date:20160225

Congratulations Katy!  So great :)

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 6:19 PM, Itzik - Wikimedia Israel <
it...@wikimedia.org.il> wrote:

> As behalf of the FDC, we demand Katy will continue to hold the FDC role in
> additional to the new rule :))
>
> Good luck Katy! indeed the right and greatest person to take this important
> role!
>
>
>
> *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!
>
>
> On Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 1:02 AM, Maggie Dennis 
> wrote:
>
> > Hello, all.
> >
> > I am delighted to announce that Katy Love has agreed to step into the
> role
> > of Director of Resources in the Community Engagement department, picking
> up
> > the baton so ably carried by Siko Bouterse before her. Katy has been with
> > the Wikimedia Foundation since January 2013, beginning as the first
> program
> > officer to work with the Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC). I’m
> grateful
> > to her for moving into this role and am looking forward to collaborating
> > with her closely in WMF’s Community Engagement department.
> >
> > We will be hiring her replacement to oversee the FDC/full annual plan
> > grants program in the weeks ahead.
> >
> > Best regards,
> >
> > Maggie
> >
> > P.S. Their page! https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Resources
> >
> > --
> > Maggie Dennis
> > Interim Sr. Director of Community Engagement
> > Director, Support and Safety
> > Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
> > ___
> > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> > 
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Katy Love to direct WMF Resources team

2016-02-25 Thread Itzik - Wikimedia Israel

As behalf of the FDC, we demand Katy will continue to hold the FDC role in
additional to the new rule :))

Good luck Katy! indeed the right and greatest person to take this important
role!



*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!


On Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 1:02 AM, Maggie Dennis 
wrote:

> Hello, all.
>
> I am delighted to announce that Katy Love has agreed to step into the role
> of Director of Resources in the Community Engagement department, picking up
> the baton so ably carried by Siko Bouterse before her. Katy has been with
> the Wikimedia Foundation since January 2013, beginning as the first program
> officer to work with the Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC). I’m grateful
> to her for moving into this role and am looking forward to collaborating
> with her closely in WMF’s Community Engagement department.
>
> We will be hiring her replacement to oversee the FDC/full annual plan
> grants program in the weeks ahead.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Maggie
>
> P.S. Their page! https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Resources
>
> --
> Maggie Dennis
> Interim Sr. Director of Community Engagement
> Director, Support and Safety
> Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
> ___
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> 
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Katy Love to direct WMF Resources team

2016-02-25 Thread attolippip

Congratulations! :)
To us all :)

Best regards,
antanana
Wikimedia Ukraine

2016-02-26 1:02 GMT+02:00 Maggie Dennis :

> Hello, all.
>
> I am delighted to announce that Katy Love has agreed to step into the role
> of Director of Resources in the Community Engagement department, picking up
> the baton so ably carried by Siko Bouterse before her. Katy has been with
> the Wikimedia Foundation since January 2013, beginning as the first program
> officer to work with the Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC). I’m grateful
> to her for moving into this role and am looking forward to collaborating
> with her closely in WMF’s Community Engagement department.
>
> We will be hiring her replacement to oversee the FDC/full annual plan
> grants program in the weeks ahead.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Maggie
>
> P.S. Their page! https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Resources
>
> --
> Maggie Dennis
> Interim Sr. Director of Community Engagement
> Director, Support and Safety
> Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
> ___
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> 
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] The right time is now!

The idea of a non-voting seat for a non C-level employee is something that
I could support.

Sydney

Sydney Poore
User:FloNight
Wikipedian in Residence
at Cochrane Collaboration

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 6:10 PM, Vi to  wrote:

> 2016-02-25 23:34 GMT+01:00 Milos Rancic :
>
> > I stopped responding to other emails because the significance of this
> > moment is so large, that we have now we didn't have since the
> > beginnings of Wikipedia.
> >
> > We've got the chance to rebuild the movement.
> >
>
> I was about to write something like this, lots of ideas are arising but I
> fear most of will be lost in confusion.
>
>
>
> > You proved to be capable. Last couple of weeks I read many insightful
> > emails from you, WMF employees -- some of them I didn't know at all. I
> > heard thoughts I've never heard before on this list. They've been born
> > in pain and you mustn't lose them.
> >
> > Now you have the opportunity to lead *the* change. You are not anymore
> > just the most organized part of the movement, you've just articulated
> > yourself as capable to make the change you want to.
> >
> >
> Working at WMF implies two kind of expectations: ...money! (Job -> salary,
> simply!) but also a lot of moral/ethical expectations. What went wrong with
> a stricter management were those expectations being frustrated. There's a
> certain turnover between the volunteers and the paid staff, which should
> never be forgot.
>
> In a future board composition I think a seat (maybe non voting) for
> employees could avoid (or at least warn against) catastrophic failures in
> management.
>
>
> Vito
> ___
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Katy Love to direct WMF Resources team

Congratulations, Katie!

Looking forward to continuing to work with you in your new role.

The FDC will miss you.!
Warm regards,
Sydney

Sydney Poore
User:FloNight
Wikipedian in Residence
at Cochrane Collaboration

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 6:02 PM, Maggie Dennis 
wrote:

> Hello, all.
>
> I am delighted to announce that Katy Love has agreed to step into the role
> of Director of Resources in the Community Engagement department, picking up
> the baton so ably carried by Siko Bouterse before her. Katy has been with
> the Wikimedia Foundation since January 2013, beginning as the first program
> officer to work with the Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC). I’m grateful
> to her for moving into this role and am looking forward to collaborating
> with her closely in WMF’s Community Engagement department.
>
> We will be hiring her replacement to oversee the FDC/full annual plan
> grants program in the weeks ahead.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Maggie
>
> P.S. Their page! https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Resources
>
> --
> Maggie Dennis
> Interim Sr. Director of Community Engagement
> Director, Support and Safety
> Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
> ___
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> 
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Katy Love to direct WMF Resources team

2016-02-25 Thread James Alexander

Congrats Katy, the perfect choice :)

James Alexander
Manager
Trust & Safety
Wikimedia Foundation
(415) 839-6885 x6716 @jamesofur

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 3:04 PM, Philippe Beaudette 
wrote:

> Congrats to Katy. She will be an excellent person for this role.
>
> On Thursday, February 25, 2016, Maggie Dennis 
> wrote:
>
> > Hello, all.
> >
> > I am delighted to announce that Katy Love has agreed to step into the
> role
> > of Director of Resources in the Community Engagement department, picking
> up
> > the baton so ably carried by Siko Bouterse before her. Katy has been with
> > the Wikimedia Foundation since January 2013, beginning as the first
> program
> > officer to work with the Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC). I’m
> grateful
> > to her for moving into this role and am looking forward to collaborating
> > with her closely in WMF’s Community Engagement department.
> >
> > We will be hiring her replacement to oversee the FDC/full annual plan
> > grants program in the weeks ahead.
> >
> > Best regards,
> >
> > Maggie
> >
> > P.S. Their page! https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Resources
> >
> > --
> > Maggie Dennis
> > Interim Sr. Director of Community Engagement
> > Director, Support and Safety
> > Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
> > ___
> > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org 
> > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> >  > ?subject=unsubscribe>
>
>
>
> --
>
>
> Philippe Beaudette
>
> phili...@beaudette.me
> 415-275-1424
> ___
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> 
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Katy Love to direct WMF Resources team

2016-02-25 Thread Risker

Congratulations, Katy!  It's been a pleasure working with you on the FDC
for the last two years, and I will look forward to continuing to work with
you in your new role.

Risker/Anne

On 25 February 2016 at 18:04, Philippe Beaudette 
wrote:

> Congrats to Katy. She will be an excellent person for this role.
>
> On Thursday, February 25, 2016, Maggie Dennis 
> wrote:
>
> > Hello, all.
> >
> > I am delighted to announce that Katy Love has agreed to step into the
> role
> > of Director of Resources in the Community Engagement department, picking
> up
> > the baton so ably carried by Siko Bouterse before her. Katy has been with
> > the Wikimedia Foundation since January 2013, beginning as the first
> program
> > officer to work with the Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC). I’m
> grateful
> > to her for moving into this role and am looking forward to collaborating
> > with her closely in WMF’s Community Engagement department.
> >
> > We will be hiring her replacement to oversee the FDC/full annual plan
> > grants program in the weeks ahead.
> >
> > Best regards,
> >
> > Maggie
> >
> > P.S. Their page! https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Resources
> >
> > --
> > Maggie Dennis
> > Interim Sr. Director of Community Engagement
> > Director, Support and Safety
> > Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
> > ___
> > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org 
> > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> >  > ?subject=unsubscribe>
>
>
>
> --
>
>
> Philippe Beaudette
>
> phili...@beaudette.me
> 415-275-1424
> ___
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>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] The right time is now!

2016-02-25 Thread Vi to

2016-02-25 23:34 GMT+01:00 Milos Rancic :

> I stopped responding to other emails because the significance of this
> moment is so large, that we have now we didn't have since the
> beginnings of Wikipedia.
>
> We've got the chance to rebuild the movement.
>

I was about to write something like this, lots of ideas are arising but I
fear most of will be lost in confusion.



> You proved to be capable. Last couple of weeks I read many insightful
> emails from you, WMF employees -- some of them I didn't know at all. I
> heard thoughts I've never heard before on this list. They've been born
> in pain and you mustn't lose them.
>
> Now you have the opportunity to lead *the* change. You are not anymore
> just the most organized part of the movement, you've just articulated
> yourself as capable to make the change you want to.
>
>
Working at WMF implies two kind of expectations: ...money! (Job -> salary,
simply!) but also a lot of moral/ethical expectations. What went wrong with
a stricter management were those expectations being frustrated. There's a
certain turnover between the volunteers and the paid staff, which should
never be forgot.

In a future board composition I think a seat (maybe non voting) for
employees could avoid (or at least warn against) catastrophic failures in
management.


Vito
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Are we too rigid?

2016-02-25 Thread Quim Gil

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 11:04 PM, Guillaume Paumier 
wrote:

> Putting the Business case documents on the private staff wiki was the
> first step
> in my effort to rescue the process from the walled Google Docs abyss,
> where the
> documents got lost after senior staff (who initiated the process) left the
> WMF. I
> like the framework and was hoping to make it used more widely at the
> Foundation over time.
>

I also like that framework. At least for software projects, it could be
plugged in the Product development process, see
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/WMF_product_development_process#Plan &
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T125809

Also related with this and other discussions held these days in this list:

Proposal: any WMF software project willing to be prioritized requires a
concept publicly available
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T118231

and its counterpart

Define good practices to start working on project concepts privately
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T123611

-- 
Quim Gil
Engineering Community Manager @ Wikimedia Foundation
http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/User:Qgil
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] The right time is now!

