[Foundation-l] My 10 wishes list for 2008

[Andrew Whitworth]

first off, I think this is a great email, and touches on a number of
points that I hold in high regard as well.

> 2. Promotion of lesser known projects
> ...
> I would like these projects to be shown more attention by the
> Foundation, including more promotion efforts in conferences, press
> release and promotional leaflets, more interest to their specific
> technical needs, and more representativity of their communities.

YES! This is exactly what I want, and what I assume many members of
the sister projects want as well. We know that we aren't of the same
stature of Wikipedia, but we are doing some pretty impressive things
in our own right and could use the occasional helping hand.

> 3. Software development
> I am pretty sure it is an evidence to anyone that our software
> development is much behind, not because of a lack of great ideas, but
> rather of human power.

I may be in the minority around here (judging from the grumbling that
I hear), but I am pretty convinced that our developers are doing an
excellent job. We have been getting regular software updates,
including interface improvements, features, extensions, etc. Small
bugs are fixed pretty rapidly (if they merit it). I know some people
are still waiting for SUL or FlaggedRevs, but those are big projects
and all good things take time. If we had 20 more developers, I still
wouldn't want to rush those projects.

> 6. Wikicouncil
> I would like the Wikicouncil idea to be revived and implemented. For
> past discussion, please have a look at
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikicouncil.
> The Wikimedia Global Council would be a body of representatives for all
> projects who could serve alongside the elected members of the Board.

This is another big issue, related to #2 above. Giving people
representation and a voice in the dealings of the WMF, even if it's
just nominal, is going to go a long way in the promotion of unity
among our various projects and languages.

> 7. Chapters and general assembly
> The relationship between chapters and Wikimedia Foundation has improved
> over the past year. There are now guidelines for creation, some chapters
> have received the permission to use trademarks within certain limits,
> several chapters were created etc....
>
> However, it is still not sufficient. My wishlist is that further work be
> done to clarify relationships and lines of authority, and that a meeting
> be held annually with the chapters. I had hoped this assembly would
> occur in winter 2007, but this was delayed. I would like the board to
> agree to a meeting with wmf and chapters in spring 2008.

I'm certainly not speaking on behalf of the chapcom here, but for what
it's worth I think this is a great idea and should become a staple of
our annual business. Keeping in contact with the chapters should
happen regularly.


> 8. Board membership, election
> ..
> 1) an editing community in control of the projects they are creating
> 2) a need for independence, which excludes adding to the board many
> outsiders, tied by multiple conflict of interests
> 3) building an international organization, which seems incompatible with
> adding many outsiders all coming from the same nation (not to say the
> same city).

The community needs to have input, and significant input at that. If
the board is not from the community, then we need to push harder for
the wikicouncil to be established and to be given a large share of
"power". I'm not interested in handing over all our hard work to a
group of people who aren't invested in us, and don't "get it". If we
have to suffer a little bit and make mistakes to keep our projects on
the right path and to ensure our values are kept safe, then that's
what we need to do. Of course, there is enough to say on this point
that it should get it's own thread (and possibly several threads).
Maybe at the next board election, we could include a referendum about
this, and see what the community things about it.

> 10. Organization. Clarification of board role and limits to executive
> authority
>
> Last wish is actually clearly related to several points listed above,
> but I chose to mention it as a goal again, to insist on its importance.

This is important, and a source of so much confusion over the years.
How EXACTLY do the projects and the board interact with one another?
En.Wikibooks has had problems in communicating with the board in the
past, and as a result a number of important initiatives (such as
publishing our books, etc) have been stalled indefinitely. When we
have a question or a request, it doesnt seem like there is any good
place to turn. Maybe the board needs it's equivalent of a "bugzilla"
where we can post questions/comments/requests to the board to be dealt
with in an organized manner. We could call it "boardzilla" :).

--Andrew Whitworth