[Foundation-l] Commons and The Year of the Picture

[Ray Saintonge]

Sam Johnston wrote:
> Gerard Meijssen wrote:
>   
>> If you are of the opinion that things can be done differently, please
>> explain how. A printer makes money, that is how he earns his crust. So how
>> would non-profit printing work. Does it exist ? You are also under the
>> impression that "we" are meeting our targets.. What do you know of the
>> financial position of the French chapter and what do you know of its
>> ambitions ?
>>     
> However you cut it this is advertising pure and simple. Yes it's buried
> behind a convenience function and I have no doubt the French chapter are
> doing all manner of interesting and constructive things, but who's to decide
> what is and what is not appropriate? If it's such a good idea, why is it not
> deployed centrally (with appropriate policies) so all chapters can take
> advantage of it (safely)?
>   

Obviously, it's up to the French chapter to make it's own decisions in 
accordance with French law.  ExpectinSpecial:Booksourceswg some kind of 
central decision about this kind of thing is a good way to make sure 
that nothing ever gets done. If they make a little money while they're 
at it so much the better; there is no need for an ultra-ideological 
stance about advertising in this.
> Anyway how WMF interacts with its chapters is not the conversation I joined
> the list to contribute to so I'll leave it to you guys to nut it out between
> yourselves. Just bear in mind that the reputation of the organisation as a
> whole is easily tarnished by the wrong well-intended initiative and the
> proceeds are a drop in the ocean compared to what is raised by donation and
> that a fraction of what is theoretically possible.
Just how much control do you expect from the Central Committee?  Sure, 
it's a given that some will-intentioned initiatives will go dreadfully 
awry.  Bad things have happened in the past, and bad things will happen 
in the future; None of it will be prevented by imposing strict central 
control.  Wikimedia is a resilient organisation, and it didn't get that 
way through paranoid musings about a tarnished reputation.  It's not 
that fragile. 

Ec