2016-02-25 Thread Philippe Beaudette

This is an exceptionally well said statement by Millosh. Frankly,
shortening it would probably have lessened the impact of it. So
respectfully I disagree with my friend Mard. :)

On Thursday, February 25, 2016, Dan Andreescu 
wrote:

> Milos's subject line is a good tl;dr; though : )
>
> On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 5:49 PM, Mardetanha  >
> wrote:
>
> > first revolutionary action would be to force millosh to write shorter and
> > more concise emails
> >
> > Mardetanha
> >
> > On Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 2:14 AM, Dan Andreescu  >
> > wrote:
> >
> > > I agree, Milos, this is one hell of a moment.  I will treat this moment
> > > with the utmost respect.
> > >
> > > I also love that we have made this connection, on this list, on
> Facebook,
> > > on the wikis, with some great community members.  You're right, we
> should
> > > cherish this.
> > >
> > > On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 5:34 PM, Milos Rancic  > wrote:
> > >
> > > > I stopped responding to other emails because the significance of this
> > > > moment is so large, that we have now we didn't have since the
> > > > beginnings of Wikipedia.
> > > >
> > > > We've got the chance to rebuild the movement.
> > > >
> > > > I don't want to talk about the past, I don't want to write about what
> > > > I think about particular ongoing events, I don't want to think about
> > > > anything else and I urge on all of you to do the same.
> > > >
> > > > Just one small part of the movement -- those personally involved --
> > > > see this moment emotionally and could feel the significance of the
> > > > moment. The most of the movement, including myself, didn't
> participate
> > > > emotionally and I understand why they could have troubles to get the
> > > > perspective.
> > > >
> > > > As mentioned before, for the first time in the decade, we have Board
> > > > members discussing the issues with us honestly. But that's just one
> > > > part of the story.
> > > >
> > > > The other part, even more significant, is exactly that emotional,
> > > > cathartic process lived during the past year by that small part of
> the
> > > > movement, WMF staff.
> > > >
> > > > As I said above, I don't want to talk about my particular position
> > > > regarding those events, as they are irrelevant. The relevant part is
> > > > their experience, their cohesion, their contemplation of various
> > > > issues related to themselves, their colleagues and the movement;
> their
> > > > will to succeed and, eventually, their success.
> > > >
> > > > That changes a lot! We've finally got visible another stakeholder
> > > > inside of our movement, stakeholder capable to do things nobody else
> > > > inside of the movement can. That also gives them much more
> > > > responsibility than they had earlier. It's not anymore just about
> > > > their dream jobs, but also about the fate of our movement.
> > > >
> > > > You proved to be capable. Last couple of weeks I read many insightful
> > > > emails from you, WMF employees -- some of them I didn't know at all.
> I
> > > > heard thoughts I've never heard before on this list. They've been
> born
> > > > in pain and you mustn't lose them.
> > > >
> > > > Now you have the opportunity to lead *the* change. You are not
> anymore
> > > > just the most organized part of the movement, you've just articulated
> > > > yourself as capable to make the change you want to.
> > > >
> > > > You have the means, the organizational infrastructure, not the Board,
> > > > which is working properly just under pressure, not C-level
> management,
> > > > which is struggling to find the way between dysfunctional Board and
> > > > reality. It's about you, engineers, analysts, managers, designers,
> > > > scientists, researchers, advocates, liaisons etc. You've already
> > > > changed your culture, it's now your turn to help others to change the
> > > > movement culture!
> > > >
> > > > You win your own revolution. It's now time for you to help the rest
> of
> > > > us in your and our common revolution.
> > > >
> > > > I imagine one democratic Wikimedia movement, based on solidarity,
> > > > common values and common culture. I imagine all of us have the same
> > > > goals and help each other to achieve them. I imagine us as the seed
> > > > for the future United Federations of Planets (and, yes, when I come
> to
> > > > San Francisco, I want you to show me Starfleet Command!).
> > > >
> > > > So, please, go back to your revolutionary cells, create your vision
> of
> > > > our movement while listening the input of the rest of us, present it
> > > > to us on Meta, lead the discussion, lead the revolution! You've shown
> > > > that you are capable to do that.
> > > >
> > > > The right time to do that is now! Please, don't miss this
> > > > once-in-lifetime opportunity!
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Milos
> > > >
> > > > ___
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> > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> > > > New messages to:

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Reducing the net cost of Wikimania

2016-02-25 Thread David Goodman

Agreeing with Rich:

We actually have funds available for one international meting a year, plus
one in each region, and to give scholarships  covering the full cost to
every committed WPedian who asks for them. ( On the whole I think most
people would,  from any region, thou some might not ask for anything beyond
international  transportation) . It would be different if we were barely
making ends meet.

But tha last few years has shown that we have been obtaining each year
 more money than we can usefully spend, and even if we were to devote  half
the surplus into an endowment, there is still many millions remaining. The
one thing we should not do with it is expand the WMF paid staff.
(The only other practical use for the money is to expand access to paid
resources)

On Fri, Feb 19, 2016 at 2:15 PM, Richard Farmbrough <
rich...@farmbrough.co.uk> wrote:

> It's all very well to assume that certain demographics are wealthy. But it
> is simply a stereotype. Wikipedians I know personally from the "privileged"
> demographics vary from those who are well off through to those who are
> saddled with substantial debt and zero income.
>
> But really the question is, given the funds available, and the benefits
> that accrue, why there should be such a limited WMF spend on Wikimania
> (and/or other gatherings).   It is one of the few discretionary spends that
> we know from stories like Doc James' has a huge impact.
>
> On 10/02/2016 16:27, Béria Lima wrote:
>
>> And I for one agree with the new policy. The effort made by a European
>> (or American, or Canadian) to travel to a Wikimania, is something like one
>> month of salary. For a woman from the same place will probably be 2 months
>> (pay gap at its finest!) and for a Latino, African, or Asiatic the effort
>> starts at 6 months and go on to even a decade*[4]* (A full decade of your
>> salary to go to Wikimania).
>>
>
>
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-- 
David Goodman

DGG at the enWP
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:DGG
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:DGG
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Katy Love to direct WMF Resources team

2016-02-25 Thread Philippe Beaudette

Congrats to Katy. She will be an excellent person for this role.

On Thursday, February 25, 2016, Maggie Dennis  wrote:

> Hello, all.
>
> I am delighted to announce that Katy Love has agreed to step into the role
> of Director of Resources in the Community Engagement department, picking up
> the baton so ably carried by Siko Bouterse before her. Katy has been with
> the Wikimedia Foundation since January 2013, beginning as the first program
> officer to work with the Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC). I’m grateful
> to her for moving into this role and am looking forward to collaborating
> with her closely in WMF’s Community Engagement department.
>
> We will be hiring her replacement to oversee the FDC/full annual plan
> grants program in the weeks ahead.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Maggie
>
> P.S. Their page! https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Resources
>
> --
> Maggie Dennis
> Interim Sr. Director of Community Engagement
> Director, Support and Safety
> Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
> ___
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
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-- 


Philippe Beaudette

phili...@beaudette.me
415-275-1424
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[Wikimedia-l] organize please; paying the best long term editors

2016-02-25 Thread James Salsman

At this juncture, I would like to repeat my recommendation that
Foundation employees to immediately join the Union for Non-Profit
Workers, IFPTE Local 70:

 http://ifptelocal70.org/home/

Furthermore, the discussion concerning innovative ways to fund the
best long term editors through, for example, a new spin-off foundation
other than the WikiEd Foundation or something like http://arowf.org/
was supposed to be, gives me hope that there is an easier solution
than paying the best editors merely for accuracy review. However, I
don't think the donation pool would do a better job. Having said that,
I want to encourage additional brainstorming along those lines.

What if there was a spin-off Foundation with a mission to identify and
pay bonuses to the best long term editors?

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[Wikimedia-l] Katy Love to direct WMF Resources team

2016-02-25 Thread Maggie Dennis

Hello, all.

I am delighted to announce that Katy Love has agreed to step into the role
of Director of Resources in the Community Engagement department, picking up
the baton so ably carried by Siko Bouterse before her. Katy has been with
the Wikimedia Foundation since January 2013, beginning as the first program
officer to work with the Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC). I’m grateful
to her for moving into this role and am looking forward to collaborating
with her closely in WMF’s Community Engagement department.

We will be hiring her replacement to oversee the FDC/full annual plan
grants program in the weeks ahead.

Best regards,

Maggie

P.S. Their page! https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Resources

-- 
Maggie Dennis
Interim Sr. Director of Community Engagement
Director, Support and Safety
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] The right time is now!

Milos's subject line is a good tl;dr; though : )

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 5:49 PM, Mardetanha 
wrote:

> first revolutionary action would be to force millosh to write shorter and
> more concise emails
>
> Mardetanha
>
> On Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 2:14 AM, Dan Andreescu 
> wrote:
>
> > I agree, Milos, this is one hell of a moment.  I will treat this moment
> > with the utmost respect.
> >
> > I also love that we have made this connection, on this list, on Facebook,
> > on the wikis, with some great community members.  You're right, we should
> > cherish this.
> >
> > On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 5:34 PM, Milos Rancic  wrote:
> >
> > > I stopped responding to other emails because the significance of this
> > > moment is so large, that we have now we didn't have since the
> > > beginnings of Wikipedia.
> > >
> > > We've got the chance to rebuild the movement.
> > >
> > > I don't want to talk about the past, I don't want to write about what
> > > I think about particular ongoing events, I don't want to think about
> > > anything else and I urge on all of you to do the same.
> > >
> > > Just one small part of the movement -- those personally involved --
> > > see this moment emotionally and could feel the significance of the
> > > moment. The most of the movement, including myself, didn't participate
> > > emotionally and I understand why they could have troubles to get the
> > > perspective.
> > >
> > > As mentioned before, for the first time in the decade, we have Board
> > > members discussing the issues with us honestly. But that's just one
> > > part of the story.
> > >
> > > The other part, even more significant, is exactly that emotional,
> > > cathartic process lived during the past year by that small part of the
> > > movement, WMF staff.
> > >
> > > As I said above, I don't want to talk about my particular position
> > > regarding those events, as they are irrelevant. The relevant part is
> > > their experience, their cohesion, their contemplation of various
> > > issues related to themselves, their colleagues and the movement; their
> > > will to succeed and, eventually, their success.
> > >
> > > That changes a lot! We've finally got visible another stakeholder
> > > inside of our movement, stakeholder capable to do things nobody else
> > > inside of the movement can. That also gives them much more
> > > responsibility than they had earlier. It's not anymore just about
> > > their dream jobs, but also about the fate of our movement.
> > >
> > > You proved to be capable. Last couple of weeks I read many insightful
> > > emails from you, WMF employees -- some of them I didn't know at all. I
> > > heard thoughts I've never heard before on this list. They've been born
> > > in pain and you mustn't lose them.
> > >
> > > Now you have the opportunity to lead *the* change. You are not anymore
> > > just the most organized part of the movement, you've just articulated
> > > yourself as capable to make the change you want to.
> > >
> > > You have the means, the organizational infrastructure, not the Board,
> > > which is working properly just under pressure, not C-level management,
> > > which is struggling to find the way between dysfunctional Board and
> > > reality. It's about you, engineers, analysts, managers, designers,
> > > scientists, researchers, advocates, liaisons etc. You've already
> > > changed your culture, it's now your turn to help others to change the
> > > movement culture!
> > >
> > > You win your own revolution. It's now time for you to help the rest of
> > > us in your and our common revolution.
> > >
> > > I imagine one democratic Wikimedia movement, based on solidarity,
> > > common values and common culture. I imagine all of us have the same
> > > goals and help each other to achieve them. I imagine us as the seed
> > > for the future United Federations of Planets (and, yes, when I come to
> > > San Francisco, I want you to show me Starfleet Command!).
> > >
> > > So, please, go back to your revolutionary cells, create your vision of
> > > our movement while listening the input of the rest of us, present it
> > > to us on Meta, lead the discussion, lead the revolution! You've shown
> > > that you are capable to do that.
> > >
> > > The right time to do that is now! Please, don't miss this
> > > once-in-lifetime opportunity!
> > >
> > > --
> > > Milos
> > >
> > > ___
> > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> > > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> > > 
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] The right time is now!

