Evan Prodromou wrote:

I don't know about the other MediaWiki developers, but the only reward I'd ask for for working on MediaWiki is that people work hard to make great articles and a strong, friendly communities with this software.

If I could ask for anything else, I'd ask that people treat each other with the gratitude and respect they deserve. Everyone who puts work into these projects -- editorial, technical, community-building -- deserves our appreciation and kudos.

The smell of money always changes the parameters of the game. When you hire someone to do a job that was previously shared by members of the volunteer community: That when perceptions of inequality begin to creep in. People start to expect things from the hired hand, and stop doing it themselves. Appreciating key volunteers can be tricky. Sometimes a more valuable reward is the right way to go; other times a mere "Thank you" is all that it takes. Token gifts can also work. These do not have great monetary value (if any). Perhaps Jimbo could send them each a six-place setting of genuine collectors' item Nupedia mugs. At least it would help to clear them out of his cellar. :-)

Ec