Some time ago, I informed you of my willingness to explore another
governance model for the organization.
Here is the (draft) result of my work:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Policy_governance_manual
I know the english is not very good, I was already informed. This is a
draft, and please do not hesitate to fix the language.
It is not complete of course. There are still things missing, such as
references to some policies already approved. But I guess it will allow
you to get the idea.
Now, here is what I would like you to focus upon MOSTLY.
The first part, related to the ENDS.
As a reminder, an end is
1) what we try to do
2) for which people
3) at which cost
An end may be long term (such as "hosting Wikipedia"), or it may be much
shorter term. It may be general, or it can be something very very precise.
We may have 6 ENDS this year, but 8 next year, with only 4 in commons
with this year. Generally, consider the ENDS are redefined every year.
Please help defining these goals. We can keep them "not very precise" or
make some points "very detailed". Please comment on the talk page.
Thanks
Anthere
I don't think anyone can comment intelligently until it is clarified what
"merged into the Wikimedia Foundation family of projects" really means. Does
this mean that they are now wikis. That anyone can edit them? That the current
community of WMF will determine how they are managed?
What are their financials like? Do they have sufficient funds to be
self-sufficient? If not, do we have sufficient funds to support them? Why is this a
merger and not a simple partnership between the two organizations?
There are many more, similar questions that can be asked. You can't ask
people to make informed decisions until all these questions are answered.
Danny
In a message dated 4/27/2007 9:13:29 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
erik(a)wikimedia.org writes:
I would like to propose (as a community member) that
http://en.literateprograms.org/
be merged into the Wikimedia Foundation family of projects. I have
spoken with the founder of LiteratePrograms, Derrick Coetzee, and he
would agree to such a merger.
LP documents computer program source code with in-line explanations
beyond simple source comments. Using a special extension, all code
belonging to an example program can be downloaded as a package with
ease. It is, in my opinion, ideally positioned to become a wonderful
learning resource for budding programmers in any programming language.
The structure of LP is fundamentally different from any existing
Wikimedia project. Yet, it is an educational project with great value.
LP currently uses the MIT/X11 license, which is similar to CC-BY, but
more suitable for source code; I believe this makes sense as these
snippets are typically so small that they should not be encumbered
further with copyleft.
WMF would be able to give the project sustainable hosting and exposure
to a vast community. What do you think? If there is no consensus, I'd
be willing to organize a community poll as we did for other projects,
but I really see very little that speaks against LP becoming part of
the WMF project family.
--
Peace & Love,
Erik
************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.
I've spent Fri-Sun at the Yale "Access to Knowledge" conference at
Yale Law School [*], where I gave a talk on the tech culture of
Wikipedia. It was interesting and probably worth coming, though of all
the buzzwords -- "free culture", "open access", "open content", etc.
-- A2K is probably the least coherent right now. That can be useful in
that it allows people associated with very different organizations and
projects to mingle.
I've had some good chats with folks from Internet Archive, Bibliotheca
Alexandrina, PLoS (free t-shirt!), the open source initiatives in
South Africa, and other projects. I'm very interested in building
stronger connections with the open access movement in particular, and
I think we should be able to come up with a nice grant proposal within
the coming year or so -- things like integration of feeds from
journals, collaborative media filtering, connecting open access
publications with relevant Wikipedia articles, etc.
I had a chance to chat with two Advisory Board members, Ethan
Zuckerman and Achal Prabhala, and also met with Sage Ross, a very nice
Wikipedian who studies at Yale. His blog is recommended reading:
http://ragesossscholar.blogspot.com/
Those interested in the conference can take a look at the wiki pages here:
http://research.yale.edu/isp/a2k/wiki/index.php/Yale_A2K2
[*] Expenses covered by Yale
--
Peace & Love,
Erik
DISCLAIMER: This message does not represent an official position of
the Wikimedia Foundation or its Board of Trustees.
"An old, rigid civilization is reluctantly dying. Something new, open,
free and exciting is waking up." -- Ming the Mechanic
The Kanuri Wikipedia has no page in article namespace other than the
main page. And even this page does not have even a single word in
Kanuri. Kanuri is a language spoken in Northern Nigeria. The closure
of this edition has been proposed on September 17 2006. A large
majority has spoken out in favour of closing this Wiki.