2016-02-25 Thread Mardetanha

first revolutionary action would be to force millosh to write shorter and
more concise emails

Mardetanha

On Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 2:14 AM, Dan Andreescu 
wrote:

> I agree, Milos, this is one hell of a moment.  I will treat this moment
> with the utmost respect.
>
> I also love that we have made this connection, on this list, on Facebook,
> on the wikis, with some great community members.  You're right, we should
> cherish this.
>
> On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 5:34 PM, Milos Rancic  wrote:
>
> > I stopped responding to other emails because the significance of this
> > moment is so large, that we have now we didn't have since the
> > beginnings of Wikipedia.
> >
> > We've got the chance to rebuild the movement.
> >
> > I don't want to talk about the past, I don't want to write about what
> > I think about particular ongoing events, I don't want to think about
> > anything else and I urge on all of you to do the same.
> >
> > Just one small part of the movement -- those personally involved --
> > see this moment emotionally and could feel the significance of the
> > moment. The most of the movement, including myself, didn't participate
> > emotionally and I understand why they could have troubles to get the
> > perspective.
> >
> > As mentioned before, for the first time in the decade, we have Board
> > members discussing the issues with us honestly. But that's just one
> > part of the story.
> >
> > The other part, even more significant, is exactly that emotional,
> > cathartic process lived during the past year by that small part of the
> > movement, WMF staff.
> >
> > As I said above, I don't want to talk about my particular position
> > regarding those events, as they are irrelevant. The relevant part is
> > their experience, their cohesion, their contemplation of various
> > issues related to themselves, their colleagues and the movement; their
> > will to succeed and, eventually, their success.
> >
> > That changes a lot! We've finally got visible another stakeholder
> > inside of our movement, stakeholder capable to do things nobody else
> > inside of the movement can. That also gives them much more
> > responsibility than they had earlier. It's not anymore just about
> > their dream jobs, but also about the fate of our movement.
> >
> > You proved to be capable. Last couple of weeks I read many insightful
> > emails from you, WMF employees -- some of them I didn't know at all. I
> > heard thoughts I've never heard before on this list. They've been born
> > in pain and you mustn't lose them.
> >
> > Now you have the opportunity to lead *the* change. You are not anymore
> > just the most organized part of the movement, you've just articulated
> > yourself as capable to make the change you want to.
> >
> > You have the means, the organizational infrastructure, not the Board,
> > which is working properly just under pressure, not C-level management,
> > which is struggling to find the way between dysfunctional Board and
> > reality. It's about you, engineers, analysts, managers, designers,
> > scientists, researchers, advocates, liaisons etc. You've already
> > changed your culture, it's now your turn to help others to change the
> > movement culture!
> >
> > You win your own revolution. It's now time for you to help the rest of
> > us in your and our common revolution.
> >
> > I imagine one democratic Wikimedia movement, based on solidarity,
> > common values and common culture. I imagine all of us have the same
> > goals and help each other to achieve them. I imagine us as the seed
> > for the future United Federations of Planets (and, yes, when I come to
> > San Francisco, I want you to show me Starfleet Command!).
> >
> > So, please, go back to your revolutionary cells, create your vision of
> > our movement while listening the input of the rest of us, present it
> > to us on Meta, lead the discussion, lead the revolution! You've shown
> > that you are capable to do that.
> >
> > The right time to do that is now! Please, don't miss this
> > once-in-lifetime opportunity!
> >
> > --
> > Milos
> >
> > ___
> > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> > 
> ___
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> 
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] The right time is now!

I agree, Milos, this is one hell of a moment.  I will treat this moment
with the utmost respect.

I also love that we have made this connection, on this list, on Facebook,
on the wikis, with some great community members.  You're right, we should
cherish this.

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 5:34 PM, Milos Rancic  wrote:

> I stopped responding to other emails because the significance of this
> moment is so large, that we have now we didn't have since the
> beginnings of Wikipedia.
>
> We've got the chance to rebuild the movement.
>
> I don't want to talk about the past, I don't want to write about what
> I think about particular ongoing events, I don't want to think about
> anything else and I urge on all of you to do the same.
>
> Just one small part of the movement -- those personally involved --
> see this moment emotionally and could feel the significance of the
> moment. The most of the movement, including myself, didn't participate
> emotionally and I understand why they could have troubles to get the
> perspective.
>
> As mentioned before, for the first time in the decade, we have Board
> members discussing the issues with us honestly. But that's just one
> part of the story.
>
> The other part, even more significant, is exactly that emotional,
> cathartic process lived during the past year by that small part of the
> movement, WMF staff.
>
> As I said above, I don't want to talk about my particular position
> regarding those events, as they are irrelevant. The relevant part is
> their experience, their cohesion, their contemplation of various
> issues related to themselves, their colleagues and the movement; their
> will to succeed and, eventually, their success.
>
> That changes a lot! We've finally got visible another stakeholder
> inside of our movement, stakeholder capable to do things nobody else
> inside of the movement can. That also gives them much more
> responsibility than they had earlier. It's not anymore just about
> their dream jobs, but also about the fate of our movement.
>
> You proved to be capable. Last couple of weeks I read many insightful
> emails from you, WMF employees -- some of them I didn't know at all. I
> heard thoughts I've never heard before on this list. They've been born
> in pain and you mustn't lose them.
>
> Now you have the opportunity to lead *the* change. You are not anymore
> just the most organized part of the movement, you've just articulated
> yourself as capable to make the change you want to.
>
> You have the means, the organizational infrastructure, not the Board,
> which is working properly just under pressure, not C-level management,
> which is struggling to find the way between dysfunctional Board and
> reality. It's about you, engineers, analysts, managers, designers,
> scientists, researchers, advocates, liaisons etc. You've already
> changed your culture, it's now your turn to help others to change the
> movement culture!
>
> You win your own revolution. It's now time for you to help the rest of
> us in your and our common revolution.
>
> I imagine one democratic Wikimedia movement, based on solidarity,
> common values and common culture. I imagine all of us have the same
> goals and help each other to achieve them. I imagine us as the seed
> for the future United Federations of Planets (and, yes, when I come to
> San Francisco, I want you to show me Starfleet Command!).
>
> So, please, go back to your revolutionary cells, create your vision of
> our movement while listening the input of the rest of us, present it
> to us on Meta, lead the discussion, lead the revolution! You've shown
> that you are capable to do that.
>
> The right time to do that is now! Please, don't miss this
> once-in-lifetime opportunity!
>
> --
> Milos
>
> ___
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> 
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[Wikimedia-l] The right time is now!

I stopped responding to other emails because the significance of this
moment is so large, that we have now we didn't have since the
beginnings of Wikipedia.

We've got the chance to rebuild the movement.

I don't want to talk about the past, I don't want to write about what
I think about particular ongoing events, I don't want to think about
anything else and I urge on all of you to do the same.

Just one small part of the movement -- those personally involved --
see this moment emotionally and could feel the significance of the
moment. The most of the movement, including myself, didn't participate
emotionally and I understand why they could have troubles to get the
perspective.

As mentioned before, for the first time in the decade, we have Board
members discussing the issues with us honestly. But that's just one
part of the story.

The other part, even more significant, is exactly that emotional,
cathartic process lived during the past year by that small part of the
movement, WMF staff.

As I said above, I don't want to talk about my particular position
regarding those events, as they are irrelevant. The relevant part is
their experience, their cohesion, their contemplation of various
issues related to themselves, their colleagues and the movement; their
will to succeed and, eventually, their success.

That changes a lot! We've finally got visible another stakeholder
inside of our movement, stakeholder capable to do things nobody else
inside of the movement can. That also gives them much more
responsibility than they had earlier. It's not anymore just about
their dream jobs, but also about the fate of our movement.

You proved to be capable. Last couple of weeks I read many insightful
emails from you, WMF employees -- some of them I didn't know at all. I
heard thoughts I've never heard before on this list. They've been born
in pain and you mustn't lose them.

Now you have the opportunity to lead *the* change. You are not anymore
just the most organized part of the movement, you've just articulated
yourself as capable to make the change you want to.

You have the means, the organizational infrastructure, not the Board,
which is working properly just under pressure, not C-level management,
which is struggling to find the way between dysfunctional Board and
reality. It's about you, engineers, analysts, managers, designers,
scientists, researchers, advocates, liaisons etc. You've already
changed your culture, it's now your turn to help others to change the
movement culture!

You win your own revolution. It's now time for you to help the rest of
us in your and our common revolution.

I imagine one democratic Wikimedia movement, based on solidarity,
common values and common culture. I imagine all of us have the same
goals and help each other to achieve them. I imagine us as the seed
for the future United Federations of Planets (and, yes, when I come to
San Francisco, I want you to show me Starfleet Command!).

So, please, go back to your revolutionary cells, create your vision of
our movement while listening the input of the rest of us, present it
to us on Meta, lead the discussion, lead the revolution! You've shown
that you are capable to do that.

The right time to do that is now! Please, don't miss this
once-in-lifetime opportunity!

-- 
Milos

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Recognition of Basque Wikimedians User Group

2016-02-25 Thread Alex Wang

Congrats and welcome! Excited to learn more about this group.

