Re: [Wikimedia-l] Quality issues

[Andreas Kolbe]

On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 11:26 PM, Leila Zia  wrote:

>
> It's worth mentioning:
>
> Dominant search engines do not rely on one source of information to surface
> results, they get information from many sources, weigh the responses they
> get based on the trust on the sources and many other factors, and aggregate
> to find the best answer to be shown to the user.
>


Have you never seen Google display gross Wikipedia vandalism?[1][2] Cases
like that make it very clear that the Wikimedia content in question entered
Google directly, without human oversight or cross-checking against other
sources. What you describe sounds good, but it didn't happen.

If even transient vandalism passes through (the Finnish vandalism was
reportedly deleted in Wikipedia within minutes), then so can more subtle
and long-lived errors and falsehoods.

Similarly, Bing Satori's timeline is simply made up of verbatim Wikipedia
sentences containing a numerical year.

We know far too little about how search engines import Wikipedia and
Wikidata content, and what proportion of content is checked and how.



> I just used "chicken pox" as a search query in Google, I see an information
> box on the right-hand-side of the page about the disease, and when I click
> on Sources I get this page
> <
> https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2364942?p=medical_conditions=1
> >
> ("See where we found the medical information") which shows all the sources
> Google has used to retrieve information about chicken pox from, nothing in
> that list starts with wiki. Of course, this is not the case for all search
> queries, for some of them, Google still uses Wikipedia snippets.



For medical queries, Google (rightly) prefers other sources, so those
queries are not presently affected.

[1]
https://www.seroundtable.com/google-world-series-cardinals-blunder-17587.html
[2]
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wikipedia_vandalism_in_Google_infobox_from_flagged_revisions_stabilized_article_25.2.2015.png
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round 1 APG grant requests

[Wil Sinclair]

Actually, as an employee of the WMF, Asaf may be able to contribute
here. Asaf, this is an issue that you feel the organization you that
pays you to help fulfill its mission must address. How are you going
to lead within the WMF to make sure it gets addressed?

Best.
,Wil

On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 11:27 AM, Isarra Yos  wrote:
> On 24/11/15 09:47, Asaf Bartov wrote:
>>
>> On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 1:37 AM, Fæ  wrote:
>>
>>> Brandon's description of this looking like a 'kiss off', i.e. a spin
>>> to make this disappear for another year, seems to meet the facts of
>>> what can be observed and measured in a non-subjective way.
>>>
>> Yes.  I encourage everyone to judge WMF by its actions.  Talk is cheap.
>>
>> A.
>
>
> Certainly, but asking someone to reword a thing doesn't help with the
> actions either.
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round 1 APG grant requests

[Nicola Zeuner]

Dear Risker, Gerard et al.,

Just a quick correction:

WMDE did indeed provide a detailed cost breakdown for Wikidata costs as
well as other software development costs, down to the activity level, in
table 6b, in the financial section

of
the WMDE proposal.

When first FDC member Risker

 and then FDC staff

asked
about a separation of costs, our response referred them to table 6b, and
clarified that the first *eight* line items cover core Wikidata development
work (the remaining five items cover closely related development and
community activities that support Wikidata).

Hope this helps to inform this discussion.

Thanks,
Nikki Zeuner (WMDE)


Nikki Zeuner
Partnerships and Development
Wikimedia Deutschland e.V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin
Tel. (030) 219 158 260
Mobil: 0172 547 1261
US: 1 (520) 743-6801
www.wikimedia.de

Stellen Sie sich eine Welt vor, in der jeder Mensch an der Menge allen
Wissens frei teilhaben kann. Helfen Sie uns dabei!
http://spenden.wikimedia.de/

Wikimedia Deutschland - Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e. V.
Eingetragen im Vereinsregister des Amtsgerichts Berlin-Charlottenburg unter
der Nummer 23855 Nz. Als gemeinnützig anerkannt durch das Finanzamt für
Körperschaften I Berlin, Steuernummer 27/681/51985.


2015-11-24 14:47 GMT+01:00 Risker :

> Hello Gerard -
>
> The recommended grant for Wikimedia Deutschland is larger than ever, and
> represents a 42% increase from last year's grant.  This is a massive
> increase.  Please don't confuse the fact that WMDE did not get everything
> it wanted with whether or not Wikidata is underfunded.  Remember, the
> request was not just for Wikidata funding, and despite many attempts by the
> FDC to get precise data on the actual planned expenses for Wikidata, the
> committee was not provided with this information.  While the funds provided
> are restricted (in that they can only be spent on the projects WMDE applied
> for), WMDE can spend the entire amount on Wikidata if it wants to.  Perhaps
> that is where you might want to turn your attention.
>
> User:Risker - FDC member
>
> On 24 November 2015 at 04:02, Gerard Meijssen 
> wrote:
>
> > Hoi,
> > So in essence one of the most relevant development project - Wikidata -
> > that is arguably already underfunded will be even more underfunded and we
> > have to say thank you for doing a good job? Ok.. I thank Wikimedia
> Germany
> > for doing a stellar job. It is an acknowledged source for inspiration
> and I
> > have been really happy in all the contacts that I have had with them over
> > the years.
> >
> > It is not up to me to doubt the sincere efforts of the FDC but I am
> > saddened that while WMF has more cash than that it can spend important
> work
> > is curtailed .. for what? Other development projects are not treated in
> > this way and a great opportunity to do even more is missed as a result.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >  GerardM
> >
> > On 24 November 2015 at 03:04, Pine W  wrote:
> >
> > > Thank you FDC.
> > >
> > > Many of the small and midsized APG requests fared well in this round.
> > That
> > > is nice to see.
> > >
> > > I find it concerning that the larger the organization, the more
> problems
> > > the FDC  seemed to find with the org's budget and performance
> management
> > > practices. One would expect the larger organizations to have mature and
> > > robust practices in these areas. Regarding WMF in particular, my
> concerns
> > > about its budget practices are well documented and I appreciate that
> the
> > > FDC is also taking note of the persistence of the problems. I hope that
> > WMF
> > > will get serious about its financial transpatency.
> > >
> > > A couple of questions about Wikidata:
> > >
> > > I'm confused about the funding for Wikidata. In one place the FDC says
> > that
> > > "Nonetheless, the FDC is exasperated by the inability of WMDE to to
> > > disaggregate the costs of Wikidata from other projects." and in another
> > > place the FDC says that "We have recommended a reduced amount for WMDE
> in
> > > this round with the expectation that WMDE will not cut Wikidata or
> their
> > > other tech development work, but will instead find cost savings
> elsewhere
> > > in its annual plan." If the FDC wants a disaggregated budget (which is
> > > understandable) then why is the FDC expecting WMDE to dip into its
> other
> > > funds and/or make cuts elsewhere in order to cover the work in this
> > > proposal that the FDC is declining to 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Branislav Jovanovic, User:BraneJ in critical condition

[Mardetanha]

please keep us updated about his situation


Mardetanha

On Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 11:06 PM, rupert THURNER 
wrote:

> All the best brane!!
> On Nov 23, 2015 18:43, "Samir Elsharbaty" 
> wrote:
>
> > Brane,
> >
> > I didn't have the pleasure of meeting you but I heard a lot of nice
> > stories, so, please get well soon because I would like to have this
> > pleasure!
> >
> > --
> > Samir Elsharbaty,
> > Wikipedia Education Program
> > Wikimedia Foundation
> > +20.100.944.3478
> > education.wikimedia.org
> >
> > On Sun, Nov 22, 2015 at 11:58 AM, Tito Dutta 
> wrote:
> >
> > > Brane,
> > > Good wishes and get well soon.
> > > Regards.
> > >
> > > On 22 November 2015 at 06:18, Asaf Bartov 
> wrote:
> > >
> > > > I have had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Brane at some
> length,
> > > in
> > > > Belgrade, in Hong Kong, and perhaps elsewhere too.  He is thoughtful
> > and
> > > > dedicated, and as Milos said, has played a huge part in building up
> > > Serbian
> > > > Wikipedia and Wikimedia Serbia.
> > > >
> > > > Brane, I wish you a full recovery, and hope to have the chance to see
> > you
> > > > again, somewhere in the world or around the wikis.
> > > >
> > > > Regards from the Wikisource gathering in Vienna,
> > > >
> > > > Asaf
> > > >
> > > > On Sat, Nov 21, 2015 at 4:23 PM, Milos Rancic 
> > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Pine asked me a good question: Where to express support? I think
> > > > > whatever you think is the most appropriate. This thread works, as
> > > > > well. His email is bra...@gmail.com. You have the link to his
> > Facebook
> > > > > page via WMRS photo. He is using Twitter, as well @branej.
> > > > >
> > > > > On Sun, Nov 22, 2015 at 12:40 AM, Milos Rancic 
> > > > wrote:
> > > > > > At some point of time, the best you could do is to reach for a
> > > > > > superstition and hope it will work. It doesn't matter how it will
> > be
> > > > > > explained after, but at this point of time, it's only that
> > > > > > superstition which matters.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > My particular superstition is that Brane would be able to see his
> > > > > > eulogy and that we'll be able to laugh together. You know, it's a
> > > rare
> > > > > > opportunity to see how your eulogy would look like, so I hope I
> am
> > > > > > giving it to him.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > An hour ago I heard that he is in critical condition. At first, I
> > was
> > > > > > thinking what should I write after he dies. Then, I realized
> that I
> > > > > > should write it now and post it after. Then, it's come into my
> mind
> > > > > > that I should send it immediately as, at least, I could think
> about
> > > > > > reading with him this eulogy and your comments after he recovers.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Since August 2014 he is struggling with bone cancer. His curse is
> > > that
> > > > > > his body is so strong, that chemotherapy is not working yet.
> > > > > > Paradoxically, we hope that his body is weak enough now that it
> > will
> > > > > > finally accept chemotherapy. Monday would be crucial day for him.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > He is one of those "invisible" Wikimedians who actually
> contributed
> > > > > > significantly to our movement. Some of you, mostly those who
> > visited
> > > > > > Belgrade, know him.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > He is one of the founders of Wikimedia Serbia. It's a pity that
> he
> > is
> > > > > > in this condition while WMRS is preparing to celebrate its 10th
> > > > > > anniversary. Here is our photo from the founding assembly [1].
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Presently, he is a board member of Wikimedia Serbia.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > His epic fight for copyright correctness on Serbian Wikipedia
> > created
> > > > > > the foundations of the present day strict copyright rules. It's a
> > > > > > great achievement for a project of such size and it was possible
> > just
> > > > > > because of him.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > While he was active editor, he was highly trusted Wikipedian and
> he
> > > > > > was administrator, bureaucrat and checkuser on Serbian Wikipedia,
> > as
> > > > > > well as on a number of of other projects in Serbian language.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Alpha software for transliteration between Cyrillic and Latin
> > scripts
> > > > > > of Serbian language in MediaWiki was his work. That was the basis
> > for
> > > > > > the future implementation. It was the first software of that kind
> > > > > > implemented in one web engine.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > He is my close friend. Besides a lot of things which he did,
> which
> > > > > > will be mentioned at appropriate time, I want to say that many
> > things
> > > > > > which I did wouldn't be possible without his contribution.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > He is now very exhausted and he won't be able to read this today
> or
> > > > > > tomorrow. However, I am sure he will be able to read it on
> Monday,
> > 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Quality issues

