Please see "WikiWinWin: A Wiki Based System Together with Win Win Method
for Collaborative Requirements Negotiation" by Ledan Huang, Xiaobo Wu and
Yangu Zhang (2013)
http://www.atlantis-press.com/php/download_paper.php?id=10885
Does someone want to do a Mediawiki extension for Google Summer of Code or
the like to implement a riff on that?
It's applicable to more than just software development, and the software
development it talks about includes collaborative documentation. I suspect
that it is very similar to general accuracy maintenance automation, and it
still works better with a human participant driving the process schedule
(to the extent that human is skilled at it) but there are some very
attractive opportunities for e.g. Wikidata and maintenance bot integration
down the road if it works out.
Best regards,
James Salsman
Hi, guys.
I just wanted to let you know, so you could mark your calendars if
interested, that there are two IRC office hours scheduled to discuss
VisualEditor in February.
The first will be held on Saturday February 15 at 1700 UTC and the second
will be held on Sunday February 16 at 00:00 UTC. (See
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/IRC_office_hours for time conversion
links.)
Logs will be posted on meta after each office hour completes. You'll find
them, along with logs for older office hours on the topic, at
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:VisualEditor_office_hours_logs
Please see https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/IRC_office_hours for more
information on how to join in.
Thanks!
Maggie
--
Maggie Dennis
Senior Community Advocate
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
The report on Wikimedia Nederland activities in January is now available:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_chapters/Reports/Wikimedia_Nederl…
.
It is also included as plain text in this message.
Sandra Rientjes
Directeur/Executive Director Wikimedia Nederland
tel. (+31) (0)30 3200238
mob. (+31) (0)6 31786379
www.wikimedia.nl
*Postadres*: * Bezoekadres:*
Postbus 167 Mariaplaats 3
3500 AD Utrecht Utrecht
COMMUNITY: supporting and mobilising volunteers and editors
-
New years reception.The National Library of the Netherlands and the
National Archive of the Netherlands hosted the Wikimedia Nederland New
Years Reception 2014 on the 18th of January. After a word of welcome by the
organisers a few new projects were presented. Visitors could also
visit the current
exhibition<http://www.gahetna.nl/bezoek-ons/tentoonstelling/geheugenpaleis>of
the National Archive, get a tour
through the depots<http://www.kb.nl/voor-uitgevers/beschijving-depot-collectie>of
the National Library, follow a short course on editing Wikipedia or
join
a guided tour through The Hague. The reception ended with the prize
ceremony of Wiki takes The
Hague<http://www.wikilovesmonuments.nl/2014/01/22/prijsuitreiking-wiki-takes-den-…>,
a local Wiki loves monuments event that was organised on the 22nd of
September in 2013
-
Small grants.
Three requests for financial support of activities benefiting the Wikimedia
projects were received and accepted :
EURO 150 to support an edit-a-thon on art and feminism
EURO 500 to support the development of a tool to improve the presentation of
information generated through Wikidata.
EURO 254,10 for a subscription to a database to improve Wikipedia- articles on
restaurants.
The small grants programme is open to all members of the
Wikimedia-community, regardless of whether or not they are WMNL members.
-
Writing contest.
The Wikipedia community organised its annual writing contest and awarded prizes
to four articles<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/nl:Wikipedia:Schrijfwedstrijd#Uitslag_2013>on
the Dutch language Wikipedia for their outstanding quality. WMNL
supported the contest by providing and distributing the prizes.
WORK: content, collaboration and activity development
-
Kick-off 550 years Staten Generaal.
The first meeting of the Staten
Generaal<http://www.staten-generaal.nl/begrip/the_states_general>,
the predecessor of the Dutch parliament, took place on January 9, 1464. The
project 550 jaar Staten
Generaal<https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikiproject/Staten-Generaal>has
been launched to mark that this happened 550 years ago. The focus of
the project is to improve information on the history of the Dutch
parliament by writing articles, organising edit-marathons and meetings with
experts. This project is an initiative of Wikipedians, and is supported by
WMNL both financially and logistically
-
Content donation University Museum Utrecht.
