On Dec 17, 2007 11:03 PM, Erik Moeller erik@wikimedia.org wrote:
Thank you, Sue. :-)
WMF has been a tiny, infrastructure focused organization based in St. Petersburg, Florida. And in some ways that's good: we've learned to utilize minimal resources to accomplish amazing things; we've built large, decentralized networks of volunteers to get things done.
On the other hand, the number of educational opportunities that have passed us by simply because we did not have the opportunity to respond or the ability to execute has been staggering.
We could have decided that we'll never be able to respond to a partnership proposal from a major university, or put together a grant, or execute a strategic priority like single user login or stable versions. We have decided, however, that our mission and vision is to empower everyone to share in the sum of human knowledge. And that desire is leading us to a new morning, a new beginning.
We're not just a Foundation to host servers. We are a charity of free knowledge.
Our relocation, our new hires, the first systematic budget, all these are requirements for growing up: not sufficient, but necessary. And the warm welcome we've already received in San Francisco is great -- few locations host so many unique and amazing organizations. It seems deeply appropriate for us to be there. :-)
Sue, you've brought an unprecedented level of professionalism to WMF, and I consider it a pleasure and an honor to be given the opportunity to work with you. Planet Earth hungers for knowledge. We have a lot of work cut out for us - let's get to it!
WikiLove, Erik
Excellent news, and welcome to the San Francisco Bay Area.