Sam Klein writes:
I do think there are more risks inherent in this sort of growth than
are listed in the 'potential risks' section -- for instance, "inability to acculturate new staff due to aggressive growth" -- and we should be alert to these risks to avoid them.
Just to be clear about this, I read Sam here as saying something like "there is a potential risk that we will be unable to acculturate new staff as we grow." This of course is true -- and it's even true when growth is slow! But in practice the Foundation takes this risk very seriously, and takes pains to promote the acculturation of new staff, not just to Foundation culture but to the larger community. One way we do this is by sending new staff to Wikimania, if it makes sense to do so, and/or promoting new staff's interaction with the community in other ways. Attendees at Wikimania this year will see a number of staff who haven't been there before -- everyone is urged to engage staff members in conversations about our work together, or other topics of common interest. (I'll be there too -- first Wikimania since Taiwan!)
--Mike
Hoi, I welcome many members of the Wikimedia staff joining us in Gdansk but PLEASE do not hide in a VIP environment like happened on previous Wikimanias. Thanks, GerardM
On 30 June 2010 16:13, Mike Godwin mnemonic@gmail.com wrote:
Sam Klein writes:
I do think there are more risks inherent in this sort of growth than
are listed in the 'potential risks' section -- for instance, "inability to acculturate new staff due to aggressive growth" -- and we should be alert to these risks to avoid them.
Just to be clear about this, I read Sam here as saying something like "there is a potential risk that we will be unable to acculturate new staff as we grow." This of course is true -- and it's even true when growth is slow! But in practice the Foundation takes this risk very seriously, and takes pains to promote the acculturation of new staff, not just to Foundation culture but to the larger community. One way we do this is by sending new staff to Wikimania, if it makes sense to do so, and/or promoting new staff's interaction with the community in other ways. Attendees at Wikimania this year will see a number of staff who haven't been there before -- everyone is urged to engage staff members in conversations about our work together, or other topics of common interest. (I'll be there too -- first Wikimania since Taiwan!)
--Mike _______________________________________________ foundation-l mailing list foundation-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l
On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 7:47 AM, Gerard Meijssen gerard.meijssen@gmail.comwrote:
Hoi, I welcome many members of the Wikimedia staff joining us in Gdansk but PLEASE do not hide in a VIP environment like happened on previous Wikimanias.
Dear Gerard,
I've never known a VIP environment that would accept me as a member.
--Mike
Hoi Mike, You are a VIP who does not need to hide in any environment. I will be happy to hear your "Fox Dei" among the "Fox Populi". Thanks, Gerard
On 30 June 2010 16:49, Mike Godwin mnemonic@gmail.com wrote:
On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 7:47 AM, Gerard Meijssen < gerard.meijssen@gmail.com> wrote:
Hoi, I welcome many members of the Wikimedia staff joining us in Gdansk but PLEASE do not hide in a VIP environment like happened on previous Wikimanias.
Dear Gerard,
I've never known a VIP environment that would accept me as a member.
--Mike
I hope you mean "Vox" rather than "Fox." I don't think "Fox" currently has any connection to "Deus."
--Mike
On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 7:56 AM, Gerard Meijssen gerard.meijssen@gmail.comwrote:
Hoi Mike, You are a VIP who does not need to hide in any environment. I will be happy to hear your "Fox Dei" among the "Fox Populi". Thanks, Gerard
On 30 June 2010 16:49, Mike Godwin mnemonic@gmail.com wrote:
On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 7:47 AM, Gerard Meijssen < gerard.meijssen@gmail.com> wrote:
Hoi, I welcome many members of the Wikimedia staff joining us in Gdansk but PLEASE do not hide in a VIP environment like happened on previous Wikimanias.
Dear Gerard,
I've never known a VIP environment that would accept me as a member.
--Mike
On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 4:49 PM, Mike Godwin mnemonic@gmail.com wrote:
I've never known a VIP environment that would accept me as a member.
And you'd presumably never want to belong to a VIP environment that would accept you as a member.[1]
Austin
I welcome many members of the Wikimedia staff joining us in Gdansk but PLEASE do not hide in a VIP environment like happened on previous Wikimanias.
I hereby find this grossly insulting.
Not spending time with Gerard does not mean that someone is hiding from everyone else. I found staff always available and roaming in general areas in previous wikimanias, and we're not here to judge how they should spend their evenings and nights.
Domas
On 30 June 2010 15:13, Mike Godwin mnemonic@gmail.com wrote:
Sam Klein writes:
I do think there are more risks inherent in this sort of growth than
are listed in the 'potential risks' section -- for instance, "inability to acculturate new staff due to aggressive growth" -- and we should be alert to these risks to avoid them.
Just to be clear about this, I read Sam here as saying something like "there is a potential risk that we will be unable to acculturate new staff as we grow." This of course is true -- and it's even true when growth is slow! But in practice the Foundation takes this risk very seriously, and takes pains to promote the acculturation of new staff, not just to Foundation culture but to the larger community. One way we do this is by sending new staff to Wikimania, if it makes sense to do so, and/or promoting new staff's interaction with the community in other ways. Attendees at Wikimania this year will see a number of staff who haven't been there before -- everyone is urged to engage staff members in conversations about our work together, or other topics of common interest. (I'll be there too -- first Wikimania since Taiwan!)
--Mike ___________________
Will the new staff be wearing some kind of identifying marker so we can spot them? Perhaps a silly hat? Or, could they walk around carrying a board that says "Talk to me about copyright edge-cases"! 'm not so much sure that that would be good acculturation but it would definitely be a baptism by fire :-)
Seriously though, perhaps the opening keynote or some other time could be used to ask new staff to stand up and be briefly introduced?
-Liam
wittylama.com/blog Peace, love & metadata
On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 10:13 AM, Mike Godwin mnemonic@gmail.com wrote:
Sam Klein writes:
I do think there are more risks inherent in this sort of growth than
are listed in the 'potential risks' section -- for instance, "inability to acculturate new staff due to aggressive growth" -- and we should be alert to these risks to avoid them.
Just to be clear about this, I read Sam here as saying something like "there is a potential risk that we will be unable to acculturate new staff as we grow." This of course is true -- and it's even true when growth is slow!
Precisely :-)
But in practice the Foundation takes this risk very seriously, and takes pains to promote the acculturation of new staff, not just to Foundation culture but to the larger community.
Yes. The influx of staff at Wikimania this year will be a sight to see... I look forward to seeing you there.
Ziko writes:
It struck me that the Foundation has decided to concentrate on the large public, the small donators, and not seek much further to approach big spenders or make money by business partnerships. This is a statement not only about our history and our future, and also about our character as movement. Is it too much to call this an event of historical importance?
Yes, it is a big deal. I think it helps clarify the Foundation's philosophy as well, unifying our donors and general audience in a satisfying way -- as Sue says, we are lucky to be able to make that decision.
Eugene writes:
The cost of doing an endowment drive is enormous. There is usually an 18 months ramp up time simply to start the drive, and you need a huge staff to manage it. That work comes at the expense of other work. Furthermore, endowment drives also typically court high wealth donors aggressively.
This seems like an extreme type of 'endowment drive' - just as we don't court high wealth donors in general we would not necessarily need to for this. Setting up a dedicated fund for supporting core services, for instance (whatever you call it) need not have elaborate staff, 18-month ramp ups, or other extraordinary overhead... I think it's good that an endowment drive is being planned for the future - I hope a target for it shows up in our five-year timeline.
SJ
wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org