Hello all,
I’m really happy to announce that Fabrice Florin is joining the
Wikimedia Foundation as Product Manager for New Editor Engagement.
In this position, Fabrice will take the lead in articulating and
refining, in partnership with the community and the engineering team,
the requirements for some of our most important features: those which
will help us increase the engagement and retention of new contributors
to Wikimedia projects.
Fabrice has already been supporting us as a contractor on the Article
Feedback V5 project, and I’m really pleased that he’s joining us
full-time, starting next week.
Six years ago, Fabrice founded NewsTrust, a non-profit organization
dedicated to to helping people find quality journalism. As its
Executive Director, Fabrice built the organization and the product
from scratch, with a small team. NewsTrust is a fascinating community
in its own right, and Fabrice and I first met when we discussed what
lessons could be learned for Wikimedia’s own forays into
rating/assessment tools.
Before that, Fabrice had a long carreer in the tech and media
industry. He was VP of Online Entertainment at Macromedia, CEO of
Zenda, Executive Producer at Apple, and President of Videowest. Read
more in his online bio: http://bit.ly/fab-bio
Fabrice is perhaps the first WMF staffer with an IMDB entry. He
directed the 1984 documentary “Hackers” which featured early tech
luminaries like Bill Atkinson, Lee Felsenstein, Richard Stallman and
Steve Wozniak.
Please join me in giving him a big welcome to the Wikimedia movement. :-)
Erik
--
Erik Möller
VP of Engineering and Product Development, Wikimedia Foundation
Support Free Knowledge: http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Donate
This is to draw attention to the translations that have been made
available for the November 2011 "Wikimedia Highlights" - combining
some of the most relevant information from the Wikimedia Foundation
Report and the Wikimedia engineering report for November 2011 with a
selection of other important events from the Wikimedia movement. Help
is welcome in spreading the translated versions among the project
communities for these languages, where this has not already been
done.Many thanks to all translators!
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Highlights,_November_2011/da
Hovedpunkter fra Wikimedia Foundations månedsrapport og Wikimedias
tekniske rapport for november 2011 med et udvalg af andre
betydningsfulde hændelser i Wikimedia-bevægelsen
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Highlights,_November_2011/es
Destacados del Informe de la Fundación Wikimedia y del informe de los
ingenieros de la Fundación para el mes de noviembre de 2011, con una
selección de otros eventos importantes del movimiento Wikimedia
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Highlights,_November_2011/fr
Éclairages sur le rapport de la Fondation Wikimedia et le rapport
d’ingénierie Wikimedia pour novembre 2011, avec une sélection d’autres
évènements importants du mouvement Wikimedia.
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Highlights,_November_2011/it
Approfondimenti dal rapporto della Wikimedia Foundation e dal rapporto
ingegneristico Wikimedia di novembre 2011, con una selezione di altre
importanti iniziative dagli eventi di Wikimedia.
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Highlights,_November_2011/ja
2011年11月のウィキメディア財団報告書及びウィキメディア技術報告の抄録ほかウィキメディア運動の重要行事について
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Highlights,_November_2011/nl
Hoogtepunten uit de Wikimedia Foundationrapportage en de Wikimedia
technische rapportage voor november 2011, aangevuld met een selectie
van andere belangrijke gebeurtenissen binnen de Wikimediabeweging.
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Highlights,_November_2011/vi
Những điểm nổi bật từ Bản báo cáo Wikimedia Foundation và phản hồi kỹ
thuật Wikimedia vào tháng 11 năm 2011, bao gồm các sự kiện quan trọng
khác của phong trào Wikimedia
The December "Wikimedia Highlights" are currently being prepared.
Suggestions for notable items to be covered in the short movement news
part are still welcome until Tuesday afternoon UTC, see
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Highlights .
Also a quick note that on the suggestion of users Timeshifter and
Buster Keaton, we're starting a (still experimental) global
subscription service for the "Wikimedia Highlights", similar to that
of the Signpost. If you would like to receive a summary message
delivered to your user talk page on any Wikimedia project right after
each issue is published, add yourself to
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Global_message_delivery/Targets/Wikimedia_H…
(at the moment this is for the English original, but eventually
subscription should become available for the translated versions as
well).