The University Museum <http://www.universiteitsmuseum.nl/english> in
Utrecht launched a new website of their
collection<http://www.universiteitsmuseum.nl/Collectie/>.
The museum announced at the launch of the site that they will donate the
content - about 5500 images that are currently available and more images
that will become available in the future - to Wikimedia Commons. The
donation is scheduled for May this year, the GLAMwiki
toolset<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:GLAMwiki_Toolset_Project>will
be used for the donation. The donation will lead to more available
content and higher quality images of pictures that are already on Wikimedia
Commons.
-
Wikipedians in Residence.
There are currently 6 Wikipedians in Residence (WiR) in the Netherlands.
The last to be announced is Maarten
Jansen<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/nl:Gebruiker:Maarten_Jansen>,
who is already working at the Amsterdam
Museum<http://amsterdammuseum.nl/en/node/43>.
5 WiR's and WMNL had a meeting to discuss their projects, the notes of this
meeting<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/nl:Wikipedia:GLAM/WiR/Notulen/2014-01-28>are
public (Dutch). WMNL is going to organise a workshop on using the
Europeana GLAM Wiki mass-upload tool for the WiR's and other staff of their
host organisations.
-
OpenGLAM Benchmark Survey.
The Open Knowledge Foundation <http://nl.okfn.org/>, the Netherlands
Institute for Sound and Vision <http://www.beeldengeluid.nl/en>,
Europeana<http://www.europeana.eu/>and Wikimedia Nederland are working
together to conduct the Open
Glam Benchmark Survey<https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/GLAM/OpenGLAM_Benchmark_Survey>in
the Netherlands. The goal of this survey is to gain an overview of the
extent to which cultural heritage institutions are adapting to new trends
such as setting up a digital strategy and their willingness to open up
content. The survey was first conducted in Switzerland by the Bern
University of Applied Sciences. 17
countries<https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/GLAM/OpenGLAM_Benchmark_Survey/Particip…>have
shown interest to participate.
-
Rathenau Instituut.
WMNL Executive Director Sandra Rientjes gave a presentation about the
Wikimedia projects at the Rathenau
Instituut<http://www.rathenau.nl/en.html>and discussed potential
cooperation. The Rathenau Instituut studies and
stimulates the formation of political and public opinion on science and
technology. They are interested to see how debate about science and
technology is reflected on Wikipedia.
WMNL
-
Media. On Wikipedia's birthday (January 15) WMNL chairman Ziko van Dijk
was interviewed on Radio Rijnmond. WMNL executive director Sandra Rientjes
was interviewed in the BNR radio-programme
Digitaal<http://www.bnr.nl/radio/bnr-digitaal/292243-1401/bnr-digitaal-15-januari-wi…>
.
A full overview of media coverage can be found
here<https://nl.wikimedia.org/wiki/Media-aandacht#januari>
.
-
Newsletter. On behalf of WMNL, the Wikimedia Foundation sent out a
message to all individuals from the Netherlands who donated via the
fundraising banner on Wikipedia. In the days after this message went out
400 people subscribed to the WMNL newsletter.
MONEY
-
Annual report and accounts. Treasurer Paul Becherer and the WMNL office
jointly prepared the annual report and accounts. These will be audited in
February and presented to the General Assembly on March 29.
GOVERNANCE
-
The board convened on 9 January in Utrecht. One of the topics was the
preparation of the next general assembly in March, including the
recruitment of new board members and the preparation of the annual report
for the members.
-
The board is on a track to receive better 'job descriptions' for board
members, initiated by secretary Frans Grijzenhout with external
professional support.
Upcoming
-
Brainstorm session Education project on February 1.