See
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Proposals_for_closing_projects/Closure_of_Ka…
I would like to declare the discussion closed and have the final
result announced and forwarded to the Board of Trustees. Since there
is no clear-cut policy for closing inactive projects, I thought that
it might be a good idea to ask on this list, whether there are any
objections to declaring the debate closed and announce the result,
which would be strong support to have this inactive project closed.
Thanks,
Johannes
--
http://www.infoe.de/
Interesting...
> Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 15:13:01 +0200
> From: "Erik Moeller" <erik(a)wikimedia.org>
> Subject: [Foundation-l] Proposal: LiteratePrograms.org as Wikimedia
> Project
> I would like to propose (as a community member) that
>
> http://en.literateprograms.org/
>
> be merged into the Wikimedia Foundation family of projects. I have
> spoken with the founder of LiteratePrograms, Derrick Coetzee, and he
> would agree to such a merger.
>
> LP documents computer program source code with in-line explanations
> beyond simple source comments. Using a special extension, all code
> belonging to an example program can be downloaded as a package with
> ease. It is, in my opinion, ideally positioned to become a wonderful
> learning resource for budding programmers in any programming language.
>
> The structure of LP is fundamentally different from any existing
> Wikimedia project. Yet, it is an educational project with great value.
> LP currently uses the MIT/X11 license, which is similar to CC-BY, but
> more suitable for source code; I believe this makes sense as these
> snippets are typically so small that they should not be encumbered
> further with copyleft.
>
> WMF would be able to give the project sustainable hosting and exposure
> to a vast community. What do you think? If there is no consensus, I'd
> be willing to organize a community poll as we did for other projects,
> but I really see very little that speaks against LP becoming part of
> the WMF project family.
> --
> Peace & Love,
> Erik
>
> DISCLAIMER: This message does not represent an official position of
> the Wikimedia Foundation or its Board of Trustees.
>
> "An old, rigid civilization is reluctantly dying. Something new, open,
> free and exciting is waking up." -- Ming the Mechanic
No comment on the merits of merger/support/working together, etc... Although
some sort of closer link would be nifty! ( I added LiteratePrograms to the
Interwiki map a few weeks ago:
[http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interwiki_map&diff=539556&oldid
=535718] ...)
I'm just posting to say that I'd commend people to go check out the site,
the extensions used to enable downloading of "compilable code" are
interesting and the site seems a neat idea. It fills a different niche than
say, SourceForge as it's not so much a respository of tools and releasable
things, as it is a repository of learnings about coding techniques. Merging
with WikiVersity/books or whatever, for example, would require installing
those extensions, I would think, which might not fit well with the rest of
WikiVersity, so I'd think keeping it separately sited would be good.
Larry Pieniazek
Hobby mail: lar at miltontrainworks.com
Hello all,
I sent this message to a staff member at the foundation, but I haven't heard
anything back. I hope these suggestions will aid the organization in its online
fundraising. I look forward to your comments.
I also must say that this analysis has been completed simply by the information
I could find online. My apologies for any incorrect assumptions I have made.
1. Online Fundraising Suggestions
a. Google Checkout - https://checkout.google.com/
>From the Wikimedia_2006_fs.pdf, in the Statement of Activities, there are
$45,617 of Paypal fees noted. I'm not exactly sure what all of these fees are
for as they could be transaction fees, or currency exchange fees, et cetera...
However, if they are transaction fees, I believe you could save a lot of money
by using Google Checkout. They are offering a free transactions until December
31, 2007. This would literally make all people's donations, 100%, going
straight to the organization. Also a GREAT marketing point to offer to
potential donors.
I have asked Google Checkout if they would let Wikimedia have free transaction
processing post 2007, and they basically said they are not in a position to make
a decision like that at the moment, however they are up for suggestions. So I
put in a formal request to have them consider it.
b. Change the ask - "Your continued donations keep Wikipedia running!"
People move their eyes in an S motion depending the location of the most
significant starting point.
Wikimedia Analysis
All Wikimedia pages have their main titles at the top left, therefore people's
eyes will move in a backwards S down the page. This makes the "Your continued
donations...." text probably the least seen item on the page, especially since
it is so very small, giving a feeling of being shy or timid in asking for a
donation. After clicking on the featured article of the day which was also
available in audio, it seems as though the ASK text (Your continued..) is
interfering with the audio graphic and there is a lock there as well.
