[Foundation-l] Rethinking brands

[Alison Wheeler]

On Wed, May 9, 2007 13:43, Brianna Laugher wrote:
> b) How does renaming the projects generate funds?

With a few minor exceptions, people donate / give grants to Wikimedia
because of Wikipedia. It is the big encyclopaedia which draws in the
largest number of eyeballs and has by a very long way the most name
recognition and, therefore, finances all the other projects. If those
other projects were to try and raise money on their own account - to be
the 'independent projects' that some seem to desire - they would fall at
the first hurdle.

To operate all of the range of WMF projects we *must* (imho, ymmv, etc)
project an image that helps us generate that income and protect our
services and further expand them. That requires us to appreciate the
commercial nature of "Branding" even if we are not, as an organisation, a
commercial operation in the usual mode. But let us not forget just how
much money it takes to run things.

florence wrote:
> They come at first because when they make a search, they fall on
> wikipedia at every corner. They come back because it is free as in
> free beer and it looks really good.
and we would, in fact, *help* that wider range of projects than just WP by
bring them all under a clearer 'brand' then 'Wikimedia' currently
projects. Because most readers do not understand that the qualities which
they appreciate with Wikipedia also apply to Wikinews, Wiktionary,
Commons, quote, etc they don't browse the others in the same way nor treat
them as equally deserving of (financial) support.

Alison Wheeler