[WikiEN-l] Introducing a new mailing list

[niht-hræfn]

On Dec 4, 2006, at 18:38, The Cunctator wrote:

> On 12/4/06, Puppy <puppy at killerchihuahua.com> wrote:
>>
>> The Cunctator wrote:
>>> This should not be one the Wikmedia servers. Just start a  
>>> googlegroup.
>>>
>> Why not?
>
> Because:
> * The list is restricted based on the discriminatory preference of  
> gender
> * A goal of the list is to provide an outside forum for advocating  
> change in
> Wikimedia/Wikipedia
> * Having Wikimedia resources be used to support the list implies  
> endorsement
> of its standards and goals
> * Having Wikimedia resources be used to support the list means that
> Wikimedia can apply pressure on/control over the users of the list
>
> Or, in more classical Cunctator language, it's a bad idea. So do it  
> on your
> own dime.

My impression has been that the list was to provide a "safe space"  
for women to discuss Wikipedia or some such. Many women apparently  
feel safer in an all women environment. Additionally, the study Tim  
linked earlier in the thread ( http://flosspols.org/deliverables/ 
FLOSSPOLS-D16-Gender_Integrated_Report_of_Findings.pdf ) found that  
"Furthermore many of our female participants reported the helpfulness  
of an an all-girl environment during their first phase of getting  
into computing and programming (e.g. schools, workshops, mailing  
lists). Whereas we do acknowledge that this might not be necessary  
for all potential female F/LOSS contributors it is important to  
understand that this is very effective for some." Of course wiki and  
programming are not one and the same, but some women find the  
environment helpful, and I'd think that making women feel welcome to  
edit and discuss Wikipedia would be a noble enough goal for us.

That being said, I don't personally think an all women environment is  
crucial or even necessarily desirable, but it's not a ludicrous idea  
that we should kick out of Wikimedia.

--Keitei