On 10/22/2015 7:36 PM, Risker wrote:
Carol, I think you're missing something important here. Aside from the
fact that this would cost about $2 million a year, the structure you are
proposing would only be providing support for English Wikipedia.
First, even as a radical decentralist friendly to all sorts of
governmental anarchism, I'm not into the kind of oppressive chaos that
the current Wikipedia structure encourages... See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tyranny_of_Structurelessness
But let's say at most 30 mediators or arbitrators are hired just for
English Wikipedia (what percentage of all articles/edits on all the
wikipedias is that, by the way? 10% 30%? 80%?)
30 x $50,000 (salary and admin) = $1,500,000. Add a few more hirees and
or admin. expenses and perhaps higher salaries (though dozens of level
headed experienced editors would be delighted to make that much doing
what they lover). You might reach $2 million a year.
And the Wikimedia Foundation's budget is $50 million a year? If WMF's
flagship enterprise English WIKIPEDIA keeps getting these horrible
mainstream media reviews, it's going to keep going down hill and soon
enough those millions will dry up.
WMF should do this now before it's too late and too many editors are too
discouraged by how out-dated and/or crappy so many articles have become
they won't be interested in re-upping any more even if such changes are
belatedly made.
OR a better alternative MIGHT come along. It doesn't take that many
millions for some saavy entrepreneurs to copy the software and whole
database of articles, throw on the required licenses, add just enough
unobtrusive and/or entertaining tech advertisements to pay the bills,
and recruit a bunch of editors because of their ability to swiftly deal
with trolls/sockpuppets/undeclared paid editors/extreme partisans and to
provide good mediators for honestly disagreeing editors. They might even
offer small financial incentives and the potential to graduate to a
part- for full-time employment as admin/mediator/arbitrator.
I know of some billionaires fed up with certain vicious POV pushing on
Wikipedia who might be talked into it by the right entrepreneurs. Too
bad I clam up when rich people are in the vicinity... Must overcome that
hangup!! ;-)
CM
On 22 October 2015 at 19:08, Carol Moore dc <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
b) Change structure so 10-20 (as needed) mediators are hired and
trained to be professional. They'll also be given admin powers and
will take on harder cases volunteer admins and other dispute
resolution processes can't handle. (Structured processes for dealing
with alleged abuses will be implemented.) The Foundation will set a
firm goal of at least 50% women hirees.
c) Change structure so 4-6 arbitrators are hired but only used for
most intractable or original issues. (Structured processes for
dealing with alleged abuses will be implemented.) The Foundation
will set a firm goal of at least 50% women hirees.
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