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 1:22 PM, Sam Klein  wrote:

> Wonderful, and welcome to you all.
>
> On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 3:36 PM,  wrote:
>
> > zorionak!!!
> >
> > Great news!
> >
> > Mobile sent
> >
> > El 25 febr 2016, a les 19:19, Carlos M. Colina 
> > va escriure:
> > > Dear all,
> > >
> > > I am honoured to announce, on behalf of the Affiliations Committee, the
> > recognition of the newest affiliate in Europe: Basque Wikimedians User
> > Group [1]
> > >
> > > This new group is formed by wikimedians interested in promoting the
> > different Wikimedia projects in the Basque Country, and especially the
> > projects in Euskera, increasing the users' participation in them as well
> as
> > reaching out to cultural and educational organizations both in France and
> > Spain related to the Basque Country.
> > >
> > > Ongi etorri!!
> > >
> > >
> > > 1: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Basque_Wikimedians_User_Group
> > > --
> > > "*Jülüjain wane mmakat* ein kapülain tü alijunakalirua jee
> wayuukanairua
> > junain ekerolaa alümüin supüshuwayale etijaanaka. Ayatashi waya junain."
> > > Carlos M. Colina
> > > Socio, A.C. Wikimedia Venezuela | RIF J-40129321-2 |
> > www.wikimedia.org.ve 
> > > Member, Wikimedia Foundation Affiliations Committee
> > > Phone: +972-52-4869915
> > > Twitter: @maor_x
> > > ___
> > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> > > New messages to: 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
> > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> > 
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Samuel Klein  @metasj  w:user:sj  +1 617 529 4266
> ___
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> 
>



-- 
Alexandra Wang
Program Officer
Project & Event Grants
Wikimedia Foundation 
+1 415-839-6885
Skype: alexvwang
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Are we too rigid?

2016-02-25 Thread Guillaume Paumier

Hello,

Le jeudi 25 février 2016, 02:06:38 Yuri Astrakhan a écrit :
> Guillaume, the idea may come from anywhere, shouldn't we post the process
> on meta? Or is this WMF specific, e.g. "I want my favorite cereal in the
> cafeteria" proposal? :)

This is what I wrote in the introduction of the Business case page:

-
A business case is a document that provides the rationale for making a change 
or starting a project. It defines an observed problem and argues the merits of 
a proposed solution.

A case may be created for a small change ("Every WMF employee must wear green 
clothes on the third Friday of the month") or a large project ("The WMF should 
create a freely-licensed YouTube"). They provide a useful framework for 
organizing one's thinking and convincing others.
-

Putting the Business case documents on the private staff wiki was the first 
step 
in my effort to rescue the process from the walled Google Docs abyss, where the 
documents got lost after senior staff (who initiated the process) left the WMF. 
I 
like the framework and was hoping to make it used more widely at the 
Foundation over time.

I agree that Meta-Wiki would be a better place in principle. I am slightly 
worried that moving the process there might lead some employees to revert to 
Google Docs for their ideas and drafts*, whereas they could be convinced to use 
the process if it was on the staff wiki (which would still be an improvement).

On the other hand, if the upside is that the tool is useful to, and used by, 
volunteers, that may be a good enough reason to move the pages to Meta. It 
could set an example for staff to follow. I'm happy to move the pages if people 
think it's a good idea.

[*] I refuse to use the word "ideation".

-- 
Guillaume Paumier
Wikimedia Foundation
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Guillaume_(WMF)

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Executive transition planning

2016-02-25 Thread Erik Moeller

2016-02-25 12:19 GMT-08:00 Gayle Karen Young :
> I know this isn't easy - not on the Board, not on the senior staff, not on
> the staff, and not on Lila.
> I'm so sorry and sad for all of us where this has come to, and there is an
> enormous amount of goodwill and skill in supporting the board in moving
> forward and doing the thorough planning it needs to do from this point
> onward.

Well said, Gayle, and best wishes in the journey ahead, both for WMF
and the movement, and for Lila. I'll go back to lurking for a bit, but
may chime in on some of the topics that have been raised in some of
the very constructive side conversations.

Warmly,

Erik

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Recognition of Basque Wikimedians User Group

2016-02-25 Thread Sam Klein

Wonderful, and welcome to you all.

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 3:36 PM,  wrote:

> zorionak!!!
>
> Great news!
>
> Mobile sent
>
> El 25 febr 2016, a les 19:19, Carlos M. Colina 
> va escriure:
> > Dear all,
> >
> > I am honoured to announce, on behalf of the Affiliations Committee, the
> recognition of the newest affiliate in Europe: Basque Wikimedians User
> Group [1]
> >
> > This new group is formed by wikimedians interested in promoting the
> different Wikimedia projects in the Basque Country, and especially the
> projects in Euskera, increasing the users' participation in them as well as
> reaching out to cultural and educational organizations both in France and
> Spain related to the Basque Country.
> >
> > Ongi etorri!!
> >
> >
> > 1: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Basque_Wikimedians_User_Group
> > --
> > "*Jülüjain wane mmakat* ein kapülain tü alijunakalirua jee wayuukanairua
> junain ekerolaa alümüin supüshuwayale etijaanaka. Ayatashi waya junain."
> > Carlos M. Colina
> > Socio, A.C. Wikimedia Venezuela | RIF J-40129321-2 |
> www.wikimedia.org.ve 
> > Member, Wikimedia Foundation Affiliations Committee
> > Phone: +972-52-4869915
> > Twitter: @maor_x
> > ___
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-- 
Samuel Klein  @metasj  w:user:sj  +1 617 529 4266
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Executive transition planning

2016-02-25 Thread Denny Vrandecic

I wanted to explicitly state that a number of us are reading intensively
many of the ideas suggested in a diversity of channels, including this
mailing list.

We are hearing you.

We cannot reply to all of them, as we simply lack the bandwidth. But we are
listening.

Thank you for your passion.



On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 12:19 PM, Gayle Karen Young 
wrote:

> I know this isn't easy - not on the Board, not on the senior staff, not on
> the staff, and not on Lila.
> I'm so sorry and sad for all of us where this has come to, and there is an
> enormous amount of goodwill and skill in supporting the board in moving
> forward and doing the thorough planning it needs to do from this point
> onward.
>
> Wishing you well always,
> Gayle
>
>
> On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 12:14 PM, Sydney Poore 
> wrote:
>
> > Patricio, thanks for the update.
> >
> > I appreciate you and Lila informing the wikimedia movement now, before
> all
> > of the details of the transition plan are complete.
> >
> > As the BoT works on a transition strategy and plans for hiring a new ED,
> > perhaps a member of the Board can take on the role of Chief Communicator.
> >
> > Understandably, it is not always easy to know when to make announcements
> > and updates to the wikimedia movement especially when plans are
> incomplete.
> >
> > At this moment in time, a good communication strategy that keeps everyone
> > regularly informed will help build a stronger bond between the WMF Board
> > and the rest of wikimedia movement.
> >
> > My thoughts are with you and the rest of the Board as you work through
> this
> > situation.
> >
> > Warm regards,
> > Sydney
> >
> >
> > Sydney Poore
> > User:FloNight
> > Wikipedian in Residence
> > at Cochrane Collaboration
> >
> > On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 1:50 PM, Patricio Lorente <
> > patricio.lore...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Dear friends,
> > >
> > > This week, the Board of Trustees accepted Lila’s resignation. Her last
> > day
> > > will be  March 31, 2016.
> > >
> > > I would like to thank Lila for her efforts over these past two years,
> and
> > > her passion for our shared mission. Together, we wish her the best in
> her
> > > future endeavors and accomplishments.
> > >
> > > The Board of Trustees is meeting regularly to determine next steps. Our
> > > top priority is to develop a clear transition plan that seeks to build
> > > confidence with community and staff, appoint interim leadership, and
> > begin
> > > the search for a new Executive Director. We will continue working
> closely
> > > together over the coming days, and will share an update next week.
> > >
> > > This work will require extensive collaboration by the Board over the
> next
> > > few weeks. Although we know you’ll have questions, it is likely we’ll
> be
> > > very focused on planning the next steps. We appreciate your patience
> and
> > > understanding during this time.
> > >
> > > Patricio
> > >
> > > TRANSLATION NOTE: This message is also posted on Meta at the Board
> > > Noticeboard for for translation. You can find it here:
> > >
> >
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/25_February_2016_-_Executive_transition_planning
> > > --
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ___
> > > Please note: all replies sent to this mailing list will be immediately
> > > directed to Wikimedia-l, the public mailing list of the Wikimedia
> > > community. For more information about Wikimedia-l:
> > > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l
> > > ___
> > > WikimediaAnnounce-l mailing list
> > > wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org
> > > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaannounce-l
> > >
> > >
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> >
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[Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Executive transition planning

2016-02-25 Thread ido ivri

>
>
> I know this isn't easy - not on the Board, not on the senior staff, not on
> the staff, and not on Lila.
> I'm so sorry and sad for all of us where this has come to, and there is an
> enormous amount of goodwill and skill in supporting the board in moving
> forward and doing the thorough planning it needs to do from this point
> onward.
>
> Wishing you well always,
> Gayle
>

Well said, Gayle.

All the best,

Ido
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

2016-02-25 Thread Jimmy Wales

On 2/25/16 1:08 PM, Milos Rancic wrote:
> And the first part, as it wasn't well formatted initially: There is
> specific Board culture, transferred from generation to generation of
> Board members.  The culture of siege, where the community is the
> archenemy.

As the longest standing member of the board of directors, I can say that
this is categorically not true.  The board does not view the community
as a whole as the archenemy, not even a small enemy, not even as a problem.

The community is our greatest strength and the sole source of the
greatness that is Wikipedia and all the Wikimedia projects.  This is
something that everyone I have ever known on the board believes, and
something that I have passionately advocated for over the years.

That doesn't mean that every single person in the community agrees about
everything at all times, and when people disagree - particularly about
matters of empirical fact - they can't all be right at the same time.

> As Denny is repeating the same thing I heard from some of
> the previous Board members, while Jimmy is the only one with more than
> year and half of being in the Board, I suppose it's about Jimmy.

Well, that's pretty hilarious. I laughed when I read this.  No,
virtually nothing is about me.  The most consistent criticism I have
received from board members over the years is that I don't put forward
my own views forcefully, and tend to be a very moderate board member.
Indeed, I actively try to seek the middle ground and find harmonious
compromise solutions.

The idea of me as a Machiavellian manipulator secretly controlling the
board to ram through my own ideas is... well, it made me laugh out loud.

> The second option is possibility that that culture is so strong, that
> it already assimilated almost everybody else up to the level of being
> able to transfer the mythology to Denny.
> 
> The third option is possibility that Jan-Bart and Stu have such
> powers, that they were able to indoctrinate Denny for six months of
> being together in the Board.