[Leila Zia]

On Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 8:28 PM, Andreas Kolbe  wrote:

> On Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 11:37 PM, Gnangarra  wrote:
>
> > 5.People need to able to trust all data in WikiData, otherwise they just
> > wont use it because as Wikidata expands the same PR firms, interest
> groups
> > which have seen so many of WP issues will gravitate to the easier to
> > manipulate WikiData
> >
>
>
> I think the potential problem here is far worse: people *will use* the
> data, because their lack of trustworthiness, as amply described in the
> Wikidata disclaimer[1], is no longer visible when they're displayed as
> "fact" by dominant search engines.
>

It's worth mentioning:

Dominant search engines do not rely on one source of information to surface
results, they get information from many sources, weigh the responses they
get based on the trust on the sources and many other factors, and aggregate
to find the best answer to be shown to the user.
I just used "chicken pox" as a search query in Google, I see an information
box on the right-hand-side of the page about the disease, and when I click
on Sources I get this page

("See where we found the medical information") which shows all the sources
Google has used to retrieve information about chicken pox from, nothing in
that list starts with wiki. Of course, this is not the case for all search
queries, for some of them, Google still uses Wikipedia snippets.

Leila
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Free Bassel

[Asaf Bartov]

FYI: User:Odder has now created [[m:Free Bassel
]], as a landing page to link
from the banner.

If anyone would like to help with a design for the banner (I concede not
everyone shares my taste for 10pt-black-on-white text), we would be able to
move ahead.  There is, so far, nothing but support.

   A.

On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 10:57 AM, Katherine Maher 
wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> Thank you for raising this issue here on this list. I wanted to share some
> more information about how we’ve been working to support Bassel to this
> point, in public and behind the scenes. Unfortunately, some efforts are
> sensitive, so can’t be shared in full on public mailing lists. But we’re
> committed to supporting next steps or decisions by the community, and
> keeping you updated going forward.
>
> Working with some other colleagues at the Foundation, we have been tracking
> Bassel's case for some time now, in direct contact with the organizers of
> the #FreeBassel campaign  [1], and Bassel's family.
> The actions we have taken to date have been in coordination and approval
> with the #FreeBassel campaign, including:
>
>- Coordination and communication with related organizations, such as the
>Electronic Frontier Foundation and Amnesty International. (ongoing)
>- Regular contact and updates with senior human rights officials at the
>U.S. State Department. (ongoing)
>- Outreach to the press around Bassel’s arbitrary detention and
>contributions to the free knowledge movement. Please see this WIRED
> story, “A
>Jailed Activist’s 3-D Models Could Save Syria’s History From ISIS
><
> http://www.wired.com/2015/10/jailed-activist-bassel-khartabil-3d-models-could-save-syrian-history-from-isis/
> >.”
>[2] (Although we did reach out to WIRED, we cannot say for certain if
> that
>story was the direct result of our efforts or others within the
> #FreeBassel
>coordination community). (10/21)
>- Raising Bassel’s case in public speaking opportunities, including
>Lila’s keynote to the Creative Commons Summit. (10/15)
>- Blog post #FREEBASSEL: Free culture advocate who built 3D renderings
>of Palmyra missing in Syria
> [3].
>(10/08)
>- Ongoing participation in #FreeBassel social media campaigns on
>Facebook and Twitter.
>
> Bassel is in a situation known as arbitrary detention
> <
> http://en.alkarama.org/1763-syria-un-calls-for-the-release-of-freedom-of-speech-advocate-bassel-khartabil
> >
> [4]. Arbitrary detentions are characterized by uncertainty, lack of
> information, and volatility. They’re scary because we don’t know what’s
> happening, and often we are making decisions without a lot of information.
> Our goal is always to support Bassel to make sure our efforts help him
> without putting him at greater risk. So we’ve been working with experienced
> human rights campaigners, including the #FreeBassel campaign, to understand
> the best actions to take at different times over the past two months.
>
> We’ve been in touch with Bassel’s family, who would support continued
> efforts to raise awareness about Bassel’s situation through a note on
> Wikipedia if that should happen. We can also join action letters (like this
> <
> http://www.amnesty.nl/nieuwsportaal/pers/syria-fears-life-free-expression-advocate
> >
> [5]) where the community agrees it's appropriate. If the community decides
> to move forward with an action, we are here to help. We are monitoring the
> discussions and activity in
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Banner:Free_Bassel as a place where
> community consensus can form. Please let us know if there’s anything else
> we can do to support efforts to raise awareness for Bassel.
>
> Katherine
>
> [1] http://freebassel.org/
> [2]
>
> http://www.wired.com/2015/10/jailed-activist-bassel-khartabil-3d-models-could-save-syrian-history-from-isis/
> [3] https://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/10/08/bassel-missing-syria/
> [4]
>
> http://en.alkarama.org/1763-syria-un-calls-for-the-release-of-freedom-of-speech-advocate-bassel-khartabil
> [5]
>
> http://www.amnesty.nl/nieuwsportaal/pers/syria-fears-life-free-expression-advocate
>
> On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 7:38 AM, Daniel Mietchen <
> daniel.mietc...@googlemail.com> wrote:
>
> > Yes, a CentralNotice would seem appropriate here.
> > Please help flesh it out at
> > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Banner:Free_Bassel .
> >
> > Daniel
> >
> > On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 3:38 PM, Gerard Meijssen
> >  wrote:
> > > Hoi,
> > > I have started a text..
> > > Thanks,
> > >  GerardM
> > >
> > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Banner:Free_Bassel
> > >
> > > On 24 November 2015 at 15:25, Pete Forsyth 
> > wrote:
> > >
> > >> +1
> > >> Gerard, or Andrea, or anybody who knows better than myself, could you
> > start
> > >> a draft on 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Free Bassel

[Sam Klein]

Thank you to everyone working on this.

Basel is a beautiful person, who contributed in so many ways to sharing
knowledge, not only in our community.

A banner (in rotation for a month?  with a focused drive on one day
coordinated w/ other activist groups?), and possibly a logo ribbon, would
be most appropriate.

Andrea writes:
> Also, remember: we have few days before we'll ask money again to all the 
> English-speaking
countries.
> How could we ask for money when we are not using the power that was bestowed
upon us by the very
> same spirit, love and courage that is condemning Bassel to death?

Very well said.


On Wed, Nov 25, 2015 at 2:57 AM, Asaf Bartov  wrote:

> FYI: User:Odder has now created [[m:Free Bassel
> ]], as a landing page to link
> from the banner.
>
> If anyone would like to help with a design for the banner (I concede not
> everyone shares my taste for 10pt-black-on-white text), we would be able to
> move ahead.  There is, so far, nothing but support.
>

Let's A/B test some of the images from the category of media of him on
Commons. I like the photoset with his wife, but there are others that have
been used on banners and pins before.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Bassel_Khartabil

SJ
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round 1 APG grant requests

[Risker]

Thank you, Nikki.  Yes, about 70% of the costs were broken down, more or
less.  But almost 30% - totalling over US$635,000 - is undifferentiated
"floating capacity" and "administrative costs".  Those two amounts, which
are not broken down by program, total more than any other Wikimedia
movement entity except WMDE has received in the past three rounds.

User:Risker - FDC member



On 24 November 2015 at 10:13, Nicola Zeuner 
wrote:

