No subject

community member, the general community and the Chapter body have been
excluded and ignored by WMF consultants from the very beginning.  In fact,
the Chapter representatives were only invited to attend meetings when Frank
Schlenburg and Annie Lin were in town.


>
> And how will it work with regards of who will be the primary point of
> contact in India for institutions who want to partner with Wikimedia? Will
> they have to approach one of the two or whichever they like (and if they
> dont get the answer they like, can they just approach the other?). Will the
> chapter and the trust be competing with each other or collaborating?
>

I think there is already a lot of confusion with regard to the two entities
operating out of India.  Going by the media, news reporters are already
very confused by the existence of two Wikimedia bodies and I personally get
a lot of queries every week asking me to clarify on the location of
Wikimedia offices.  With its paid consultants, the local WMF consultants
have done a good job of making their presence felt (especially in Western
India), and more and more journalists are interested in hearing from WMF
(the "international organization") than WMIN.

The initial idea, if I understood it correctly, was to establish another
non-profit body within India, for a period of three to five years to
execute specific (and large-scale) programmes.  As of now, the WIPT
(Wikimedia India Program Office) can pretty much do anything it wants with
the Wikimedia brand - partner with institutions, raise money locally, have
paid employees and bypass community.  This is what I foresee happening:
 WMIN will be involved in community-building and small-scale projects which
support volunteers and the WIPT will partner with large institutions in
India (who are understandably looking to club with international
organizations), get a lot of media coverage and acquire the big grants
(since WMIN is not a professional body).  WMIN and WIPT will theoretically
compete for funding within India, much of which will be allocated to WIPT,
given that it is professionalized (and because we never had a chance) and
in WMF's good graces.  This is how WMIN has been made redundant (something
that I have been saying for a long, long time).

The most important difference, something many are uncomfortable talking
about, is in the distribution of money.  The WIPT in India will have access
to *significantly *more WMF funding than WMIN (significant meaning *real
significant*).  Around the time when discussions about the India Office
began, Barry came to India and assured us that the WIPT will only be here
for a period of 3-5 years.  I am hopeful that the Foundation will stick to
its words, and with time we will all learn that small volunteer-driven
projects have a larger impact than costly, ill-designed, large-scale
programmes run by hired consultants who hire consultants with no relevant
background (with a couple of exceptions).


>
> Thanks for helping me seeing the situation more clearly,
>

No, thank you for asking the right questions.


>
> Lodewijk
>
>
anirudh

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