_______________________________________________
Please note: all replies sent to this mailing list will be immediately directed to Wikimedia-l, the public mailing list of the Wikimedia community. For more information about Wikimedia-l:
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l
_______________________________________________
WikimediaAnnounce-l mailing list
WikimediaAnnounce-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaannounce-l
Hi All,
We are happy to announce that the community consultations for the Privacy
Policy draft <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Privacy_policy> and the Data
Retention Guidelines<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Data_retention_guidelines>have
closed today. We are extremely appreciative of the many community
members who have participated in this robust discussion since the opening
of the consultations on 03 September 2013 and 09 January 2014,
respectively. The consultations led to the creation of a transparent
proposed Privacy Policy reflective of community values and our first-ever
Data Retention Guidelines.
You can read more about the consultations and the next steps for the
proposed Privacy Policy and Data Retention Guidelines on the Wikimedia
blog<https://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/02/14/a-new-access-to-nonpublic-information/>
.
Thanks,
Michelle & Geoff
--
Michelle Paulson
Legal Counsel
Wikimedia Foundation
149 New Montgomery Street, 6th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
mpaulson(a)wikimedia.org
415.839.6885 ext. 6608 (Office)
415.882.0495 (Fax)
NOTICE: *This message might have confidential or legally privileged
information in it. If you have received this message by accident, please
delete it and let us know about the mistake. 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.*
_______________________________________________
Please note: all replies sent to this mailing list will be immediately directed to Wikimedia-l, the public mailing list of the Wikimedia community. For more information about Wikimedia-l:
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l
_______________________________________________
WikimediaAnnounce-l mailing list
WikimediaAnnounce-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaannounce-l
Hi All,
We are happy to announce that the community
consultation<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Access_to_nonpublic_information_policy>for
the Access
to Nonpublic Information Policy
draft<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Access_to_nonpublic_information_policy>has
closed today. We thank the many community members who have
participated
in this discussion since the opening of the consultation on 03 September
2013. Their input has provided valuable insight about this sensitive and
complicated topic.
You can read more about the consultation and the next steps for the Access
to Nonpublic Information Policy draft on the Wikimedia
blog<https://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/02/14/a-new-access-to-nonpublic-information/>
.
Best,
Michelle & Geoff
--
Michelle Paulson
Legal Counsel
Wikimedia Foundation
149 New Montgomery Street, 6th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
mpaulson(a)wikimedia.org
415.839.6885 ext. 6608 (Office)
415.882.0495 (Fax)
NOTICE: *This message might have confidential or legally privileged
information in it. If you have received this message by accident, please
delete it and let us know about the mistake. 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.*
_______________________________________________
Please note: all replies sent to this mailing list will be immediately directed to Wikimedia-l, the public mailing list of the Wikimedia community. For more information about Wikimedia-l:
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l
_______________________________________________
WikimediaAnnounce-l mailing list
WikimediaAnnounce-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaannounce-l
Hello Everyone!
We could use some fresh volunteers in the Grant Advisory Committee (GAC)!
As you may know, the GAC are community volunteers who are explicitly
invited[1] to review and evaluate grant proposals made in the Wikimedia
Foundation Project and Event Grants Program[2], and offer advice to both
grant applicants and the Foundation.
Read all about it on the Candidates page[3]. New members will be inducted
March 24th 2014, so be sure to step forward before then.
Please help this message reach as many people as possible, by relaying it
to appropriate lists and village pumps.
And many thanks to our current and former GAC members!
Cheers,
Alex
[1] _everyone_ is implicitly invited!
[2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:PEG
[3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grant_Advisory_Committee/Candidates
--
Alex Wang
Wikimedia Foundation <http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Home>
+1 415-839-6885
Skype: alexvwang
Dear fellows,
The following message is just to keep you informed about the activities
developed in January by Amical Wikimedia.
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Amical_Wikimedia/January_2014
Kind regards,
David Parreño Mont
User:Davidpar
(As a member of Amical Wikimedia)
----
*Source:* https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Amical_Wikimedia/January_2014
GLAM-WIKI
- Current Wikipedians-in-Residence: ESM at Jaume Morera Art Museum,
Lleida, Elaf88, MontseMedina & Radiokul at Víctor Balaguer Museum
- January 1-15 - Closure of GLAM&Outreach II Grant. Kippelboy
- January 11th -- Fages de Climent Edit-a-thon[1], at Figueres Library.
