At the board meeting this weekend, we are planning to adopt a number of policies that will give us a good basis for future operation of the chapter now we are professionalising and growing. These include:
Staff Policies - http://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/Staff_Policies
Volunteer Policy - http://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/Volunteer_Policy
Trustee Code of Conduct - http://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/Trustee_Code_of_Conduct
We would welcome any comments or suggestions through editing the policies directly or commenting on the talk pages.
Thanks
On 07/02/2012 23:16, Andrew Turvey wrote:
Volunteer Policy - http://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/Volunteer_Policy
We are all VOLUNTEERS!
Gordo
Indeed.
Quoting Gordon Joly gordon.joly@pobox.com:
On 07/02/2012 23:16, Andrew Turvey wrote:
Volunteer Policy - http://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/Volunteer_Policy
We are all VOLUNTEERS!
Gordo
--
Gordon Joly gordon.joly@pobox.com http://www.joly.org.uk/ Don't Leave Space To The Professionals!
Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: http://uk.wikimedia.org
Except me!
Basically, the volunteer policy tries to draw a line between what staff do, and what volunteers do. It also tries to to make everything as open as possible: for example, releasing financial statements and reports openly on the wiki, even if they make for dull reading. That makes sure that volunteers are still at the very heart of WMUK, and keeps me where I should be - off to one side, doing all the paperwork.
For example: it's not my job at WMUK to give media interviews, although I will if no volunteers are available. What would be much better is to have volunteers trained to do media interviews - WMUK's job is to make sure that training happens.
Hope this makes sense!
Richard
On 09/02/2012 15:07, Gordon Joly wrote:
On 07/02/2012 23:16, Andrew Turvey wrote:
Volunteer Policy - http://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/Volunteer_Policy
We are all VOLUNTEERS!
Gordo
Richard Symonds Office& Development Manager Wikimedia UK +44 (0) 207 065 0991
On 09/02/2012 15:14, Richard Symonds wrote:
Hope this makes sense!
I have been a volunteer editor at Wikipedia for about since 2004 (25th January 2004 at 23:13 or possibly earlier).
Are these volunteers you mention in the same class?
Gordo
On Feb 9, 2012 4:14 PM, "Gordon Joly" gordon.joly@pobox.com wrote:
On 09/02/2012 15:14, Richard Symonds wrote:
Hope this makes sense!
I have been a volunteer editor at Wikipedia for about since 2004 (25th
January 2004 at 23:13 or possibly earlier).
Are these volunteers you mention in the same class?
While the current draft recognises the role of volunteers in the wider movement, it is primarily about the role of volunteers in the chapter.
On Feb 9, 2012 4:14 PM, "Gordon Joly" gordon.joly@pobox.com wrote:
On 09/02/2012 15:14, Richard Symonds wrote:
Hope this makes sense!
I have been a volunteer editor at Wikipedia for about since 2004 (25th
January 2004 at 23:13 or possibly earlier).
Are these volunteers you mention in the same class?
No. I started editing in 2003. Newbie
On Feb 10, 2012 12:48 AM, "Andy Mabbett" andy@pigsonthewing.org.uk wrote:
On Feb 9, 2012 4:14 PM, "Gordon Joly" gordon.joly@pobox.com wrote:
On 09/02/2012 15:14, Richard Symonds wrote:
Hope this makes sense!
I have been a volunteer editor at Wikipedia for about since 2004 (25th
January 2004 at 23:13 or possibly earlier).
Are these volunteers you mention in the same class?
No. I started editing in 2003. Newbie
My first registered edit was in 2002. Who's the newbie now? ;)
On Fri, Feb 10, 2012 at 12:57 AM, Thomas Dalton thomas.dalton@gmail.comwrote:
On Feb 10, 2012 12:48 AM, "Andy Mabbett" andy@pigsonthewing.org.uk wrote:
On Feb 9, 2012 4:14 PM, "Gordon Joly" gordon.joly@pobox.com wrote:
On 09/02/2012 15:14, Richard Symonds wrote:
Hope this makes sense!
I have been a volunteer editor at Wikipedia for about since 2004 (25th
January 2004 at 23:13 or possibly earlier).
Are these volunteers you mention in the same class?
No. I started editing in 2003. Newbie
My first registered edit was in 2002. Who's the newbie now? ;)
31 October 2005. I'm practically a baby! :)
On 10/02/2012 00:57, Thomas Dalton wrote:
On Feb 10, 2012 12:48 AM, "Andy Mabbett" <andy@pigsonthewing.org.uk mailto:andy@pigsonthewing.org.uk> wrote:
On Feb 9, 2012 4:14 PM, "Gordon Joly" <gordon.joly@pobox.com
mailto:gordon.joly@pobox.com> wrote:
On 09/02/2012 15:14, Richard Symonds wrote:
Hope this makes sense!
