I think we agree on the important points. There's a huge potential in
Wikidata, and it looks like it's in good hands. Commons could be so much
better than it is.
Anthony Cole
On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 3:08 PM, Gerard Meijssen <gerard.meijssen(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
Hoi,
Nice that you prove my point. My point was that when proper attention would
be given to Commons, it would stand proud. Important achievements have been
made, because of Commons and its community we have GLAM (just as an
example).
When it was possible to find images in Commons, it would no longer be
dysfunctional. It is a travesty that while we discuss search in the light
of the recent huha, we have important functionality from Wikidata that
increases the results substantially for any and all languages and the
notion that finding material in Commons (aka search) is so bad that I do
not even consider Commons for illustrations for my blog..
Even on this Wikimedia-l demonstrate how limited their understanding is of
what it is what we do and where we can easily even cheaply improve,
If you want 100,000 more editors for Wikipedia (any language) there is such
a glaring opportunity that people do not even see it before them. It would
not cost much and it will improve their well being in a meaningful way.
Thanks,
GerardM
On 25 February 2016 at 07:37, Anthony Cole <ahcoleecu(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Yes, I guess Commons is kind of useful - as an
adjunct to Wikipedia.
Leaving aside its usefulness to Wikipedia, though, would anyone else
notice
if it disappeared tomorrow? If they did, Flickr
and Google would fill any
gap overnight.
Anthony Cole
On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 2:25 PM, Gerard Meijssen <
gerard.meijssen(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
Hoi,
You are wrong. The English Wikipedia is only brutally big. Wikidata is
slowly but surely becoming one of the most important resources for data
on
the Internet. Commons is the biggest
dysfunctional repository of freely
licensed material. Wikisource is where for many languages much of the
books
end up (for want of new books and for the cost of
publishing).
Really. If projects like Wikidata and Commons received proper attention
to
> give them the credit they are due, they would improve exponentially
while
more
attention to Wikipedia only improves things marginally.
People who are one track ponies about Wikipedia are in fact clueless.
They
forget about what we stand for; sharing the sum
of all knowledge. That
sum
> of all knowledge is better represented in both Commons and Wikidata.
> Thanks,
> GerardM
>
> On 25 February 2016 at 07:17, Anthony Cole <ahcoleecu(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
>
> > True, Gerard. I'm pretty sure the encyclopaedia is the only
successful
>
Wikimedia project though, isn't it? I suppose Wikidata will be a
success
> one day but, for the moment, it's the
encyclopaedia that the world
loves,
it's
the encyclopaedia that raises the income, it's the encyclopaedia
that
> is spreading the knowledge. On those measures - public awareness and
> affection, income-generation, and knowledge-dissemination, all the
other
entities
are less than a drop in the ocean compared to Wikipedia.
The people in these cottage industries that have grown up around this
host
> - chapters, WMF, sister-projects - too often lose sight of the fact
that
> > all of them have yet to prove they have had any significant
measurable
>
impact on the distribution of knowledge.
>
> So, forgive me if I sometimes forget to include them in my thinking.
>
> Anthony Cole
>
>
> On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 1:31 PM, Gerard Meijssen <
> gerard.meijssen(a)gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Hoi,
> > We are not an encyclopaedia. It is only one of our products. It is
only
> > one
> > > way whereby we provide content. By insisting on being focused on
that
part
> of what we do, we do an injustice to everything else.
> Thanks,
> GerardM
>
> On 25 February 2016 at 04:01, Anthony Cole <ahcoleecu(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
> >
> > > WMF is a technology company. We are an encyclopaedia, an
educational
> > > > institution. We need them like I need a mechanic to keep my car
on
the
> > > road. That they have control of the encyclopaedia's budget is an
> > absurdity.
> > > The donors want to donate to (and think they are donating to) the
> > builders
> > > of an encyclopaedia, not the tech guy that maintains our laptops.
> > >
> > > Your model - essentially taking over the WMF by turning it into a
> > > membership organisation, and then into something that represents
the
> > aims
> > > > of encyclopaedia-makers - would have the same result as starting
a
> > > > membership organisation de
novo, except for two things.
