[Foundation-l] Where we are headed

[Kelly Martin]

On 6/1/06, Anthere <Anthere9 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> There is something hugely upsetting in the comments I read in this
> thread. It is seeing people complain things are not publicly
> discussed... but who do not even comments when the issues are raised
> publicly. It is seeing people complain things are not done... but they
> do not do things themselves. It is seeing people complain we do not
> welcome their help... but they say no when we ask them.

Well, my perspective on the above comments:

I complain about the Foundation to many people.  I don't do anything
about it because the structure of the Foundation is such that I am
disenfranchised from actually having any influence other than through
backchannel politicking.  The bylaws of the Foundation concentrate all
power in the Board, and further structured so that a majority of Board
members are not responsible to anyone but themselves.  This structure
makes the Board inherently resistant to change.  I am not sanguine
that the Board will ever even recognize all of the problems that exist
right now, let alone come up with a useful solution.  So I complain to
my friends and associates, and try to convince them to agree with me
(that the Board is going about the business of running the Foundation
in the wrong way) with the vague hopes of eventually convincing enough
of the Board members to put their personal interests behind their
fiduciary duty to the Foundation and, for once, start making decisions
that reflect what is best for the Foundation instead of what is best
for that individual Board member.  (No, I shall not name names.  If
you are on the Board, it's up to you to decide whether I'm talking
about you or not.)

As to being asked to help: The only representatives of the Foundation
who have ever asked me to help are Danny Wool and Brad Patrick.
(Well, except for when Jimbo asked me to serve on the enwiki ArbCom,
but he was doing that as Jimbo, not as CEO of the Board.)  Even when I
told people that I was ready and willing to help, I never got
requested to do anything.  So I've concluded that WMF doesn't really
want my help.  Either this is because the WMF has concluded that my
talents are of no use to it, or because the WMF has ignored me when
I've offered to help.

So, yes, you may be asking for help, but frankly I find it hard to
figure out what help you need or who to talk to about it -- and
besides, your volunteer coordinators should be working to match
volunteers with tasks that need doing, instead of making volunteers
hunt around to find something to do that fits their talents.  But then
again, that's yet another one of the myriad defects of the WMF: the
Foundation appears to have no clue how to manage volunteers, either.
(Does WMF even have a volunteer coordinator?)

I imagine I'll anger more than a few people with this email.  I hope
so; maybe out of that anger will come the desire for change (instead
of the desire to kill the messenger, which I fear is more likely to be
the result).

With regards,

Kelly