On Dec 4, 2006, at 18:38, The Cunctator wrote:
On 12/4/06, Puppy puppy@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