[Foundation-l] Where we are headed

[Birgitte SB]

> 
> "I have never seen the WMF foundation asking the
> communities
>   for anything besides money and trust.  I believe
> the
>   communities have much more to offer. "
> 
> 
> You probably have limited memory. I remember
> explicitely calling loudly 
> for help for many topics and various skills.
> Hell, I remember distinctly I called *you* Birgitte
> to help for setting 
> up decent rules for new languages creation. Hardly a
> month ago. On this 
>   list. After I asked you help, you basically
> answered "errr, not now. 
> Sorry ".
> 

Yes you did.  I was more thinking of asking across
projects not just asking people who already are in
contact with the mailing list.  A site-wide note
similar to fundraising, but a call for volunteers. 
With a page asking for people with specific skills
sets or experience.  To bring in people who have not
already sought out the Foundation themselves

> I also remember distinctly I called for help many
> times for Quarto. We 
> got a certain amount of help, but not sufficient to
> handle things. So, 
> Quarto was closed. It was closed because, *YOU* the
> community, failed to 
> answer calls for help.
> 

> In the past month, I have taking care of answering
> all the questions on 
> OTRS which were business related. Most of them, I
> can not answer alone. 
> I need help. I need help to answer stuff about
> mobile phone. I need help 
> to answer proposal related to trademarks use ...
> 
> We received a proposition from a big firm that I
> will not cite here. 
> This was a little bit discussed amongst the
> community volunteers 
> lawyers. For the past three weeks, I have been
> asking for a contract for 
> that deal. I got none. None, none, none. It is not
> exactly as if I asked 
> not for help. I did, but got nothing. (And this is
> why we need 
> hiring.... believe me, if someone were writing these
> contracts on a 
> volunteer basis, we would not need to hire people).
> 
> So, claiming that the Foundation never asked more to
> the community than 
> money and trust is worse that *false*. That's an
> *insult*.
> 
> There is something hugely upsetting in the comments
> I read in this 
> thread. It is seeing people complain things are not
> publicly 
> discussed... but who do not even comments when the
> issues are raised 
> publicly. It is seeing people complain things are
> not done... but they 
> do not do things themselves. It is seeing people
> complain we do not 
> welcome their help... but they say no when we ask
> them.
> 
> I am not gonna blame you because you refuse to help
> me on something. 
> That's fine. You're a volunteer. But do not try to
> pretend we do not ask 
> for help please. That's dishonnest.
> 
> 
> Ant
> 
> 
>

I am very sorry my email upset you.  I do not mean to
imply in any way that I felt my help was unwelcome, or
that my help was not asked for.  I was really not
talking about me or any one who's name you might
recognize from this list.  I meant a direct appeal to
all the people out there who do not know what the
Foundation is doing much less what it needs doing.  I
meant recruiting from the untapped reasource of people
who use thes projects.  Recruiting.  Not asking people
who have already show interest.   

I am do not mean this to be taken so critically. 
Trully it is impressive what so few people have
accomplished here.   And also did not mean that I
thought no one should be hired.  Just that hiring
professionals is not a panacea.  It will take a very
special sort of professional to work in this
enviroment.  I really want to see a middle ground.  I
am not against things being closed either.  It is just
a matter of degrees.


Birgitte SB

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