[Foundation-l] Board restructuring and community

[Samuel Klein]

On Wed, Apr 30, 2008 at 4:49 AM, Domas Mituzas <midom.lists at gmail.com>
wrote:

I used to hear multiple times back then, I hear same nowadays - I'm
> supposed to work for editors.
> Replies to what I say on IRC come back with the fact that I work for
> editors, replies to what I write in mailing lists tell I'm supposed
> to work for editors.
>

Interesting!  For the record, I don't consider 'editors' to be privileged
community members any more than the hacker who writes some cool
wikipedia-on-ipod project, or the blogger who links to one bizarre wikipedia
article a day.  (I think our voting policies are broken in this way, since
evan the most black-hearted troll, and anyone who would care to annoy an
election, could make a few hundred edits)


> And, by the way, I don't. I'm entirely value centric. I work for our
> mission and our values, and editors are my peers. I don't work for
> editors, editors don't work for me. We help each other to achieve the
> common goal.
>

Right on.


> Actually, Community and Foundation should be acting as peers too.
> Board is not seen as governing body of Community.
> Foundation should be seen as facilitator, "encouraging  the growth,
> development and distribution of free, multilingual content, and to
> providing the full content of these wiki-based projects to the public
> free of charge".
> Board should ensure, that Foundation does what it is supposed to do.
>

I agree completely.


There were suggestions here that board members should have hands-on

experience editing the site.


I hope my statements weren't interpreted this way.  Board members should
have a real stake in the projects and their success, preferably people who
have given of their time, energy, and enthusiasm to support the projects --
not simply be people who happen to be friendly with the previous Board for
long enough to make it onto a list of potentials, and happen to have useful
skills.


> Still, our broader community is everyone who invests their time and
> emotions into success of our mission.
> I consider myself part of such community, and if I'd picky, I'd feel
> underrepresented by election process.
>

Yes.  You are, and you are.

SJ