On Tue, Apr 1, 2014 at 7:47 AM, Andreas Kolbe <jayen466(a)gmail.com> wrote:
I have no problem *at all* with the
fact that the Wikimedia Foundation paid an academically qualified expert to
make edits to Wikipedia. In fact, I find it disheartening that the
Foundation now feels it has to state that nothing like this will ever
happen again. This is throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
Perhaps. As I've said in the past, I think it'd be best for any such
ethical paid editing work to be conducted within a completely
different organizational context, with that org's sole focus being to
support and enable it being done well. Organizations need focus, and
this isn't ours for good reasons. In fact, nobody would stop you - or
anyone - from setting up such an organization and seeking funding for
it. I do think there's an inherent risk with situating paid editors
within specific institutions, because there may be a tendency that
comes with that to attach undue weight to that institution's work.
Erik
--
Erik Möller
VP of Engineering and Product Development, Wikimedia Foundation