Davidpar
- January 16th - Follow up meeting with the Wikipedians in residence at
the Víctor Balaguer Museum. Kippelboy
- January 21th - Visit to the the Pompeu Fabra University Library, to
Introduce Wikipedia to Library members & staff.
- January 22th - Meeting with Antoni Tàpies Foundation, for negotiating
a Wikipedian in residence and an artist audit, like the one done with Joan
Miró in fall 2013. Kippelboy
- January 23rd - Conference in Vic: Museums and 3D[2], Round table on
how 3D printing affects Open Knwoledge Podcast available[3]. Kippelboy
Education
- January 9th -- Kick of of the 4th edition of Viquiprojecte:Museus with
museology students of the Pompeu Fabra University. Wikipedia workshop and
homeworks schedule. Kippelboy
- January 15th -- Presentation of the new edition of Gracmon Wikiproject
with students of Art History of the University of Barcelona. Kippelboy
- January 22th - Meeting with UOC University, for drafting a 2014
collaboration. Kippelboy
- January 28th - Meeting with Folch i Torres foundation for planning an
edit-a-thon on May 2014. Kippelboy
- January 29th -- GLAMwiki workshop for Librarians of the Osona County at
the Manlleu Library. Kippelboy
- January 30th -- GLAMwiki presentation for Librarians of Filmoteca de
Catalunya. Kippelboy
- *WikiArS:*
- January 28th -- Meeting at Nacional Arqueological Museum of
Tarragona with Museum curators and four students from School of Art that
are in intership with Amical. See the assignments here[4]. Lluis_tgn
Research
- January 22 - Participation at the launching and networking event of
the European project on common-based peer production P2Pvalue[5] Lilaroja
Enric Senabre Joan Subirats. Jan Eissfeldt from WMF joinned us
Other
- January 15th -- Meeting with the dotcat domain foundation, looking for
Amical's offices. Kippelboy
- January 15th-Feb 15th - Wikiproject Reading in Catalan, promoting the
creation of articles of Writers who publish in Catalan language.
- January 24th - Meeting with the Government of Catalonia for planning
Wiki Loves Earth 2014. Kippelboy
- January 30th - Participation in the round table about "Catalan,
digital language" organized by Generalitat de Catalunya in Girona. Arnaugir
Organization
- January 8th -- Monthly meeting via IRC chat[6] of the Catalan Wikimedia
community. Papapeps
- Signature of the FDC agreement with the WMF.
Media
- Interview to Lilaroja on catalan national TV TV3[7] (from min 48'30"
to 53'00") (in Catalan)
- Interview to Lilaroja on local radio program Internauta[8]
- The most viewed pages on Catalan Wikipedia: VilaWeb, Nació Digital.
Davidpar
- Fages de Climent Edit-a-thon coverage: El Punt Avui, Empordà,
figueres. com, Hora Nova, Empordà
- Martí Gasull Award coverage: dBalears.cat, Nació Digital, El Punt
Avui, Racó Català, VilaWeb
- *Wikiproject Reading in Catalan* coverage: Llibertat.cat, Racó Català,
Nació Digital. Davidpar
- January 28th -- Meeting with an *Ara* newspaper editor for a report on
Wikipedia. Davidpar, Marionaaragay, Gomà, KRLS
[1]
https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viquip%C3%A8dia:Viquimarat%C3%B3_Fages_de_Cli…
[2] http://www.museuepiscopalvic.com/noticies_more.asp?id=167&histo=
[3]
http://www.ivoox.com/taula-rodona-jornada-imprimir-museu-audios-mp3_rf_2776…
[4]
https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:WikiArS_assignments_with_EADT
[5] http://p2pvalue.eu/blog/public-presentation-p2pvalue-project
[6] https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viquip%C3%A8dia:Reunions_per_xat
[7] http://www.tv3.cat/videos/4886512/2324---04022014
[8]
http://www.vilaweb.cat/noticia/4170246/20140131/poder-collaboracio-xarxa.ht…
(Apologies for cross-posting)
Hello everyone,
Wikimedia UK is continuing to consult Wikimedians on the charity's
strategic planning for 2014-19. There are some key components of this work
that would benefit from a wider input. These include the Strategic
Plan<https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Strategic_plan_2014-2019>,
the model we have
used<https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Strategic_and_operational_models>,
our Vision and Values<https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Vision,_values_and_mission_(proposed)>and
our five high-level Strategic
Goals<https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Strategic_Goals>
.
