This is probably one of the most reassuring things I've heard from the board in a while :)
One thing:
not signing the killer-deal with Google,
Was that a hypotehtical didn't manage to get some cool deal with google, or was there an actual deal which you guys refused? (Just curious)
-bawolff
On Dec 18, 2007 2:15 AM, Florence Devouard Anthere9@yahoo.com wrote:
{{support}} (saving yourself)
ant
Pilotguy wrote:
Save yourself and don't do it.
On Dec 17, 2007 2:11 AM, Patrick Mannion <patrick.mannion@gmail.com mailto:patrick.mannion@gmail.com> wrote:
I am honestly thinking of running but at the same time I'm kidding myself. On Dec 16, 2007 11:09 PM, Jason Safoutin < jason.safoutin@wikinewsie.org <mailto:jason.safoutin@wikinewsie.org>> wrote: from the foundation-l mailing list from Florence: Message: 6 Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2007 04:01:27 +0100 From: Florence Devouard <Anthere9@yahoo.com <mailto:Anthere9@yahoo.com>> Subject: [Foundation-l] [Announcement] update in board of trustees membership To: foundation-l@lists.wikimedia.org <mailto:foundation-l@lists.wikimedia.org> Message-ID: <fk4oq5$ivd$1@ger.gmane.org <mailto:fk4oq5$ivd$1@ger.gmane.org>>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Dear community, As chair of the board of trustees of Wikimedia Foundation, I would like to announce that Erik Moeller has decided to resign from the board two days ago. Erik decided to reorient his activities in other directions, and I hope we'll continue to be able to work together constructively from here on. A few days ago, Lodewijk pointed out to me that I forgot to announce clearly to this list that Michael Davis was no more board member, as planned at last october board meeting. As a reminder, Michael Davis had expressed the wish to move on and leave his seat for a while already. He officially quit the seat end of november. Michael has helped greatly in the first years of existence of the Foundation, so I hope you will have a thank you thought for him. You hardly ever heard of him, but he was really helpful a several critical moments in the life of the Foundation. The board is consequently now back at 5 members, Kat Welsh, Frieda Brioschi, Jan-Bart de Vreede, Jimmy Wales and myself. Michael seat is more or less reserved to our future treasurer, or if we can not find the treasurer as board member, at least to a skilled-financial oriented person. Erik's seat is open again. The board agreed to propose the seat to a community member, and agreed on a person. The person has been approached and has not given any answer yet. There is no real urgency anyway. The seat will be an appointed one, up for new elections in a few months. In a situation where we will welcome many more staff members not from the community, I think it is doubly important that the board membership be from the community. I will personally support an increase of the membership, with a focus on members coming from the community. I'd love as well having a seat or more being a representant from the chapters. Recently, there has been discussions over the limited professional skills of board members. At the same time, we are developing a staff mostly made of highly skilled professionals. I feel there are two paths for the future. Either we keep a board mostly made of community members (elected or appointed), who may not be top-notch professionals, who can do mistakes, such as forgetting to do a background check, such as not being able to do an audit in 1 week, such as not signing the killer-deal with Google, but who can breath and pee wikimedia projects, dedicate their full energy to a project they love, without trying to put their own interest in front. A decentralized organization where chapters will have more room, authority and leadership. Or we get a board mostly made of big shots, famous, rich, or very skilled (all things potentially beneficial), but who just *do not get it*. A centralized organization, very powerful, but also very top-down. My heart leans toward the first position of course. But at the same time, I am aware we are now playing in the big room and current board members may not be of sufficient strength to resist the huge wave. I do not share the same optimism than Jimbo with regards to Knol. I think Knol is probably our biggest threat since the creation of Wikipedia. I really mean the biggest. Maybe not so much the project itself, but the competition it will create, the PR consequences, the financial tsunami, the confusion in people minds (free as in free speech or as in free of charge). Many parties are trying to influence us, to buy us, and conflicts of interest are becoming the rule rather than the exception. There are power struggles on the path. Rather than spending time bugging the board about whether we did a background check on Carolyn 18 months ago (we did not, period), I'd like the current community to realize that we are currently at a crossroad. The staff will hopefully stabilize and be successful under the leadership of Sue. I trust her to have this strength. But the organization in its whole is currently oscillating. We can try the path of the community, at the risk of being engulfed by the big ones. We can try the path of letting our future in the hands of the big shots, at the risk of loosing what is making us unique. Best Florence _______________________________________________ Wikinews-l mailing list Wikinews-l@lists.wikimedia.org <mailto:Wikinews-l@lists.wikimedia.org> http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikinews-l <http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikinews-l> -- Autism is both a gift and a curse at the same time; But I think of it as a gift. _______________________________________________ Wikinews-l mailing list Wikinews-l@lists.wikimedia.org <mailto:Wikinews-l@lists.wikimedia.org> http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikinews-l
-- Pilotguy
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