[Foundation-l] LA Times article / Advertising in Wikipedia

[Mike Godwin]

Nathan writes:

>  Can you address the point that all content and nearly all policies  
> are
> generated and
> maintained by this community, and that as a result the community has  
> and
> should
> continue to have a direct input into the Foundation's view of "what  
> the
> world needs
> and wants"?

Sure.  I think that's fine, and I've said so. "A direct input into the  
Foundation's view of 'what the world needs and wants'" is obviously  
not necessarily the same thing as "expressing what the community  
wants," and I think any ethicist among us can see why.  (To make a  
comparison -- I'm a lawyer, and part of my role as a lawyer is to  
serve "the law" and the general public good, and not just other  
lawyers. Leaving aside the fact that many lawyers don't live up to  
this ethical obligation, I think most of us try to do so.  Similarly,  
I think the community must always be asking itself, with regard to  
every important policy decision, "how does this serve the world to  
whom we are trying provide a world's worth of information?"  If the  
question devolves to merely "how does this serve the elite community  
of which I happen to be a member," then I think we've departed a bit  
from the Foundation's mission statement.

>  I believe advertising is the right move - but I don't believe
> it can be
> implemented against the clear will of the Wikimedia community.

I respect both of your beliefs as stated here. At this point, there is  
no consensus anywhere that I can see that advertising is the right way  
to go. And there is plenty of vocal opposition to the idea. (Erik even  
wrote an essay about this during the fundraising drive.) I take that  
opposition seriously.  But (as I think some posters have hinted in  
earlier postings), if advertising turns out to be the way to make the  
projects sustainable and fulfill the Foundation's mission, then I  
think the community needs to  consider it.  That said, I don't believe  
that particular decision point has arrived yet.

I think there is plenty that can be done without advertising to  
explore diversifying financial support for the foundation, and that's  
where we're devoting a lot of our attention now.


--Mike