> > > >
> > > > 1. I really like the idea of outsourcing our tech needs, so we
can
> swap
> > > to
> > > > new servers and a new tech team when we get fed up with the
service
> > being
> > > > provided by the WMF.
> > > >
> > > > 2. Millions of dollars already sitting in the WMF's bank
accounts.
> > > > Following the model proposed
by Denny would leave a fairly
ordinary
>
tech
> > > contractor with bulging coffers. It would be nice to be able to
take
most
> > of that with us, should we choose to change tech contractors.
Hopefully
> > we
> > > could publicly shame them into handing it over.
> > >
> > > George, the WMF, particularly under the Sue/Erik regime - but as
best
> as
> > I
> > > can tell from its very beginning - has had a propensity to
privilege
> > its
> > > > view of what's best over the community's view. Superprotect.
Visual
> > > editor.
> > > > When the community has pushed back at WMF behaviour that suits
the
> WMF,
> > > > that the WMF thinks helps them in their mission, the WMF has
> > historically
> > > > just gone ahead and ignored what the community sees as being in
the
> > > > encyclopaedia's best
interest. This bunch of tech geeks and
silicon
> valley
> > entrepreneurs holds the whip hand in this relationship. It really
should
> be
> > the other way round. Denny's model; Sarah's model. I don't really
care.
> > But
> > > this tail-wagging-dog thing is just not right.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Anthony Cole
> > >
> > >
> > > On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 10:17 AM, Anthony Cole <
ahcoleecu(a)gmail.com>
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Sarah, I'd prefer to see the "keeping the servers
running" role
> > > > completely
> > > > > separate from the community. As an organised community, if we
> become
> > > > > dissatisfied with the service being provided by the WMF, we
could
>
just
> > > sack
> > > > them (or not renew their contract) and take on a new
infrastructure
> > > > > contractor to "keep the servers running." Organised,
we - the
> people
> > > who
> > > > > actually created this thing and actively maintain it - could
set
> the
> > > > course
> > > > > for its development.
> > > > >
> > > > > Anthony Cole
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 10:09 AM, Anthony Cole <
> ahcoleecu(a)gmail.com>
> > > > > wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >> Sarah, if the volunteer community was organised and had its
own,
> >
> >> functional representative body that had the community's trust
and
> > > respect,
> > > >> that would, to some degree, correct the present asymmetry
between
> us
> > > and
> > > > >> the WMF.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Our only rights in relation to them are to fork or leave.
While
we
are
> > >> atomised, the latter is our only option. Organised, forking
becomes
> a
> > > >> serious possibility. Of course, I hope it never comes to that.
But
> > > > without
> > > > >> that possibility, we are in the position of just having to
take
> >
whatever
> > > >> from the WMF - good and bad.
> > > >>
> > > >> Anthony Cole
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >> On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 9:47 AM, SarahSV <
sarahsv.wiki(a)gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > > >>
> > > >>> On Wed, Feb 24, 2016 at 6:23 PM, Denny Vrandecic <
> > > >>> dvrandecic(a)wikimedia.org>
> > > >>> wrote:
> > > >>>
> > > >>> > To make a few things about the Board of Trustees clear -
things
>
that
> > >>> will
> > >>> > be true now matter how much you reorganize it:
> > >>> >
> > >>> > - the Board members have duties of care and loyalty to the
> Foundation
> > >>> - not
> > >>> > to the movement.
> > >>> >
> > >>> > Hi Denny,
> > >>>
> > >>> Blue Avocado, the non-profit magazine, offers a somewhat
different
> > > view.
> > > >>> They have published a board-member "contract" to
give
non-profit
> >
>>> directors
> > >>> an idea of what's expected of them. It includes:
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> "...
> > >>> I will interpret our constituencies' needs and values to the
> > >>> organization,
> > >>> speak out for their interests, and on their behalf, hold the
> > organization
> > >>> accountable.
> > >>> " [1]
> > >>>
> > >>> Sarah
> > >>>
> > >>> [1]
http://www.blueavocado.org/content/board-member-contract
> > >>>
> > >>> _______________________________________________
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> > >>>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
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