Thanks for two reasonably reassuring replies. If there are a sensible number
of members then a userbox on Wikipedia user page "This person is a member of
Wikimedia UK" doesn't ID a specific person. I'm thinking of people who will
want to 1/ declare support and involvement openly on their user pages,
whilst 2/ remaining not personally identified. This becomes possible if
there are a fair number of members, such that matching up becomes
impractical to do for most people.
As to your last point, yes, but not in a malicious or improper way. Rather,
in the same sense that many editors wish to have an "influence" and show
support on articles and processes on Wikimedia Foundation websites "without
providing any identity". My question in this thread has been more, how can
a person wishing to remain anonymous to ill-wishers on
wiki*.org achieve
that without exclusion from support to the company as a member. "Anonymity
through obscurity" is rarely ideal; the search for another method seems
worthwhile.
I guess the next question might be: why does such a person want to
join the UK Chapter? There could be many other organizations that
might be better placed to represent the views and aspirations of said
person.
Might be worth re-visiting the objects...
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_UK
See also:
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,,1546162,00.html
Dated Thursday August 11, 2005
***
As the movement gets bigger, its organisation becomes more difficult.
Already there are Wikimedia "chapters" in Germany and France, who
help organise fundraising and hand out administration tasks. A UK
chapter (
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_UK) is also
beginning to form, with a small group of wikipedians meeting in
central London every couple of months.
One of its regulars, Dave Gerard, a part-time volunteer editor and
full-time computer system administrator, freely admits he is
"addicted" to Wikimedia and spends several hours every day on work
related to the site. Like most editors, his primary motivation is to
do "some public good". "I've been filling my head with information
for decades," he says. "This is a chance to get it all back out
again."
He is not alone. Ever since the library of Alexandria was built, the
dream of amassing vast quantities of information has inspired the
world. "What we're doing," says Wales, is building "a world in which
every person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all
human knowledge."
***
Gordo
--
"Think Feynman"/////////
http://pobox.com/~gordo/
gordon.joly(a)pobox.com///