The fourth option is that you are just simply wrong about the facts.
The board is not opposed to the community.

Even the statement that Denny made which seemed to confirm for you this
silly idea is one that he's already retracted and clarified.  I'd like
to speak to that specific point.

Board members sign a pledge acknowledging our legal responsibilities.
Those responsibilities mean that board members should NOT act as
political operators, trying to get advantage for their voting base
against others.  This means that chapter representatives aren't on the
board to push the interests of chapters over other parts of the
movement.  This means that editor-elected representatives aren't on the
board to push the interests of editors over other parts of the movement.
 This means that appointed members aren't on the board to push whatever
agendas they may have in other parts of their lives.

No, instead we are all bound by both morality and the law to understand
the whole of the movement and the Foundation's role in it.  My personal
view is that there is no valid concept of "the Foundation's interests
versus the movement/community interests" because the Foundation is
nothing without the movement/community (considered very broadly indeed),
and the lead organization within the movement/community.

I commented this recently on the concept of "investment in technology
VERSUS investment in the community" - I think that's a false
alternative.  Investment in technology to benefit the community versus
investment in other things to benefit the community is a valid and
difficult policy decision, a decision that has to be measured
thoughtfully against our longterm goals as a movement.

Pitting the community versus the Foundation - if anyone at the
Foundation is doing that, they are doing the wrong thing.  Pitting teh
Foundation versus the community - if anyone in the community is doing
that, they are mistaken.  (Note: identifying and talking about cases
where the Foundation has failed the community is not pitting the
Foundation against the community - it's earnestly working to help the
Foundation do a better job - it should proceed vigorously.)

--Jimbo

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[Wikimedia-l] I am going to San Francisco

2016-02-25 Thread Jimmy Wales

Here is a note that I just sent to the staff mailing list (stuck in a
queue at the moment, so some staff will see it here first.).

Hi everyone!

I am coming to San Francisco on Saturday for a few days to meet with a
lot of you.  I know many of you are not actually in San Francisco, so
I'll be sure to set aside time for remote meetings as well.

By now you of course have heard that Lila is leaving us, and my hope is
that we're going to enter a new era of stability and productivity.  And
for that to happen, the board - including me - needs to hear from you,
to listen and learn.

Brion Vibber, who I hired as the first ever employee of the Foundation,
said this to me on Facebook recently: "Jimmy Wales welcome back to the
conversation. I look forward to how you address the current crisis, and
hope it will involve the kind of careful listening and thoughtful
consideration that I remember from 2001."

That's what I want, too.  I want to listen and I want to help the board
make good decisions.

For me, the mission - a free encyclopedia for every single person on the
planet, in their own language - is what brought us all together.  It's
what keeps us going even in difficult times.  But my view is that it
doesn't have to be difficult times.  Working at the WMF should be - and
will be, I really think - a joy: the joy of working with the best
colleagues, the joy of doing work that matters to the world, and the joy
of working for the fantastic global community of Wikipedians.

I'll be reaching out to some of you - probably starting with people I
already know - but please reach out to me as well if you'd like to meet.

I'm in SF from Saturday afternoon through Wednesday evening, so
depending on demand, I may not be able to see everyone, but I'd like to
get a good overview.

--Jimbo

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Recognition of Basque Wikimedians User Group

2016-02-25 Thread Anna Torres

Zoroniak!!!

Great news :) Hugs from Argentina!

2016-02-25 17:36 GMT-03:00 :

> zorionak!!!
>
> Great news!
>
> Mobile sent
>
> El 25 febr 2016, a les 19:19, Carlos M. Colina 
> va escriure:
> > Dear all,
> >
> > I am honoured to announce, on behalf of the Affiliations Committee, the
> recognition of the newest affiliate in Europe: Basque Wikimedians User
> Group [1]
> >
> > This new group is formed by wikimedians interested in promoting the
> different Wikimedia projects in the Basque Country, and especially the
> projects in Euskera, increasing the users' participation in them as well as
> reaching out to cultural and educational organizations both in France and
> Spain related to the Basque Country.
> >
> > Ongi etorri!!
> >
> >
> > 1: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Basque_Wikimedians_User_Group
> > --
> > "*Jülüjain wane mmakat* ein kapülain tü alijunakalirua jee wayuukanairua
> junain ekerolaa alümüin supüshuwayale etijaanaka. Ayatashi waya junain."
> > Carlos M. Colina
> > Socio, A.C. Wikimedia Venezuela | RIF J-40129321-2 |
> www.wikimedia.org.ve 
> > Member, Wikimedia Foundation Affiliations Committee
> > Phone: +972-52-4869915
> > Twitter: @maor_x
> > ___
> > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> 
>
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> 
>



-- 
Anna Torres Adell
Directora Ejecutiva
*A.C. Wikimedia Argentina*
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Recognition of Basque Wikimedians User Group

2016-02-25 Thread alexhinojo

zorionak!!!

Great news! 

Mobile sent

El 25 febr 2016, a les 19:19, Carlos M. Colina  va 
escriure:
> Dear all,
> 
> I am honoured to announce, on behalf of the Affiliations Committee, the 
> recognition of the newest affiliate in Europe: Basque Wikimedians User Group 
> [1]
> 
> This new group is formed by wikimedians interested in promoting the different 
> Wikimedia projects in the Basque Country, and especially the projects in 
> Euskera, increasing the users' participation in them as well as reaching out 
> to cultural and educational organizations both in France and Spain related to 
> the Basque Country.
> 
> Ongi etorri!!
> 
> 
> 1: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Basque_Wikimedians_User_Group
> -- 
> "*Jülüjain wane mmakat* ein kapülain tü alijunakalirua jee wayuukanairua 
> junain ekerolaa alümüin supüshuwayale etijaanaka. Ayatashi waya junain."
> Carlos M. Colina
> Socio, A.C. Wikimedia Venezuela | RIF J-40129321-2 | www.wikimedia.org.ve 
> 
> Member, Wikimedia Foundation Affiliations Committee
> Phone: +972-52-4869915
> Twitter: @maor_x
> ___
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> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, 
> 

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Thank you for our time together.

2016-02-25 Thread Leinonen Teemu

Thank you Lila for keeping things moving. Continuous development is the only 
way to keep movements, organizations and products relevant. I really appreciate 
your hard work and the results achieved. 

Best of luck in all of your future endeavors,

- Teemu 

> On 25.2.2016, at 20.45, Lila Tretikov  wrote:
> However, I am moved by the
> accomplishments we have achieved during this time:

--
Teemu Leinonen
http://teemuleinonen.fi
+358 50 351 6796
Media Lab
http://mlab.uiah.fi
Aalto University 
School of Arts, Design and Architecture
--
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Thank you for our time together.

2016-02-25 Thread Vi to

Maybe I'm too far from the relevant stuffs but I feel like it was your
(implicit) mandate to be proven wrong.

There's a series of far deeper flaws within our ecosystem arising anytime
it is under pressure. The biggest one is having a Board which is sometimes
supposed to direct, sometimes to dictate, most of times to advice.
I hope your remarkable stepping down wont make us forget about those
underlying issues.

From the positive side I want to remember the efforts in gathering
*numbers* about some of the most challenging issues we're facing.

Ciao!
Vito

2016-02-25 19:45 GMT+01:00 Lila Tretikov :

> Dear fellow Wikimedians,
>
>
>
> It is with great respect that I have tendered, and the board has accepted,
> my resignation as Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation earlier
> this week. I am both inspired by, and proud of, the many great things we
> have all accomplished at the Foundation over the last two years, most
> significantly reversing the loss of our editorial community. I would like
> to thank our Board of Trustees
>  and Advisors
> , our Foundation
> staff
> , as well as
> the many outstanding community members
>  for their
> support
> and encouragement on this journey. I remain passionate about the value and
> potential of open knowledge and Wikimedia to change the world. My last day
> at the Foundation will be March 31, 2016.
>
> Wikimedia occupies a special place in the world. It is a cultural and
> technological revolution. Change is necessary to keep it thriving. In
> bringing me in as the Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation the
> Board tasked me with making changes
> <
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Lila_Tretikov%27s_statement_on_Why_we%27ve_changed
> >
> to serve the next generation and ensure our impact in the future. Driving
> these changes has been challenging, and I have always appreciated the open
> and honest discourse we have had along the way. However, I am moved by the
> accomplishments we have achieved during this time:
>
>
>-
>
>Strategically, we laid out our summary of the vision for united in
>knowledge
><
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:WMF_Strategy_Preview,_WMF_Metrics_Meeting_June_2015.pdf&page=50
> >
>and future of Wikimedia last June.
>-
>
>Operationally, we have reformed our procedures and initiated key
> performance
>metrics and reviews
><
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/10/20/foundation-quarterly-report-july-september-2015/
> >.
>
>-
>
>Technologically we have introduced innovative approaches such as machine
>learning
><
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/11/30/artificial-intelligence-x-ray-specs/>
>and mobile
>
>applications, started improvements in search
><
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/12/23/search-and-discovery-on-wikipedia/>,
>grew translations
><
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2016/01/29/content-translation-5-articles/>
>and dramatically improved website performance
><
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/12/29/how-we-made-editing-wikipedia-twice-as-fast/
> >.
>In 2015, we made visual editor the default for all new users on English
>Wikipedia.
>-
>
>We united our community support departments and created a new community
>tech team to address community needs
><
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/2015_Community_Wishlist_Survey/Status_report_1
> >.
>
>-
>
>Profoundly, for the first time in seven years, highly active editor
>numbers have increased
> and
>overall editor decline has stopped.
>-
>
>Equitably, I am proud of our efforts to address the gender gap
><
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/03/04/inspire-campaign-funds-gender-diversity/
> >,
>our growing focus on site safety and anti-harassment
> initiatives and child
>protection -- I believe these are essential to protecting the
> fundamental
>principles of tolerance, open discourse and mutual respect -- our
> greatest
>strengths.
>-
>
>We fought against censorship and surveillance
><
> http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/10/opinion/stop-spying-on-wikipedia-users.html?_r=0
> >,
>which  pose severe existential threats to our mission of free knowledge.
>-
>
>Financially, we grew rapidly in 2014 to seed and launch the Wikimedia
>Endowment  and secure our
>future for years to come.
>
>
> I move on with confidence that the Foundation can meet new challenges in a
> challenging environment. I believe in our ability to continue to lead
> through this change. At this cr

Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Executive transition planning

2016-02-25 Thread Gayle Karen Young

I know this isn't easy - not on the Board, not on the senior staff, not on
the staff, and not on Lila.
I'm so sorry and sad for all of us where this has come to, and there is an
enormous amount of goodwill and skill in supporting the board in moving
forward and doing the thorough planning it needs to do from this point
onward.

