[Foundation-l] transparency or translucency?

[James Rigg]

I do not "describe how - in your opinion - the conduct of the English
Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation don't live up to those
principles".

I'm actually simply pointing-out that the *stated* semi-transparency,
and hierarchical structure, of Wikipedia/Wikimedia is contrary to the
*stated* principles of transparency and no hierarchy.

Nowhere in this thread have I stated that this is a good or bad thing
in relation to Wikipedia/Wikimedia.

James


On Sat, Jan 10, 2009 at 8:37 PM, Nathan <nawrich at gmail.com> wrote:
> I don't see the conflict James Riggs is describing. You point to statements
> of principles by Jimmy Wales, and then describe how - in your opinion - the
> conduct of the English Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation don't live up
> to those principles. Well, that doesn't shock me and it shouldn't shock you.
>
>
> The English Wikipedia is quite transparent, more so than perhaps any
> community or organizational structure I've encountered. Only mailing lists
> that regularly deal with personal, private information are closed to the
> community. Nearly all decision making of any weight is done on-wiki, with
> complete access for anyone who wants it to all or mostly all discussion
> precursors.
>
> The Wikimedia Foundation is a business, and by the standards of modern
> business it is also quite transparent. Its financial information, its plans,
> its employee roster, its job descriptions, its revenue and fund raising
> model and its long term goals are all available for your discovery. Every
> major decision that impacts the projects is discussed publicly ahead of
> time. That *is* transparency, in my opinion.
>
> When someone who self describes as a "newbie" that has not joined in working
> on the Wikimedia projects posts to the Foundation mailing list describing
> what he believes to be a material mischaracterisation, he gets a response
> from the founder and the deputy director (and former board member) in short
> order. Try doing that with General Electric, or really nearly any other
> corporation in the world.
>
> Your e-mails indicate that you concluded first and asked second, so
> hopefully you will now reconsider.
>
> Nathan
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