Regards, Tilman
--
Tilman Bayer
Movement Communications
Wikimedia Foundation
IRC (Freenode): HaeB
General Counsel Geoff Brigham recently published the following (at
http://blog.wikimedia.org/2011/12/31/terms-of-use/ ) which I am copying
here for your edification. :)
pb
___________________
Terms of use <http://blog.wikimedia.org/2011/12/31/terms-of-use/>
Posted by Geoff <http://blog.wikimedia.org/author/geoff/> on December 31st,
2011
I am happy to announce that we have completed the most collaborative,
interactive drafting of a proposed terms of
use<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Terms_of_use> for
any major website. For more than 120 days, the Wikimedia community
reviewed, drafted, and redrafted with more than 200 edits modifying the
original proposal. While accumulating 19,000 page views, community members
offered comments, edits, and rewrites. Complete or partial translations
appeared in 20+ languages. With over 4500 lines of text and as many words
as Steinbeck’s classic “The Grapes of Wrath,” discussion helped ensure a
thoughtful process.
These proposed terms of use are intended to replace our present
version<http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Terms_of_use>.
It is not commonly known that our present terms are nothing more than a
licensing agreement, not traditional terms of use. The new proposed terms
of use represent a step forward and a more comprehensive view of the
Wikimedia projects. Among other things, they provide for:
- *Better understanding:* The proposed agreement includes an
easy-to-read template summary to help facilitate understanding of the terms.
- *Stronger security:* The proposed agreement prohibits a number of
actions – like installing malware – that could compromise our systems. We
thought we should be clear as to what is unacceptable in this area, though
most of these restrictions will not be surprising or represent any real
change in practice.
- *Clearer roles:* We have heard a number of community members asking
for guidance, so we set out clearly the roles and responsibilities of the
community, including editors and contributors. The proposed agreement also
seeks to provide guidelines to help users avoid trouble.
- *More community feedback:* With this version, and with each major
revision afterwards, we want the community to be involved. So the proposed
agreement gives users at least a 30-day comment period before a major
revision goes into effect (with Board approval). There is a 3-day exception
for urgent legal and administrative changes.
- *Clearer free licensing:* We feel our present agreement is somewhat
confusing on the free licensing requirements. The proposed agreement
attempts to explain more clearly those requirements for editors (without
changing existing practices).
- *More tools against harassment, threats, stalking, vandalism, and
other long-term issues:* The proposed agreement would make clear that
such acts are prohibited. Novel for us, the agreement raises the
possibility of a global ban for extreme cross-wiki violations, a need that
we have heard expressed from a number of community members. While the
global ban is authorized by the terms of use, it will be implemented by
community policy.
- *Better legal protection:* The proposed agreement incorporates legal
sections that are commonly used to help safeguard a site like ours, such as
better explanation of our hosting status as well as disclaimers and
limitations on liability for the Foundation.
If you’re interested in more detailed reasons why we are proposing updated
terms of use, you can find a thorough discussion
here<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Terms_of_use#Reasons_for_the_New_Terms_…>.
Suffice it to say, we are consistent with other like-minded organizations,
which have incorporated similar agreements, including Internet
Archives<http://www.archive.org/about/terms.php>
, Creative Commons <https://creativecommons.org/terms>, Mozilla
Firefox<http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/legal.html>
, Open Source Initiative <http://www.opensource.org/ToS>,
Reddit<http://www.reddit.com/help/useragreement>
, Project Gutenberg<http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:The_Project_Gutenberg_License>
, Linux Foundation <https://www.linux.com/terms>,
StackExchange<http://stackexchange.com/legal>
, WikiSpaces <http://www.wikispaces.com/terms>, and
WordPress.com<http://en.wordpress.com/tos/>
.
Specifically, in its more than 320 printed pages of discussions, the
community raised, discussed, and resolved more than 120 issues. There were
many substantive and editorial changes that greatly improved the document.
