No subject

projects, MediaWiki, the Wikimedia Foundation, chapter organizations,
school clubs, and projects and activities of all types. And, media are
continually befuddled about how we work: they are used to professional
spokespeople, so they don't understand why X person in the Wikimedia
movement isn't speaking on behalf of the whole movement.

When I joined the Wikimedia Foundation in 2007, I thought this was a
problem that needed to be fixed. Over time though, I've begun to
realize that it's pretty fundamental to our movement's values. We want
to have a movement in which it's easy to participate; in which there
are few barriers to entry; there is minimal rule-making and
rule-enforcement, where people can flexibly wear different hats and
take on different roles, etc.

So yes: I think we are confusing to journalists, and they often get
the story wrong. That's too bad. But on the whole, I think it's a
small price to pay in exchange for a vibrant, creative, productive
movement, and the cure for it (real clarity, lots of rules) would be
worse than the disease.

Thanks,
Sue


--

=EF=BB=BFSue Gardner
Executive Director
Wikimedia Foundation

415 839 6885 office
415 816 9967 cell

Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in
the sum of all knowledge.=C2=A0 Help us make it a reality!

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