> Dear Risker, Gerard et al.,
>
> Just a quick correction:
>
> WMDE did indeed provide a detailed cost breakdown for Wikidata costs as
> well as other software development costs, down to the activity level, in
> table 6b, in the financial section
> <
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Proposals/2015-2016_round1/Wikimedia_Deutschland_e.V./Proposal_form#Financials:_upcoming_year.27s_annual_plan
> >
> of
> the WMDE proposal.
>
> When first FDC member Risker
> <
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants_talk:APG/Proposals/2015-2016_round1/Wikimedia_Deutschland_e.V./Proposal_form#Questions_from_Risker
> >
>  and then FDC staff
> <
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants_talk:APG/Proposals/2015-2016_round1/Wikimedia_Deutschland_e.V./Proposal_form#budget_.26_finances
> >
> asked
> about a separation of costs, our response referred them to table 6b, and
> clarified that the first *eight* line items cover core Wikidata development
> work (the remaining five items cover closely related development and
> community activities that support Wikidata).
>
> Hope this helps to inform this discussion.
>
> Thanks,
> Nikki Zeuner (WMDE)
>
>
> Nikki Zeuner
> Partnerships and Development
> Wikimedia Deutschland e.V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin
> Tel. (030) 219 158 260
> Mobil: 0172 547 1261
> US: 1 (520) 743-6801
> www.wikimedia.de
>
> Stellen Sie sich eine Welt vor, in der jeder Mensch an der Menge allen
> Wissens frei teilhaben kann. Helfen Sie uns dabei!
> http://spenden.wikimedia.de/
>
> Wikimedia Deutschland - Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e. V.
> Eingetragen im Vereinsregister des Amtsgerichts Berlin-Charlottenburg unter
> der Nummer 23855 Nz. Als gemeinnützig anerkannt durch das Finanzamt für
> Körperschaften I Berlin, Steuernummer 27/681/51985.
> 
>
> 2015-11-24 14:47 GMT+01:00 Risker :
>
> > Hello Gerard -
> >
> > The recommended grant for Wikimedia Deutschland is larger than ever, and
> > represents a 42% increase from last year's grant.  This is a massive
> > increase.  Please don't confuse the fact that WMDE did not get everything
> > it wanted with whether or not Wikidata is underfunded.  Remember, the
> > request was not just for Wikidata funding, and despite many attempts by
> the
> > FDC to get precise data on the actual planned expenses for Wikidata, the
> > committee was not provided with this information.  While the funds
> provided
> > are restricted (in that they can only be spent on the projects WMDE
> applied
> > for), WMDE can spend the entire amount on Wikidata if it wants to.
> Perhaps
> > that is where you might want to turn your attention.
> >
> > User:Risker - FDC member
> >
> > On 24 November 2015 at 04:02, Gerard Meijssen  >
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Hoi,
> > > So in essence one of the most relevant development project - Wikidata -
> > > that is arguably already underfunded will be even more underfunded and
> we
> > > have to say thank you for doing a good job? Ok.. I thank Wikimedia
> > Germany
> > > for doing a stellar job. It is an acknowledged source for inspiration
> > and I
> > > have been really happy in all the contacts that I have had with them
> over
> > > the years.
> > >
> > > It is not up to me to doubt the sincere efforts of the FDC but I am
> > > saddened that while WMF has more cash than that it can spend important
> > work
> > > is curtailed .. for what? Other development projects are not treated in
> > > this way and a great opportunity to do even more is missed as a result.
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > >  GerardM
> > >
> > > On 24 November 2015 at 03:04, Pine W  wrote:
> > >
> > > > Thank you FDC.
> > > >
> > > > Many of the small and midsized APG requests fared well in this round.
> > > That
> > > > is nice to see.
> > > >
> > > > I find it concerning that the larger the organization, the more
> > problems
> > > > the FDC  seemed to find with the org's budget and performance
> > management
> > > > practices. One would expect the larger organizations to have mature
> and
> > > > robust practices in these areas. Regarding WMF in particular, my
> > concerns
> > > > about its budget practices are well documented and I appreciate that
> > the
> > > > FDC is also taking note of the persistence of the problems. I hope
> that
> > > WMF
> > > > will get serious about its financial transpatency.
> > > >
> > > > A couple of questions about Wikidata:
> > > >
> > > > I'm confused about the funding for Wikidata. In one 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Quality issues

[Gnangarra]

this isnt about how or whats of Google its about ensuring that what we do
is trustworthy

On 25 November 2015 at 08:12, Andreas Kolbe  wrote:

> On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 11:26 PM, Leila Zia  wrote:
>
> >
> > It's worth mentioning:
> >
> > Dominant search engines do not rely on one source of information to
> surface
> > results, they get information from many sources, weigh the responses they
> > get based on the trust on the sources and many other factors, and
> aggregate
> > to find the best answer to be shown to the user.
> >
>
>
> Have you never seen Google display gross Wikipedia vandalism?[1][2] Cases
> like that make it very clear that the Wikimedia content in question entered
> Google directly, without human oversight or cross-checking against other
> sources. What you describe sounds good, but it didn't happen.
>
> If even transient vandalism passes through (the Finnish vandalism was
> reportedly deleted in Wikipedia within minutes), then so can more subtle
> and long-lived errors and falsehoods.
>
> Similarly, Bing Satori's timeline is simply made up of verbatim Wikipedia
> sentences containing a numerical year.
>
> We know far too little about how search engines import Wikipedia and
> Wikidata content, and what proportion of content is checked and how.
>
>
>
> > I just used "chicken pox" as a search query in Google, I see an
> information
> > box on the right-hand-side of the page about the disease, and when I
> click
> > on Sources I get this page
> > <
> >
> https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2364942?p=medical_conditions=1
> > >
> > ("See where we found the medical information") which shows all the
> sources
> > Google has used to retrieve information about chicken pox from, nothing
> in
> > that list starts with wiki. Of course, this is not the case for all
> search
> > queries, for some of them, Google still uses Wikipedia snippets.
>
>
>
> For medical queries, Google (rightly) prefers other sources, so those
> queries are not presently affected.
>
> [1]
>
> https://www.seroundtable.com/google-world-series-cardinals-blunder-17587.html
> [2]
>
> https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wikipedia_vandalism_in_Google_infobox_from_flagged_revisions_stabilized_article_25.2.2015.png
> ___
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> 
>



-- 
GN.
President Wikimedia Australia
WMAU: http://www.wikimedia.org.au/wiki/User:Gnangarra
Photo Gallery: http://gnangarra.redbubble.com
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round 1 APG grant requests

[MZMcBride]

matanya moses wrote:
>tl;dr: The FDC’s recommendations for this round of the APG grant
>requests have now been published at:
>https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Permalink/14803740
>
>The Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC) meets twice a year to help
>make decisions about how to effectively allocate movement funds to
>achieve the Wikimedia movement's mission, vision, and strategy. [1] We
>met for four days last week in San Francisco to review 11 proposals
>submitted for this round of funding. [2]
>
>[...]
>
>This round, the eleven proposals came from ten chapters and one
>thematic organisation, totaling requests of approximately $3.8 million
>USD. Ten affiliates were returning to the APG program, and one was a
>new applicant.  This round, one organisation requested a restricted
>grant to support one particular program. All other grant requests were
>for general funding.

Hi.

Apologies if these questions have already been asked/answered elsewhere, I
did try to skim this thread, the Meta-Wiki page, and its talk page first.

The Wikimedia Foundation has a section under "Organisation-specific
remarks", but isn't included in the "Funding recommendations" chart and
there's no amount requested, amount allocated, or proposal listed for the
Wikimedia Foundation. Why is that?

If Wikimedia Deutschland is required to separate out costs for Wikidata,
does that mean that the Wikimedia Foundation is required to split out
costs for Wikipedia and its other projects? I'd be quite curious to know
how much money is being spent by the Wikimedia Foundation on Wiktionary or
Wikinews or Wikiversity.

The report includes this note:
> The FDC is appalled by the closed way that the WMF has undertaken both
>strategic and annual planning, and the WMF’s approach to budget
>transparency (or lack thereof).

Sort of inline with the first question, but perhaps more direct: what
power does the Funds Dissemination Committee have over the amount of donor
money allocated toward the Wikimedia Foundation? Can the FDC only admonish
the organization, but not actually withhold funds?

MZMcBride



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[Wikimedia-l] [x-post] Reminder: Language Engineering Office Hour today i.e. November 25, 2015 at 1300 UTC

[Runa Bhattacharjee]

Hello,

A reminder that the online office hour hosted by the Wikimedia Language
Engineering team is scheduled for later today at 1300 UTC. You can join the
hangout or watch the session from:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cprj7uhtiercilrilp2gfpca8dg

Please note, due to the limitation of Google Hangouts there are few seats
available. So do let us know before hand if you would like to participate
on the hangout. We will also be on the IRC channel #wikimedia-office to
take questions. Please see below for the event details, local time and
original announcement.

Thanks
Runa


== Details ==

# Event: Wikimedia Language Engineering office hour session

# When: November 25th, 2015 (Wednesday) at 13:00 UTC (check local time
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20151125T1300)

# Where: https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cprj7uhtiercilrilp2gfpca8dg and
on IRC #wikimedia-office (Freenode)

# Agenda: Content Translation updates and Q & A




-- Forwarded message --
From: Runa Bhattacharjee 
Date: Thu, Nov 19, 2015 at 5:50 PM
Subject: Language Engineering office hour and online meeting on 25 November
2015 (Wednesday) at 1300 UTC
To: Wikimedia Mailing List , Wikimedia
developers , MediaWiki internationalisation
, "Wikimedia & GLAM collaboration
[Public]" 


[x-posted announcement]

Hello,

The next office hour of the Wikimedia Language Engineering team is
scheduled for next Wednesday, November 25th 2015 at 13:00 UTC. Similar to
our recent office hours, this is also going to be an online discussion over
Hangout/Youtube with a simultaneous IRC conversation. Due to the limitation
of Google Hangouts, only a limited number of slots are available. Hence, do
please let us know (on the event page) if you would like to participate on
the Hangout. The IRC channel #wikimedia-office and the Q channel for the
youtube broadcast will be open for interactions during the session.

Our last online round-table session was held in September 2015. You can
watch the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW5l7fNeMQg

Please read below for the event details and do let us know if you have any
questions.

Thank you
Runa

== Details ==

# Event: Wikimedia Language Engineering office hour session

# When: November 25th, 2015 (Wednesday) at 13:00 UTC (check local time
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20151125T1300)

# Where: https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cprj7uhtiercilrilp2gfpca8dg and
on IRC #wikimedia-office (Freenode)

# Agenda: Content Translation updates and Q & A

-- 
Language Engineering Manager
Outreach and QA Coordinator
Wikimedia Foundation




-- 
Language Engineering Manager
Outreach and QA Coordinator
Wikimedia Foundation
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round 1 APG grant requests

[Lila Tretikov]

Hi Craig,

You are right, this has been an ongoing request for years. This year we did
many infrastructure updates for financial planning. However we missed some
objectives. I take responsibility, specifically for the very short
community feedback window on the annual plan this year. We fixed this in
our upcoming plan. Overall we have improved in some of our core budgeting
and accounting areas, but still have work to do.

This is what we have done this year to set up for financial controls:

+ Implemented KPIs across the organizations.
+ Implemented quarterly goals and reviews across organization.
+ Reduced book close to 15 days.
+ Catalogued projects to set up project-based accounting.
+ Created business cases to evaluate cost/benefit analysis as an evaluation
tool for new projects.
+ Accounting/analytics software updates.