Wishing you well always,
Gayle


On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 12:14 PM, Sydney Poore 
wrote:

> Patricio, thanks for the update.
>
> I appreciate you and Lila informing the wikimedia movement now, before all
> of the details of the transition plan are complete.
>
> As the BoT works on a transition strategy and plans for hiring a new ED,
> perhaps a member of the Board can take on the role of Chief Communicator.
>
> Understandably, it is not always easy to know when to make announcements
> and updates to the wikimedia movement especially when plans are incomplete.
>
> At this moment in time, a good communication strategy that keeps everyone
> regularly informed will help build a stronger bond between the WMF Board
> and the rest of wikimedia movement.
>
> My thoughts are with you and the rest of the Board as you work through this
> situation.
>
> Warm regards,
> Sydney
>
>
> Sydney Poore
> User:FloNight
> Wikipedian in Residence
> at Cochrane Collaboration
>
> On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 1:50 PM, Patricio Lorente <
> patricio.lore...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Dear friends,
> >
> > This week, the Board of Trustees accepted Lila’s resignation. Her last
> day
> > will be  March 31, 2016.
> >
> > I would like to thank Lila for her efforts over these past two years, and
> > her passion for our shared mission. Together, we wish her the best in her
> > future endeavors and accomplishments.
> >
> > The Board of Trustees is meeting regularly to determine next steps. Our
> > top priority is to develop a clear transition plan that seeks to build
> > confidence with community and staff, appoint interim leadership, and
> begin
> > the search for a new Executive Director. We will continue working closely
> > together over the coming days, and will share an update next week.
> >
> > This work will require extensive collaboration by the Board over the next
> > few weeks. Although we know you’ll have questions, it is likely we’ll be
> > very focused on planning the next steps. We appreciate your patience and
> > understanding during this time.
> >
> > Patricio
> >
> > TRANSLATION NOTE: This message is also posted on Meta at the Board
> > Noticeboard for for translation. You can find it here:
> >
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/25_February_2016_-_Executive_transition_planning
> > --
> >
> >
> >
> > ___
> > Please note: all replies sent to this mailing list will be immediately
> > directed to Wikimedia-l, the public mailing list of the Wikimedia
> > community. For more information about Wikimedia-l:
> > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l
> > ___
> > WikimediaAnnounce-l mailing list
> > wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org
> > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaannounce-l
> >
> >
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Executive transition planning

Patricio, thanks for the update.

I appreciate you and Lila informing the wikimedia movement now, before all
of the details of the transition plan are complete.

As the BoT works on a transition strategy and plans for hiring a new ED,
perhaps a member of the Board can take on the role of Chief Communicator.

Understandably, it is not always easy to know when to make announcements
and updates to the wikimedia movement especially when plans are incomplete.

At this moment in time, a good communication strategy that keeps everyone
regularly informed will help build a stronger bond between the WMF Board
and the rest of wikimedia movement.

My thoughts are with you and the rest of the Board as you work through this
situation.

Warm regards,
Sydney


Sydney Poore
User:FloNight
Wikipedian in Residence
at Cochrane Collaboration

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 1:50 PM, Patricio Lorente <
patricio.lore...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear friends,
>
> This week, the Board of Trustees accepted Lila’s resignation. Her last day
> will be  March 31, 2016.
>
> I would like to thank Lila for her efforts over these past two years, and
> her passion for our shared mission. Together, we wish her the best in her
> future endeavors and accomplishments.
>
> The Board of Trustees is meeting regularly to determine next steps. Our
> top priority is to develop a clear transition plan that seeks to build
> confidence with community and staff, appoint interim leadership, and begin
> the search for a new Executive Director. We will continue working closely
> together over the coming days, and will share an update next week.
>
> This work will require extensive collaboration by the Board over the next
> few weeks. Although we know you’ll have questions, it is likely we’ll be
> very focused on planning the next steps. We appreciate your patience and
> understanding during this time.
>
> Patricio
>
> TRANSLATION NOTE: This message is also posted on Meta at the Board
> Noticeboard for for translation. You can find it here:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/25_February_2016_-_Executive_transition_planning
> --
>
>
>
> ___
> Please note: all replies sent to this mailing list will be immediately
> directed to Wikimedia-l, the public mailing list of the Wikimedia
> community. For more information about Wikimedia-l:
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l
> ___
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> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaannounce-l
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>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Thank you for our time together.

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 2:33 PM, Itzik - Wikimedia Israel <
it...@wikimedia.org.il> wrote:

> Lila,
>
> I don't want to get into what or who is right. The things I had to say I
> already said in private forums. The discussions here and in others places
> were already to heated and too longs to add more words.
>
> Before we are movement, we are people. with feelings, with soul. I can not
> even imagine how it was to be in your position during the last few months.
> Reading the thing people wrote, the blames, the personal attacks. Some
> people had right and justified concerns to raise, but sadly, we are great
> movement, with great achievements, but we do not always treat and speak to
> people with the respect they are entitled to.
>
> I know many people disagreed with your strategy and your decisions, but as
> I had the privilege to knew your personally during the last 2 years, I know
> each one of them were truly in the favor of the movement in your personal
> point of view.
>
> Thank you for all the works during the last two years. For being available
> to speak personally with each one of us. I learned a lot for each meeting
> or conversation with you.
>
> Thank you Lila, and good luck whatever will the roads will take you.
>
>
>
> *Regards,Itzik Edri*
> Chairperson, Wikimedia Israel


+1

Sydney
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Executive transition planning

Patricio, thanks for the update and thanks for all of your thoughtful
consideration and work on this issue. I know it's been a stressful time for
everyone.

I've left a note on the talk page, just want to make sure we capture the
notion that existing staff leadership such as team leads and middle
managers who work with both upper management, staff & the larger user
community be involved in capturing what sort of expectations and values we
need to hire for.

Recruiting and interviewing and hiring leaders is hard at the best of
times; it's doubly hard in weird hybrid
open-source-non-profit-company-community situations like ours. Take
advantage of the resources available to you in your staff.

-- brion

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 10:50 AM, Patricio Lorente <
patricio.lore...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear friends,
>
> This week, the Board of Trustees accepted Lila’s resignation. Her last day
> will be  March 31, 2016.
>
> I would like to thank Lila for her efforts over these past two years, and
> her passion for our shared mission. Together, we wish her the best in her
> future endeavors and accomplishments.
>
> The Board of Trustees is meeting regularly to determine next steps. Our
> top priority is to develop a clear transition plan that seeks to build
> confidence with community and staff, appoint interim leadership, and begin
> the search for a new Executive Director. We will continue working closely
> together over the coming days, and will share an update next week.
>
> This work will require extensive collaboration by the Board over the next
> few weeks. Although we know you’ll have questions, it is likely we’ll be
> very focused on planning the next steps. We appreciate your patience and
> understanding during this time.
>
> Patricio
>
> TRANSLATION NOTE: This message is also posted on Meta at the Board
> Noticeboard for for translation. You can find it here:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/25_February_2016_-_Executive_transition_planning
> --
>
>
>
> ___
> Please note: all replies sent to this mailing list will be immediately
> directed to Wikimedia-l, the public mailing list of the Wikimedia
> community. For more information about Wikimedia-l:
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l
> ___
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> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaannounce-l
>
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Thank you for our time together.

2016-02-25 Thread Itzik - Wikimedia Israel

Lila,

I don't want to get into what or who is right. The things I had to say I
already said in private forums. The discussions here and in others places
were already to heated and too longs to add more words.

Before we are movement, we are people. with feelings, with soul. I can not
even imagine how it was to be in your position during the last few months.
Reading the thing people wrote, the blames, the personal attacks. Some
people had right and justified concerns to raise, but sadly, we are great
movement, with great achievements, but we do not always treat and speak to
people with the respect they are entitled to.

I know many people disagreed with your strategy and your decisions, but as
I had the privilege to knew your personally during the last 2 years, I know
each one of them were truly in the favor of the movement in your personal
point of view.

Thank you for all the works during the last two years. For being available
to speak personally with each one of us. I learned a lot for each meeting
or conversation with you.

Thank you Lila, and good luck whatever will the roads will take you.



*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!


On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 8:51 PM, Pine W  wrote:

> Thank you, Lila.
>
> Pine
> On Feb 25, 2016 10:46, "Lila Tretikov"  wrote:
>
> > Dear fellow Wikimedians,
> >
> >
> >
> > It is with great respect that I have tendered, and the board has
> accepted,
> > my resignation as Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation earlier
> > this week. I am both inspired by, and proud of, the many great things we
> > have all accomplished at the Foundation over the last two years, most
> > significantly reversing the loss of our editorial community. I would like
> > to thank our Board of Trustees
> >  and Advisors
> > , our Foundation
> > staff
> > , as well as
> > the many outstanding community members
> >  for their
> > support
> > and encouragement on this journey. I remain passionate about the value
> and
> > potential of open knowledge and Wikimedia to change the world. My last
> day
> > at the Foundation will be March 31, 2016.
> >
> > Wikimedia occupies a special place in the world. It is a cultural and
> > technological revolution. Change is necessary to keep it thriving. In
> > bringing me in as the Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation the
> > Board tasked me with making changes
> > <
> >
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Lila_Tretikov%27s_statement_on_Why_we%27ve_changed
> > >
> > to serve the next generation and ensure our impact in the future. Driving
> > these changes has been challenging, and I have always appreciated the
> open
> > and honest discourse we have had along the way. However, I am moved by
> the
> > accomplishments we have achieved during this time:
> >
> >
> >-
> >
> >Strategically, we laid out our summary of the vision for united in
> >knowledge
> ><
> >
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:WMF_Strategy_Preview,_WMF_Metrics_Meeting_June_2015.pdf&page=50
> > >
> >and future of Wikimedia last June.
> >-
> >
> >Operationally, we have reformed our procedures and initiated key
> > performance
> >metrics and reviews
> ><
> >
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/10/20/foundation-quarterly-report-july-september-2015/
> > >.
> >
> >-
> >
> >Technologically we have introduced innovative approaches such as
> machine
> >learning
> ><
> >
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/11/30/artificial-intelligence-x-ray-specs/>
> >and mobile
> >
> >applications, started improvements in search
> ><
> > http://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/12/23/search-and-discovery-on-wikipedia/
> >,
> >grew translations
> ><
> > http://blog.wikimedia.org/2016/01/29/content-translation-5-articles/
> >
> >and dramatically improved website performance
> ><
> >
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/12/29/how-we-made-editing-wikipedia-twice-as-fast/
> > >.
> >In 2015, we made visual editor the default for all new users on
> English
> >Wikipedia.
> >-
> >
> >We united our community support departments and created a new
> community
> >tech team to address community needs
> ><
> >
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/2015_Community_Wishlist_Survey/Status_report_1
> > >.
> >
> >-
> >
> >Profoundly, for the first time in seven years, highly active editor
> >numbers have increased
> > and
> >overall editor decline has stopped.
> >-
> >
> >

Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Executive transition planning

2016-02-25 Thread Samuel Klein

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 2:13 PM, Florence Devouard 
wrote:

> + 1 Brad.
>
> And I would like to say thank you Lila for your efforts and best of luck
> for the future.
>

+1 Florence.
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Executive transition planning

2016-02-25 Thread Wojciech Pędzich


W dniu 2016-02-25 o 20:01, Brad Patrick pisze:

Best of luck to the Board moving forward with this process. You have a lot of 
work ahead.

