On 23/02/16 22:34, SarahSV wrote:
​Brian, I'd be interested to hear how volunteers
could be cultivated and
supported. We felt under attack by the Foundation until Lila arrived, and I
think a lot of editors are grateful to her for having improved that
relationship. But not feeling attacked isn't the same as feeling supported.
I am not sure how much Sue Gardner or Lila Tretikov affected my passion
for Wikipedia (in either direction), whereas some of the members on this
list have (positively). Recently attending Wikimania in London, UK
(where I live) and being a member of the local chapter, also going to
meetups and editathons locally have had a real effect.
I use Mediawiki to build websites.
The Foundation often boasts that it only has around
200 employees, but the
truth is that it has an enormous unpaid workforce. Most of us don't go to
meet-ups, so we don't even see travel expenses. We're grateful if we can
get a free JSTOR subscription.
I am a member of that unpaid workforce. Speaking personally, I don't
want to be paid. My local chapter (Wikimedia UK) will usually offer
travel expenses, for small amounts (e.g. within London). Larger amounts
might not be met.
As a serial volunteer, I tend to disappear quite quickly when I don't
have fun (or I don't get reasonable expenses).
YMMV,
Gordo