On 9/13/07, Kat Walsh mindspillage@gmail.com wrote:
No one's disputing that there are problems... and often big, honking, obvious ones. But to characterize the issues as coming from indifference or apathy is not only a falsity but an insult to everyone putting in their effort toward them.
I'm seeing a spade and calling it for what it is. The evidence before me smacks of gross disorganization, organizational immaturity, failure to support long term goals, and an unwillingness to follow through on the Foundation's mission.
If the Foundation really, truly is committed to it's mission, then pray tell why is it en.wikipedia has in excess of 350,000 non-free images, and 20% of its articles contain non-free images? Any assertion that en.wikipedia is a free content encyclopedia is laughably absurd. That the Foundation has refused to step in and do anything about it, instead asserting that local projects need to control this, shows that the Foundation is unwilling to assume a leadership role in this fundamental area. Kat, you know this is a problem. The Foundation knows this is a problem. The reaction is hands off, to leave it alone. That IS indifference. I'm sorry, but it is what it is. And that is just _one_ of many areas in which the leadership is badly failing.
Pray tell, what happened to Carolyn Doran? I've asked on a number of fronts and been met with stone walls. The only thing those of us not in the Foundation have is that a resolution was passed http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Resolutions#July_2007 on July 4th, and six days later Cary Bass removed her from the staff list. http://wikimediafoundation.org/w/index.php?title=Current_staff&diff=2156... There's no copy available of the resolution, no explanation as to her departure, nothing. The Chief Operating Officer of a top ten web property vanishes, with no explanation of any kind?