Brad


I am keeping my fingers crossed for the Board, in the time to come their 
decisions will certainly have impact on the wiki-world. Also, I am 
keeping my fingers crossed for Lila, and her future endeavours.


Wojciech / [[User:Wpedzich]]

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Executive transition planning

2016-02-25 Thread Florence Devouard

+ 1 Brad.

And I would like to say thank you Lila for your efforts and best of luck
for the future.

Flo

Le 25/02/16 20:01, Brad Patrick a écrit :

Best of luck to the Board moving forward with this process. You have a lot of
work ahead.

Brad

On Feb 25, 2016, at 1:50 PM, Patricio Lorente
wrote:

Dear friends,

This week, the Board of Trustees accepted Lila’s resignation. Her last day will
be March 31, 2016.

I would like to thank Lila for her efforts over these past two years, and her
passion for our shared mission. Together, we wish her the best in her future
endeavors and accomplishments.

The Board of Trustees is meeting regularly to determine next steps. Our top
priority is to develop a clear transition plan that seeks to build confidence
with community and staff, appoint interim leadership, and begin the search for
a new Executive Director. We will continue working closely together over the
coming days, and will share an update next week.

This work will require extensive collaboration by the Board over the next few
weeks. Although we know you’ll have questions, it is likely we’ll be very
focused on planning the next steps. We appreciate your patience and
understanding during this time.

Patricio

TRANSLATION NOTE: This message is also posted on Meta at the Board Noticeboard
for for translation. You can find it here:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/25_February_2016_-_Executive_transition_planning
--

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Executive transition planning

2016-02-25 Thread Brad Patrick

Best of luck to the Board moving forward with this process. You have a lot
of work ahead.

Brad

On Thursday, February 25, 2016, Patricio Lorente 
wrote:

> Dear friends,
>
> This week, the Board of Trustees accepted Lila’s resignation. Her last day
> will be  March 31, 2016.
>
> I would like to thank Lila for her efforts over these past two years, and
> her passion for our shared mission. Together, we wish her the best in her
> future endeavors and accomplishments.
>
> The Board of Trustees is meeting regularly to determine next steps. Our
> top priority is to develop a clear transition plan that seeks to build
> confidence with community and staff, appoint interim leadership, and begin
> the search for a new Executive Director. We will continue working closely
> together over the coming days, and will share an update next week.
>
> This work will require extensive collaboration by the Board over the next
> few weeks. Although we know you’ll have questions, it is likely we’ll be
> very focused on planning the next steps. We appreciate your patience and
> understanding during this time.
>
> Patricio
>
> TRANSLATION NOTE: This message is also posted on Meta at the Board
> Noticeboard for for translation. You can find it here:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/25_February_2016_-_Executive_transition_planning
> --
>
>
>

-- 

Bradford A. Patrick, Esq.
3001 North Rocky Point Drive East
Suite 200
Tampa, Florida 33607
b...@baplegal.com
www.baplegal.com
813-384-8548 vox
813-333-7321 fax
BradPatrick Skype
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Executive transition planning

2016-02-25 Thread Brad Patrick

Best of luck to the Board moving forward with this process. You have a lot of 
work ahead.

Brad


> On Feb 25, 2016, at 1:50 PM, Patricio Lorente  
> wrote:
> 
> Dear friends,
> 
> This week, the Board of Trustees accepted Lila’s resignation. Her last day 
> will be  March 31, 2016.
> 
> I would like to thank Lila for her efforts over these past two years, and her 
> passion for our shared mission. Together, we wish her the best in her future 
> endeavors and accomplishments.
> 
> The Board of Trustees is meeting regularly to determine next steps. Our top 
> priority is to develop a clear transition plan that seeks to build confidence 
> with community and staff, appoint interim leadership, and begin the search 
> for a new Executive Director. We will continue working closely together over 
> the coming days, and will share an update next week.
> 
> This work will require extensive collaboration by the Board over the next few 
> weeks. Although we know you’ll have questions, it is likely we’ll be very 
> focused on planning the next steps. We appreciate your patience and 
> understanding during this time.
> 
> Patricio
> 
> TRANSLATION NOTE: This message is also posted on Meta at the Board 
> Noticeboard for for translation. You can find it here: 
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/25_February_2016_-_Executive_transition_planning
> -- 
> 
> 
> ___
> Please note: all replies sent to this mailing list will be immediately 
> directed to Wikimedia-l, the public mailing list of the Wikimedia community. 
> For more information about Wikimedia-l:
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[Wikimedia-l] Fwd: [Wikimedia Announcements] Executive transition planning

2016-02-25 Thread Denny Vrandecic

-- Forwarded message --
From: Patricio Lorente 
Date: Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 10:50 AM
Subject: [Wikimedia Announcements] Executive transition planning
To: "wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org" <
wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org>, wmf...@lists.wikimedia.org

Dear friends,

This week, the Board of Trustees accepted Lila’s resignation. Her last day
will be  March 31, 2016.

I would like to thank Lila for her efforts over these past two years, and
her passion for our shared mission. Together, we wish her the best in her
future endeavors and accomplishments.

The Board of Trustees is meeting regularly to determine next steps. Our top
priority is to develop a clear transition plan that seeks to build
confidence with community and staff, appoint interim leadership, and begin
the search for a new Executive Director. We will continue working closely
together over the coming days, and will share an update next week.

This work will require extensive collaboration by the Board over the next
few weeks. Although we know you’ll have questions, it is likely we’ll be
very focused on planning the next steps. We appreciate your patience and
understanding during this time.

Patricio

TRANSLATION NOTE: This message is also posted on Meta at the Board
Noticeboard for for translation. You can find it here:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/25_February_2016_-_Executive_transition_planning
-- 

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[Wikimedia-l] Thank you for our time together.

2016-02-25 Thread Lila Tretikov

Dear fellow Wikimedians,



It is with great respect that I have tendered, and the board has accepted,
my resignation as Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation earlier
this week. I am both inspired by, and proud of, the many great things we
have all accomplished at the Foundation over the last two years, most
significantly reversing the loss of our editorial community. I would like
to thank our Board of Trustees
 and Advisors
, our Foundation staff
, as well as
the many outstanding community members
 for their support
and encouragement on this journey. I remain passionate about the value and
potential of open knowledge and Wikimedia to change the world. My last day
at the Foundation will be March 31, 2016.

Wikimedia occupies a special place in the world. It is a cultural and
technological revolution. Change is necessary to keep it thriving. In
bringing me in as the Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation the
Board tasked me with making changes

to serve the next generation and ensure our impact in the future. Driving
these changes has been challenging, and I have always appreciated the open
and honest discourse we have had along the way. However, I am moved by the
accomplishments we have achieved during this time:


   -

   Strategically, we laid out our summary of the vision for united in
   knowledge
   

   and future of Wikimedia last June.
   -

   Operationally, we have reformed our procedures and initiated key performance
   metrics and reviews
   
.

   -

   Technologically we have introduced innovative approaches such as machine
   learning
   
   and mobile
   
   applications, started improvements in search
   ,
   grew translations
   
   and dramatically improved website performance
   
.
   In 2015, we made visual editor the default for all new users on English
   Wikipedia.
   -

   We united our community support departments and created a new community
   tech team to address community needs
   
.

   -

   Profoundly, for the first time in seven years, highly active editor
   numbers have increased
    and
   overall editor decline has stopped.
   -

   Equitably, I am proud of our efforts to address the gender gap
   
,
   our growing focus on site safety and anti-harassment
    initiatives and child
   protection -- I believe these are essential to protecting the fundamental
   principles of tolerance, open discourse and mutual respect -- our greatest
   strengths.
   -

   We fought against censorship and surveillance
   
,
   which  pose severe existential threats to our mission of free knowledge.
   -

   Financially, we grew rapidly in 2014 to seed and launch the Wikimedia
   Endowment  and secure our
   future for years to come.


I move on with confidence that the Foundation can meet new challenges in a
challenging environment. I believe in our ability to continue to lead
through this change. At this critical juncture for the Foundation, and for
the free and open knowledge movement as a whole, solidarity, creativity,
adaptability and passion will continue to propel our movement forward, and
empower our vision towards our future.

I will support the process of identifying our new leadership in every way
that I can, and offer my assistance to the Board as they conduct their
search for my successor. It has been an honor to serve and to contribute to
our great movement.




With warm regards,

Lila
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Thank you for our time together.

2016-02-25 Thread Pine W

Thank you, Lila.

Pine
On Feb 25, 2016 10:46, "Lila Tretikov"  wrote:

