----- Original Message ----
From: Brion Vibber <brion@wikimedia.org>
To: wikimedia-sf@lists.wikimedia.org
Sent: Monday, March 31, 2008 12:27:25 PM
Subject: Re: [Wikimedia-SF] California Chapter

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Geoffrey Plourde wrote:
> San Francisco Wikipedians (Sanfranpedians?);
> 
> I am looking into starting Wikimedia California. Would anyone here be
> interested?

I think we have yet to figure out firmly what the mission or legal
structure for chapters in the US would be... :)

For other countries, a big part of it is to establish a local legal
structure that can accept tax-free donations -- something the Wikimedia
Foundation itself handles here the US.

But that structure can also be a useful way to organize local
activities, outreach, conferences and meetups as well as other online
and offline activity by Wikipedians other Wikimedians. Since the
Wikimedia Foundation decided not to become a membership-based
organization, concentrating on the high-level hosting and PR, there's a
bit of a vacuum still on how individuals can get involved and organized.


Rather than starting by saying "let's start a chapter", I might suggest
picking some particular event to organize, such as a California or west
coast-based Wikimedia user conference, and then we can see what kind of
organization can and should grow up around the community that builds it.

I should also stress that such an event should be a community-organized,
community-oriented affair. Make the Wikimedia Foundation a guest, not an
organizer or a funder... :)

- -- brion vibber (brion @ wikimedia.org)
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