The topic of a Wikimedia chapter in the United States has been discussed and debated for a few years, during which time the role of Wikimedia chapters and the Wikimedia Foundation itself has grown and evolved. The unique geopolitical circumstance of the U.S. poses several interesting questions regarding the form a chapter or chapters there will take, and this discussion has been renewed with the recent announcement of fledgling chapter Wikimedia Pennsylvania.
There is not yet any firm policy specifically concerning U.S. chapters, but it's clear that the conditions and challenges they face will involve a different approach from that we've established over the last few years working to build chapters in Europe and elsewhere.
It is the consensus of the Chapters Committee that this approach should be a practical one, governed by the needs of chapters as they develop, and that any contrived policies made now would be of little use, even detrimental. Our view of chapter policy is that it should not be prescriptive, but rather reflective of the relationship chapters have with the Foundation and with the community.
We therefore intend to continue working with groups forming chapters in the U.S. to help identify their role, and to define sensible policies to allow us to work together toward our common goals.
Austin Hair Wikimedia Chapters Committee
Thanks for the update.
This sounds like a reasonable approach.
Sydney
On 8/1/07, Austin Hair adhair@gmail.com wrote:
The topic of a Wikimedia chapter in the United States has been discussed and debated for a few years, during which time the role of Wikimedia chapters and the Wikimedia Foundation itself has grown and evolved. The unique geopolitical circumstance of the U.S. poses several interesting questions regarding the form a chapter or chapters there will take, and this discussion has been renewed with the recent announcement of fledgling chapter Wikimedia Pennsylvania.
There is not yet any firm policy specifically concerning U.S. chapters, but it's clear that the conditions and challenges they face will involve a different approach from that we've established over the last few years working to build chapters in Europe and elsewhere.
It is the consensus of the Chapters Committee that this approach should be a practical one, governed by the needs of chapters as they develop, and that any contrived policies made now would be of little use, even detrimental. Our view of chapter policy is that it should not be prescriptive, but rather reflective of the relationship chapters have with the Foundation and with the community.
We therefore intend to continue working with groups forming chapters in the U.S. to help identify their role, and to define sensible policies to allow us to work together toward our common goals.
Austin Hair Wikimedia Chapters Committee
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