Gatto Nero wrote:
2007/1/3, Michael Snow
<wikipedia(a)earthlink.net>et>:
Part of the problem is a lack of resources, both
human and technical, in
the communications area as much as in any other. That sort of thing is,
of course, exactly what this fundraiser is trying to address.
I'm sorry, 'cause of language differences maybe I've not understood:
are you saying that "lack of resources" is one of the reasons why are
we collecting money?
Yes.
This means, "people needs to be payed"?
(I'm asking, 'cause I'm not
sure, that's not an accusation)
See "human and technical" above. There's a need for servers, and there's
a need to hire staff to do the things that volunteers can't, won't, or
aren't trained to do.
In the recent past, I remember a user answering to me
and other
italians "Communities doesn't matter. Funding does. Capisce?".
How does this phrase should be interpreted?
Let's think about a new user who's starting to communicate with the
Foundation, and he's been answered in this way.
Obviously, I don't think this is an isolated case.
I don't know who said it or how it was intended to be interpreted. At
face value, it's certainly not an appropriate expression of the
Foundation's position. However, I'm surprised that you would take a
random comment like this, that sounds like it was made on IRC, as an
authoritative statement. A "new user" who wants to "communicate with the
Foundation" is looking in entirely the wrong place there, and I'm not
sure how a truly new user would receive such an answer (as opposed to
someone used to getting information passed by word of mouth in a chat
room). As I mentioned with regard to OTRS, good customer service skills
are expected, and we do work with new volunteers so they understand not
to give such inappropriate responses.
As far as I remember, I have no memories at all of
reading a
communication "signed" by the CommComm. Better: I have no memories at
all of reading a communicaton about Foundation's issues or problem.
The former may not be surprising, although there have been some (like
http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/htdig/foundation-l/2006-June/007393.html).
In part, the Communications Committee has been involved in coordinating
messages that do not necessarily come with its "signature", like the
material surrounding the closure of the French Wikiquote. Meanwhile, if
you've been subscribed to this list, and truly have no memory of reading
communications about the Foundation's issues, I really can't help you
with that.
Why has there not been a periodical
mail/message/zine/whatever
summarizing what's going the Foundation?
Lack of time, attention, and resources. Anyone who wants to try to
resurrect the Wikimedia Quarto or do something similar is welcome to.
There have been lots of suggestions about things Wikimedia could be
doing, many of them useful, both as to communications and other issues.
These are nice, but simply adding more tasks to an already overloaded
to-do list doesn't produce a lot of progress. That's why we're asking
for help. We need more people like Improv or BirgitteSB, who are willing
to take a good idea and implement it. Ideas are cheap compared to action.
--Michael Snow