2009/1/24 Michael Snow wikipedia@verizon.net:
Delphine Ménard wrote:
On Sat, Jan 24, 2009 at 00:35, Brian Brian.Mingus@colorado.edu wrote:
I do hope people continue to express concern about the Wikipedia/Wikia relationship. The existence of Wikia doesn't make a whole lot of sense, except the $$$ kind.
Yes, as I pointed out, I am the first to have been concerned and I will be again when there is reason to be. I firmly believe this renting of offices isn't a reason.
Likewise, I was not thrilled that we ended up reopening this can of worms, after the effort that had gone into removing all financial connections to Wikia. But I'm persuaded that it is the right choice for Wikimedia as a business decision, and our responsibility is to make such choices, not avoid them in deference to those who will believe the worst.
You need to strike a balance there - people thinking the worst is a bad thing for the foundation and does need to be weighed into determining whether something is a good business decision or not. The key thing is how you justify it to the community and the public, and I do think some numbers would help there - how much extra did you pay? How much time will be saved by being nearer to the WMF offices? That kind of thing.