On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 1:39 PM, Stephen LaPorte slaporte@wikimedia.org wrote:
James S.,
It is certainly a possibility--the criteria for are available here: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Legal_and_Community_Advocacy/Foundation_Polic...
Stephen,
That says, "Policy and political issues include public support for or against proposed laws and executive actions, online backing for political initiatives, and partnerships with organizations to promote shared policy and political positions.... [examples include] Collaborative Advocacy / We collaborate with another organization to take action on a particular policy or political question."
Am I correct in saying that there have not been any such actions since that Foundation Policy was approved?
I propose that the Foundation survey the community asking about how often they expect such actions to take place. I am sure there will be a wide range of opinion. Some such as myself would support formal proposal and consideration rather frequently, and plenty of people think that they should never occur.
Will you perform such a survey?
Sincerely, James Salsman
However, I hope this list can also serve a more general purpose, as a venue to share and discuss the legal and policy questions that are relevant to our mission. Personally, I find it useful to hear about issues that are important to Wikimedians around the world. Wikimedians have a lot of expertise and knowledge on issues like copyright, and this list is open so that can be shared.
Ideally, if/when the WMF or any community member needs to consult on a potential advocacy proposal, this list will already discussing the topic and can provide useful feedback.
Best, Stephen
On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 7:44 PM, James Alexander jalexander@wikimedia.org wrote:
James,
As a community member I think the SOPA discussion and more global discussions after that made it quite clear that actions should be incredibly rare and that, generally, it's better for them to come from the community rather then from suggestions that the Foundation makes. I'm sure that the legal staff will make suggestions that they think need to be made but they should do so incredibly judiciously, community members on this list should not feel themselves so restrained.
My general understanding of this list from the start was as more of a space for community members (including at times staff members, but in their role as community members) to discuss and isolate ideas that rang true and needed more input or action from the community. If none of them are emerging, it's a clear sign that the community isn't comfortable creating an action out of them.
James
James Alexander Wikimedia Foundation (415) 839-6885 x6716 @jamesofur
On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 11:09 AM, James Salsman jsalsman@gmail.com wrote:
Stephen,
Does the Foundation intend to ever propose any actions in the interest of the projects or their editors for community approval?
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For legal reasons, I may only serve as an attorney for the Wikimedia Foundation. This means I may not give legal advice to or serve as a lawyer for community members, volunteers, or staff members in their personal capacity.
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