[Foundation-l] Seeking clarification

[Jason Safoutin]

> Message: 3
> Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:39:46 +0100
> From: "Gerard Meijssen" <gerard.meijssen at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Foundation-l] Seeking clarification
> To: "Wikimedia Foundation Mailing List"
> 	<foundation-l at lists.wikimedia.org>
> Message-ID:
> 	<41a006820801220639s12cf73f9pc6d2231b6343d079 at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
>
> All WMF projects aim to provide information. They all do it in a slightly
> different way. The notion that one project should not and can not compete
> with another is false anyway. Both Wikipedia and Wikinews do news. Both
> Wikibooks and Wikiversity work on educational material Of relevance is the
> difference in emphasis. This is what makes projects valid in their own
> right.
>   
Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. Not a news agency. Wikipedia should not be 
doing news, but rather as a more recent post said, do it in the form of 
encyclopedic rather than a news section.

H have been trying to get an explanation of why WP has news to begin 
with. Again, we are NOT supposed to be competing with one another. We 
are supposed to be collaborating. There is a huge difference. It took me 
months and month just to advocate a link to Wikinews on the front page 
news section on WP. So my notion is not false....Wiki*news* -> 
Wiki*pedia*....
> With the notion that projects cannot compete, you effectively convict
> projects to stay in the same mold. When there are two groups with markedly
> different insights, one of these has to give up their ideas and would not be
> allowed to experiment with their notions of how things should be / can be
> done. This is evil.
>   
Same mold: Well yes...Wikinews is news, Wikipedia is encyclopedia, 
Commons is images...etc etc...and what would the mold be for WP and such 
then? I am open to experiments, when it does not leave out 
projects...intentionally. If not intentional, then stop making it look 
like the projects are being replaced. Stop *forcing* competition with 
our collaborators.
> In my opinion, there should be room for experiments and if we find that a
> new kid on the block does good. More power to him/her. The beneficiary of
> such experiments are the people that matter; the people we are providing
> information to.
> Thanks,
>      GerardM
>
>   
There is a difference between experiments, and shutting out projects. 
WMF needs to help WMF projects *first and foremost*. And until WMF can 
do that, then it really has no business venturing to create a 
competition between projects.

Jason Safoutin (Dragon Fire1024)