Hi
There is a successful and old request for opening a new wiki not yet
fulfilled. Language prevention/creation committee/subcommittee or
whatever/anything else, please forgive the MessagexXX.php paranoia and see
requests for non-Wikipedias wikis a while.
# [[:oldwikisource:]] have a [[Wikisource:Language domain requests]] page.
# This page have at least one successful request for a new Wikisource wiki:
Tamil Wikisource (ta.wikisource)
## This have a large community support:
http://wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Wikisource:Language_domain_requests…
## This have "incubator" pages: http://wikisource.org/wiki/Category:Tamil
## This have a bugzilla request:
http://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6982
## The MessagesTa.php is avaiable at MediaWiki SVN repository
## There is someone interested on editing in this non-existing exactly now:
http://wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3A-jkb-&diff=215093&oldid…
## I've asked about it on the langcom wiki yesterday but no one
apparentlyhave read it.
And, if the language prevention/creation committee/subcommittee or
whatever/anything else isn't happy to increase the current amount of
Wikimedia wikis, I found a good solution: open the ta.wikisource and close
the ang.wikisource. No, no one have deleted the MessagesAng.php from
subversion, this apparently has never created, but you can find a vote to
close that wiki with large community support at:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Proposals_for_closing_projects/Closure_of_Ol…
Best regards
[[:m:User:555]]
Florence,
Thank you for response. I will go through it section by section, explaining
why I disagree. So as not to bore people, I will focus only on some points,
though that does not mean I agree with your other points.
You wrote concerning the most pressing issues, that " The general answer is
"unfixed". Practically, we will depend on the good will of volunteer board
members, and on the good will of staff who prefer helping than quitting. Eh !"
I have no idea what you meant by, "Eh!" unless it was a personal jibe at me.
That’s fine. As for the tasks, you made it clear to the staff that you are
the board member who handles legal, job descriptions are board responsibility,
and personnel needs are board responsibility. You made it clear that you did
not trust staff to do these things (more on that later). So all I can assume
was that this was a personal attack. As for your statement, "Those tasks are
not necessarily DONE by the ED, but under the responsability [sic]of the
ED," as there is no ED, I can only assume that there is no one responsible. Of
course, you also told us you would be acting as ED unless the board said
otherwise, so, I assume that unless the board says otherwise, that are your
responsibility.
>> Note that they are all ED. Am I too assume that, except for the
coordination
>> of legal activities, these will all be left unfixed until there is an
ED, or
>> will they be dealt with by some undefined else. It seems the former is
the
>> answer, with the exception of a legal coordinator. In other words, are
you
>> leaving the most pressing issues unfixed? If it is the latter "undefined
else,"
>> how will the "else" be selected?
You wrote: Note that all. Which makes a difference.
I have no idea what you mean.
> Next came, " Do it soon (but not necessarily very important)" …
You wrote: "I have spent the whole week trying to work on wikimania
finances, sponsorship and fundraising. As a volunteer. And largely because the staff
member who was in charge of these topics choose to quit without a warning nor
an explanation."
Good answer. Of course, I fail to see why you would complain about
volunteering for a volunteer organization, especially one you chair. As for an
explanation, I will remind you that you never asked for one. In fact, you have not
spoken to me since I resigned.
I asked
> Finally, you had " Important (but not necessarily to do immediately)"
> * Brand Strategy (board)
> * Business Development Strategy (board)
> * Technical Management (ED)
> What professional expertise does the Board bring to the first two? When
> talking about a brand worth billions of dollars--and that means billions
of
> dollars for free culture and knowledge--I would assume that the Board
would
> consider some professional advice and assistance.
You answered" "Yes, a company proposed its assistance. It is called Landor.
(www.landor.com). Plenty of impressing customers. The fact you did not hear
about something does not mean it does not exist."
I am sure it exists. However, I beg to remind you that I was the person in
charge of business development. It is unfortunate that you have decided to
keep business development information from the person in charge of business
development. I can only assume that you really think business development is a
board responsibility. More on this later.
> As for some of the other topics discussed, you wrote "What can be
mentioned
> probably is this:"
> * work on a travel policy (nothing very fancy to report)
> I ask: what is the current travel policy which is being amended?
A policy was set up in 2004. It allowed 1000 dollars per trimester per
board member, 3000 dollars for the chair. This is the last "validated one".
In other words, most board members have exceeded their "validated" trimester
allocation. I agree it should be expanded, but as it was not--it has been
exceeded. Am I to assume that board resolutions regarding spending can be
ignored at the discretion of the Board?