I have been a volunteer editor at Wikipedia for about since 2004
(25th January 2004 at 23:13 or possibly earlier).
Are these volunteers you mention in the same class?
No. I started editing in 2003. Newbie
My first registered edit was in 2002. Who's the newbie now? ;)
I admit it. I was late..... sorry.
But I have been sending email and on the "net" (messing around kermit on NSFNET, working on EDXA and YKXA via SERCnet, using Cambridge Phoenix/MVS, which was a virtualiazation on IBM mainframes, Usenet, Spuddy etc etc) since 1980....
:-)
Gordo
On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 3:07 PM, Gordon Joly gordon.joly@pobox.com wrote:
On 07/02/2012 23:16, Andrew Turvey wrote:
Volunteer Policy - http://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/**Volunteer_Policyhttp://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/Volunteer_Policy
We are all VOLUNTEERS!
Gordon - have you actually read the draft policy - if so is there anything you particularly object to about it?
While I can understand people thinking "why on earth does anything related to Wikimedia need a policy about what volunteers should be doing?" - this policy is actually aimed at setting a limit on what *staff* do. For instance, we want to ensure we don't end up with a group of staff who end up blundering about trying to write Wikipedia articles with no understanding of how the community works. We want staff who can help volunteers do things, not do things for them...
Chris
On 09/02/2012 17:51, Chris Keating wrote:
Gordon - have you actually read the draft policy - if so is there anything you particularly object to about it?
Yes, I have. Thanks for asking.
Gordo
On 17/02/2012 19:05, Gordon Joly wrote:
On 09/02/2012 17:51, Chris Keating wrote:
Gordon - have you actually read the draft policy - if so is there anything you particularly object to about it?
Yes, I have. Thanks for asking.
Gordo
Apologies Chris. Let me explain.
I was in full time work in 1999, but since then I started to spend more time as a "volunteer" and less time making hard cash. Some say that I might be building "social capital". I Chair two active local groups, I have been a Trustee of registered charity, I am very active with various parts of my local housing association, and also with local NHS bodies.
The housing association has a "volunteer policy", and the application pack was 34 pages in length (I think that has changed). They have a lot of volunteering effort. But there is a real divide between those are "official" volunteers and those who contribute to the community in different ways. What bugs me is some will get awards, get their picture taken, get invited to special events and others will just on with it.
Wikipedia started as a volunteer effort. Wikimedia UK wanted to label some people as volunteers, since those volunteers will take take part (online and offline we assume) at workshops, competitions, hack days, GLAM events etc etc run by the organization.
I guess I need to used to the idea ...... bit like Usenet being transformed into Google Groups, perhaps (or Dejanews).... if you get my drift.
Gordo
If I'm reading Gordon's post right, I think I share some of his hesitancy. I'm very wary of anything that makes what we do more formal, and I think it needs to be made as easy as possible to start doing things for WMUK - anything that makes it more difficult for people to just turn up is a bad thing.
I don't think anybody is naive enough to believe that we shouldn't have any formality or paid staff given the amount of (voluntarily donated) money involved, but it's essential that we remember that the overwhelming majority of the people involved with WMUK do it for pleasure and/or out of passion for the Wikimedia movement - those people *are* Wikimedia UK. The staff roles and the bureaucracy exist to support them..
That said, Jon's clarification that it was intended primarily for interns/kids on work experience/etc put my mind more at rest.
Harry
________________________________ From: Gordon Joly gordon.joly@pobox.com To: wikimediauk-l@lists.wikimedia.org; chriskeatingwiki@gmail.com Sent: Friday, 17 February 2012, 20:34 Subject: Re: [Wikimediauk-l] Wikimedia UK staff policies
On 17/02/2012 19:05, Gordon Joly wrote:
On 09/02/2012 17:51, Chris Keating wrote:
Gordon - have you actually read the draft policy - if so is there anything you particularly object to about it?
Yes, I have. Thanks for asking.
Gordo
Apologies Chris. Let me explain.
I was in full time work in 1999, but since then I started to spend more time as a "volunteer" and less time making hard cash. Some say that I might be building "social capital". I Chair two active local groups, I have been a Trustee of registered charity, I am very active with various parts of my local housing association, and also with local NHS bodies.
