On 18/08/07, Andrew Gray shimgray@gmail.com wrote:
In many ways, the answer to "do we want to?" is pretty intertwined with "what's the point of Commons?" - are we primarily a service for Wikimedia projects, or for the internet at large?
We are not a service "for the internet". We are a service (if we are even a service) for the people of the world.
IIRC almost all the projects started because they were decided to be "not Wikipedia". That doesn't mean they are content to define themselves with such a negative, small designation.
I find the answer to your questions easily here: http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Mission "...to collect and develop educational content under a free license or in the public domain, and to disseminate it effectively and globally." I don't see how acting as if we only exist for Wikimedia is effective for disseminating our content at all. For one thing there are many similar efforts by different groups around the world. If we act as if we only exist for Wikimedia, we are going to create a lot of wasted unnecessary duplicate effort.
Encouraging people to realise that free content - the concept - exists, as well as the material thing, and then giving them easy ways to incorporate it into their own work - these are all small but necesary steps in spreading understanding and knowledge of free content and free culture.
Lastly: frankly, *if we don't do it, someone else will.* There is nothing to stop them since all our stuff is freely licensed. So for God's sake let us be the ones to do it and benefit from it. Lest we see some whiz-bang Yahoo app that feeds directly from Commons with our name in tiny tiny print somewhere in a disclaimer.
regards Brianna