Here is what is upcoming the rest of the fiscal year:

+ 3 year forward revenue/spend forecast.
+ A consultation with community about strategic goals.
+ A 30 day review period for the annual plan.
+ More detailed annual plan, project based accounting where possible.
Impact goals.
+ Gap analysis of the annual plan vs. FDC.
+ Wikidata integration into the annual plan.

Here is what under advisement:

+ 3rd party review of the annual plan.
+ FDC process alignment.

Project based budgeting and 3 year forward projections are going to give us
good understanding of the overall costs of multi-year projects. We will be
able to answer for the total cost of developing Wikidata or new editing
environment. This is a great improvement over what we were able to do
previously and will help us with setting priorities in the future.


Lila




On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 4:28 AM, Craig Franklin 
wrote:

> Hi Lila,
>
> I very much appreciate your prompt response, but this has been an ongoing
> issue for years.  What is required now is not more going around in circles
> with "consultation" and "discussions" that don't go anywhere; what is
> needed is for the WMF to take action to improve the transparency of its
> planning, and review its planning process so that the plans end up having a
> closer relation to the actual outcomes.  The ball, as they say, is firmly
> in your court.
>
> Cheers,
> Craig
>
>
> On 24 November 2015 at 14:27, Lila Tretikov  wrote:
>
>> We fully acknowledge the issue with the shortened AP review this year and
>> are committed to the 30 day review going forward. Since the overall issue
>> has been noted since as far back as 2012 we are doing a review of our
>> process in comparison to the FDC standards to build best practices going
>> forward. You can add you comments here to help guide the conversation:
>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User_talk:LilaTretikov_(WMF)#Annual_Plan
>>
>> Lila
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 8:09 PM, Craig Franklin <
>> cfrank...@halonetwork.net> wrote:
>>
>>> I likewise appreciate the strong language on the situation with the WMF;
>>> the general opacity and vagueness of public budget plans (especially
>>> considering the requirements for affiliate organisations in this area) is
>>> something that has been widely noted on this list and elsewhere, and to
>>> my
>>> mind not answered in a satisfactory way.  It is good to see a fearless
>>> FDC
>>> that is prepared to "tell it as it is", and make sure that this problem
>>> is
>>> receiving continued attention.
>>>
>>> It is my hope that the Foundation will address the issues raised here in
>>> a
>>> constructive and transparent manner, rather than ignoring them or trying
>>> to
>>> spin them away.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> Craig
>>>
>>> On 24 November 2015 at 12:04, Pine W  wrote:
>>>
>>> > Thank you FDC.
>>> >
>>> > Many of the small and midsized APG requests fared well in this round.
>>> That
>>> > is nice to see.
>>> >
>>> > I find it concerning that the larger the organization, the more
>>> problems
>>> > the FDC  seemed to find with the org's budget and performance
>>> management
>>> > practices. One would expect the larger organizations to have mature and
>>> > robust practices in these areas. Regarding WMF in particular, my
>>> concerns
>>> > about its budget practices are well documented and I appreciate that
>>> the
>>> > FDC is also taking note of the persistence of the problems. I hope
>>> that WMF
>>> > will get serious about its financial transpatency.
>>> >
>>> > A couple of questions about Wikidata:
>>> >
>>> > I'm confused about the funding for Wikidata. In one place the FDC says
>>> that
>>> > "Nonetheless, the FDC is exasperated by the inability of WMDE to to
>>> > disaggregate the costs of Wikidata from other projects." and in another
>>> > place the FDC says that "We have recommended a reduced amount for WMDE
>>> in
>>> > this round with the expectation that WMDE will not cut Wikidata or
>>> their
>>> > other tech development work, but will instead find cost savings
>>> elsewhere
>>> > in its annual plan." If the FDC wants 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Free Bassel

[Sandra Rientjes Wikimedia Nederland]

We have put a message on the Wikimedia Nederland website.  We hope to get a
lot of visitors tomorrow because of the Erasmusprize-ceremony.  Not a
central notice, but it is a start.

Sandra Rientjes
Directeur/Executive Director Wikimedia Nederland

tel.(+31) (0)30 3200238
mob. (+31) (0)6  31786379

www.wikimedia.nl

*Postadres*: * Bezoekadres:*
Postbus 167Mariaplaats 3
3500 AD  Utrecht Utrecht

2015-11-24 16:38 GMT+01:00 Daniel Mietchen :

> Yes, a CentralNotice would seem appropriate here.
> Please help flesh it out at
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Banner:Free_Bassel .
>
> Daniel
>
> On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 3:38 PM, Gerard Meijssen
>  wrote:
> > Hoi,
> > I have started a text..
> > Thanks,
> >  GerardM
> >
> > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Banner:Free_Bassel
> >
> > On 24 November 2015 at 15:25, Pete Forsyth 
> wrote:
> >
> >> +1
> >> Gerard, or Andrea, or anybody who knows better than myself, could you
> start
> >> a draft on Meta Wiki with a proposed text for a banner, and where it
> should
> >> link/what it should advise readers to do?
> >> Pete
> >> On Nov 24, 2015 3:13 AM, "Tito Dutta"  wrote:
> >>
> >> > Sad news. Agree with everyone here that we should do something.
> >> >
> >> > On 24 November 2015 at 16:38, Gerard Meijssen <
> gerard.meijs...@gmail.com
> >> >
> >> > wrote:
> >> >
> >> > > Hoi,
> >> > > Tomorrow we have a platform as well at the Erasmus award ceremony in
> >> > > Amsterdam. It is Wikipedia, its community that is receiving the
> award..
> >> > > Thanks,
> >> > >  GerardM
> >> > >
> >> > > On 24 November 2015 at 12:03, Cristian Consonni <
> >> kikkocrist...@gmail.com
> >> > >
> >> > > wrote:
> >> > >
> >> > > > 2015-11-24 10:47 GMT+01:00 Andrea Zanni  >:
> >> > > > > Use the centralnotice.
> >> > > >
> >> > > > [...]
> >> > > >
> >> > > > > A Wikipedian, a member of our community sentenced to death for
> >> > > believing
> >> > > > in
> >> > > > > our Mission and Vision is something extraordinary. I understand
> the
> >> > > > caution
> >> > > > > of setting a precedent, but I think it's worth it.
> >> > > > >
> >> > > > > Also, remember: we have few days before we'll ask money again to
> >> all
> >> > > the
> >> > > > > English-speaking countries.
> >> > > > > How could we ask for money when we are not using the power that
> was
> >> > > > > bestowed upon us by the very same spirit, love and courage that
> is
> >> > > > > condemning Bassel to death?
> >> > > >
> >> > > > I strongly support this.
> >> > > >
> >> > > > As for the precedent, recall that the Wikimedia Foundation
> supports
> >> > > > the users, we did this with User:Diu in Greece:
> >> > > >
> >> > > >
> >> > >
> >> >
> >>
> https://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/02/14/wikimedia-foundation-supports-wikipedia-user-subject-to-defamation-lawsuit-in-greece/
> >> > > >
> >> > > > This is much more than a lawsuit.
> >> > > >
> >> > > > A message I do not want us to send is that if you enough force or
> the
> >> > > > threat is big enough, then we, as a movement, will be scared away.
> >> > > >
> >> > > > C
> >> > > >
> >> > > > ___
> >> > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> >> > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
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> >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> >> > > >  ?subject=unsubscribe>
> >> > > >
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> >> > >  ?subject=unsubscribe>
> >> > >
> >> > ___
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> ,
> >> > 
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> >>
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> > 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Free Bassel

[Katherine Maher]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for raising this issue here on this list. I wanted to share some
more information about how we’ve been working to support Bassel to this
point, in public and behind the scenes. Unfortunately, some efforts are
sensitive, so can’t be shared in full on public mailing lists. But we’re
committed to supporting next steps or decisions by the community, and
keeping you updated going forward.

Working with some other colleagues at the Foundation, we have been tracking
Bassel's case for some time now, in direct contact with the organizers of
the #FreeBassel campaign  [1], and Bassel's family.
The actions we have taken to date have been in coordination and approval
with the #FreeBassel campaign, including:

   - Coordination and communication with related organizations, such as the
   Electronic Frontier Foundation and Amnesty International. (ongoing)
   - Regular contact and updates with senior human rights officials at the
   U.S. State Department. (ongoing)
   - Outreach to the press around Bassel’s arbitrary detention and
   contributions to the free knowledge movement. Please see this WIRED
story, “A
   Jailed Activist’s 3-D Models Could Save Syria’s History From ISIS
   
.”
   [2] (Although we did reach out to WIRED, we cannot say for certain if that
   story was the direct result of our efforts or others within the #FreeBassel
   coordination community). (10/21)
   - Raising Bassel’s case in public speaking opportunities, including
   Lila’s keynote to the Creative Commons Summit. (10/15)
   - Blog post #FREEBASSEL: Free culture advocate who built 3D renderings
   of Palmyra missing in Syria
    [3].
   (10/08)
   - Ongoing participation in #FreeBassel social media campaigns on
   Facebook and Twitter.

Bassel is in a situation known as arbitrary detention

[4]. Arbitrary detentions are characterized by uncertainty, lack of
information, and volatility. They’re scary because we don’t know what’s
happening, and often we are making decisions without a lot of information.
Our goal is always to support Bassel to make sure our efforts help him
without putting him at greater risk. So we’ve been working with experienced
human rights campaigners, including the #FreeBassel campaign, to understand
the best actions to take at different times over the past two months.

We’ve been in touch with Bassel’s family, who would support continued
efforts to raise awareness about Bassel’s situation through a note on
Wikipedia if that should happen. We can also join action letters (like this

[5]) where the community agrees it's appropriate. If the community decides
to move forward with an action, we are here to help. We are monitoring the
discussions and activity in
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Banner:Free_Bassel as a place where
community consensus can form. Please let us know if there’s anything else
we can do to support efforts to raise awareness for Bassel.

