[Foundation-l] Update of Foundation organization

[Oldak Quill]

On 07/03/07, Ray Saintonge <saintonge at telus.net> wrote:
> Oldak Quill wrote:
>
> >On 06/03/07, Ray Saintonge <saintonge at telus.net> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>This is naive.  I am very much in support of of maximum volunteer
> >>input.  You cannot oblige anybody to work a specified number of hours
> >>per week unless they are getting something out of it.  That something
> >>may still be intangible, like personal satisfaction, instead of money;
> >>pure altruism is unlikely to be enough.
> >>
> >>
> >Surely those who volunteer their time and energy to Wikimedia projects
> >are in some way committed to what the Foundation is trying to achieve?
> >If this is the case, then most of our volunteers *do* get satisfaction
> >out of their work. I don't think this satisfaction would disappear if
> >they started being asked to do tasks rather than electing to do them.
> >Volunteers would volunteer to their own areas of interest, after all.
> >Perhaps I misunderstand you?
> >
> The range of task available to be done on Wikipedia.  Very few of us
> will find that even a norrowly defined box of tasks is ever exhauted.
> It is a mistake to think that because you can adapt to having a larger
> box of tasks handed to you, others will react the same way to such
> circumstances.  Someone's refusal to expand his box of tasks does not
> imply a lessened committment to Wikipedia.  You can ask volunteers to do
> additional tasks, but you cannot oblige them to do those tasks.

I think you can give particularly committed volunteers tasks of
responsibility that they will feel obliged to fulfil such that the
Foundation can come to rely on them.

> >Similarly, I feel committed to what the Foundation is aiming to
> >achieve. I started to get involved with Wikimedia by editing articles
> >on Wikipedia. I was pleased to be adding to a free encyclopedia. I
> >loved the fact that what I added could be adapted and reused without
> >ever becoming unfree. I slowly began to appreciate the aims of the
> >Foundation on a far more philosophical level. It is this kind of
> >philosophical commitment that allows me to stand in the cold for a
> >couple of hours and would allow me to be relied upon in a specified
> >voluntary position.
> >
> Philosophical committment comes with time, but a volunteer must still
> give priority to real life.

Always. I give priority to my "real life" over earning money also, but
I still get things done.

-- 
Oldak Quill (oldakquill at gmail.com)