Hi everyone!
I'm very happy to announce that the Affiliations Committee has recognized
the Hindi Wikimedians User Group [1] as a Wikimedia User Group. The group
aims to advance the work of the Wikimedia movement in the Hindi language.
Please join me in congratulating the members of this new user group!
Regards,
Kirill Lokshin
Chair, Affiliations Committee
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Hindi_Wikimedians_User_Group
Dear friends
At today's Wikimedia UK AGM, three trustees (Doug Taylor, Nick Poole and
me) were re-elected to the board.
I have today retired as chair, and the role has been taken by my
colleague Josie Fraser. I'll be remaining on the board as an ordinary
board member to support Josie until my new term expires in two years time.
Our board lineup is now:
• Josie Fraser - Chair
• Carol Campbell - Vice-chair
• Greyham Dawes - Treasurer
• Kate West - HR trustee
• Nancy Bell - Trustee
• Lorna Campbell - Trustee
• Jordan Landes - Trustee
• Nick Poole - Trustee
• Doug Taylor - Trustee
• Michael Maggs - Trustee
Please join me in welcoming Josie as our new Chair.
Michael
Dear friends
At today's AGM, three trustees (Doug Taylor, Nick Poole and me) were re-elected to the board.
I have today retired as chair, and the role has been taken by my colleague Josie Fraser. I'll be remaining on the board as an ordinary board member to support Josie until my new term expires in two years time.
Our board lineup is now:
Josie Fraser - Chair
Carol Campbell - Vice-chair
Greyham Dawes - Treasurer
Kate West - HR trustee
Nancy Bell - Trustee
Lorna Campbell - Trustee
Jordan Landes - Trustee
Nick Poole - Trustee
Doug Taylor - Trustee
Michael Maggs - Trustee
Please join me in welcoming Josie as our new Chair.
Michael
Hello all!
The Support and Safety team is looking for your thoughts on the recent
Wikimedia Foundation elections cycle - that is, the Board of Trustees
elections in April/May, and the Funds Dissemination Committee meeting in
May/June.
What do you think went well, and what do you think could have gone better?
I'd love your thoughts, either on this email thread or on the dedicated
Meta-Wiki page:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2017/Post_mo…
Feel free to email me privately if you'd like to.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, good or bad. :)
best,
Joe
--
*Joe Sutherland*
Community Advocate
Wikimedia Foundation
Hi everyone,
I'm writing to let you know about a project we're trying on the
Foundation's fundraising team. Thanks to all the help and advice we've
received from our colleagues in Communications, Legal, and Community
Engagement.
*I've posted this announcement as an update on Fundraising's Meta Page
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fundraising/Updates>, and would be happy
to answer questions and keep the discussion up there.*
Over the next three weeks, the Advancement team will be conducting a small
fundraising pilot on Facebook and Instagram. This will involve sponsored
posts, served in English to people in the United States, that will direct
users to donate to the Foundation using our own donation processing pages.
Fundraising is always interested in exploring new ways to reach people who
find value in Wikipedia and are interested in supporting the Foundation’s
mission. Advertising across social networks is a proven and popular way for
nonprofits to find new supporters and build organizational awareness, and
we’re excited to dip our toes into this.
Like the many tests we run for Fundraising, this pilot will involve
experiments testing different imagery, copy, and calls to action. We hope
to answer the question: how well does our on-Wikipedia.org messaging
perform when presented on another site? It will also examine how our
appeals perform across demographic and interest groups.
*Where will the ads appear?*
This pilot will use “sponsored posts,” which is what Facebook calls content
that appears in the news feed of Facebook users.
They will also appear on Instagram as “sponsored stories” that appear
within the flow of photo and video posts users scroll on that network.
(Instagram is a Facebook property.)
They will not appear as banners, pop-ups, or display ads that appear
alongside the news feed. This is a test in what is called “native”
advertising, meaning it uses the same content display area that users
expect from Facebook and Instagram.
*How will you target your ads?*
In addition to the broad parameters of language (English) and country
(U.S.), we have identified a few target audiences that might respond
particularly well to our appeals: educators, philanthropists, and frequent
consumers of news. We will build these audiences based off self reported
information about educational achievement, news readership, and
philanthropic interest. I've included details on each audience below. In
addition to these, we have discussed the value of comparing effectiveness
across other characteristics - age, gender, etc.
A large part of the value in running this experiment is to *learn* whether
there are any demographic differences in how people respond to our
messaging. If this experiment does give us compelling info about who is
more likely to donate, that is exciting! And we'll talk as a group about
what to do with that knowledge.
