On 2/11/14, 9:18 PM, Samuel Klein wrote:
The WMF also wants to let all groups have easier
access to trademarks
and funds. This is what user groups were designed to allow, with
minimal overhead. These two ideas were combined into "be a user group
for two years".
This part I do think is a good idea. There are many models of how
individuals and groups participate and organize themselves within the
global Wikimedia movement besides the umbrella Wikimedia Foundation, and
imo the previous organizational/funding focus overlooked those who
didn't fit one specific model: national Chapters, i.e. organizations
seeking to represent Wikimedia-movement activities in a general sense,
within the territory of one nation-state, and usually in a fairly
"official" manner (paid staff, boards of directors, political
visibility, etc.). I like that initiatives such as the
individual-engagement grants, user-group recognition, etc. are opening
up more avenues for Wikimedian organizations, organized along different
lines, to find a more recognized (and funded) role in the movement.
-Mark