There are a few things we're especially keen to hear from you about,
including:
- Does our planning represent the full range of activities we engage in,
and their aims towards our mission?
- Does it indicate how, and why, measurement will take place
- Are the measures appropriate (aligned with our aims) and achievable
(things we can actually measure)?
- Do you have ideas of other measurements, or tools we might use to
measure, our impact?
- Are the targets given
here<https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Progress_on_Outcomes> ambitious,
achievable, and trackable?
- Which Outcome Measures we should be using against which to measure our
impact, and also what targets we should aim to meet by the end of January
2015.
- Given we will be associating our activities - including volunteer led
activities - with the aims and measures given, are you happy the strategy
represents a structure you can work with as a member of our community?
These plans are important because they establish a framework for our work
over the next five years and present ways for us to measure the success of
our activities.
The community consultation period is open until *28 February 2014* so
please do have your say before then.
Thanks and regards,
Stevie
--
Stevie Benton
Head of External Relations
Wikimedia UK
+44 (0) 20 7065 0993 / +44 (0) 7803 505 173
@StevieBenton
Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England
and Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513.
Registered Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street,
London EC2A 4LT. United Kingdom. Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a
global Wikimedia movement. The Wikimedia projects are run by the
Wikimedia Foundation (who operate Wikipedia, amongst other projects).
*Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit charity with no legal
control over Wikipedia nor responsibility for its contents.*
_______________________________________________
Please note: all replies sent to this mailing list will be immediately directed to Wikimedia-l, the public mailing list of the Wikimedia community. For more information about Wikimedia-l:
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l
_______________________________________________
WikimediaAnnounce-l mailing list
WikimediaAnnounce-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaannounce-l
(Apologies for cross-posting)
Hello everyone,
Wikimedia UK is continuing to consult Wikimedians on the charity's
strategic planning for 2014-19. There are some key components of this work
that would benefit from a wider input. These include the Strategic
Plan<https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Strategic_plan_2014-2019>,
the model we have
used<https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Strategic_and_operational_models>,
our Vision and Values<https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Vision,_values_and_mission_(proposed)>and
our five high-level Strategic
Goals<https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Strategic_Goals>
.
There are a few things we're especially keen to hear from you about,
including:
- Does our planning represent the full range of activities we engage in,
and their aims towards our mission?
- Does it indicate how, and why, measurement will take place
- Are the measures appropriate (aligned with our aims) and achievable
(things we can actually measure)?
- Do you have ideas of other measurements, or tools we might use to
measure, our impact?
- Are the targets given
here<https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Progress_on_Outcomes> ambitious,
achievable, and trackable?
- Which Outcome Measures we should be using against which to measure our
impact, and also what targets we should aim to meet by the end of January
2015.
- Given we will be associating our activities - including volunteer led
activities - with the aims and measures given, are you happy the strategy
represents a structure you can work with as a member of our community?
These plans are important because they establish a framework for our work
over the next five years and present ways for us to measure the success of
our activities.
The community consultation period is open until *28 February 2014* so
please do have your say before then.
Thanks and regards,
Stevie
--
Stevie Benton
Head of External Relations
Wikimedia UK
+44 (0) 20 7065 0993 / +44 (0) 7803 505 173
@StevieBenton
Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England
and Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513.