Katherine

[1] http://freebassel.org/
[2]
http://www.wired.com/2015/10/jailed-activist-bassel-khartabil-3d-models-could-save-syrian-history-from-isis/
[3] https://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/10/08/bassel-missing-syria/
[4]
http://en.alkarama.org/1763-syria-un-calls-for-the-release-of-freedom-of-speech-advocate-bassel-khartabil
[5]
http://www.amnesty.nl/nieuwsportaal/pers/syria-fears-life-free-expression-advocate

On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 7:38 AM, Daniel Mietchen <
daniel.mietc...@googlemail.com> wrote:

> Yes, a CentralNotice would seem appropriate here.
> Please help flesh it out at
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Banner:Free_Bassel .
>
> Daniel
>
> On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 3:38 PM, Gerard Meijssen
>  wrote:
> > Hoi,
> > I have started a text..
> > Thanks,
> >  GerardM
> >
> > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Banner:Free_Bassel
> >
> > On 24 November 2015 at 15:25, Pete Forsyth 
> wrote:
> >
> >> +1
> >> Gerard, or Andrea, or anybody who knows better than myself, could you
> start
> >> a draft on Meta Wiki with a proposed text for a banner, and where it
> should
> >> link/what it should advise readers to do?
> >> Pete
> >> On Nov 24, 2015 3:13 AM, "Tito Dutta"  wrote:
> >>
> >> > Sad news. Agree with everyone here that we should do something.
> >> >
> >> > On 24 November 2015 at 16:38, Gerard Meijssen <
> gerard.meijs...@gmail.com
> >> >
> >> > wrote:
> >> >
> >> > > Hoi,
> >> > > Tomorrow we have a platform as well at the Erasmus award ceremony in
> >> > > Amsterdam. It is Wikipedia, its community that is receiving the
> award..
> >> > > Thanks,
> >> > >  GerardM
> >> > >
> >> > > On 24 November 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round 1 APG grant requests

[Isarra Yos]

On 24/11/15 09:47, Asaf Bartov wrote:

On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 1:37 AM, Fæ  wrote:


Brandon's description of this looking like a 'kiss off', i.e. a spin
to make this disappear for another year, seems to meet the facts of
what can be observed and measured in a non-subjective way.


Yes.  I encourage everyone to judge WMF by its actions.  Talk is cheap.

A.


Certainly, but asking someone to reword a thing doesn't help with the 
actions either.


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[Wikimedia-l] Fwd: [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round 1 APG grant requests

[Itzik - Wikimedia Israel]

בוקר טוב,

אני שמח לבשר שה-FDC, הוועדה האחראית על המלצות המימון לארגוני ויקימדיה
בתנועה, המליצה להעניק מימון מלא לוויקימדיה ישראל השנה.

יש הרבה מחמאות על העבודה שלנו, אך גם מעט ביקורת, שלא נעלמת מעינינו, על
ההצעה השנה:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2015-2016_round1#Wikimedia_Israel

זו ההזדמנות להודות לחברי העמותה שהיו חלק מכתיבת תכנית העבודה והיעדים, חברי
הוועד וחברות הצוות ובראשן מיכל, על העבודה הרבה והמוצלחת.

תודה לכולם



*Regards,Itzik Edri*
Chairperson, Wikimedia Israel
+972-(0)-54-5878078 | http://www.wikimedia.org.il
Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the
sum of all knowledge. That's our commitment!


-- Forwarded message --
From: matanya moses 
Date: Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 11:55 PM
Subject: [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round
1 APG grant requests
To: wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org


Hello Wikimedians,

tl;dr: The FDC’s recommendations for this round of the APG grant requests
have now been published at:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2015-2016_round1

The Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC) meets twice a year to help make
decisions about how to effectively allocate movement funds to achieve the
Wikimedia movement's mission, vision, and strategy. [1] We met for four
days last week in San Francisco to review 11 proposals submitted for this
round of funding. [2]

The committee has now posted our Round 1 2015-2016 recommendations on the
annual plan grants (APG) to the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees. [3]
The WMF Board representatives to the FDC (Denny Vrandecic, Jan-Bart de
Vreede and Dariusz Jemielniak) will lead the Board in its review of these
recommendations. The WMF Board will review the recommendations and then
make their decision on them before 1 January 2016.

This round, the eleven proposals came from ten chapters and one thematic
organisation, totaling requests of approximately $3.8 million USD. Ten
affiliates were returning to the APG program, and one was a new applicant.
This round, one organisation requested a restricted grant to support one
particular program. All other grant requests were for general funding.

Before we met for our face-to-face deliberations, the FDC carefully
reviewed all proposals and supporting documentation (e.g., budgets, plans,
strategies) in detail, aided by staff assessments and analysis on impact,
finances, and programs, as well as community comments on the proposals. The
committee had long and intense conversations about the proposals submitted
this round. By listening and carefully considering all available data, the
committee achieved consensus on all proposal deliberations.

In addition to the above, the FDC has also included a recommendation about
the WMF itself to improve its own level of planning transparency and budget
detail. The WMF staff were not involved in the conception or writing of
this additional recommendation.

For your reference, there is a formal process to submit appeals about these
recommendations or complaints about the FDC process. The processes for both
are outlined below.

Any applicant that wants to appeal the FDC’s recommendation about their
proposal this round should submit it by 23:59 UTC on 8 December 2015 in
accordance with the appeal process outlined in the FDC Framework. A formal
appeal to challenge the FDC’s recommendation should be in the form of a
500-or-fewer word summary. The appeal should be submitted on-wiki, [4] and
must be submitted by the Board Chair of a funding-seeking applicant.

Complaints about the process can be filed by anyone with the Ombudsperson,
and can be made any time. The complaint should be submitted on wiki, as
well. [5] The ombudsperson will publicly document the complaint, and
investigate as needed.

Please take a look at the upcoming calendar [6] to learn about other
upcoming milestones in the APG program.

Again, we offer our sincere thanks to the 11 organisations who submitted
annual plan grant proposals to the FDC this round.

On behalf of the FDC,

Matanya Moses (FDC chair), User:Matanya

[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG
[2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Proposals/2015-2016_round1
[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2015-2016_round1
[4]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Appeals_to_the_Board_on_the_recommendations_of_the_FDC
[5]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Complaints_about_the_FDC_process
[6] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Calendar



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WikimediaAnnounce-l 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Free Bassel

[Emmanuel Engelhart]

On 24.11.2015 08:22, Gerard Meijssen wrote:
> We need to do much better than this. This is a Wikipedian. It is a notable
> person in his own right and we sit on our hands?

Yes. The movement needs to free resources quickly to campaign
efficiently on this.

Emmanuel

-- 
Kiwix - Wikipedia Offline & more
* Web: http://www.kiwix.org
* Twitter: https://twitter.com/KiwixOffline
* more: http://www.kiwix.org/wiki/Communication

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Fwd: [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round 1 APG grant requests

[Ed Erhart]

Hi all,

Liam Wyatt has written an accompanying Wikimedia blog post on the FDC's
process. Please take a look:
https://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/11/23/fdc-grant-distribution/

Best,
--Ed

On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 3:00 AM, Itzik - Wikimedia Israel <
it...@wikimedia.org.il> wrote:

> בוקר טוב,
>
> אני שמח לבשר שה-FDC, הוועדה האחראית על המלצות המימון לארגוני ויקימדיה
> בתנועה, המליצה להעניק מימון מלא לוויקימדיה ישראל השנה.
>
> יש הרבה מחמאות על העבודה שלנו, אך גם מעט ביקורת, שלא נעלמת מעינינו, על
> ההצעה השנה:
>
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2015-2016_round1#Wikimedia_Israel
>
> זו ההזדמנות להודות לחברי העמותה שהיו חלק מכתיבת תכנית העבודה והיעדים, חברי
> הוועד וחברות הצוות ובראשן מיכל, על העבודה הרבה והמוצלחת.
>
> תודה לכולם
>
>
>
> *Regards,Itzik Edri*
> Chairperson, Wikimedia Israel
> +972-(0)-54-5878078 | http://www.wikimedia.org.il
> Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the
> sum of all knowledge. That's our commitment!
>
>
> -- Forwarded message --
> From: matanya moses 
> Date: Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 11:55 PM
> Subject: [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round
> 1 APG grant requests
> To: wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org
>
>
> Hello Wikimedians,
>
> tl;dr: The FDC’s recommendations for this round of the APG grant requests
> have now been published at:
>
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2015-2016_round1
>
> The Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC) meets twice a year to help make
> decisions about how to effectively allocate movement funds to achieve the
> Wikimedia movement's mission, vision, and strategy. [1] We met for four
> days last week in San Francisco to review 11 proposals submitted for this
> round of funding. [2]
>
> The committee has now posted our Round 1 2015-2016 recommendations on the
> annual plan grants (APG) to the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees. [3]
> The WMF Board representatives to the FDC (Denny Vrandecic, Jan-Bart de
> Vreede and Dariusz Jemielniak) will lead the Board in its review of these
> recommendations. The WMF Board will review the recommendations and then
> make their decision on them before 1 January 2016.
>
> This round, the eleven proposals came from ten chapters and one thematic
> organisation, totaling requests of approximately $3.8 million USD. Ten
> affiliates were returning to the APG program, and one was a new applicant.
> This round, one organisation requested a restricted grant to support one
> particular program. All other grant requests were for general funding.
>
> Before we met for our face-to-face deliberations, the FDC carefully
> reviewed all proposals and supporting documentation (e.g., budgets, plans,
> strategies) in detail, aided by staff assessments and analysis on impact,
> finances, and programs, as well as community comments on the proposals. The
> committee had long and intense conversations about the proposals submitted
> this round. By listening and carefully considering all available data, the
> committee achieved consensus on all proposal deliberations.
>
> In addition to the above, the FDC has also included a recommendation about
> the WMF itself to improve its own level of planning transparency and budget
> detail. The WMF staff were not involved in the conception or writing of
> this additional recommendation.
>
> For your reference, there is a formal process to submit appeals about these
> recommendations or complaints about the FDC process. The processes for both
> are outlined below.
>
> Any applicant that wants to appeal the FDC’s recommendation about their
> proposal this round should submit it by 23:59 UTC on 8 December 2015 in
> accordance with the appeal process outlined in the FDC Framework. A formal
> appeal to challenge the FDC’s recommendation should be in the form of a
> 500-or-fewer word summary. The appeal should be submitted on-wiki, [4] and
> must be submitted by the Board Chair of a funding-seeking applicant.
>
> Complaints about the process can be filed by anyone with the Ombudsperson,
> and can be made any time. The complaint should be submitted on wiki, as
> well. [5] The ombudsperson will publicly document the complaint, and
> investigate as needed.
>
> Please take a look at the upcoming calendar [6] to learn about other
> upcoming milestones in the APG program.
>
> Again, we offer our sincere thanks to the 11 organisations who submitted
> annual plan grant proposals to the FDC this round.
>
> On behalf of the FDC,
>
> Matanya Moses (FDC chair), User:Matanya
>
> [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG
> [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Proposals/2015-2016_round1
> [3]
>
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2015-2016_round1
> [4]
>
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Appeals_to_the_Board_on_the_recommendations_of_the_FDC
> [5]
> 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round 1 APG grant requests

