On Monday, June 13, 2005, at 11:17, VampWillow <wiki(a)vampwillow.com> wrote:
Rhetorically, what is the 'point' of Wiki UK.
It isn't to buy hardware (or rather if it is we need to retain ownership)
What about contributing for the up-keep of caching servers in Europe; these
are (apparently) legally more OK (not publishing, only forwarding as a sort
of Common Carrier status body). Alternatively we could sponsor the
Foundation's upkeep of the server computers in British languages (as well as
en, also cy, kw, etc.), or help in the Foundation's advertising in the UK
and EU generally (?)...
It isn't to buy or create software (ditto and
liaibility flowing
therefore)
Can we really not aide in funding development without being liable for the
resultant product's end users' actions? Putting money towards the devs was
one of the aims I thought we were going to attempt to move in. Also towards
the sysadmins, of course, though that's more covered by the previous point.
It isn't to give it to a parent based in another
country
Well, it is, just not exclusively. An idea was to have Wikimedia UK pay
"chapter membership" fees to the Foundation of some not insignificant
nominal level (a few thousand p.a., perhaps). Also, we could have (and help
fund) joint-projects with our fellow European chapters, say to promote
social learning and inter-cultural awareness (or something else both
positive and good-sounding) in the EU. Yes, this is more overtly political
than the Foundation does things, but we could be more pro-pedagogy than
merely supplying, being more like a "pusher" than a "dealer", to use
an
unfortunate similie. :-)
It isn't - specifically - to write articles (and
if we could be said to
have done so then the French example Angela pointed to would be bound to
occur here, probably on a (scientology) article!)
Indeed, though we could still rally for and encourage British cultural
articles (and act as a base from which to make requests of British
institutions on behalf of (agent/intermediary rather than sub-entity) the
Foundation (e.g., asking for digital versions of paintings in the NPG for
Commons, or databases of, say, British politics (lists of every Act, every
S.I., etc.) which are difficult to come by, and where having a British
organisation to our name can help convince people that we're not
fly-by-night-ers.
It might be to "promote" the various wikis
under the parent umbrella, but
arguably unless we are taking out major press advertisements that wouldn't
seem to take up any cash we get in.
Promotion doesn't have to be through media advertising; we could give talks
at universities, work with librarians' organisations (though I've heard that
some of them are rather anti-us, or something), etc.
So exactly what are we trying to do. Suggestions on a
postcard^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H posting here please ...
Hmm. Perhaps serving to an extent as a social community of volunteers to
egg-on each other and otherwise encourage activity?
Other thoughts, anyone?
Alison
Yours,
--
James D. Forrester -- Wikimedia: [[W:en:User:Jdforrester|James F.]]
Mail: james(a)jdforrester.org | jon(a)eh.org | csvla(a)dcs.warwick.ac.uk
IM : (MSN) jamesdforrester(a)hotmail.com