On Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 21:00, MZMcBride z@mzmcbride.com wrote:
Most Wikimedia employees don't post or subscribe to this list already,
You might be surprised at the number that do subscribe. Not that I've got an official count (since people use their personal accounts, such as myself), but a majority of the staff _are_ subscribed to foundation-l. In fact, during tech "orientation" (A process I'm still working on), I recommend to everyone that they sign up for Foundation-l.
Wikimedia employees are required to be subscribed to staff-l, but they're not required to be subscribed to this list (or any other Wikimedia mailing lists, in general). Mailing lists are a goofy and foreign concept to most people,
I do subscribe every staff member to our staff-l mailing list. This is for everyones benefit, it's how the staff communicates vital (and sometimes fun) information to everyone else. Additionally, for those who never previously have used mailing lists, it gets them familiar with the concept. I can't think of one current staff who has _never_ posted to the list at least once.
Personally, I think it's rather strange that people working for an organization don't pay more attention to this list and the Wikimedia Foundation wiki, but that's their choice to make.
I've been a community member a lot longer than I've been staff, even still, I only skim foundation-l about half the time. In my thinking, to really get properly involved with a thread (rather than throwing out random comments which might only be tangentially related) it can take a lot reading, investigating and writing. My salary comes from donations, and I don't want to spend that paid time on something that isn't necessarily my job (When Google Apps came up, I responded), some could see that as wasteful. Now if the entire community feels that every staff member should read and respond to foundation-l, well then that would be a different story all together.
I'm not trying to say anyone is right or wrong, or suggest what we do... just a few bits from someone who's spent time on both sides of the fence.
-Jon
PS. I'm writing this on my own time.