Le 26/02/2011 11:11, David Gerard a écrit :
Volunteers are not employees, and can't be
expected to just shut up and work. It really, really deeply doesn't
work like that.
I don't follow you. Are you answering to something or somebody in
particular? Was there a disagreement about that? Did anyone suggest that
volunteers should shut up and work? If yes I would like to know what was
said.
Motivating volunteers is like herding cats. “Herding
cats is easy if
you know the local value of tuna.” — me, some years ago. An
observation I know of no-one else having made before me, so I’m taking
this as my law of volunteer motivation. Lure them with something
*compelling*.
I don't subscribe to this point of view. Instead of herding,
luring and
compelling with a logic of market, isn't it best to listen to them,
share their genuine, altruistic interests and put yourself at their service?
Volunteers will work ten times as hard as any employee, but only
because they want to be there and only on things they want to. But
that motivation is so fragile, and volunteer effort is not fungible.
So, for WIkibooks: what's the tuna? What's the compelling attraction
that will keep people lured in?
What bothers me is that you talk about in terms of
us and them as if
they were aliens. It's good to ask about the ideals of a community, but
it's even best when you share their ideals. Thus, a better question
would be, imho, to how to be part of the community first. I don't imply
anything personal, I'm just stating my own priorities. The ideal
executive branch of wikimedia should share genuinously the spirit of the
community they serve.
Just my 2c. No offense meant.