[Gerard Meijssen]

Hoi,
So in essence one of the most relevant development project - Wikidata -
that is arguably already underfunded will be even more underfunded and we
have to say thank you for doing a good job? Ok.. I thank Wikimedia Germany
for doing a stellar job. It is an acknowledged source for inspiration and I
have been really happy in all the contacts that I have had with them over
the years.

It is not up to me to doubt the sincere efforts of the FDC but I am
saddened that while WMF has more cash than that it can spend important work
is curtailed .. for what? Other development projects are not treated in
this way and a great opportunity to do even more is missed as a result.

Thanks,
 GerardM

On 24 November 2015 at 03:04, Pine W  wrote:

> Thank you FDC.
>
> Many of the small and midsized APG requests fared well in this round. That
> is nice to see.
>
> I find it concerning that the larger the organization, the more problems
> the FDC  seemed to find with the org's budget and performance management
> practices. One would expect the larger organizations to have mature and
> robust practices in these areas. Regarding WMF in particular, my concerns
> about its budget practices are well documented and I appreciate that the
> FDC is also taking note of the persistence of the problems. I hope that WMF
> will get serious about its financial transpatency.
>
> A couple of questions about Wikidata:
>
> I'm confused about the funding for Wikidata. In one place the FDC says that
> "Nonetheless, the FDC is exasperated by the inability of WMDE to to
> disaggregate the costs of Wikidata from other projects." and in another
> place the FDC says that "We have recommended a reduced amount for WMDE in
> this round with the expectation that WMDE will not cut Wikidata or their
> other tech development work, but will instead find cost savings elsewhere
> in its annual plan." If the FDC wants a disaggregated budget (which is
> understandable) then why is the FDC expecting WMDE to dip into its other
> funds and/or make cuts elsewhere in order to cover the work in this
> proposal that the FDC is declining to fund in this proposal? This
> expectation seems to be a bit of a contradiction.
>
> I'm also wondering how WMDE is able to submit a dedicated request for
> restricted funding for Wikidata if the Wikidata project is so integrated
> into WMDE's other budgets that the FDC finds the integration to be
> problematic. Can the FDC or our colleagues at WMDE explain this?
>
> Wikidata is a high profile project with a good reputation, and I hope that
> the issues can be resolved soon.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Pine
> On Nov 23, 2015 14:09, "matanya moses"  wrote:
>
> > Hello Wikimedians,
> >
> > tl;dr: The FDC’s recommendations for this round of the APG grant requests
> > have now been published at:
> >
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2015-2016_round1
> >
> > The Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC) meets twice a year to help make
> > decisions about how to effectively allocate movement funds to achieve the
> > Wikimedia movement's mission, vision, and strategy. [1] We met for four
> > days last week in San Francisco to review 11 proposals submitted for this
> > round of funding. [2]
> >
> > The committee has now posted our Round 1 2015-2016 recommendations on the
> > annual plan grants (APG) to the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees.
> [3]
> > The WMF Board representatives to the FDC (Denny Vrandecic, Jan-Bart de
> > Vreede and Dariusz Jemielniak) will lead the Board in its review of these
> > recommendations. The WMF Board will review the recommendations and then
> > make their decision on them before 1 January 2016.
> >
> > This round, the eleven proposals came from ten chapters and one thematic
> > organisation, totaling requests of approximately $3.8 million USD. Ten
> > affiliates were returning to the APG program, and one was a new
> applicant.
> > This round, one organisation requested a restricted grant to support one
> > particular program. All other grant requests were for general funding.
> >
> > Before we met for our face-to-face deliberations, the FDC carefully
> > reviewed all proposals and supporting documentation (e.g., budgets,
> plans,
> > strategies) in detail, aided by staff assessments and analysis on impact,
> > finances, and programs, as well as community comments on the proposals.
> The
> > committee had long and intense conversations about the proposals
> submitted
> > this round. By listening and carefully considering all available data,
> the
> > committee achieved consensus on all proposal deliberations.
> >
> > In addition to the above, the FDC has also included a recommendation
> about
> > the WMF itself to improve its own level of planning transparency and
> budget
> > detail. The WMF staff were not involved in the conception or writing of
> > this additional recommendation.
> >
> > For your reference, there is a formal process to 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Fwd: [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round 1 APG grant requests

[Itzik - Wikimedia Israel]

Sorry. Wrong list :)

- Sent from mobile
On Nov 24, 2015 10:00 AM, "Itzik - Wikimedia Israel" 
wrote:

> בוקר טוב,
>
> אני שמח לבשר שה-FDC, הוועדה האחראית על המלצות המימון לארגוני ויקימדיה
> בתנועה, המליצה להעניק מימון מלא לוויקימדיה ישראל השנה.
>
> יש הרבה מחמאות על העבודה שלנו, אך גם מעט ביקורת, שלא נעלמת מעינינו, על
> ההצעה השנה:
>
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2015-2016_round1#Wikimedia_Israel
>
> זו ההזדמנות להודות לחברי העמותה שהיו חלק מכתיבת תכנית העבודה והיעדים, חברי
> הוועד וחברות הצוות ובראשן מיכל, על העבודה הרבה והמוצלחת.
>
> תודה לכולם
>
>
>
> *Regards,Itzik Edri*
> Chairperson, Wikimedia Israel
> +972-(0)-54-5878078 | http://www.wikimedia.org.il
> Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the
> sum of all knowledge. That's our commitment!
>
>
> -- Forwarded message --
> From: matanya moses 
> Date: Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 11:55 PM
> Subject: [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round
> 1 APG grant requests
> To: wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org
>
>
> Hello Wikimedians,
>
> tl;dr: The FDC’s recommendations for this round of the APG grant requests
> have now been published at:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2015-2016_round1
>
> The Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC) meets twice a year to help make
> decisions about how to effectively allocate movement funds to achieve the
> Wikimedia movement's mission, vision, and strategy. [1] We met for four
> days last week in San Francisco to review 11 proposals submitted for this
> round of funding. [2]
>
> The committee has now posted our Round 1 2015-2016 recommendations on the
> annual plan grants (APG) to the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees. [3]
> The WMF Board representatives to the FDC (Denny Vrandecic, Jan-Bart de
> Vreede and Dariusz Jemielniak) will lead the Board in its review of these
> recommendations. The WMF Board will review the recommendations and then
> make their decision on them before 1 January 2016.
>
> This round, the eleven proposals came from ten chapters and one thematic
> organisation, totaling requests of approximately $3.8 million USD. Ten
> affiliates were returning to the APG program, and one was a new applicant.
> This round, one organisation requested a restricted grant to support one
> particular program. All other grant requests were for general funding.
>
> Before we met for our face-to-face deliberations, the FDC carefully
> reviewed all proposals and supporting documentation (e.g., budgets, plans,
> strategies) in detail, aided by staff assessments and analysis on impact,
> finances, and programs, as well as community comments on the proposals. The
> committee had long and intense conversations about the proposals submitted
> this round. By listening and carefully considering all available data, the
> committee achieved consensus on all proposal deliberations.
>
> In addition to the above, the FDC has also included a recommendation about
> the WMF itself to improve its own level of planning transparency and budget
> detail. The WMF staff were not involved in the conception or writing of
> this additional recommendation.
>
> For your reference, there is a formal process to submit appeals about
> these recommendations or complaints about the FDC process. The processes
> for both are outlined below.
>
> Any applicant that wants to appeal the FDC’s recommendation about their
> proposal this round should submit it by 23:59 UTC on 8 December 2015 in
> accordance with the appeal process outlined in the FDC Framework. A formal
> appeal to challenge the FDC’s recommendation should be in the form of a
> 500-or-fewer word summary. The appeal should be submitted on-wiki, [4] and
> must be submitted by the Board Chair of a funding-seeking applicant.
>
> Complaints about the process can be filed by anyone with the Ombudsperson,
> and can be made any time. The complaint should be submitted on wiki, as
> well. [5] The ombudsperson will publicly document the complaint, and
> investigate as needed.
>
> Please take a look at the upcoming calendar [6] to learn about other
> upcoming milestones in the APG program.
>
> Again, we offer our sincere thanks to the 11 organisations who submitted
> annual plan grant proposals to the FDC this round.
>
> On behalf of the FDC,
>
> Matanya Moses (FDC chair), User:Matanya
>
> [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG
> [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Proposals/2015-2016_round1
> [3]
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2015-2016_round1
> [4]
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Appeals_to_the_Board_on_the_recommendations_of_the_FDC
> [5]
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Complaints_about_the_FDC_process
> [6] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Calendar
>
>
>
> ___

Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round 1 APG grant requests

[Fæ]

On 24 November 2015 at 07:46, Isarra Yos  wrote:
> I had a go at simplifying:
>
>> We know spending less time on this is a problem, but we're going to try to
>> do better. In order to help with this, we'll also be looking at what's
>> happened in previous years in order to see where things fell short then,
>> comparing that to what the FDC standards say should be happening. See also
>> link.

