[Foundation-l] Where we are headed. (was Wikimedia main office)

[Walter van Kalken]

Kelly Martin wrote:

>On 5/28/06, Ray Saintonge <saintonge at telus.net> wrote:
>  
>
>>Proximity for whom and to whom?  We are an online organization with a
>>global perspective.  We depend on online communications.  Wherever the
>>headquarters happens to be will involve travel by some people if they
>>want to meet in person.  If all you're trying to do is improve meetup
>>opportunities for the select few you just end up promoting the idea that
>>Wikimedia is a much less broadly based organization than it really is.
>>    
>>
>
>There's a limit to how much you can schmooze people online.  Large
>donations and grants are going to require face time.  Might as well
>position yourself to make arranging that easier, which means you want
>to be near a transportation hub.  This means places like New York, DC,
>Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles.  Hubs have more flights per day to more
>destinations, which usually means your total travel time is lower
>because your options are broader and you are less likely to have to
>use a connecting flight.
>  
>
Geez very Americancentric. what happened to: Stockholm, Copenhagen, 
Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Frankfurt, Warsaw, Moscow, Prague, Wien, 
Geneve, Zurich, Milan, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Istanbul, Delhi, Bangkok, 
Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong, Peking, Tokyo, Jakarta, Sidney, 
Johannesburg, Capetown, Nairobi, Dakar, Lagos, Cairo, Cassablanca, Tel 
Aviv, Dubai, Kuwait, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo, Caracas, Buenos Aires, 
Lima and last but not least Paramaribo? (sorry if I forgot any city 
these are out of the top of my head)

All of these are transport hubs with flights all over the world with 
multinational headquarters and ngo organization offices and headquarters 
etc. The last time I checked the world didn't revolve around the US.

Waerth/Walter