On 16 January 2016 at 19:23, Pete Forsyth peteforsyth@gmail.com wrote:
I'm interested to hear some perspectives on the following line of thinking:
Lisa presented some alternative strategies for revenue needs for the Foundation, including the possibility of charging for premium access to the services and APIs,
Brace yourselves...
expanding major donor and foundation fundraising, providing specific services for a fee, or limiting the Wikimedia Foundation's growth. The Board emphasized the importance of keeping free access to the existing APIs and services, keeping operational growth in line with the organization's effectiveness, providing room for innovation in the Foundation's activities, and other potential fundraising strategies. The Board asked Lila to analyze and develop some of these potential strategies for further discussion at a Board meeting in 2016. Source: https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Minutes/2015-11-07
Looking for additional revenue sources isn't a bad idea, but charging for premium access is likely to annoy the community to a degree that will make the great Visual Editor revolt look like some quiet and polite murmuring.
Cheers, Craig