[Foundation-l] Taipei chosen to host Wikimania 2007

[Brad Patrick]

We can do a better job with this procedurally, but honestly, there is
only one winner in such a situation.  It is ultimately a
winner-take-all competition.  To the extent this runs counter to the
community culture of wikilove, I don't there is an alternative.


On 9/28/06, Andrew Gray <shimgray at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 28/09/06, David Gerard <dgerard at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > The procedure as it is evidently needs work, since other bidders (e.g.
> > London) are disappointed at their hard work being pretty much wasted.
> >
> > The current system seems to ensure a lot of volunteer time and effort
> > being futile. This is damaging to the project.
>
> The problem is that either we make a choice based on three or four
> groups who've invested a lot of effort - which guarantees wasting a
> fair lump of effort - or we make a choice before the detailed work has
> been done, which would mean we save the legwork of the other teams
> *but* we make a decision based on very little evidence. And if it then
> turns out that the really really really optomistic bid for Gothab
> isn't going to work once we start scaring up sponsorship etc, it's a
> bit late to select an alternative...
>
> It strikes me that any competitive bidding process, where the actual
> work is devolved to a largely unknown local community, is going to
> require a degree of wasted effort as all communities bidding try to
> demonstrate they can achieve the required level. It's not ideal, but
> neither is it simple ineptitude... it's necessary.
>
> --
> - Andrew Gray
>   andrew.gray at dunelm.org.uk
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-- 
Brad Patrick
General Counsel & Interim Executive Director
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
bradp.wmf at gmail.com
727-231-0101