Much language was deleted or tightened at community request. As part of
this process, the community addressed a number of interesting topics, such
as:
- Whether we should emphasize that the community (not WMF) is primarily
responsible for enforcing policy: We agreed to underscore this primary
responsibility of the community to avoid any confusion.
- Whether we should include an indemnification clause to the benefit of
WMF: We chose to delete it in light of community concerns.
- Whether we should adopt a “human-readable” version to facilitate
understanding: We agreed to incorporate such a summary.
- Whether we should expressly prohibit linking to certain sites: We
chose not to, deleting earlier language unacceptable to the community.
- Whether we should require civility and politeness: With varying
views, we decided to “encourage” it.
- Whether the WMF should provide resources to support forks: We chose
not to address this now, though we agreed to highlight the discussion to
the Board for its consideration.
- Whether we should emphasize the independent roles of chapters: We
chose to do so.
- Whether we should increase the liability limitation for WMF from $100
to $1000: We answered affirmatively.
- Whether we should provide for additional comment time after the
posting of translations in three key languages: We said “yes” to address
international community concerns.
>From a process standpoint, the legal department will circulate the proposed
terms of use within the Wikimedia Foundation internally, and then the
department anticipates recommending their adoption to the Board. We expect
the Board will take some time to review before reaching a final decision.
Needless to say, this project would have been impossible without the hard
work and expertise of our community. Through their tireless effort, the
community mentored important and deep discussions on critical subjects for
Wikimedia. The process forced us to think about issues that we had never
addressed directly. In short, the value of collaboration quickly became
obvious. Its magic created a document many times better than the original.
Geoff Brigham, Wikimedia Foundation
*Wikimedia Foundation Rings In New Year With Record-breaking Fundraiser*
*Over one million donors contribute to Wikimedia’s annual, global campaign*
San Francisco, CA -- January 2, 2012 - The Wikimedia Foundation’s annual
fundraising campaign reached a successful conclusion on Sunday, January 1,
having raised a record-breaking USD 20 million from more than one million
donors in nearly every country in the world. It is the Wikimedia
Foundation’s most successful campaign ever, continuing an unbroken streak
in which donations have risen every year since the campaigns began in 2003.
Wikimedia websites serve more than 470 million people every month. It is
the only major website supported not by advertising, but by donations from
readers.
“Our model is working fantastically well,” said Sue Gardner, Executive
Director of the Wikimedia Foundation. “Ordinary people use Wikipedia and
they like it, so they chip in some cash so it will continue to thrive. That
maintains our independence and lets us focus solely on providing a useful
public service. I am so grateful to our donors for making that possible. I
promise them we will use their money carefully and well.”
Since 2008, the number of Wikimedia Foundation donors has increased
ten-fold, and the total dollar amount raised in the campaign has risen to
over $20 million from $4.5 million.
The annual fundraiser is how the Wikimedia Foundation pays its bills. Funds
raised in this campaign will be used to buy and install servers and other
hardware, to develop new site functionality, expand mobile services,
provide legal defense for the projects, and support the large global
community of Wikimedia volunteers. The Wikimedia Foundation's total 2011-12
planned spending is 28.3 million USD. The bulk of that is raised during the
annual campaign, and the remainder comes throughout the year in the form of
grants from institutions such as the Sloan Foundation, and many other small
donations year round.
This year’s campaign highlighted the volunteers who help to create
Wikipedia. It featured testimonials from volunteer editors in countries
such as Argentina, Brazil, India, Kenya, the United Kingdom and the United
States ranging in age from 18 to 76, explaining why they edit Wikipedia and
why they think readers should support the Wikimedia Foundation. More than
100 volunteers translated the banners and appeals into dozens of languages,
reaching hundreds of millions of people.
With over 20 million articles in 282 languages, Wikipedia is the largest
encyclopedia in human history. Over 100,000 volunteers work on Wikipedia
and its 10 sister projects (including projects like Wikimedia Commons,
Wikibooks, and Wiktionary), furthering the Wikimedia Foundation's mission
to freely share the sum of all human knowledge. On January 15, 2012,
Wikipedia will celebrate its 11th anniversary.