> * work on a policy for reimbursement (nothing very fancy to report)
> I ask: what is the current reimbursement policy, which is being amended.
If
> there is no reimbursement policy, how are reimbursements made? What is
> eligible for reimbursement and what is not?
You wrote: No written policy being amended. We agreed on reimbursement of
travel
costs (2nd class), food and hotel, as indicated on the reimbursement
sheet done by Mav many months ago. Additionally, last summer, there was
an agreement to reimburse me nanny costs when I was travelling on the
board behalf.
Receipts must be provided.
So all that is reimbursed is travel costs and a per diem? That is a simple
yes or no question. A reimbursement policy should cover what else is
reimbursed. For instance, your nanny. Then there are other, more controversial
expenses. I will be happy to elaborate if you like.
> * study of some collaboration propositions (details confidential)
> I hope you don’t mean the collaboration proposals with three major
> organizations in DC that I brought to the table. If you do, why was I not
asked about
> them?
No, I am talking about other propositions which are confidential and
which you were not involved in.
Again, why is the board keeping collaboration proposals from business
development or the office in general. Do you think that only the board is qualified
to deal with these matters? Do you not trust the office to do its job?
You wrote: No one, which is why we created an advisory board, and ask help
from
companies, especially those who accept to work on a pro bono basis.
But you are welcome to tell future voters that they should elect a
community member being a specialist of brand licensing.
Note that you are not a specialist of brands either.
I will happily admit that I am not a branding specialist and that a branding
specialist should be brought on board, either as staff, or as a board
member. Once again, what expertise does the board bring to this in the meanwhile.
> You also wrote:
> "During that week, the office was really populated, as it also hosted two
> other meetings, one dedicated to Quality (might be worthwhile to ask
> Greg to make a report on this one...), "
> While Greg is extremely qualified to report on that, you might also ask
the
> person who organized it. Oh, and how much time did the Board take
discussing
> its recommendations.
You wrote: Oh good point. Since you were the organiser of that meeting, can
you
provide me the budget where we approved the expenses related to that
meeting ?
Are you opposed to the meeting? Or are you simply opposed to the fact that
something was done without your involvement. Did you ever ask me about it?
Would you have approved it?
As for the time spent discussing the recommandations, I would say that
given that the recommandations were presented 2 hours before the end of
the board meeting and that the issue was not on the agenda... of course,
it was not further discussed. Not everyone is a workalcoholic :-)
No, but senior executives of huge international corporations generally are.
Especially when they are understaffed.
> You wrote: "Delphine was also in Florida for several days."
> It is always very nice to see Delphine. What was her role in these
meetings?
You wrote: I was not the organiser of the tech meeting. I am still wondering
who
organised it really.
I was not the organiser of the quality meeting. You were.
I was the organiser of the board meeting, and I did not invite her.
You also wrote: However, contrariwise to you, Delphine has an approved
travel budget,
and by default, I consider staff is not "dumb" and if she thought she
needed travel, then she did need travel.
The board is not the police.
She knows pretty well that if she does not do her job and abuse things,
she can be fired. It is not your place to judge her work and the way she
organises herself. That goes for every employee.
Okay, so there is no oversight when it comes to Delphine (though this is not
the case with the office—you were very clear about that.) She currently has
a higher travel budget than the entire board combined, and no one can
question it. By the way, is it true that you have copied IRC board meeting
discussions to Delphine in real time? A simple yes or no will do.
> Or does that go under the discussed Travel Policy (to quote you, "nothing
> very fancy to report.")
The travel policy is the one related to the board. Not the travel policy
of the employees.
The travel policy of the employees is set up by the ED, not the board.
There is no ED, so who sets up the travel policy?
> It would also be nice to hear some more elaboration from you about the
> "difference of opinion" between the Board and the Search Firm regarding
the role
> of an ED. How does the Board see the role? How does the Search Firm see
the
> role? What efforts are being made to bridge this difference?
I would prefer that you be blunt and say your word rather than turning
around the pot Danny.
It's a simple question. I am not turning it around. I am simply asking you
to explain your statement.
> All in all, it sounds like a fascinating meeting. I look forward to
reading
> the minutes.
Ah, confidential :-) Too bad. But they were written Danny, be reassured.
I am reassured. I only wonder why no board minutes whatsoever have been
posted to wikimediafoundation.org since 2006. I had hoped that the new board
would usher in a time of greater transparency. Apparently I was wrong.
Danny
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