The housing association has a "volunteer policy", and the application pack was 34 pages in length (I think that has changed). They have a lot of volunteering effort. But there is a real divide between those are "official" volunteers and those who contribute to the community in different ways. What bugs me is some will get awards, get their picture taken, get invited to special events and others will just on with it.
Wikipedia started as a volunteer effort. Wikimedia UK wanted to label some people as volunteers, since those volunteers will take take part (online and offline we assume) at workshops, competitions, hack days, GLAM events etc etc run by the organization.
I guess I need to used to the idea ...... bit like Usenet being transformed into Google Groups, perhaps (or Dejanews).... if you get my drift.
Gordo
The housing association has a "volunteer policy", and the application pack was 34 pages in length (I think that has changed). They have a lot of volunteering effort. But there is a real divide between those are "official" volunteers and those who contribute to the community in different ways. What bugs me is some will get awards, get their picture taken, get invited to special events and others will just on with it.
Wikipedia started as a volunteer effort. Wikimedia UK wanted to label some people as volunteers, since those volunteers will take take part (online and offline we assume) at workshops, competitions, hack days, GLAM events etc etc run by the organization.
I think I understand, though my brain may be frazzled by spending all of today debating the finer points of Wikimedia movement fundraising. And I empathise, because I've often found myself spending more energy on my "spare time" commitments (including this one, sometimes) than I do on my day job.
But really I think this policy - http://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/Volunteer_Policy - has the opposite effect to what you're worried about.
What it says, in summary, is: * The most important thing to our organisation is the impact of people who are contributing their time voluntarily * Staff exist to support the work of those volunteers (not replace it) * As part of the appraisals or our staff, we're going to talk about not only how they are supporting volunteers, but whether there is anything that they're doing that volunteers can and are willing to do, even if this is a bit less convenient for the staff member concerned.
Really, we are going to great lengths to find staff who "get it" about the Wikimedia movement in general and this in particular. It's probably the biggest single thing we care about when recruiting staff.
So I hope this goes some way to addressing your concern. Happy to talk about it at a meetup sometime (and I'm sure other board members would be as well)
Chris
Or to break it down; it is not a policy *for *volunteers. But a policy for staff interacting with volunteers.
Right?
Tom
On 18 February 2012 00:21, Chris Keating chriskeatingwiki@gmail.com wrote:
The housing association has a "volunteer policy", and the application pack was 34 pages in length (I think that has changed). They have a lot of volunteering effort. But there is a real divide between those are "official" volunteers and those who contribute to the community in different ways. What bugs me is some will get awards, get their picture taken, get invited to special events and others will just on with it.
Wikipedia started as a volunteer effort. Wikimedia UK wanted to label some people as volunteers, since those volunteers will take take part (online and offline we assume) at workshops, competitions, hack days, GLAM events etc etc run by the organization.
I think I understand, though my brain may be frazzled by spending all of today debating the finer points of Wikimedia movement fundraising. And I empathise, because I've often found myself spending more energy on my "spare time" commitments (including this one, sometimes) than I do on my day job.
But really I think this policy - http://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/Volunteer_Policy - has the opposite effect to what you're worried about.
What it says, in summary, is:
- The most important thing to our organisation is the impact of people who
are contributing their time voluntarily
- Staff exist to support the work of those volunteers (not replace it)
- As part of the appraisals or our staff, we're going to talk about not
only how they are supporting volunteers, but whether there is anything that they're doing that volunteers can and are willing to do, even if this is a bit less convenient for the staff member concerned.
Really, we are going to great lengths to find staff who "get it" about the Wikimedia movement in general and this in particular. It's probably the biggest single thing we care about when recruiting staff.
So I hope this goes some way to addressing your concern. Happy to talk about it at a meetup sometime (and I'm sure other board members would be as well)
Chris
Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: http://uk.wikimedia.org
This is an easy confusion to make, and it could perhaps be sorted out with a "nutshell" sentence at the top of the page.
On Sat, Feb 18, 2012 at 8:24 AM, Chris Keating chriskeatingwiki@gmail.com wrote:
Or to break it down; it is not a policy for volunteers. But a policy for staff interacting with volunteers.
Right?
Tom
Yup!
Chris
Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: http://uk.wikimedia.org
On 18/02/2012 00:21, Chris Keating wrote:
So I hope this goes some way to addressing your concern. Happy to talk about it at a meetup sometime (and I'm sure other board members would be as well)
Chris
Yes, thanks, and we should talk! I think this is issue highlights my concerns about the Wikimedia UK in relation to the wider extant wiki community of volunteers.
Gordo
wikimediauk-l@lists.wikimedia.org