[Foundation-l] Can a wikimedia-b list be setup

[Birgitte SB]

IANAL, but assuming there is a liability issue.  We
should create a business list or perhaps a "content
re-user" list and leave it unmoderated.  Re-affirm in
the sign-up message for this list that it is an open
discussion list and that official requests should be
sent to Foo at wikimedia or whereever they should go.  I
strongly disagree with the Foundation paying someone
to moderate a public email list.  


Birgitte SB

--- "Jeff V. Merkey" <jmerkey at wolfmountaingroup.com>
wrote:

> Michael Bimmler wrote:
> 
> >On 9/6/06, Jeff V. Merkey
> <jmerkey at wolfmountaingroup.com> wrote:
> >
> >  
> >
> >>(...) That sort of thing.
> >>
> >>    
> >>
> >And why can't this be open to the community as
> well? You know, the
> >wiki principle (at least that's what I thought), is
> "keep everything
> >transparent which does not need to be secret". The
> aims of this list
> >as described by you do not seem to need any special
> privacy/secret
> >status.
> >Michael
> >  
> >
> >  
> >
> You know, I did not want to address this on this
> list, but it appears I 
> will have to in order
> for folks to get it.
> 
> Business 101
> 
> 1. Businesses have goals with involve creating
> revenue and positive 
> growth, in almost all ways identical to
> the communities eventual goals.
> 2. Businesses are protected by laws and have legal
> obligations to their 
> customers, partners, the Foundation,
> and other entities and they MUST comply with and
> protect the rights of 
> these parties.
> 3. Businesses make decisions based upon goals which
> are designed to 
> promote their objectives.
> 4. Wikipedia centric businesses would be expected to
> have goals which 
> promote wikipedia content
> in education, business, and attempt to promote the
> spread of Wikipedia's 
> pervasive content and create
> opportunties to grow Wikipedia in a positive
> financial growth model to 
> create and support new communities
> and expand the power and reach of the existing
> communities.
> 5. The goals of the Community will be expected to be
> at odds with the 
> goals of financial growth at times.
> 6. The community is in fact an "entity" of sorts,
> separate and distinct 
> from the Foundation, and any
> business ventures which attempt to promote its
> goals.
> 7. Businesses and ventures promoting Wikipedia will
> have a fiduciary 
> duty to protect the investments of the
> Foundation and any investors funding such efforts.
> 8. Millions of dollars may in time be invested in
> such endeavors.
> 9. When a faction of the community decides it does
> not like a particular 
> business venture or someone involved, and
> resorts to disruptive behavior or other actions to
> derail or interfere 
> with the Foundations projects in the real world,
> it's not disruption, it's "tortious inteference" and
> it's actionable 
> will expose the foundation and community to problems
> with investors or stakeholders in these efforts. In
> other words, it 
> would call into conflict a balancing of the ventures
> fiduciary duty vs. their stated goals in support of
> the community 
> iteself. Many ventures would simply back away and
> make
> a decision dealing with the Community is too great a
> business risk and 
> simply stop supporting it or fork Wikipedia and try
> to
> steam roller over the Foundation. This is not
> condusive to positive 
> growth or the ultimate goal of promoting Wikipedia
> and creating opporunities for explosive growth for
> the foundation.
> 10. Companies do not make agreements with anonymous
> email accounts on 
> gmail or accounts on Wikipedia, they make agreements
> with organized entities and identifiable indivduals
> and stake holders.
> 11. A business related list would be a good venue.
> Certainly, the 
> community could provide input, but such a list would
> need
> moderation by a representative of the Foundation,
> not a community member 
> who has no fiduciary duty or responsiblity
> to the Foundations policies. Community members
> should ABSOLUTELY be 
> allowed participation as they are the
> heart and soul of the basic nature of the
> opporutnities. They should not 
> be running the list or any other element beyond
> their suggestions and contributions to creating new
> ventures. In other 
> words, when a non-employee or person without
> fiduciary
> duty attempts to disrupt or lobby against such an
> effort OUTSIDE of 
> FOUNDATION CHANNELs, they are out on a limb
> and expose all the parties to liablity.
> 
> Hope that explains it.
> 
> All my love,
> 
> Jeff
> 
> 
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>
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> 


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