Contrary to my previously stated intention not to, I can't resist replying:
When it comes to opening a new project, both board and community must make the decision (as we learned the hard way a few years ago), because the entire community is concerned and the Foundation supporting the project is concerned as well.
When it comes to changing a license, both board and community must be involved in the decision.
When it comes to choosing our stewards, both board and community must be involved.
I don't see why all of the above cannot be decided solely by the community. If you mean that there is a legal necessity for the board to be involved in each of the above three decisions, why can't it be reduced to a rubber stamp role? Do the laws regarding foundations actually state that the board must be more than a rubber stamp?
However, when it comes to closing a project because it is a huge
copyright violation and threat of a huge lawsuit, then no vote of a community will make a difference.
I wouldn't have a problem with the board making such urgent decisions without community consultation - as long as such decisions are followed by a full explanation of the decision, including why community consultation wasn't deemed possible.
Or when it comes to hiring an accountant because we can not reasonably
run a 5 million dollars organization with no accountant, then it is Foundation job to make that decision. Not the community.
I also don't have a problem with the board deciding which particular accountant should be hired. I'm more concerned with decisions regarding the actual running of the projects. For example, I think it should be the community who decides whether it is *necessary* to hire an accountant - however obvious that decision is - given that the money to pay the accountant ultimately derives from the voluntary work of the community.
Or when it comes to decide to open a new hosting location, it would also
be unreasonable to expect us to put that to vote to the community.
I don't see why. Again, it would the community's hard work that would ultimately pay for such a new location, so why shouldn't the community decide?
Incidentally, I posted the minutes of the last irl board meeting here:
http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Minutes/October_6-7%2C_2007
Beyond the usual complains about our financial statements, can you answer to:
- Does that help identify what our daily activity is about ?
Yes.
- Does that appear threatening ?
Yes - I think it's threatening to the future of Wikimedia that the board is anything more than a rubber stamp. If the community has the ability to create an encycopedia that can rival, if not better, Britannica, then it can surely be trusted to directly govern itself.
- In which areas would you like to be more informed?
I'd like the community to be so involved in the decision-making process that there would be no need for it to be merely 'informed' later on.
- In which areas would you like to be more involved ?
I'd like the community to be more involved in every area. :-)
Derrick Farnell