*About the Wikimedia Foundation*
http://wikimediafoundation.orghttp://blog.wikimedia.org
The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. According to comScore Media Metrix,
Wikipedia and the other projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation
receive more than 474 million unique visitors per month, making them the
fifth-most popular web property world-wide (comScore, November 2011).
Available in more than 280 languages, Wikipedia contains more than 20
million articles contributed by a global volunteer community of more than
100,000 people. Based in San Francisco, California, the Wikimedia
Foundation is an audited, 501(c)(3) charity that is funded primarily
through donations and grants.
Media Contact:
Jay Walsh
Head of Communications
Wikimedia Foundation
Tel. +1 415 839 6885 x 6609
jwalsh(a)wikimedia.org
*Wikimedia Foundation Rings In New Year With Record-breaking Fundraiser*
*Over one million donors contribute to Wikimedia’s annual, global campaign*
San Francisco, CA -- January 2, 2012 - The Wikimedia Foundation’s annual
fundraising campaign reached a successful conclusion on Sunday, January 1,
having raised a record-breaking USD 20 million from more than one million
donors in nearly every country in the world. It is the Wikimedia
Foundation’s most successful campaign ever, continuing an unbroken streak
in which donations have risen every year since the campaigns began in 2003.
Wikimedia websites serve more than 470 million people every month. It is
the only major website supported not by advertising, but by donations from
readers.
“Our model is working fantastically well,” said Sue Gardner, Executive
Director of the Wikimedia Foundation. “Ordinary people use Wikipedia and
they like it, so they chip in some cash so it will continue to thrive. That
maintains our independence and lets us focus solely on providing a useful
public service. I am so grateful to our donors for making that possible. I
promise them we will use their money carefully and well.”
Since 2008, the number of Wikimedia Foundation donors has increased
ten-fold, and the total dollar amount raised in the campaign has risen to
over $20 million from $4.5 million.
The annual fundraiser is how the Wikimedia Foundation pays its bills. Funds
raised in this campaign will be used to buy and install servers and other
hardware, to develop new site functionality, expand mobile services,
provide legal defense for the projects, and support the large global
community of Wikimedia volunteers. The Wikimedia Foundation's total 2011-12
planned spending is 28.3 million USD. The bulk of that is raised during the
annual campaign, and the remainder comes throughout the year in the form of
grants from institutions such as the Sloan Foundation, and many other small
donations year round.
This year’s campaign highlighted the volunteers who help to create
Wikipedia. It featured testimonials from volunteer editors in countries
such as Argentina, Brazil, India, Kenya, the United Kingdom and the United
States ranging in age from 18 to 76, explaining why they edit Wikipedia and
why they think readers should support the Wikimedia Foundation. More than
100 volunteers translated the banners and appeals into dozens of languages,
reaching hundreds of millions of people.
With over 20 million articles in 282 languages, Wikipedia is the largest
encyclopedia in human history. Over 100,000 volunteers work on Wikipedia
and its 10 sister projects (including projects like Wikimedia Commons,
Wikibooks, and Wiktionary), furthering the Wikimedia Foundation's mission
to freely share the sum of all human knowledge. On January 15, 2012,
Wikipedia will celebrate its 11th anniversary.
*About the Wikimedia Foundation*
http://wikimediafoundation.orghttp://blog.wikimedia.org
The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. According to comScore Media Metrix,
Wikipedia and the other projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation
receive more than 474 million unique visitors per month, making them the
fifth-most popular web property world-wide (comScore, November 2011).
Available in more than 280 languages, Wikipedia contains more than 20
million articles contributed by a global volunteer community of more than
100,000 people. Based in San Francisco, California, the Wikimedia
Foundation is an audited, 501(c)(3) charity that is funded primarily
through donations and grants.
Media Contact:
Jay Walsh
Head of Communications
Wikimedia Foundation
Tel. +1 415 839 6885 x 6609
jwalsh(a)wikimedia.org
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