[Foundation-l] Wikia leasing office space to WMF

[Thomas Dalton]

2009/1/24 Michael Snow <wikipedia at verizon.net>:
> Delphine Ménard wrote:
>> On Sat, Jan 24, 2009 at 00:35, Brian <Brian.Mingus at colorado.edu> wrote:
>>
>>> I do hope people continue to express concern about the Wikipedia/Wikia
>>> relationship. The existence of Wikia doesn't make a whole lot of sense,
>>> except the $$$ kind.
>>>
>> Yes, as I pointed out, I am the first to have been concerned and I
>> will be again when there is reason to be. I firmly believe this
>> renting of offices isn't a reason.
>>
> Likewise, I was not thrilled that we ended up reopening this can of
> worms, after the effort that had gone into removing all financial
> connections to Wikia. But I'm persuaded that it is the right choice for
> Wikimedia as a business decision, and our responsibility is to make such
> choices, not avoid them in deference to those who will believe the worst.

You need to strike a balance there - people thinking the worst is a
bad thing for the foundation and does need to be weighed into
determining whether something is a good business decision or not. The
key thing is how you justify it to the community and the public, and I
do think some numbers would help there - how much extra did you pay?
How much time will be saved by being nearer to the WMF offices? That
kind of thing.