The Wikimedia Community Assembly is a proposed leadership body for the Wikimedia Community. This proposal is is designed to be significantly more straightforward, inclusive, and less bureaucratic than the Wikicouncil or Community of the Wikimedian Projects. The impetus for this proposal is the void that currently exists in community governance. This gap is prohibitive to the full realization of the potential of the community as an asset to the Foundation. To address this gap, its most important task would providing a unified community voice to the Board and the world. In accordance with the principles of the open source movement, membership in the Assembly would be granted to any Wikimedian who requests it. By doing so, this would prevent this body from becoming a elitist cabal, by insuring that all are heard, not just a privileged few. To prevent this body from being dragged down by size, which does not allow for business to be conducted in an orderly and efficent fashion, subgroups (Committees/Commissions/Working Groups/Task Forces) specializing in specific issues would be created. Any 5 members with a specific issue or topic would be able to create a subgroup to work on that issue or topic. Membership in these issue specific subgroups would be open to all, but if necessary due to size, another group might be formed. The Assembly would run according to a community written charter, that would be revised at least once every calendar year. Decisions of the Assembly would be made by consensus, as with most other Wikimedian projects.
Can I get some thoughts on this?
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We have trouble gaining consensus when less than a dozen people are involved. What makes you think a massive organization like this will work? What job will it perform? What authority and power does it have? What makes it any different than any current list or page? What about it addresses the problems with the Wikicouncil?
-Dan On May 11, 2008, at 9:11 PM, Geoffrey Plourde wrote:
The Wikimedia Community Assembly is a proposed leadership body for the Wikimedia Community. This proposal is is designed to be significantly more straightforward, inclusive, and less bureaucratic than the Wikicouncil or Community of the Wikimedian Projects. The impetus for this proposal is the void that currently exists in community governance. This gap is prohibitive to the full realization of the potential of the community as an asset to the Foundation. To address this gap, its most important task would providing a unified community voice to the Board and the world. In accordance with the principles of the open source movement, membership in the Assembly would be granted to any Wikimedian who requests it. By doing so, this would prevent this body from becoming a elitist cabal, by insuring that all are heard, not just a privileged few. To prevent this body from being dragged down by size, which does not allow for business to be conducted in an orderly and efficent fashion, subgroups (Committees/Commissions/ Working Groups/Task Forces) specializing in specific issues would be created. Any 5 members with a specific issue or topic would be able to create a subgroup to work on that issue or topic. Membership in these issue specific subgroups would be open to all, but if necessary due to size, another group might be formed. The Assembly would run according to a community written charter, that would be revised at least once every calendar year. Decisions of the Assembly would be made by consensus, as with most other Wikimedian projects.
Can I get some thoughts on this?
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On Sun, May 11, 2008 at 9:11 PM, Geoffrey Plourde geo.plrd@yahoo.com wrote:
The Wikimedia Community Assembly is a proposed leadership body for the Wikimedia Community. This proposal is is designed to be significantly more straightforward, inclusive, and less bureaucratic than the Wikicouncil or Community of the Wikimedian Projects. The impetus for this proposal is the void that currently exists in community governance. This gap is prohibitive to the full realization of the potential of the community as an asset to the Foundation. To address this gap, its most important task would providing a unified community voice to the Board and the world. In accordance with the principles of the open source movement, membership in the Assembly would be granted to any Wikimedian who requests it. By doing so, this would prevent this body from becoming a elitist cabal, by insuring that all are heard, not just a privileged few. To prevent this body from being dragged down by size, which does not allow for business to be conducted in an orderly and efficent fashion, subgroups (Committees/Commissions/Working Groups/Task Forces) specializing in specific issues would be created. Any 5 members with a specific issue or topic would be able to create a subgroup to work on that issue or topic. Membership in these issue specific subgroups would be open to all, but if necessary due to size, another group might be formed. The Assembly would run according to a community written charter, that would be revised at least once every calendar year. Decisions of the Assembly would be made by consensus, as with most other Wikimedian projects.
Can I get some thoughts on this?
Frankly, it sounds like yet another idea that is much more bureaucratic than it's worth, and one that doesn't solve any problem currently before us. You've already created more rules for this assembly than it could possibly make for itself.
You ask for some thoughts, and I am eerily reminded of your former expeditions into policy making on Enwiki. Arbitration cabals, Justice Courts, and the "Statistical Collection and Analysis Group" (lead by a chancellor, among other bureaucratic roles). I'm sure Ryan remembers this as well.
-Chad
On Sun, May 11, 2008 at 9:11 PM, Geoffrey Plourde geo.plrd@yahoo.com wrote:
The Wikimedia Community Assembly is a proposed leadership body for the Wikimedia Community. This proposal is is designed to be significantly more straightforward, inclusive, and less bureaucratic than the Wikicouncil or Community of the Wikimedian Projects. The impetus for this proposal is the void that currently exists in community governance. This gap is prohibitive to the full realization of the potential of the community as an asset to the Foundation. To address this gap, its most important task would providing a unified community voice to the Board and the world. In accordance with the principles of the open source movement, membership in the Assembly would be granted to any Wikimedian who requests it. By doing so, this would prevent this body from becoming a elitist cabal, by insuring that all are heard, not just a privileged few. To prevent this body from being dragged down by size, which does not allow for business to be conducted in an orderly and efficent fashion, subgroups (Committees/Commissions/Working Groups/Task Forces) specializing in specific issues would be created. Any 5 members with a specific issue or topic would be able to create a subgroup to work on that issue or topic. Membership in these issue specific subgroups would be open to all, but if necessary due to size, another group might be formed. The Assembly would run according to a community written charter, that would be revised at least once every calendar year. Decisions of the Assembly would be made by consensus, as with most other Wikimedian projects.
Can I get some thoughts on this?
____________________________________________________________________________________Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ _______________________________________________ foundation-l mailing list foundation-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l
In accordance with the principles of the open source movement, membership in the Assembly would be granted to any Wikimedian who requests it.
Then why have it as a distinct group? You're talking about "The Wikimedia Community", so call it "The Wikimedia Community", there's no need for an assembly. Once you realise that, it also becomes clear that these "subgroups" are, in fact, just the naturally forming groups of people interested in a particular policy (or whatever) that discuss it on that policy page.
You've just invented meta. It's a good idea, but it's so good it's already been done.
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