*Can users opt out?*
Of course. Users can hide individual ads if they are not of interest to
them. This is also something we can measure to better understand how to not
annoy or impose on social media users in future fundraising drives.
*Who is working on this?*
Fundraising is partnering with the social media folks in Communications to
run this test. The promotion and measurement of ads is being managed by a
small company called Middle Seat.
*Will you keep us in the loop?*
Absolutely. By July 15 we intend to share an overview of our testing so far.
Stay tuned for more updates!
sam
-----------------------
*Possible target audiences:*
*STUDENTS & EDUCATORS*
*How likely to donate are current students and educators?*
Age: 18 - 65+
Target: Current students above high school level and educators based on
self-reported “job title”
Reach: 1,000,000+
*PHILANTHROPISTS*
*How likely to donate are Facebook users interested in both philanthropy
and donating to charitable causes?*
Age: 18 - 65+
Target: Facebook users with self-reported interests in philanthropy and
donating to charity
Reach: ~460,000
*NEWS READERS*
*How likely to donate are Facebook users whose behavior suggests they’re
daily news consumers?*
Age: 18 - 65+
Target: Facebook users with interests and behavior that suggests daily news
consumption
Reach: ~1,000,000
Hi y'all!
*Summary: Cycle 2 has concluded, and we are sharing a revised plan for
Cycle 3 based on your feedback.*
Thank you to everyone that participated in Cycle 2![1] A quick overview of
participation:
- More than 50 Wikimedia groups, including:
-- Art+Feminism User Group
-- WikiDonne's User Group
-- Wikimedia Ghana User Group
-- Wikimedia Poland
- More than 1,000 individual participants
- Nearly 2,300 statements
In addition to the weekly summaries already available on Meta-Wiki,[2] we
will also be posting a final report in the coming weeks.
Over the past few weeks I’ve heard from many of you with feedback,
concerns, and excitement regarding the movement strategy. Thank you, truly,
to everyone that has reached out to share your thoughts. They have been so
helpful in understanding your perspectives and needs.
Some things I’ve heard:
- Curiosity around how the findings from the different tracks will come
together
- Request from affiliates for more time to engage more deeply in these
topics
- Passionate and divergent ideas from non-editors who support our vision
- A desire to get as many endorsements from around the movement on the
strategic direction as possible
I asked the strategy team for help in responding to this feedback, so we
could improve the process based on what you were telling us. After
discussions with the team and community advisors, we have decided to move
to a more flexible schedule, and change the timeline. This will provide
more time for discussions in your own communities. We also hope you will
use the time to deeply consider the research emerging from the New Voices
track,[3] and incorporate it into the way you are thinking about our future.
Here is the new proposed timeline:
- July: Complete Cycle 3. Integrate insights from New Voices. Draft the
strategic direction.
- August: Share the strategic direction. Wikimania! Finalize the direction.
- September: Sign on! Confirm support from around the movement.
As July approaches, we will share more information about opportunities to
participate in drafting the strategic direction[4] and engage with New
Voices content.[3]
Thank you for your patience as we worked through these improvements, and
again, thank you for the feedback!
*On a related note*
As you have hopefully noticed, Wikimania is a part of the strategy process
and it is coming up soon! (I’m so excited!) A draft program schedule has
been posted[5]. The schedule includes five keynote sessions from great
speakers such as Esra'a Al Shafei [6] and Evan Prodromou,[7] more than 100
community-submitted talks, and two days of hackathon and pre-conference
activities. Early bird pricing for registration ends on July 10 and the
deadline for booking accommodations in the hotel is June 30, so if you have
not done so already - please register today![8]
Bene habeas (Latin translation: “May it be well for you”)
Katherine
PS. A version of this message is available for translation on Meta-Wiki.[9]
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017/Cycle_2
[2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017/Sources
[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017/Cycle_2/Re…
[4]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017/Participate
[5] https://wikimania2017.wikimedia.org/wiki/Programme
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esra%27a_Al-Shafei
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Prodromou
[8] https://wikimania2017.wikimedia.org/wiki/Registration
[9]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017/Updates/23…
--
Katherine Maher
Wikimedia Foundation
149 New Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
+1 (415) 839-6885 ext. 6635
+1 (415) 712 4873
kmaher(a)wikimedia.org
https://annual.wikimedia.org
Thanks Natacha.
I see that 70 members have requested a General Assembly to be held. I
remember from WMFR's bylaws that 25% of the membership can force the board
to call a General Assembly, or do it themselves. Is this request formulated
in such a manner? What is the required threshold?
