[Foundation-l] Benefits of advertising (was Re: Our exponentially increasing costs)

[Jimmy Wales]

Tim Starling wrote:
> The Answers.com deal, on the other hand, is just a recipe for offence.
> The benefit is unknown and will probably be small. The Board has agreed
> to it in secret, apparently to repay favours such as the Wikimania
> sponsorship. They've given a single organisation preferential treatment,
> which brings their motives into question: are they doing this to help
> Wikipedia or Answers.com?

"apparently to repay favours such as the Wikimania sponsorship" -
absolutely false.

"a single organization preferential treatment" - absolutely false.

I'm so shocked by these remarks, that I'm going to do something fairly
rare for me and ask for a public apology.

> That's why I join the chorus of editors in asking the Board to withdraw
> from this deal. If we are going to have advertising, it needs to be done
> with extreme sensitivity to the sensibilities of the community. Claiming
> that it's not advertising most certainly doesn't help -- even if the
> Board believes that line, the community certainly doesn't.

Then as a longstanding member of the community with a good reputation, I
ask for your help in explaining to them how it is *not* advertising.  In
order to do that, you'll have to stop spinning wild accusations first
and ask some basic questions about the deal until you understand it.

--Jimbo