[Foundation-l] Remembering the People (was Fundraiser update)

[Marc Riddell]

on 1/8/09 9:20 PM, Erik Moeller at erik at wikimedia.org wrote:

> 2009/1/8 Marc Riddell <michaeldavid86 at comcast.net>:
>> This is pure unsubstantiated rhetoric. There are real-life, real-time
>> problems - serious problems - that directly involve the people occurring in
>> the English Wikipedia for example. Where is your help?
> 
> Marc, can you give examples of what kind of help you'd like to see?

Yes, Erik, I can. Just two for now, it's been a long day for me and I still
have tomorrow's sessions to prepare for.

* A person at the Foundation level who has true, sensitive inter-personal as
well a inter-group skills, and who would keep a close eye on the Project
looking for impasses when they arise. The person would need to be objective
and lobby-resistant ;-). This would be the person of absolute last resort in
settling community-confounding problems.

*This is more of a cultural issue: I would like to see the more established
members of the community be more open to criticism and dissent from within
the community. As it is now that tolerance is extremely low. I'm not talking
about me; I'm an old Berkeley war horse and have been called things I had to
look up :-). But I have gotten private emails from persons in the community
with legitimate beefs, along with some good ideas for change, but are very
reluctant to voice them because of how they believe they will be received.

Erik, there are some truly terrific, bright and creative people within the
greater Wikipedia Community. We really need to have a culture that makes
room for them all.

Be healthy,

Marc