Where did you arrive at the figure 250,000 EU? Since it is flatly
incorrect, I would like the source of your incorrect information.
-Brad
On 12/28/06, Jeroenvrp <wikipedia(a)xs4all.nl> wrote:
Hello,
There is much going on today. The community is split about the actions the
Foundation took. Let me clarify something about Virgin Unite:
Virgin Unite is a charity organisation of one of the largest
multi-nationals
in the world. If I can think about one company that will really do
everything
to own Wikipedia, it's Virgin. Their €250.000 is nothing compared to that.
Virgin Unite is just a PR-department. Almost every multi-national has
these
kind off charity organisations. What if the Gates Foundation will offer
these
kind of money? A lot of us will see that it is just a PR-stunt from
Microsoft. That's why Virgin Unite is just pure advertisement for Virgin.
It also creates a precedent to the future. The road to daily advertisement
has
been opened by a weak Foundation. Yes we need the money, but there are
other
ways. Rather no money than sell the basis principles of Wikipedia/-media
to
whoever has the money.
Meanwhile the Foundation has tear apart a lot of local communities. Partly
this could be avoided by informing the communities, at least a few days in
advance. Every community had a local mailinglist, a sysop list and a
village
pump.
Anyhow; a lot of people are angry. A lot of people are talking about
forks. A
lot of people, including a lot off the hardcore contributors, are leaving
the
project. Only because of these unintelligent actions from the Foundation,
backed by a lot of misinformed people and people who don't understand or
don't want to understand the rules of free content.
These actions will have very negative consequences and I'm ashamed about
that.
Especially on the day the Dutch and Flemish media are reporting about the
quarter of million articles on the Dutch language Wikipedia. This evening
the
Dutch Wikipedia will peak with a lot of new visitors and new users. They
will
see the advertisement and gone is the neutrality of the project. Thank you
Foundation; for selling us out!
Jeroenvrp
Moderator on the Dutch language Wikipedia since oct 2003
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Brad Patrick
General Counsel & Interim Executive Director
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
bradp.wmf(a)gmail.com
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