[Foundation-l] New project proposal - Wikibuilder

[Christiaan Briggs]

Daniel Mayer wrote:

> Wikilabs isn't needed at all due to the existence of Wikicities. After 
> being hosted at Wikicities for some time we can then see if 
> Wikibuilder is 1) a viable idea and 2) if it is something that will 
> fit with our mandate.

I don't think this is a correct summary of the situation. If your 
statements were true they would beg the question why [[Proposals for 
new projects]] and [[New project policy]] exist at all on Wikimedia?

The goal of [[Wikibuilder]] would be to spread and promote knowledge of 
the built environment, a very laudable goal in my opinion. This clearly 
fits the criteria for proposing a new project under the the umbrella of 
the Wikimedia Foundation. And [[Wikilabs]], I'm suggesting, would be 
the perfect place for approved project proposals according to [[New 
project policy]].

[[Proposals for new projects]] clearly states that "Wikimedia is not a 
free hosting company for any kind of wikis. If your project doesn't fit 
the ideals of Wikimedia you are probably better off with a wiki hosting 
company such a http://wikidev.net or http://www.wikicities.com or 
hosting it on your own." Wikibuilder clearly fits the ideals of 
Wikimedia.

At the risk of sounding patronising--I really don't intend this to 
be--my guess is that you, along with many others involved, have a 
natural inclination to reject Wikibuilder as not fitting in because 
it's a not a conventional project along the lines of science or media, 
hence your comments that Wikicities is the correct venue, in seeming 
contradiction to [[Proposals for new projects]].

As I suggested in an earlier email an idea like Wikibuilder would 
benefit greatly from being developed by the Wikimedia Foundation. I 
doubt a conclusion of viability would ever be reached if Wikibuilder 
was started on Wikicities. My guess is such a project would languish 
and I, for one, would be very cautious about the amount of time I 
dedicated to such an effort (I would sooner see an entirely separate 
project set up).

And I certainly don't think Wikibuilder needs to be up and running 
_anywhere_ before a decision can be made with regards to Wikimedia's 
mandate. A comprehensive proposal is enough to make this decision.

Christiaan