[Foundation-l] Wikimedia Pennsylvania

[Delphine Ménard]

On 7/10/07, Casey Brown <cbrown1023 at comcast.net> wrote:
> ChapComm says the US is too big and we must split up into state-level
> chapters.  Can we please get someone from ChapComm to say these things so
> that I don't have to keep regurgitating what I've been told? :-/

When I discussed with  Andrew (Whiteknight) about this, I suggested
that "Wikimedia Philadelphia" was a bit vague and didn't define an
area of action.

Basically, the explanation in the bylaws draft was that the chapter
would operate  (and I quote)

"in the greater Philadelphia area (which includes portions of
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware)".

I pointed out that this would prevent any other chapter in the area to
"claim" that geographical region. If I am not mistaken, US states are
pretty independant when it comes to legal stuff, and a non profit in
FL does not have the exact same obligations/rights as in PA. But I may
be mistaken.

After reading all the reactions, I still stand on the fact that the
chapter should be called by the name of the state in which it is to be
incorporated. However, I see no reason why a chapter could not "claim"
to work on a broader scale and reach out further than state borders,
and this I told Andrew at the very beginning, who agreed that having
three chapters for the "greater something or other areas" operating in
the same states might be confusing in the long run.

I believe there are lots of Wikimedians who don't pertain to a "city"
or a "region" that could be covered with names such as "The Greater
Philadelphia area" and might feel left out of the Wikimedia "real
life" bunch altogether.

This said, if I am utterly wrong in my assessment, I am ready to be
convinced otherwise.

Delphine
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