On Wed, 15 Sep 2004 11:57:20 +0200, Gerard Meijssen gerardm@myrealbox.com wrote:
The sentiment is dittoed here. I don't have a clue what all this hoo-ha is about, but that fact alone seems to suggest that something clandestine occurred. From what I understand, this is something that, if worked out correctly, *could* be beneficial to all the Wikipedias. So why haven't I heard anything about this on en.wikipedia.org? It's not even on the Community Portal. And the fact that someone as even-headed as mav is even thinking about quitting makes me wonder just what's going on.
I've no reason to doubt the good intentions of the board. However, the place where it should have been announced or discussed before a vote (m:Goings-on) didn't have it, nor was there a any significant call on EN. So there has been a breakdown somewhere along the line in terms of due process, and it does seem a dark cloud hangs over the new project.
One of the benefits of wikis, and why we love them so, is exactly the elimination of process. Clay Shirky talks about this specifically (http://www.corante.com/many/20030801.shtml)
However, when it comes to major extra-wiki decisions, such as creation of new projects, or board level decisions, process should be defined and followed. We're all breaking new ground here with the board and its role, so let's learn from this and "reboot" in an appropriate manner, even if it means suspending Wikispecies and going back to obtain some kind of quorum (if not consensus).