Suggestion:
1) Move the ASK all the way over to the left or center.
2) Make the font bigger, possibly adding a little color or something to it.
I love the Wikimedia foundation because of its amazing projects, mission, and
goals. Chair Nibart-Devouard's letter on the goals of the foundation are very
powerful as she states how the organization needs to improve, but you are
already Wikimedia! You are a fantastic organization already! You should be
expecting people to donate, and there should be an easy way to do so.
A huge factor in donations is visibility. If people aren't asked to donate,
most often they won't. That's why the position and style of the ask is so
important.
Thanks,
Alexander
Alexander Keely
MPA - Nonprofit Management and
MA - Philanthropic Studies Candidate
SPEA & Center on Philanthropy
IUPUI
301.523.2778
Just a quick point here: the Foundation may not change its mission statement
without an official determination letter from the IRS. If the mission is
changed substantially (and that is determined by the IRS, not the WMF mailing
list), the Foundation could lose its 501 c 3 accreditation.
I am confident that the Board is aware of this, but do suggest that the word
"draft" be included with every newly formatted mission statement so that
there is no misunderstanding.
Danny
In a message dated 4/25/2007 4:42:43 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
erik(a)wikimedia.org writes:
The Mission and Vision statement of WMF have been officially updated
after the recent community discussions:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mission&oldid=571884http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vision&oldid=571890
************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.
FYI
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Michael Bimmler (Wikimedia CH) <michael.bimmler(a)wikimedia.ch>
Date: Apr 27, 2007 8:04 PM
Subject: [Wikimedia CH Members] Einladung zur Mitgliederversammlung /
Invitation to the General Assembly
To: members(a)wikimedia.ch
***ENGLISH VERSION BELOW***
Die ordentliche Mitgliederversammlung 2007 von Wikimedia CH - Verein zur
Förderung Freien Wissens findet am Sonntag, den 24. Juni 2007 um 14 Uhr
in Luzern statt. Eingeladen sind alle Mitglieder sowie interessierte
Gäste. Die genaue Ort des Treffens ist noch nicht festgelegt und wird
den Mitgliedern per E-Mail kommuniziert. Er wird auch auf unserer
Website (http://www.wikimedia.ch) bekanntgegeben werden..
Traktanden:
1. Begrüssung, Anträge zur Traktandenliste
2. Berichte
2.1 Jahresbericht des Vorstandes
2.2 Finanzbericht des Vorstandes
2.3 Bericht und Empfehlung der Revisoren
3. Entlastung des Vorstandes und der Revisoren sowie Genehmigung des
Jahres- und Finanzberichtes
4. Statutenänderung (vgl. unten)
5. Wahlen
5.1 Wahl des Vorstandes
5.2 Wahl des Präsidenten
5.3 Wahl der Revisoren
6. Festsetzung der Mitgliederbeiträge
7. Diskussionen und Ankündigungen
7.1 Webauftritt
7.2 Wikipedia-Tag Lugano (Frühling 2007)
7.3 Wikipedia-Tag Herbst 2007 (Bern/Romandie)
8. Varia
Zu Punkt 4: Aus steuerrechtlichen Gründen beantragt Ihnen der Vorstand
folgende Statutenänderungen:
a) Artikel 2, Absatz 6 wird abgeändert zu "Der Verein verfolgt keine
kommerziellen Zwecke und erstrebt keinen Gewinn."
b) Artikel 10, Absatz 8 (neu): "Die Mitglieder des Vorstandes sind
ehrenamtlich tätig und haben grundsätzlich nur Anspruch auf
Entschädigung ihrer effektiven Spesen und Barauslagen. Für besondere
Leistungen einzelner Vorstandsmitglieder kann eine angemessene
Entschädigung ausgerichtet werden."
c) Artikel 13, Absatz 1 wird abgeändert zu "Die nach Auflösung des
Vereins verbleibenden Mittel sind einer steuerbefreiten Institution mit
gleicher oder ähnlicher Zwecksetzung zuzuwenden. Eine Verteilung unter
die Mitglieder ist ausgeschlossen. Den Empfänger bestimmt die
Mitgliederversammlung zugleich mit dem Beschluss zur Auflösung des Vereins."