It's a better reading, though it is also true (as Lila stated) that
this has been publicly recognized as an issue for four years, and at
this moment the WMF is "looking" and asking for suggestions rather
than getting on with making obvious improvements immediately, beyond
tweaking the planning schedule.

Brandon's description of this looking like a 'kiss off', i.e. a spin
to make this disappear for another year, seems to meet the facts of
what can be observed and measured in a non-subjective way.

Fae
-- 
fae...@gmail.com https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fae

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Free Bassel

[Andrea Zanni]

It one day that I have this reply in my Drafts...

---

On Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 6:25 PM, Samir Elsharbaty  wrote:

> Some suggestions of things we can do:
>

Use the centralnotice.

---

Gerard said it too.
I understand that this is something unprecedented, as it was the Wikipedia
"strike" for SOPA/PIPA.
I don't know how diplomacy works: but I bet everyone in the world would be
scared when Wikipedia puts something in the most visible place in the
world.
We could add a black ribbon to the logo, or use directly the CentralNotice.

I'd like to invite the Board and Lila and the whole Community to seriously
think about it.

A Wikipedian, a member of our community sentenced to death for believing in
our Mission and Vision is something extraordinary. I understand the caution
of setting a precedent, but I think it's worth it.

Also, remember: we have few days before we'll ask money again to all the
English-speaking countries.
How could we ask for money when we are not using the power that was
bestowed upon us by the very same spirit, love and courage that is
condemning Bassel to death?

Aubrey
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round 1 APG grant requests

[Asaf Bartov]

On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 1:37 AM, Fæ  wrote:

> Brandon's description of this looking like a 'kiss off', i.e. a spin
> to make this disappear for another year, seems to meet the facts of
> what can be observed and measured in a non-subjective way.
>

Yes.  I encourage everyone to judge WMF by its actions.  Talk is cheap.

   A.
-- 
Asaf Bartov
Wikimedia Foundation 

Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the
sum of all knowledge. Help us make it a reality!
https://donate.wikimedia.org
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Free Bassel

[Cristian Consonni]

2015-11-24 10:47 GMT+01:00 Andrea Zanni :
> Use the centralnotice.

[...]

> A Wikipedian, a member of our community sentenced to death for believing in
> our Mission and Vision is something extraordinary. I understand the caution
> of setting a precedent, but I think it's worth it.
>
> Also, remember: we have few days before we'll ask money again to all the
> English-speaking countries.
> How could we ask for money when we are not using the power that was
> bestowed upon us by the very same spirit, love and courage that is
> condemning Bassel to death?

I strongly support this.

As for the precedent, recall that the Wikimedia Foundation supports
the users, we did this with User:Diu in Greece:
https://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/02/14/wikimedia-foundation-supports-wikipedia-user-subject-to-defamation-lawsuit-in-greece/

This is much more than a lawsuit.

A message I do not want us to send is that if you enough force or the
threat is big enough, then we, as a movement, will be scared away.

C

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Free Bassel

[Gerard Meijssen]

Hoi,
I have started a text..
Thanks,
 GerardM

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Banner:Free_Bassel

On 24 November 2015 at 15:25, Pete Forsyth  wrote:

> +1
> Gerard, or Andrea, or anybody who knows better than myself, could you start
> a draft on Meta Wiki with a proposed text for a banner, and where it should
> link/what it should advise readers to do?
> Pete
> On Nov 24, 2015 3:13 AM, "Tito Dutta"  wrote:
>
> > Sad news. Agree with everyone here that we should do something.
> >
> > On 24 November 2015 at 16:38, Gerard Meijssen  >
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Hoi,
> > > Tomorrow we have a platform as well at the Erasmus award ceremony in
> > > Amsterdam. It is Wikipedia, its community that is receiving the award..
> > > Thanks,
> > >  GerardM
> > >
> > > On 24 November 2015 at 12:03, Cristian Consonni <
> kikkocrist...@gmail.com
> > >
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > 2015-11-24 10:47 GMT+01:00 Andrea Zanni :
> > > > > Use the centralnotice.
> > > >
> > > > [...]
> > > >
> > > > > A Wikipedian, a member of our community sentenced to death for
> > > believing
> > > > in
> > > > > our Mission and Vision is something extraordinary. I understand the
> > > > caution
> > > > > of setting a precedent, but I think it's worth it.
> > > > >
> > > > > Also, remember: we have few days before we'll ask money again to
> all
> > > the
> > > > > English-speaking countries.
> > > > > How could we ask for money when we are not using the power that was
> > > > > bestowed upon us by the very same spirit, love and courage that is
> > > > > condemning Bassel to death?
> > > >
> > > > I strongly support this.
> > > >
> > > > As for the precedent, recall that the Wikimedia Foundation supports
> > > > the users, we did this with User:Diu in Greece:
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> https://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/02/14/wikimedia-foundation-supports-wikipedia-user-subject-to-defamation-lawsuit-in-greece/
> > > >
> > > > This is much more than a lawsuit.
> > > >
> > > > A message I do not want us to send is that if you enough force or the
> > > > threat is big enough, then we, as a movement, will be scared away.
> > > >
> > > > C
> > > >
> > > > ___
> > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> > > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > > > Unsubscribe:
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> > > > 
> > > >
> > > ___
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> > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> > > 
> > >
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Free Bassel

[Gerard Meijssen]

Hoi,
Tomorrow we have a platform as well at the Erasmus award ceremony in
Amsterdam. It is Wikipedia, its community that is receiving the award..
Thanks,
 GerardM

On 24 November 2015 at 12:03, Cristian Consonni 
wrote:

> 2015-11-24 10:47 GMT+01:00 Andrea Zanni :
> > Use the centralnotice.
>
> [...]
>
> > A Wikipedian, a member of our community sentenced to death for believing
> in
> > our Mission and Vision is something extraordinary. I understand the
> caution
> > of setting a precedent, but I think it's worth it.
> >
> > Also, remember: we have few days before we'll ask money again to all the
> > English-speaking countries.
> > How could we ask for money when we are not using the power that was
> > bestowed upon us by the very same spirit, love and courage that is
> > condemning Bassel to death?
>
> I strongly support this.
>
> As for the precedent, recall that the Wikimedia Foundation supports
> the users, we did this with User:Diu in Greece:
>
> https://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/02/14/wikimedia-foundation-supports-wikipedia-user-subject-to-defamation-lawsuit-in-greece/
>
> This is much more than a lawsuit.
>
> A message I do not want us to send is that if you enough force or the
> threat is big enough, then we, as a movement, will be scared away.
>
> C
>
> ___
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> 
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Free Bassel

[Tito Dutta]

Sad news. Agree with everyone here that we should do something.

On 24 November 2015 at 16:38, Gerard Meijssen 
wrote:

> Hoi,
> Tomorrow we have a platform as well at the Erasmus award ceremony in
> Amsterdam. It is Wikipedia, its community that is receiving the award..
> Thanks,
>  GerardM
>
> On 24 November 2015 at 12:03, Cristian Consonni 
> wrote:
>
> > 2015-11-24 10:47 GMT+01:00 Andrea Zanni :
> > > Use the centralnotice.
> >
> > [...]
> >
> > > A Wikipedian, a member of our community sentenced to death for
> believing
> > in
> > > our Mission and Vision is something extraordinary. I understand the
> > caution
> > > of setting a precedent, but I think it's worth it.
> > >
> > > Also, remember: we have few days before we'll ask money again to all
> the
> > > English-speaking countries.
> > > How could we ask for money when we are not using the power that was
> > > bestowed upon us by the very same spirit, love and courage that is
> > > condemning Bassel to death?
> >
> > I strongly support this.
> >
> > As for the precedent, recall that the Wikimedia Foundation supports
> > the users, we did this with User:Diu in Greece:
> >
> >
> https://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/02/14/wikimedia-foundation-supports-wikipedia-user-subject-to-defamation-lawsuit-in-greece/
> >
> > This is much more than a lawsuit.
> >
> > A message I do not want us to send is that if you enough force or the
> > threat is big enough, then we, as a movement, will be scared away.
> >
> > C
> >
> > ___
> > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> > 
> >
> ___
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> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> 
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round 1 APG grant requests

[Craig Franklin]

Hi Lila,

I very much appreciate your prompt response, but this has been an ongoing
issue for years.  What is required now is not more going around in circles
with "consultation" and "discussions" that don't go anywhere; what is
needed is for the WMF to take action to improve the transparency of its
planning, and review its planning process so that the plans end up having a
closer relation to the actual outcomes.  The ball, as they say, is firmly
in your court.

