Brian J Mingus wrote:
I believe the banner will be judged, not based on the almost universally bad impressions of it that I have seen from Wikipedians, but based on how much money it makes. I don't think it's surprising that the banner rubs many Wikipedians the wrong way. It was created by a PR agency with the express purpose of raking in as much cash as possible. It's supposed to hit all the right chords of the hundreds of millions of visitors that will see it, of whom we long time Wikipedians are a miniscule fraction.
It takes a bit of mental effort to see the difference of the demographic of Wikipedians and Wikipedia readers as a big plus, but there it is. Wikipedia went mainstream a couple of years ago, and it was part of the mission that this should happen. Clearly a competent PR person tasked with this job is going to take the line you suggest. I'm not aware of fundraising and its methods being a big issue in board elections, but I'm no expert.
Charles