Delirium said: So, I'd say funding for such niceties as face-to-face board meetings should take place only after the developers have the money they need, which may include hiring additional developers for specific areas in which we have no sufficiently knowledgeable volunteers, or at least putting in place a bounty system to attract some semi-paid developers. I could easily see EUR1000-2000 in the immediate future being very desirable for this purpose.
Delirum, we've spent a *lot* more money and resources on software development and server hardware than we have on planning and strategy for fundraising, which would immediately benefit if we got Jimbo, Ant and Ang together.
I had the pleasure of meeting Ang in person in London and she had great ideas and energy about fundraising in areas we are currently neglecting. I also enjoyed a long lunch with Jimbo the day after the London get together, and we exchanged ideas and thoughts about Wikimedia in ways we never could have by email. I can only imagine the great synergy that will arise to get the board members in the same room.
Virtual collaboration is wonderful. It's what makes Wikipedia so great. But you also need face to face contact for folks who are putting in so much time and effort to work with Wikimedia's future. We should not be so stingy about investing in our human capital.
-Andrew Lih (User:Fuzheado)