Cheers,
Craig


On 24 November 2015 at 14:27, Lila Tretikov  wrote:

> We fully acknowledge the issue with the shortened AP review this year and
> are committed to the 30 day review going forward. Since the overall issue
> has been noted since as far back as 2012 we are doing a review of our
> process in comparison to the FDC standards to build best practices going
> forward. You can add you comments here to help guide the conversation:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User_talk:LilaTretikov_(WMF)#Annual_Plan
>
> Lila
>
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 8:09 PM, Craig Franklin  > wrote:
>
>> I likewise appreciate the strong language on the situation with the WMF;
>> the general opacity and vagueness of public budget plans (especially
>> considering the requirements for affiliate organisations in this area) is
>> something that has been widely noted on this list and elsewhere, and to my
>> mind not answered in a satisfactory way.  It is good to see a fearless FDC
>> that is prepared to "tell it as it is", and make sure that this problem is
>> receiving continued attention.
>>
>> It is my hope that the Foundation will address the issues raised here in a
>> constructive and transparent manner, rather than ignoring them or trying
>> to
>> spin them away.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Craig
>>
>> On 24 November 2015 at 12:04, Pine W  wrote:
>>
>> > Thank you FDC.
>> >
>> > Many of the small and midsized APG requests fared well in this round.
>> That
>> > is nice to see.
>> >
>> > I find it concerning that the larger the organization, the more problems
>> > the FDC  seemed to find with the org's budget and performance management
>> > practices. One would expect the larger organizations to have mature and
>> > robust practices in these areas. Regarding WMF in particular, my
>> concerns
>> > about its budget practices are well documented and I appreciate that the
>> > FDC is also taking note of the persistence of the problems. I hope that
>> WMF
>> > will get serious about its financial transpatency.
>> >
>> > A couple of questions about Wikidata:
>> >
>> > I'm confused about the funding for Wikidata. In one place the FDC says
>> that
>> > "Nonetheless, the FDC is exasperated by the inability of WMDE to to
>> > disaggregate the costs of Wikidata from other projects." and in another
>> > place the FDC says that "We have recommended a reduced amount for WMDE
>> in
>> > this round with the expectation that WMDE will not cut Wikidata or their
>> > other tech development work, but will instead find cost savings
>> elsewhere
>> > in its annual plan." If the FDC wants a disaggregated budget (which is
>> > understandable) then why is the FDC expecting WMDE to dip into its other
>> > funds and/or make cuts elsewhere in order to cover the work in this
>> > proposal that the FDC is declining to fund in this proposal? This
>> > expectation seems to be a bit of a contradiction.
>> >
>> > I'm also wondering how WMDE is able to submit a dedicated request for
>> > restricted funding for Wikidata if the Wikidata project is so integrated
>> > into WMDE's other budgets that the FDC finds the integration to be
>> > problematic. Can the FDC or our colleagues at WMDE explain this?
>> >
>> > Wikidata is a high profile project with a good reputation, and I hope
>> that
>> > the issues can be resolved soon.
>> >
>> > Thanks,
>> >
>> > Pine
>> > On Nov 23, 2015 14:09, "matanya moses"  wrote:
>> >
>> > > Hello Wikimedians,
>> > >
>> > > tl;dr: The FDC’s recommendations for this round of the APG grant
>> requests
>> > > have now been published at:
>> > >
>> >
>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2015-2016_round1
>> > >
>> > > The Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC) meets twice a year to help
>> make
>> > > decisions about how to effectively allocate movement funds to achieve
>> the
>> > > Wikimedia movement's mission, vision, and strategy. [1] We met for
>> four
>> > > days last week in San Francisco to review 11 proposals submitted for
>> this
>> > > round of funding. [2]
>> > >
>> > > The committee has now posted our Round 1 2015-2016 recommendations on
>> the
>> > > annual plan grants (APG) to the Wikimedia Foundation Board of
>> Trustees.
>> > [3]
>> > > The WMF Board representatives to the FDC (Denny Vrandecic, Jan-Bart de
>> > > Vreede and Dariusz Jemielniak) will lead the Board in its review of
>> these
>> > > recommendations. The WMF Board will review the 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] FDC recommendations for 2015-2016 Round 1 APG grant requests

[Risker]

Hello Gerard -

The recommended grant for Wikimedia Deutschland is larger than ever, and
represents a 42% increase from last year's grant.  This is a massive
increase.  Please don't confuse the fact that WMDE did not get everything
it wanted with whether or not Wikidata is underfunded.  Remember, the
request was not just for Wikidata funding, and despite many attempts by the
FDC to get precise data on the actual planned expenses for Wikidata, the
committee was not provided with this information.  While the funds provided
are restricted (in that they can only be spent on the projects WMDE applied
for), WMDE can spend the entire amount on Wikidata if it wants to.  Perhaps
that is where you might want to turn your attention.

User:Risker - FDC member

On 24 November 2015 at 04:02, Gerard Meijssen 
wrote:

> Hoi,
> So in essence one of the most relevant development project - Wikidata -
> that is arguably already underfunded will be even more underfunded and we
> have to say thank you for doing a good job? Ok.. I thank Wikimedia Germany
> for doing a stellar job. It is an acknowledged source for inspiration and I
> have been really happy in all the contacts that I have had with them over
> the years.
>
> It is not up to me to doubt the sincere efforts of the FDC but I am
> saddened that while WMF has more cash than that it can spend important work
> is curtailed .. for what? Other development projects are not treated in
> this way and a great opportunity to do even more is missed as a result.
>
> Thanks,
>  GerardM
>
> On 24 November 2015 at 03:04, Pine W  wrote:
>
> > Thank you FDC.
> >
> > Many of the small and midsized APG requests fared well in this round.
> That
> > is nice to see.
> >
> > I find it concerning that the larger the organization, the more problems
> > the FDC  seemed to find with the org's budget and performance management
> > practices. One would expect the larger organizations to have mature and
> > robust practices in these areas. Regarding WMF in particular, my concerns
> > about its budget practices are well documented and I appreciate that the
> > FDC is also taking note of the persistence of the problems. I hope that
> WMF
> > will get serious about its financial transpatency.
> >
> > A couple of questions about Wikidata:
> >
> > I'm confused about the funding for Wikidata. In one place the FDC says
> that
> > "Nonetheless, the FDC is exasperated by the inability of WMDE to to
> > disaggregate the costs of Wikidata from other projects." and in another
> > place the FDC says that "We have recommended a reduced amount for WMDE in
> > this round with the expectation that WMDE will not cut Wikidata or their
> > other tech development work, but will instead find cost savings elsewhere
> > in its annual plan." If the FDC wants a disaggregated budget (which is
> > understandable) then why is the FDC expecting WMDE to dip into its other
> > funds and/or make cuts elsewhere in order to cover the work in this
> > proposal that the FDC is declining to fund in this proposal? This
> > expectation seems to be a bit of a contradiction.
> >
> > I'm also wondering how WMDE is able to submit a dedicated request for
> > restricted funding for Wikidata if the Wikidata project is so integrated
> > into WMDE's other budgets that the FDC finds the integration to be
> > problematic. Can the FDC or our colleagues at WMDE explain this?
> >
> > Wikidata is a high profile project with a good reputation, and I hope
> that
> > the issues can be resolved soon.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Pine
> > On Nov 23, 2015 14:09, "matanya moses"  wrote:
> >
> > > Hello Wikimedians,
> > >
> > > tl;dr: The FDC’s recommendations for this round of the APG grant
> requests
> > > have now been published at:
> > >
> >
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2015-2016_round1
> > >
> > > The Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC) meets twice a year to help make
> > > decisions about how to effectively allocate movement funds to achieve
> the
> > > Wikimedia movement's mission, vision, and strategy. [1] We met for four
> > > days last week in San Francisco to review 11 proposals submitted for
> this
> > > round of funding. [2]
> > >
> > > The committee has now posted our Round 1 2015-2016 recommendations on
> the
> > > annual plan grants (APG) to the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees.
> > [3]
> > > The WMF Board representatives to the FDC (Denny Vrandecic, Jan-Bart de
> > > Vreede and Dariusz Jemielniak) will lead the Board in its review of
> these
> > > recommendations. The WMF Board will review the recommendations and then
> > > make their decision on them before 1 January 2016.
> > >
> > > This round, the eleven proposals came from ten chapters and one
> thematic
> > > organisation, totaling requests of approximately $3.8 million USD. Ten
> > > affiliates were returning to the APG program, and one was a new
> > applicant.
> > > 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Free Bassel

[Daniel Mietchen]

Yes, a CentralNotice would seem appropriate here.
Please help flesh it out at
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Banner:Free_Bassel .

Daniel

On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 3:38 PM, Gerard Meijssen
 wrote:
> Hoi,
> I have started a text..
> Thanks,
>  GerardM
>
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Banner:Free_Bassel
>
> On 24 November 2015 at 15:25, Pete Forsyth  wrote:
>
>> +1
>> Gerard, or Andrea, or anybody who knows better than myself, could you start
>> a draft on Meta Wiki with a proposed text for a banner, and where it should
>> link/what it should advise readers to do?
>> Pete
>> On Nov 24, 2015 3:13 AM, "Tito Dutta"  wrote:
>>
>> > Sad news. Agree with everyone here that we should do something.
>> >
>> > On 24 November 2015 at 16:38, Gerard Meijssen > >
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> > > Hoi,
>> > > Tomorrow we have a platform as well at the Erasmus award ceremony in
>> > > Amsterdam. It is Wikipedia, its community that is receiving the award..
>> > > Thanks,
>> > >  GerardM
>> > >
>> > > On 24 November 2015 at 12:03, Cristian Consonni <
>> kikkocrist...@gmail.com
>> > >
>> > > wrote:
>> > >
>> > > > 2015-11-24 10:47 GMT+01:00 Andrea Zanni :
>> > > > > Use the centralnotice.
>> > > >
>> > > > [...]
>> > > >
>> > > > > A Wikipedian, a member of our community sentenced to death for
>> > > believing
>> > > > in
>> > > > > our Mission and Vision is something extraordinary. I understand the
>> > > > caution
>> > > > > of setting a precedent, but I think it's worth it.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > Also, remember: we have few days before we'll ask money again to
>> all
>> > > the
>> > > > > English-speaking countries.
>> > > > > How could we ask for money when we are not using the power that was
>> > > > > bestowed upon us by the very same spirit, love and courage that is
>> > > > > condemning Bassel to death?
>> > > >
>> > > > I strongly support this.
>> > > >
>> > > > As for the precedent, recall that the Wikimedia Foundation supports
>> > > > the users, we did this with User:Diu in Greece:
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > >
>> >
>> https://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/02/14/wikimedia-foundation-supports-wikipedia-user-subject-to-defamation-lawsuit-in-greece/
>> > > >
>> > > > This is much more than a lawsuit.
>> > > >
>> > > > A message I do not want us to send is that if you enough force or the
>> > > > threat is big enough, then we, as a movement, will be scared away.
>> > > >
>> > > > C
>> > > >
>> > > > ___
>> > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
>> > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
>> > > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
>> > > > Unsubscribe:
>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
>> > > > 
>> > > >
>> > > ___
>> > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
>> > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
>> > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
>> > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
>> > > 
>> > >
>> > ___
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>> > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
>> > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
>> > 
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