Registered Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street,
London EC2A 4LT. United Kingdom. Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a
global Wikimedia movement. The Wikimedia projects are run by the
Wikimedia Foundation (who operate Wikipedia, amongst other projects).
*Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit charity with no legal
control over Wikipedia nor responsibility for its contents.*
Hi,
I'm very sorry about these decisions. Not only because I disagree with them
on the content (although there are one or two aspects I can live with) and
because I think this is very bad for the volunteers, but also because the
board returned to a mode where they make decisions without involving the
stakeholders properly. The Affiliations Committee will probably come with a
more elaborate (and perhaps nuanced) reply as a committee later, but after
this email from Jan-Bart, I feel the need to emphasize that the Affiliation
Committee was not consulted by the board on this topic - despite the
suggestions being made now. Affcom was consulted on a different (but
related) proposal by a staff member, with very different arguments from
those that the board used in their discussion. In my feeling the board is
painting an unjust and unfair picture of the consultation that took place.
I'm strongly disappointed in /all/ board members for not consulting with
the stakeholders (Affcom, FDC, the existing affiliated, the candidate
affiliates and of course the community at large) on these strategy changing
decisions. From the votes it is clear that these decisions were of course
not unanimous, but the sole fact that a decision was taken at all without
proper consultation (in favor or not) strikes me as almost offensive
towards the volunteers involved. I feel this as a slap in the face and the
board becomes an unreliable body making unpredictable course changes
without allowing stakeholders to influence those.
I hope that the board will return on this decision, and take it again after
a proper consultation. But even more so, I hope that this situation will
not repeat itself. I have brought this up before on the topic of bylaw
changes, but similar arguments are of course valid here.
Lodewijk Gelauff
(While a member of the Affiliations Committee - I write this email entirely
in a personal capacity)
2014-02-11 14:36 GMT+01:00 Jan-Bart de Vreede <jdevreede(a)wikimedia.org>:
> Dear Frederic,
>
>
> On 11 Feb 2014, at 10:44, Frédéric Schütz <schutz(a)mathgen.ch> wrote:
>
> > On 11/02/14 09:03, phoebe ayers wrote:
> >
> > Hi Phoebe,
> >
> > thanks for your answer !
> >
> >>> It is indeed up to the WMF to decide the conditions a group must have
> >>> achieved before being recognized as a chapter or thematic organization.
> >>> However, this is an assessment at a given point in time. How the group
> >>> actually got there should have no influence on the result.
> >>>
> >>
> >> Should it not? I think we disagree on that point. We want the group to
> do
> >> stuff, to have a great track record, to show some evidence that they
> will
> >> stay active if we call them a Wikimedia chapter -- not just to prove
> that
> >> they have a good lawyer in the group who can draw up bylaws. (That's the
> >> crux of the matter, not the "user group" label, as far as I'm
> concerned).
> >
> > What you say makes a lot of sense, but it is disconnected from the
> > actual decision. Your decision is not "you should have a good track
> > record", it is "you should have a good track record AND NOT have bylaws".
> >
> > What I understand the board is saying is: "if you have a fantastic track
> > record over the past two years, and you have successfully incorporated
> > two years ago, and have maybe even managed somehow to attract external
> > funding to conduct your projects, then sorry, this is exactly the kind
> > of organization we do *not* want as a Wikimedia chapter or thematic
> > organization".
> >
> > How can this possibly be something positive for the movement ?
>
> I think you misunderstand us, can you tell me where you got this
> impression, because it is the wrong one. We are saying that a track record
> is important, and much more important that the previous focus on having
> bylaws. This because we know that a proven track record is a very good
> indicator of the chances of succes of a chapter or thematic organisation.
>
> >
> >>> I see that the WMF ED suggested the change, and that it was not
> endorsed
> >>> by the Affcom (which is interesting in itself). But why doesn't the
> >>> community have a chance to comment on how it should organize itself ?
> >
> > I'd love to hear your comment about this point. Agreeing with Itzik, I
> > don't really understand why we are having this discussion after the
> > discussion has already been made (and, indeed, will not change whatever
> > amount of discussion we have) and not before.
