[Foundation-l] Report to the Board of Trustees June 2009-

[Thomas Dalton]

2009/9/12 Andrew Gray <andrew.gray at dunelm.org.uk>:
> 2009/9/12 Thomas Dalton <thomas.dalton at gmail.com>:
>
>> While I don't doubt that the
>> Portuguese Wikimedians are acting in good faith, trust requires two
>> things - good faith and competence. They are almost certainly not
>> competent since they haven't had an opportunity to develop that
>> competence yet, so they should not be trusted to be making the right
>> decisions.
>
> I'm a bit worried about this sort of approach. Taken to extremes, we
> wouldn't let the local chapter organise itself at all, because clearly
> none of them would know how to do it until after they've had
> experience running it, etc etc etc.

I think it makes perfect sense to help people the first time they do something.

> People will make bad decisions, estimates, projections, guesses,
> conclusions sometimes; it happens. We spot them the second time
> around, once we've realised they're wrong, fix them, and move on.

By that time that harm may have already been done. If that harm is
minimal, then it might be worth the risk, but I don't think risking
$3,500 of WMF donor's money to be minimal.