[Foundation-l] for the future...

[Robert Horning]

George Herbert wrote:
>
> I agree that it seems reasonable for this to be an official,
> all-projects-wide thing to do.
>
> We've had a few vocal "it's entirely inappropriate to do this"
> complaints, and a lot of vocal "it was inappropriate to do this only
> for a few projects" complaints.  In my opinion, the latter has a good
> point, but the former are a sufficiently small minority.  It's at
> worst a minor annoyance to some few, and the real, significant
> benefits to the Foundation as a whole are clear to me.
>
>
>   

I'm curious by what statistical methodology you determined this 
quantifiable figure of "a sufficiently small minority"?  Those who voice 
their opinions here on this list can't be counted upon to represent the 
much, much larger Wikimedia community, and that fact seems to get 
forgotten quite frequently on this list, except perhaps on a 
philosophical camp basis.

You may be correct, but I am challenging you on this point of research 
when I have strong doubts that you used anything approaching a 
scientific study to find this fact out.  Especially when you are using 
this statement to establish a policy guideline.  Particularly one that 
represents a significant change in (defacto) policy from what has been 
done in the past, which is not to send any e-mail communications at all 
in the form of mass-mailings.

--Robert Horning