[Wikipedia-l] What would Richard Stallman say?

[Robert Michel]

Salve Mark,

Am Freitag, 20. Februar 2004 22:17 schrieb Delirium:
> However, it may not be impossible to acquire one eventually.  As
> Wikipedia gets more famous, the estates of famous people may start to
> dislike the fact that that person's biography has a conspicuous lack of
> an image, and consent to GFDL-licensing an image to fill the gap.  If we
> fill it in with a fair use image, that removes the incentive.

This is right, but with the "easygoing" way of "fair use" I fear that many 
wikipedianer would ask only for "fair use" to be more sure to get this 
pictures - and of course it is more easy to argue and to explain than with 
the GNU-FDL ;)

For example:
"Image:Marymca.jpg 
An image of Irish President Mary McAllese which states "I would like to advise 
you that there is no objection to the reproduction of the President's 
official portrait in a non-profit encyclopaedia article." "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Fair_use

I guess the wikipedianer hasn`t tried to ask for a GNU-FDL use. This is the 
quick and dirty way - and Wikipedianer from non US countries has to ask 
again, this is unproductive.

-We need good a tutorial "HowTo ask effective for the use of pictures with the 
condition of the GNU-FDL"
-well written examples for letters to potential contributors
-and a culture to celebrate every successfuly "acquisition".

And we should create reasons why a donator could feel good to has supported 
the wikipedia. When he would like it, he should get a visible thanksgiving 
inside the wikipedia. And when we get the support from NGO for history, 
ornithology or what ever, they should get publicity for their organisation.

"Charity business" is the art of collect and giving ;) we should learn this 
trade/soft skill.

The border case would IMHO be this:
Imagine we would have tried over 2 years to get one picture of one famous 
person, but this person hasn`t lived in public, so pictures of this person 
are realy rare. But we are in contact with one author of a biography about 
this person and this biography is realy god. Should we accept to place his 
biography in this article for getting one GNU-FDL picture?
I think not, because when his biography is realy a good one, it have been  
already mentioned in this article. *g*

So the strategie will be more a noncommercial one:
trying to find friends for the wikipedia with our enthusiasm.

Gruss
rob


PS: BTW commercial - would it match to write out donation receipts that one 
picture donator could save some of his tax?