This is a terribly sad situation WMFR finds itself in. There are no
winners, and trying to continue this struggle can only create bigger losses
on all sides.
I hope an assembly can be held soon, and that a democratic decision can be
prepared there, where the membership can give its trust to a board - either
providing the current board (with a majority of board-appointed members, if
I understand correctly) with the much needed moral authority, or by
electing a new board that can start afresh.
This is why we have always put so much emphasis on having democratic
chapters where the members can in the end intervene.
Lodewijk
(snipping the messages below, as the software complains it's too long)
> 2017-07-13 10:21 GMT+02:00 Natacha Rault <n.rault(a)me.com>:
>
>> Dear All,
>>
>> As some anglophone wikimedians wanted an English version, we have
>> translated the time line in English concerning what is happening in the
>> French chapter, although surely we still have to clarify and correct
>> mistakes. You can find it here: https://www.mathisbenguigui.eu
>> /wikimedia-timeline/indexEN.html <https://www.mathisbenguigui.e
>> u/wikimedia-timeline/indexEN.html>
>>
>> Kind regards,
>>
>> Nattes à chat / Natacha
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wik
>> i/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wik
>> i/Wikimedia-l
>> New messages to: Wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
>> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
>> <mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
>>
>
>
> Thanks for sharing - it is good to see WMF is on top of this. I agree it
> is not very helpful to descend into a discussion about details of who said
> what when, but rather focus on the big picture. My hope is that the members
> can work towards a healthy association as soon as possible - and that WMF's
> role will be constructive in that respect, aimed at the future.
>
> I'm also glad to read your implicit invitation to groups of volunteers
> that feel unable to work within the existing WMFR structures, that they can
> receive support of the WMF directly.
>
> Best,
> Lodewijk
>
> 2017-07-12 6:30 GMT+02:00 Katy Love <klove(a)wikimedia.org>:
>
>> Hi Chris, hi all,
>>
>> I am forwarding the email I sent to a French Wikimedia community mailing
>> list <https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediafr>. I
>> include
>> the message first in English and then French.
>>
>>
>>
>> Dear all,
>>
>>
>> This is a message from the Wikimedia Foundation. We’re the non-profit
>> organization that exists to support Wikimedia volunteer communities and
>> free knowledge projects around the world.
>>
>>
>> That is why we are writing today. You may have read an email from the CA
>> of
>> Wikimédia France, making serious allegations against members of our
>> movement. Many of these allegations relate to members of the French
>> volunteer community, certain current and former staff members of Wikimédia
>> France, and former chapter board members who have been openly questioning
>> the activities and aspects of the governance of the current leadership of
>> Wikimédia France. In the email from the CA, the signatories characterize
>> these volunteers, or the manner in which they have engaged in criticizing
>> the chapter leadership, as being unacceptable and destructive. We find
>> many
>> aspects of this public email disturbing and contrary to the values of the
>> Wikimedia movement.
>>
>>
>> The email from the Wikimédia France CA has brought the issues at Wikimédia
>> France to the public attention of many in the French Wikimedia community,
>> as well as to the broader global Wikimedia movement. Although this may be
>> the first public message some members of our Wikimedia community have
>> seen,
>> it follows months of other discussions within various Wikimedia committees
>> and governance bodies about the current governance and operations of
>> Wikimédia France.
>>
>>
>> As many of you may know, in May 2017, the Funds Dissemination Committee
>> (FDC), an independent committee of Wikimedia community members charged
>> with
>> helping “make decisions about how to effectively allocate movement funds,”
>> assessed Wikimédia France’s application for a 2017-2018 Annual Plan Grant.
>> The FDC made a recommendation
>> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_recommendati
>> ons/2016-2017_round_2#Wikim.C3.A9dia_France>
>> to the Wikimedia Foundation’s Board that Wikimédia France receive 50% of
>> the grant amount requested by the organization. The FDC recommendation
>> noted, among other things, that “there are significant concerns about
>> WMFR's current governance and organisational structure being able to most
>> effectively support and achieve the results sought."
>>
>>
>> Wikimédia France appealed the FDC’s recommendation. The Wikimedia
>> Foundation Board of Trustees considered and denied this appeal
>> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Appeals_to_the_
>> Board_on_the_recommendations_of_the_FDC#Board_decision>,
>> and resolved to accept
>> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Board_decisions/
>> 2016-2017_round_2>
>> the FDC’s recommendation. Furthermore, the Wikimedia Foundation Board of
>> Trustees endorses the need for a governance review, consistent with FDC
>> recommendations. Funding to Wikimédia France is conditional on a Wikimedia
>> Foundation staff site visit
>> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Policies/Site_visits>, a
>> governance review to be conducted by an independent, third party, to be
>> chosen in consultation with the Wikimedia Foundation, and progress against
>> recommendations resulting from the governance review.