Nach Artikel 8, Absatz 2 der Statuten müssen Einsprüche gegen die
Traktandenliste, Wahlvorschläge sowie eigene Anträge spätestens 4 Wochen
vor der Mitgliederversammlung [d.h. am 27. Mai 2007] beim Vorstand
eingegangen sein. Entsprechende Eingaben sind unterschrieben an
"Wikimedia CH, Vorstand, 8008 Zürich" zu schicken.
Dringlichkeitsanträge während der Versammlung (aber nicht
Statutenänderungen) sind zulässig, vgl. Artikel 8 Absatz 3 der Statuten.
Wir hoffen auf eine zahlreiche Teilnahme und stehen bei Fragen gerne zu
Verfügung.
Names den Vorstandes:
Michael Bimmler
Sekretär
***ENGLISH VERSION***
The General Assembly 2007 of Wikimedia CH - Association for the
Advancement of Free Knowledge is held on Sunday, June 24, 2007 at 14.00
in Lucerne. Invited are all members and interested guests. The exact
location of the meeting is not yet defined and will be communicated to
our members per email and to the general public on our website
(http://www.wikimedia.ch).
Agenda:
1. Introduction, motions concerning the agenda
2. Reports
2.1 Annual general report of the board
2.2 Annual financial report of the board
2.3 Report and recommendation of the auditors
3. Discharge of the board and the auditors, vote on the general and
financial report.
4. Change of Bylaws
5. Elections
5.1 Elections to the Board
5.2 Election of the president
5.3 Election of the auditors
6. Decision on the members fees
7. Discussions and announcements
7.1 Internet presence
7.2 Wikipedia Day Lugano (spring 2007)
7.3 Wikipedia Day Autumn 2007 (Berne / Romandie)
8. Varia
Ad item 4: For fiscal reasons the board moves the following changes to
the bylaws:
a) Article 2, clause 6 is changed to: "The Association does not pursue
commercial aims and does not seek to make profit."
b) Article 10, clause 8 (new): "The members of the board are volunteers
and are on principle only entitled to reimbursement of their actual
expenses and cash expenditure. Adequate compensation can be arranged for
particular services of individual board members."
c) Article 13, clause 1 is changed to: "Upon dissolution of the
Association, the remaining capital is to be donated to a tax-exempt
entity with equal or similar aims. The distribution amongst members is
prohibited. The recipient of the capital is to be decided by the general
assembly together with the passing of the motion to dissolve the
Association."
Pursuant to article 8, clause 2 or the bylaws, objections to the agenda,
candidatures and motions have to be submitted to the board at least 4
weeks prior to the General Assembly (i.e on May 27th 2007). Respective
submissions must be signed and sent to "Wikimedia CH, Board, 8008 Zurich".
Emergency motions during the assembly (but not motions to change the
bylaws) are in order per article 8, clause 3 of the bylaws.
We are looking forward to a large attendance and are available for your
questions.
On behalf of the board:
Michael Bimmler
Secretary
--
Michael Bimmler
Secretary and Member of the Board
Sekretär und Vorstandsmitglied
Wikimedia CH
Association for the Advancement of Free Knowledge
Verein zur Förderung Freien Wissens
8008 Zürich Switzerland
+41 44 912 20 18
michael.bimmler(a)wikimedia.ch
http://www.wikimedia.ch
_______________________________________________
Members mailing list
Members(a)wikimedia.ch
http://lists.wikimedia.ch/listinfo/members
The Mission and Vision statement of WMF have been officially updated
after the recent community discussions:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mission&oldid=571884http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vision&oldid=571890
See the related Board resolution:
http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Resolution:Mission_and_Vision_statement
Some clarifications that have been made include:
- focus on "neutral educational content" instead of simply "knowledge" in the MS
- use of "free content license" instead of the possibly confusing "free license"
- in VS, replace "free access" with the broader "share in the sum of
all knowledge"
The unstable versions are still open to editing, and we will debate
this issue regularly. For now, I would appreciate it if translators
could start working on these statements. They should probably also be
posted in a couple of very official places on wikimediafoundation.org
:-)
--
Peace & Love,
Erik
DISCLAIMER: This message does not represent an official position of
the Wikimedia Foundation or its Board of Trustees.
"An old, rigid civilization is reluctantly dying. Something new, open,
free and exciting is waking up." -- Ming the Mechanic