On 6/13/06, Kernigh xkernigh@netscape.net wrote:
Cormac Lawler wrote:
As far as I see it: the community has control over the content, and the board bears the legal liability for the content. Jimbo's unique part in this is that he retains the power to dictate policy where he deems necessary, and when he thinks a project has veered off course significantly from its goals or the goals of the foundation. I'm not sure of what other times he has exercised this power, apart from the recent debate about the content of Wikibooks - maybe someone else, perhaps Jimbo himself, can clarify this.
Excuse me, can you clarify?
How does [[User:Jimbo Wales]] "retain the power to dictate policy"? Retention requires that you already have the power. When did [[User:Jimbo Wales]] obtain the power to dictate policy "where he deems necessary"?
I understand that someone in the Wikimedia Foundation can dictate policy in exceptional cases where that is required, but I do not understand how the Wikimedia Foundation is organised.
-- [[User:Kernigh]] http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/User:Kernigh
To clarify, I meant that the setting (or "dictation") of policy by Jimbo is limited to extreme circumstances - ie., as I said, in cases where he sees that projects are veering significantly from their mandate or that of the Wikimedia Foundation. This has always been the case - but I don't seem to be able to give you a good reference - the best I can do is this page: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_Governance, in which he says: "Final policy decisions are up to me, as always" (10th April, 2002) - ie., Jimbo is Wikipedia's equivalent of a 'benevolent dictator' or 'GodKing' (both of which terms he doesn't like, as far as I know). As I said, though, I don't know how many times he has actually stepped in to set policy on any project.
The power structure of the Foundation was changed drastically by the creation of a non-profit organisation and a board, and is continuing to change with the formation of committees - see: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_organigram. Individual projects make their own policies, as always - but it has always been (to my knowledge) that Jimbo retains the *right* to step in on policy, where he deems necessary. But this is *not* to suggest that Jimbo decrees policy - that would be false - Jimbo generally places fundamental emphasis on the community (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jimbo_Wales/Statement_of_principles).
Does that clarify?
Cormac