[Foundation-l] Provisional Volunteer Council - proposal sent to the Board

Tue Apr 1 12:47:47 UTC 2008

I disagree, I think that this council (the provisional one) should be  
larger, regardless of whether the final council's size is adjusted or  
not.

-Dan
On Apr 1, 2008, at 3:57 AM, Gerard Meijssen wrote:

> Hoi,
> Our dear friend Danny Wool pontificated that I would oppose this  
> proposal (
> http://allswool.blogspot.com/2008/03/it-seems-that-effeietsanders-has.html) 
> .
> It is for this reason only that I do not want to disappoint him and
> give
> a reaction.
>
> What is on the table is that a group of self appointed bosses are  
> going to
> investigate if and how a wiki coucil can be started. This group is  
> likely to
> come to the conclusion that it would be a good thing. As long as  
> there is
> nothing to see, there is not much for me to comment on. The fact  
> that they
> take the initiative is the best reason why they may succeed.
>
> I have not been invited in this group of self appointed bosses, this  
> is a
> good thing as I am busy enough as it is. I have written in the past
> extensively on the subject, I spoke with some of the bosses so my  
> view is
> known. With Milos and Pathoschild part of this effort, I am sure  
> that the
> relevance of linguistic and cultural diversity will get some  
> attention (one
> of my hot buttons)
>
> From my perspective, this group is large enough to still be  
> effective, a
> shame that they are likely to come with the suggestion to have a  
> council
> that is many times this size and destroying its effectiveness in the
> process.
> Thanks,
>      GerardM
>
> On Tue, Apr 1, 2008 at 1:46 AM, effe iets anders <effeietsanders at gmail.com 
> >
> wrote:
>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> I am very glad that the proposal for establishing a provisional
>> volunteer council received such a lot support both on this list as in
>> private conversations.
>>
>> Since the request for candidates for the Provisional Volunteer
>> Council, I received quite some nominations. However, unfortunately I
>> have to admit that there were no (willing) candidates from some
>> important regions amongst these. As I have to work with the  
>> candidates
>> that were nominated, I was therefore unable to candidate someone from
>> these regions.
>>
>> I did try however, to get at least a few projects represented, and
>> also a more technical person (from the developers side of the
>> volunteer spectrum). Please find my final suggestion list below in  
>> the
>> proposal (attached again for reference - only one minor spelling and
>> layout changes).
>>
>> Please note that this is a *proposed* resolution, and not yet  
>> accepted.
>>
>> I know this list is not very long. And some area's are still missing
>> in representation. However, I trust this group wholehearely, and
>> suppose that they will make sure as a first thing to get at least one
>> or more projects better represented (such as Wikinews or Wikiversity
>> which have a very different character).
>>
>> If you have major concerns with respect to this list of candidates,
>> please send them to this list or communicate them to the Board (I am
>> not sure which route is the best for that though). I will make no
>> changes any more myself, but the Board is of course able to determine
>> the list as it likes.
>>
>>
>> With kind regards,
>>
>> Lodewijk Gelauff
>>
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Whereas the Board,
>>
>> * recognizes the value of volunteers in Wikimedia projects and that
>> their work is the very reason of their success,
>> * values the volunteers' opinions and takes them into serious
>> consideration when discussing issues involving the volunteers,
>> * is of the opinion that these volunteers should have a strong say in
>> changes in the articles of incorporation and the bylaws of the
>> Wikimedia Foundation,
>> * considers a Volunteer Council a valuable intermediary between
>> volunteers and the Foundation, and as a good instrument to hear the
>> voice of the volunteers:
>>
>> it is hereby resolved that:
>>
>> 1. The Board of Trustees hereby creates a Volunteer Council, to serve
>> as a valuable complement to the Staff, Advisory Board and Board of
>> Trustees.
>> 2. Without restricting the generality of this provision the purposes
>> of the Volunteer Council shall include:
>>
>> 1) Offering advice and support on issues relevant to the Wikimedia
>> Volunteers,
>> 2) Recommanding the opening or closure of Wikimedia projects,
>> 3) Approving changes to the articles of incorporation or bylaws of
>> the Wikimedia Foundation and
>> 4) Assist in establishing a clear separation between the legal
>> responsibilities of the Wikimedia Foundation as an Internet Service
>> Provider and the community decisions for the Wikimedia Projects.
>>
>> 3. The members from the Volunteer Council must be volunteers within
>> Wikimedia.
>> 4. The Provisional Volunteer Council shall report to the Board no
>> later than September 1, 2008, which report shall include
>> recommendations regarding the number and composition of the Volunteer
>> Council, and how the members of the Council shall be chosen. Said
>> report shall also include recommendations regarding the distribution
>> of rights and responsibilities between the Board and Council, and any
>> changes in the by-laws that may be necessary to implement this.
>> 5. Except where it pertains to its own procedures, no decision of the
>> Provisional Volunteer Council shall bind any person.
>> 6. On receipt of the said report the Board shall take such steps as  
>> it
>> deems necessary to confirm and empower the Volunteer Council, and
>> provide for a transition of operations from the Provisional Volunteer
>> Council.
>> 7. Members of the Volunteer Council will not be financially
>> compensated for their activity. On approval by the Board of Trustees
>> expenses of the Provisional Volunteer Council and Volunteer Council  
>> in
>> the fulfillment of their duties may be reimbursed.
>> 8. The following people are hereby appointed as member of the
>> Provisional Volunteer Council:
>>
>> Michael Bimmler, Mbimmler (Main project: de.wikipedia)
>> Yaroslav Blanter, Yaroslav Blanter (Main project: ru.wikipedia)
>> Lise Broer, Durova (Main projects: en.wikipedia and  
>> commons.wikimedia )
>> Jesse Plamondon-Willard, Pathoschild (Main projects: en.wikisource
>> and meta.wikimedia )
>> Sydney Poore, FloNight (Main project: en.wikipedia)
>> Milos Rancic, Millosh (Main project: sr.wikipedia)
>> Ray Saintonge, Eclecticology (Main project: en.wikisource,  
>> en.wikipedia)
>> Andrew Whitworth, Whiteknight (Main project: en.wikibooks)
>> Michal Zlatkovsky, Timichal (Main project: cs.wikipedia)
>>
>> 9. The members of the Provisional Volunteer Council may on a 2/3 vote
>> of all its members add such additional members as they may deem
>> necessary and useful to their deliberations.
>>
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