>
> Its not like the community does not have a chance to comment on how it
> should organise itself. There are several ways to organise yourself
> (including the user group entity which can benefit greatly from the
> recently improved trademark policy). The board has indicated that there is
> now an additional requirement for becoming a chapter/thematic organisation,
> which is just ONE way of organising yourself. The chapter/thematic choice
> brings with it a lot of responsibility and we feel that our measure will
> help us fulfil our responsibility of being able to approve both chapters
> and thematic organisations while adhering to our governance responsibility.
>
> For the record: The board took the feedback from both the AffCom and FDC
> into account and then made its decision, based on factors that were really
> the responsibility of the board. I respect the volunteers within both
> committees tremendously, but it in the end it really was a decision which
> was taken while taking into account the entire picture (pieces of which
> were provided by the Affcom and FDC).
>
> <SNIP>
>
> >>
> >> thinks the user group framework absolutely won't work -- well, let us
> know.
> >> We are not unreasonable heartless people! But we are trying to get us
> all
> >> on a different footing in how we view incorporation of groups.
> >
> > The burden of the proof should be on the WMF board to explain why this
> > proposal makes sense, and what positive outcome it brings to the
> > community -- not on motivated community members who have to beg to get
> > exceptions.
>
> Hmmm.... I would say that
> 1) We made a decision in which we took several factors into account
> 2) We recognise that there might be situations which we might not have
> taken into account and we invite you to let us know it you think this is
> the case.
>
> would be better than the alternative of not being open to feedback about
> the decision's impact in specific cases.
>
>
> >
> > I don't think I have seen much concrete rationale for this decision
> > beyond vague comments and concerns which I can only call patronizing
> > ("hey, users, we know how you should spend your time and organize
> > yourself; no, no, don't think about creating a formal structure, it is
> > bad for your health. And bad for the movement; will anyone think of the
> > movement ?")
>
> I really think that the FAQ gives a pretty good indication. What concerns
> me (and other board members) is the fact that there is a natural tendency
> to incorporate a group of volunteers into a chapter or thematic
> organisation even if there is no real track record or a good reason to want
> to do so (especially since the revised trademark policy gives user groups
> much more freedom to make use of the trademarks). Chapters and Thematic
> organisations are an essential part of the movement and we would like each
> and every one to succeed in furthering the goals of the movement as a
> whole. Asking these groups to be a user group for the first two years while
> doing programmatic work really gives a good indication of the ability of
> the "future chapter/thematic organisation" to succeed.
>
> We also reference the strategic planning which is due to start this
> summer. One of the things we really have to solve is the
> roles/responsibilities/privileges of each player in the movement. The basic
> answer to the questions:
>
> 1) What are our long term goals
> 2) Who is best positioned to achieve these goals
>
> should lead to a "who does what" picture of the movement (and maybe just
> as important "who will stop doing what"), and it is on the basis of this
> picture and the underlying goals that we should create and fund different
> players in the movement. I would argue that at this time the picture is not
> as clear as it should be before committing the resources we currently
> commit to it.
>
> (just as a small note: when I talk about movement I mean the range from
> the individual volunteer to the Wikimedia Foundation itself)
>
> >
> > As a side note, this is the only point that I will keep from Rupert's
> > email: this decision completely ignores international cultural
> > differences in terms of funding, fundraising and organization in
> > general. Indeed, in a quote above, you talk about "good lawyer in the
> > group who can draw up bylaws"; this reinforces the incorrect premise
> > your decision is based on: that incorporation is a complicated and
> > bureaucratic process that should be avoided. And this is something that
> > can not be decided globally.
>
> This is true. But to be clear, its not the possible "bureaucratic" aspect
> which concerns us greatly (as I mentioned above).
>
>
> >
> > Frédéric
>
> Regards
>
> Jan-Bart de Vreede
> Chair Board of Trustees
> Wikimedia Foundation
>
>
>
> >
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