[Wikimedia-l] Thanks for all the fish!

[Huib Laurens]

Milos,

Again, I'm sorry to see you leave. I would like to thank you, thank you
very much for all the things you have done!

I loved to work with you in the LangCom, and I believe I learned a lot. And
I hope our paths will cross again someday.

Huib


On Fri, Jun 7, 2013 at 6:32 PM, Milos Rancic <millosh op gmail.com> wrote:

> I am leaving the movement. I thought to leave it quietly, with just a
> bit more than a few words to stewards and Wikimedia Serbia, but after
> the first question why I am leaving, I realized that I actually owe to
> many of you the explanation for leaving the movement after almost 10
> years.
>
> If you want to skip the story of my motivation, continue with
> "Unfinished projects" section.
>
> == On my motivation ==
>
> In short, I am struggling with the motivation to work inside of the
> movement for almost two years. My participation in Haifa was the
> culmination of my Wikimedia engagement and everything after it was
> going down and down.
>
> I was struggling hard. I didn't want to leave the movement because I
> was feeling responsible for a number of issues. As time went, as I
> wasn't taking any new responsibility, the level of "feeling
> responsible" was lowering and lowering. My last really big
> responsibility was to push the creation of Wikimedia Serbia Office
> last fall. After that I felt that there is no need for me inside of
> the movement.
>
> But I wanted to stay, I wanted it hardly! For at least two years I was
> struggling with my steward activity and although I know that I am
> important to other stewards, I have problem to make one fucking
> steward action for months. And that wasn't about my free time. I have
> it enough. That was about my motivation.
>
> I was trying to find a way to motivate myself to participate in the
> movement. Alone or in cooperation with other Wikimedians, I started
> some not yet published projects. I thought that I could raise my
> motivation if I leave issues related to the chapters and I left
> Chapters committee. But it didn't help.
>
> I was on Amsterdam Hackathon and talking with Erik about one more
> important Wikimedia issue: thousands of languages which are waiting
> for their editions of Wikimedia projects. He was encouraging; for the
> first time I got clearly positive response. But it wasn't enough.
> Instead of enthusiastically working on the project, I just didn't have
> enough motivation to do anything.
>
> I thought that becoming a Board member could raise my motivation. At
> the beginning, I was actually very enthusiastic. But last two weeks I
> spent much more time in being worried about the possibility to be
> elected than about thinking about how to be elected.
>
> For a number of times I was thinking to quit, but this time I had
> appropriate personal trigger and finally got courage to admit myself
> that there is nothing which would change my motivation.
>
> == Wikimedia impact on me ==
>
> I've just realized that if I am writing this kind of email, I should
> say something about Wikimedia impact on me.
>
> When I first edited Wikipedia I was less than a month older than 30.
> This November I will be 40. The whole decade of my life was under the
> strong influence of Wikimedia movement. I spent intellectually
> formative years inside of Wikimedia and it changed me a lot, probably
> not comparable to anything else.
>
> And I could write a book about how Wikipedia and Wikimedia influenced me.
>
> == Unfinished projects ==
>
> This is important. I am leaving some things unfinished and both of the
> projects are very important.
>
> * First, languages. There are more than 6000 languages and there are
> less than 300 language editions of Wikipedia. It is likely that all of
> 3000 languages with more than 10,000 of speakers would survive if they
> have Wikipedia edition in their language. And if you ask why Wikimedia
> movement should do that, it's because there is no other relevant
> international body capable to do that. That makes Wikimedia's position
> unique and with large amount of historical responsibility. I will
> share my research with anyone willing to work on this issue.
>
> * Gamification. Mostly because the lack of my motivation, the project
> Wikichievements didn't start yet. It's actually in the very initial
> phase. Wikimedia Serbia and Wikimedia DC would do that. If you are
> interested in that, please contact Kirill Lokshin from WM DC.
> Gamification and social features are extremely important in making
> Wikimedia movement attractive to young generations again.
>
> == Wikimedia movement *is* important! ==
>
> Wikimedia movement is not just "important", it is the best try of our
> civilization to create a global movement based on completely different
> principles than anything else before. It's the best chance of our
> civilization to survive. And it's up to you to use the chance or not.
> If Wikimedia movement fails, I am sure that the similar chance would
> appear once in the future. But not soon and maybe too late.
>
> Every Wikimedian is a highly important person, likely more important
> than many heads of states. And that importance brings high
> responsibility to keep and develop Wikimedia projects and the
> movement.
>
> * * *
>
> Thanks for all the fish! It is pleasure to know all of you! I won't
> leave wikimeida-l for a couple of days. It's not nice to leave the
> communication immediately. And you have my email; some of you other
> means of communication with me. It will be always a pleasure to me if
> I could help to any of you!
>
> _______________________________________________
> Wikimedia-l mailing list
> Wikimedia-l op lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l
>



-- 
Met vriendelijke groet,

Huib Laurens