibility is important. When someone purports to represent an
educational community I would be inclined to hold them to a higher standard.

Ec