[Foundation-l] Criticism of employees (was VPAT)

[Christine Moellenberndt]

On 2/17/11 8:29 AM, whothis wrote:
>
> If someone asks a question in a
> conference publicly, you can't take them aside and answer individually and
> expect that to satisfy the rest of the audience.

Actually, I'd like to beg to differ here.  I have been to conferences 
where questions have been asked publicly to a panel.  If the question 
seems too off topic for the general audience, or too specific for the 
general audience, the panel member being questioned will generally defer 
to answering the question after the main panel discussion is over.  Then 
the two get together and talk it out "off-panel" if you will.  At least 
in my discipline, I've not seen anyone get upset over it (I'm usually 
grateful that it happened :) And oftentimes the asker is pleased as well 
because it gives more time to get their question answered fully).  If it 
was a question I was also interested in, I'll go and talk to the 
panelist/question asker myself as well.  Or, if the audience disagrees, 
someone else will chime up "Actually I'd like to know that too," or 
"That's a valid question that maybe should be answered here." And it 
goes into that forum.  But usually, it stays off-panel.

Or maybe my discipline is weird :) (wait, I knew that already.)

> Just a thought here, but maybe the "Community Department," should actually
> include some people from the community. I know it might be against
> some super-secret policy of avoiding community members but at least the
> "Community Department" could try including someone from the community.
>
You would be surprised to know how many people in the Foundation as a 
whole, including the Community department (and a BUNCH of the folks 
working on the fundraiser), come out of the community, including the 
Deputy Director and the Head of Reader Relations (who I report directly 
to) among others.  And even if we don't come out of THIS community, some 
of us come out of other online communities.  Which can give a fresh 
perspective and alleviate tunnel vision.  Which, to my mind, is all to 
the good.

-Christine

---------
Christine Moellenberndt
Community Associate
Wikimedia Foundation

christine at wikimedia.org