I agree that the official announcement on Commons is worse than unfortunate.
The announcement by the Diversity Working Group on a sub-page of the VP of their recommendation to permit NC and ND license restrictions on Commons, comes after no attempt in advance to discuss the recommendation or its wording with Wikimedia Commons community *on Commons*. It is not helped by the poster being a volunteer with barely any activity on Commons, so not the best person to discuss the future of Commons with. Link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Commons%3AVillage_pump%2FCop...
The justifications for the change read as unsourced and arbitrary. In particular there is no evidence that using Commons to host NC ND material that may be important to minority communities, such as traditional folk art, would help better to educate the public about those arts when the same NC restriction would halt in its tracks the general use of Commons by educators and universities. The change in commons policies would have the consequence of advice to educators being against using our media in lectures, study materials, academic papers, academic books etc.
The Meta page that is linked to verges on being blatantly hostile to the views of the Wikimedia Commons communities * Q4a. Could this Recommendation have a negative impact/change? * (Answer) All change has negative connotations to some members of the community. This appears deliberately flippant and provocative. Bizarre.
If the WMF sponsored recommendation is hostile up front, I do not see much point in the community discussing the change, it may as well just be mass voted down. Discussion when the team recommending the strategy is openly hostile to "some members of the community" on its own recommendations page, will only lead to more polarization of the WMF versus everyone else type.
Fae
-- faewik@gmail.com https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fae
On Mon, 12 Aug 2019 at 02:11, Todd Allen toddmallen@gmail.com wrote:
(Response apparently wasn't sent to list previously.)
Yes, I think there ought to be a place to discuss the whole thing, as several share a fatal flaw in that they advocate dictating to local communities from above.
Is this getting announced anywhere other than on the mailing list? There is a proposal in these to literally undermine Wikipedia's free content mission by allowing nonfree licenses. ( https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Wor...) Do you think, maybe, we shouldn't attempt to slip that through unnoticed and uncommented?
For example, here's the notice that was left on Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Commons%3AVillage_pump&t... . It's totally anodyne, and gives absolutely no indication that such massive changes, which would entirely strip the communities of autonomy, are proposed there. For example, I suspect Commons might be just a bit interested to know these proposals would force them to accept nonfree content. If this is in any way an honest process, make sure the announcements indicate how breathtakingly broad and destructive these proposals are.
Todd
On Sat, Aug 10, 2019 at 7:35 AM Isaac Olatunde reachout2isaac@gmail.com wrote:
I believe there are related discussion pages, Todd. Do you think there should have been separate pages for discussion aside the talk pages?
Regards,
Isaac.
On Sat, Aug 10, 2019, 2:29 PM Szymon Grabarczuk <tar.locesilion@gmail.com wrote:
How about talk pages?
Z poważaniem / Kind regards
*Szymon Grabarczuk* userpage: pl.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Tar_Lócesilion http://pl.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Tar_L%C3%B3cesilion http://pl.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Tar_L%C3%B3cesilion
ᐧ
On Sat, 10 Aug 2019 at 14:28, Todd Allen toddmallen@gmail.com wrote:
There does not seem to be anywhere to comment on these, which there
should
be. I saw at least one which is highly objectionable and which I would
like
to object to.
Todd
On Fri, Aug 9, 2019 at 12:37 PM Nicole Ebber <nicole.ebber@wikimedia.de
wrote:
Dear fellow Wikimedians,
They’re here! [1] We are delighted to announce the first round of draft recommendations for structural change within our movement have been published. The recommendations have been developed by the nine Wikimedia 2030 working groups and are a key tool to help us build the future of our movement.
Working group members have been working tirelessly for a year to research the movement, analyze community input shared via community conversations, and gain insight into external trends. A huge thank you to each and every member for helping us reach this key milestone.
The draft recommendations are a first look at ways we can adapt our movement’s structures to help us advance in our strategic direction. They are the starting point for conversations about what kind of future we want to create together.
The recommendations are not final. In order to get them to that stage, your input is needed! We would like to hear from you all what these changes would mean for you in your local or thematic context, what do you like about them, and where you potentially see any red flags. And of course, always critically question whether these recommendations support the strategic direction.
There are a few ways to do this:
- Read through the recommendations online and provide your input
directly on Meta. [2]
- If you will be at Wikimania, join us in the Wikimedia 2030 space.
[3]
- Attend a Strategy Salon hosted by an affiliate where you live. [4]
- Reach out to a Strategy Liaison in your language to share feedback,
or lead a conversation of your own. [5]
Over the next month, working groups will take the input they receive into the recommendations, alongside external advice and research, and use it to refine and finalize them. Share your views, and help shape what Wikimedia will look like in 2030 and beyond.
If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to get in
touch.
Best wishes,
Nicole
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Recommen...
[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Recommen...
[3] https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/2019:Wikimedia_2030 [4]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/2019_Com...
[5]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/People/C...
-- Nicole Ebber Adviser International Relations Program Manager Wikimedia 2030 Movement Strategy Wikimedia Deutschland e. V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin Tel. (030) 219 158 26-0 https://wikimedia.de
Unsere Vision ist eine Welt, in der alle Menschen am Wissen der Menschheit teilhaben, es nutzen und mehren können. Helfen Sie uns dabei! https://spenden.wikimedia.de
Wikimedia Deutschland — Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e. V. Eingetragen im Vereinsregister des Amtsgerichts Berlin-Charlottenburg unter der Nummer 23855 B. Als gemeinnützig anerkannt durch das Finanzamt für Körperschaften I Berlin, Steuernummer 27/029/42207.
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