>>
>>
>> The current situation with Wikimédia France is creating great strain on
>> the
>> French community, former and current staff of Wikimédia France, and
>> concerned volunteers around the world. We recognize that the situation
>> must
>> be resolved soon, in the interests of the Wikimedia projects and vision.
>>
>>
>> Three staff members from the Wikimedia Foundation will soon be in France
>> to
>> conduct a site visit in connection with the Foundation’s grant, in order
>> to
>> realize the recommendations of the FDC. This includes working with
>> Wikimédia France to initiate an independent governance review, and holding
>> conversations with the chapter and with members of the French community
>> about their hopes for the future.
>>
>>
>> Finally, we are aware of a number of inaccurate statements in the email
>> from the Board of Wikimédia France, including but not limited to, the
>> Foundation’s response to certain communications from the Board of
>> Wikimédia
>> France. While the planned governance review proceeds, we urge all parties
>> to avoid making inaccurate or inflammatory claims.
>>
>>
>> At the Wikimedia Foundation, we believe that the Wikimedia movement should
>> be safe and welcoming for all contributors, volunteers, and staff of
>> Wikimedia organizations. We believe that Wikimedia organizations and
>> affiliates should be well-managed and responsibly governed. We believe
>> that
>> Wikimedia processes, policies, and actions should be transparent whenever
>> possible and avoid conflicts of interest. Finally, we believe that every
>> contributor should have recourse when subject to intimidation or
>> harassment. We aspire for Wikimedia to be a place where everyone is
>> welcome, included, and respected.
>>
>>
>> The Wikimedia Foundation is committed to supporting the health of the
>> Wikimedia communities around the world, including in France. The Wikimedia
>> Foundation provides resources to community members around the world,
>> including
>> those in France. To learn more about our programs and support to Wikimedia
>> communities, we invite you to visit
>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Start.
>>
>>
>> The Wikimedia Foundation is and will continue to be deeply supportive of
>> the French community and the future of the Wikimedia movement in France.
>> We
>> look forward to our visit to France this month and hope to hear from many
>> of you while we are there.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Katy Love
>>
>> Director of Resources
>>
>> Wikimedia Foundation
>> klove(a)wikimedia.org
>>
>> ----
>>
>> And in French:
>>
>>
>> Bonjour à tou·te·s,
>>
>> Le message qui suit provient de la Wikimedia Foundation, l'organisation à
>> but non lucratif qui soutient les projets et communautés Wikimedia autour
>> du monde.
>>
>> Vous avez peut-être reçu un courriel du Conseil d’Administration de
>> Wikimédia France, présentant des allégations sérieuses contre certains
>> membres de notre mouvement. Nombre de ces allégations concernent des
>> membres de la communauté bénévole francophone, certains membres actuels et
>> anciens de Wikimédia France, et d'anciens membres du conseil
>> d’administration qui ont posé des questions ouvertes sur les activités et
>> certains pans de la gouvernance actuelle de Wikimédia France. Dans le
>> courriel du conseil d’administration, les signataires caractérisent ces
>> bénévoles, ou la manière dont ils ont critiqué la direction de
>> l’association, comme étant inacceptables et toxiques. Nous estimons que de
>> nombreux aspects de ce courrier électronique sont troublants et contraires
>> aux valeurs du mouvement Wikimedia.
>>
>> Le courriel du conseil d’administration a porté les problèmes de Wikimédia
>> France à l'attention de nombreux participants de la communauté francophone
>> de Wikimedia, ainsi que celle du mouvement Wikimedia autour du monde. Bien
>> que ceci soit peut-être le premier message public vu par certains membres
>> de la communauté, il fait suite à plusieurs mois de discussions, au sein
>> de
>> divers comités, portant sur la gouvernance actuelle et les opérations de
>> Wikimédia France.
>>
>> Comme beaucoup d'entre vous le savent, en mai 2017, le Comité de diffusion
>> des fonds (FDC, un comité indépendant composé de membres de la communauté
>> Wikimedia chargés d'aider à « prendre des décisions sur la façon
>> d'affecter
>> efficacement les fonds de mouvement ») a évalué la demande de subvention
>> annuelle de Wikimédia France pour l’année fiscale 2017-2018. Le FDC a
>> recommandé
>> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_recommendati
>> ons/2016-2017_round_2#Wikim.C3.A9dia_France>
>> au
>> conseil d'administration de la Wikimedia Foundation que Wikimédia France
>> reçoive 50% du montant de la subvention demandée. La recommandation du FDC
>> a noté, entre autres choses, qu’« il y a des préoccupations sérieuses
>> concernant la gouvernance actuelle et la structure organisationnelle de
>> WMFR et leur capacité à soutenir et obtenir le plus efficacement possible
>> les résultats recherchés ».
>>
>> Wikimédia France a fait appel de la recommandation du FDC. Le conseil
>> d'administration de la Wikimedia Foundation a considéré et refusé
>> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Appeals_to_the_
>> Board_on_the_recommendations_of_the_FDC#Board_decision>
>> cet
>> appel et a décidé d'accepter
>> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Board_decisions/
>> 2016-2017_round_2>
>> la
>> recommandation du FDC. En outre, le Conseil d'administration de la
>> Wikimedia Foundation approuve la nécessité d'un examen de la gouvernance,
>> conformément aux recommandations du FDC. Le financement de Wikimédia
>> France
>> est subordonné à une visite sur site
>> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Policies/Site_visits> du
>> personnel de la Wikimedia Foundation, un examen de la gouvernance à
>> effectuer par un tiers indépendant (à choisir en consultation avec la
>> Wikimedia Foundation), ainsi que les progrès faisant suite aux
>> recommandations découlant de l’examen de la gouvernance.
>>
>> La situation actuelle avec Wikimédia France met à rude épreuve la
>> communauté francophone, les employés anciens et actuels de Wikimédia
>> France, et les bénévoles à travers le monde qui s’inquiètent de cette
>> situation. Nous y sommes sensibles et reconnaissons par conséquent que la
>> situation doit être résolue rapidement, dans l'intérêt des projets
>> Wikimedia et de leur vision.
>>
>> Trois employés de la Wikimedia Foundation seront bientôt en France pour
>> effectuer une visite sur site dans le cadre de la subvention de la
>> Fondation, afin de faire suite aux recommandations du FDC, notamment pour
>> travailler avec Wikimédia France à lancer une évaluation indépendante de
>> leur gouvernance et à discuter avec l’association et avec les membres de
>> la
>> communauté française de leurs espoirs pour l'avenir.
>>
>> Enfin, nous sommes conscients d'un certain nombre de déclarations
>> inexactes
>> incluses dans le courrier électronique du conseil d’administration de
>> Wikimédia France, notamment en ce qui concerne la réponse de la Fondation
>> à
>> certaines communications du conseil d’administration de Wikimedia France.
>> En attendant l’examen de gouvernance, nous encourageons vivement toutes
>> les
>> personnes impliquées à éviter d’avancer des allégations inexactes ou
>> inflammatoires.
>>
>> À la Wikimedia Foundation, nous croyons fermement que le mouvement
>> Wikimedia doit être un environnement sûr et accueillant pour tous les
>> contributeurs, les bénévoles et les employés des organismes Wikimedia.
>> Nous
>> estimons que les organisations et les groupes affiliés à Wikimedia doivent
>> être bien gérés et gouvernés de manière responsable. Nous estimons que les
>> procédures, les règles et les actions menées au sein du mouvement
>> Wikimedia
>> doivent être transparentes dans la mesure du possible et doivent éviter
>> les
>> conflits d'intérêts. Enfin, nous estimons que tout contributeur doit avoir
>> un moyen de recours lorsqu'il subit des actes d'intimidation ou de
>> harcèlement. Nous aspirons à ce que Wikimedia soit un endroit où tout le
>> monde est bienvenu, inclus et respecté.
>>
>> La Wikimedia Foundation s'engage à soutenir la bonne santé des communautés
>> Wikimedia à travers le monde, y compris en France. La Wikimedia Foundation
>> fournit des ressources aux membres de la communauté à travers le monde, y
>> compris ceux en France. Pour en savoir plus sur nos programmes et notre
>> soutien aux communautés Wikimedia, nous vous invitons à visiter
>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Start.
>>
>> La Wikimedia Foundation réaffirme son profond soutien à la communauté
>> francophone et à l'avenir du mouvement Wikimedia en France. Nous attendons
>> avec impatience notre visite en France ce mois-ci et espérons que nombre
>> d’entre vous partageront vos opinions pendant notre séjour.
>>
>> Cordialement,
>>
>> Katy Love
>> Directrice des Ressources
>> Wikimedia Foundation
>> klove(a)wikimedia.org
>>
>>
<snip>