> Dear fellow Wikimedians,
>
>
>
> It is with great respect that I have tendered, and the board has accepted,
> my resignation as Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation earlier
> this week. I am both inspired by, and proud of, the many great things we
> have all accomplished at the Foundation over the last two years, most
> significantly reversing the loss of our editorial community. I would like
> to thank our Board of Trustees
>  and Advisors
> , our Foundation
> staff
> , as well as
> the many outstanding community members
>  for their
> support
> and encouragement on this journey. I remain passionate about the value and
> potential of open knowledge and Wikimedia to change the world. My last day
> at the Foundation will be March 31, 2016.
>
> Wikimedia occupies a special place in the world. It is a cultural and
> technological revolution. Change is necessary to keep it thriving. In
> bringing me in as the Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation the
> Board tasked me with making changes
> <
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Lila_Tretikov%27s_statement_on_Why_we%27ve_changed
> >
> to serve the next generation and ensure our impact in the future. Driving
> these changes has been challenging, and I have always appreciated the open
> and honest discourse we have had along the way. However, I am moved by the
> accomplishments we have achieved during this time:
>
>
>-
>
>Strategically, we laid out our summary of the vision for united in
>knowledge
><
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:WMF_Strategy_Preview,_WMF_Metrics_Meeting_June_2015.pdf&page=50
> >
>and future of Wikimedia last June.
>-
>
>Operationally, we have reformed our procedures and initiated key
> performance
>metrics and reviews
><
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/10/20/foundation-quarterly-report-july-september-2015/
> >.
>
>-
>
>Technologically we have introduced innovative approaches such as machine
>learning
><
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/11/30/artificial-intelligence-x-ray-specs/>
>and mobile
>
>applications, started improvements in search
><
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/12/23/search-and-discovery-on-wikipedia/>,
>grew translations
><
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2016/01/29/content-translation-5-articles/>
>and dramatically improved website performance
><
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/12/29/how-we-made-editing-wikipedia-twice-as-fast/
> >.
>In 2015, we made visual editor the default for all new users on English
>Wikipedia.
>-
>
>We united our community support departments and created a new community
>tech team to address community needs
><
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/2015_Community_Wishlist_Survey/Status_report_1
> >.
>
>-
>
>Profoundly, for the first time in seven years, highly active editor
>numbers have increased
> and
>overall editor decline has stopped.
>-
>
>Equitably, I am proud of our efforts to address the gender gap
><
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/03/04/inspire-campaign-funds-gender-diversity/
> >,
>our growing focus on site safety and anti-harassment
> initiatives and child
>protection -- I believe these are essential to protecting the
> fundamental
>principles of tolerance, open discourse and mutual respect -- our
> greatest
>strengths.
>-
>
>We fought against censorship and surveillance
><
> http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/10/opinion/stop-spying-on-wikipedia-users.html?_r=0
> >,
>which  pose severe existential threats to our mission of free knowledge.
>-
>
>Financially, we grew rapidly in 2014 to seed and launch the Wikimedia
>Endowment  and secure our
>future for years to come.
>
>
> I move on with confidence that the Foundation can meet new challenges in a
> challenging environment. I believe in our ability to continue to lead
> through this change. At this critical juncture for the Foundation, and for
> the free and open knowledge movement as a whole, solidarity, creativity,
> adaptability and passion will continue to propel our movement forward, and
> empower our vision towards our future.
>
> I will support the process of identifying our new leadership in every way
> that I can, and offer my assistance to the Board as they conduct their
> search for my successor. It has been an honor to serve and to contribute to
> our great movement.
>
>
>
>
> With warm regards,
>
> Lila
> ___

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Message just sent to the BoT

2016-02-25 Thread Steinsplitter Wiki

Thanks for sharing with the mailinglist.

> Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2016 13:44:20 +0200
> From: ar...@wikimedia.org
> To: wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Subject: [Wikimedia-l] Message just sent to the BoT
> 
> The following is the text of a letter I just sent to the Board of Trustees.
> --
> 
> A tale from the trenches
> 
> I wake up every day short on sleep, check staff mail, check wikimedia-l,
> check the facebook discussion group, check signpost comments, check irc,
> check officewiki recent changes, check wikimediafoundation recent changes...
> 
> I gear myself up to learn who may have left today, what they will have
> said, to digest the outpouring of support and sadness from others, and the
> deafening silence from those who are in a position to put an end to all of
> this.
> 
> I go over the reasons again in my mind that we're in this crisis: bad
> hirings, decisions in secret, dissembling and coverups about the processes
> that led to those decisions; refusal or inability to state a clear vision,
> let alone get buy-in or the involvement of staff/community in shaping that
> vision; restructuring the organization following these same broken
> processes.  And so much more.
> 
> Make no mistake, this is not just about an ED.  It's also about failure of
> oversight, powerlessness of staff, and a culture of exclusion, among other
> things.  If, as I hope, the Board acts decisively to remove the current ED,
> that will only be the first step in a mountain of work ahead of us.  Hard,
> painful, exhausting work.  But we can't begin to get started on it until
> that first step is taken.
> 
> In November at The Meeting (you all know which one I mean), Jimmy Wales
> called on all of us to give Lila Tretikov a second chance, a chance to
> rebuild the trust that had been lost.  We're well beyond that point now.
> That trust is irrevocably broken.  It's possible that she would be able to
> play a part in the healing and regrouping that must happen within the WMF
> going forwards, but only as a private individual.  I would have to have
> some distance from things in order to figure that out, and none of us has
> that right now.  What I do know is that the current situation is toxic, and
> getting increasingly more so.
> 
> We're bleeding out.  Slowly at first, but it's a just matter of time--and
> probably not much of it--before that trickle turns into a flood.  I plead
> with the one organization that has the ability to stop it, to step in and
> do so.
> 
> SOS...
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Ariel Glenn
> tech gnome, WMF staff
> ___
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> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
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> 
  
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[Wikimedia-l] Fwd: Invitation to WMF January 2016 Metrics & Activities Meeting: Thursday, February 25, 19:00 UTC

2016-02-25 Thread Praveena Maharaj

-- Forwarded message --
From: Praveena Maharaj 
Date: Thu, Feb 18, 2016 at 1:00 PM
Subject: Invitation to WMF January 2016 Metrics & Activities Meeting:
Thursday, February 25, 19:00 UTC
To: wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org

Dear all,

The next WMF metrics and activities meeting will take place on Thursday,
February 25, 2016, at 7:00 PM UTC (11 AM PST). The IRC channel is
#wikimedia-office on irc.freenode.net, and the meeting will be broadcast as
a live YouTube stream.

At next week's meeting, we will:

* Welcome recent hires
* Present a Wikipedia 15 review
* Present a community update
* Give a strategy update
* Review WMF top-level metrics
* Showcase recent work: IEG grantees
* Give a product demo: iOS 5.0 app
* Engage in questions/discussions

Please review
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Metrics_and_activities_meetings for further
information about the meeting and how to participate.

We’ll post the video recording publicly after the meeting.

Thank you,
Praveena

-- 

Praveena Maharaj
Executive Assistant to the VP of Product
Wikimedia Foundation \\ www.wikimediafoundation.org
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Recognition of Georgia Piedmont Wikimedians

2016-02-25 Thread Pharos

Mazel tov, y'all!

Looking forward to more continental wiki-campaigns with this dynamic
Atlanta-based group.

Thanks,
Pharos
Wikimedia NYC

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 1:22 PM, Keegan Peterzell 
wrote:

> On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 12:19 PM, Carlos M. Colina  >
> wrote:
>
> > Dear all,
> >
> > I am honoured to announce, on behalf of the Affiliations Committee, the
> > recognition of a new Wikimedia User Group in the US: Georgia Piedmont
> > Wikimedians [1]
> >
> > Among their goals are continuing to organize meetups of wikimedians in
> the
> > region (they have been doing it informally for a few years already) and
> > other activities like edit-a-thons, photo-hunts in Atlanta and other
> areas,
> > and collaborating with other organizations.
> >
> > Welcome to the family!
> >
> > 1: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Piedmont_Wikimedians
>
>
> Congratulations!
>
>
> --
> ~Keegan
> , one state and a few hours away
>
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Keegan
>
> This is my personal email address. Everything sent from this email address
> is in a personal capacity.
> ___
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> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
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> 
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Recognition of Basque Wikimedians User Group

2016-02-25 Thread Keegan Peterzell

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 12:19 PM, Carlos M. Colina 
wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> I am honoured to announce, on behalf of the Affiliations Committee, the
> recognition of the newest affiliate in Europe: Basque Wikimedians User
> Group [1]
>
> This new group is formed by wikimedians interested in promoting the
> different Wikimedia projects in the Basque Country, and especially the
> projects in Euskera, increasing the users' participation in them as well as
> reaching out to cultural and educational organizations both in France and
> Spain related to the Basque Country.
>
> Ongi etorri!!
>

Congratulations!

-- 
~Keegan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Keegan

This is my personal email address. Everything sent from this email address
is in a personal capacity.
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Recognition of Georgia Piedmont Wikimedians

Congratulations, Georgia Piedmont Wikipedians.

Sydney
On Feb 25, 2016 1:18 PM, "Carlos M. Colina"  wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> I am honoured to announce, on behalf of the Affiliations Committee, the
> recognition of a new Wikimedia User Group in the US: Georgia Piedmont
> Wikimedians [1]
>
> Among their goals are continuing to organize meetups of wikimedians in the
> region (they have been doing it informally for a few years already) and
> other activities like edit-a-thons, photo-hunts in Atlanta and other areas,
> and collaborating with other organizations.
>
> Welcome to the family!
>
> 1: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Piedmont_Wikimedians
> --
> "*Jülüjain wane mmakat* ein kapülain tü alijunakalirua jee wayuukanairua
> junain ekerolaa alümüin supüshuwayale etijaanaka. Ayatashi waya junain."
> Carlos M. Colina
> Socio, A.C. Wikimedia Venezuela | RIF J-40129321-2 | www.wikimedia.org.ve
> 
> Member, Wikimedia Foundation Affiliations Committee
> Phone: +972-52-4869915
> Twitter: @maor_x
> ___
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> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
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> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> 
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

2016-02-25 Thread Pete Forsyth

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 10:17 AM, Chris Keating 
wrote:

> >
> > I have to register disagreement with the idea that the WMF board is
> > duty-bound to serve the Foundation over the Wikimedia movement.
> >
>
> I still feel this is more a semantic issue than a practical one.


I agree. I think Denny clarified his position nicely[1] -- and I'm glad he
did, as I was also confused and a little distressed by what I initially
*thought* he was saying.
-Pete
[[User:Peteforsyth]]

[1]
https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2016-February/082456.html
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Recognition of Georgia Piedmont Wikimedians

2016-02-25 Thread Keegan Peterzell

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 12:19 PM, Carlos M. Colina 
wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> I am honoured to announce, on behalf of the Affiliations Committee, the
> recognition of a new Wikimedia User Group in the US: Georgia Piedmont
> Wikimedians [1]
>
> Among their goals are continuing to organize meetups of wikimedians in the
> region (they have been doing it informally for a few years already) and
> other activities like edit-a-thons, photo-hunts in Atlanta and other areas,
> and collaborating with other organizations.
>
> Welcome to the family!
>
> 1: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Piedmont_Wikimedians

Congratulations!

-- 
~Keegan
, one state and a few hours away

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Keegan

This is my personal email address. Everything sent from this email address
is in a personal capacity.
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[Wikimedia-l] Recognition of Basque Wikimedians User Group

2016-02-25 Thread Carlos M. Colina


Dear all,

I am honoured to announce, on behalf of the Affiliations Committee, the 
recognition of the newest affiliate in Europe: Basque Wikimedians User 
Group [1]


This new group is formed by wikimedians interested in promoting the 
different Wikimedia projects in the Basque Country, and especially the 
projects in Euskera, increasing the users' participation in them as well 
as reaching out to cultural and educational organizations both in France 
and Spain related to the Basque Country.


Ongi etorri!!


1: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Basque_Wikimedians_User_Group
--
"*Jülüjain wane mmakat* ein kapülain tü alijunakalirua jee wayuukanairua 
junain ekerolaa alümüin supüshuwayale etijaanaka. Ayatashi waya junain."

Carlos M. Colina
Socio, A.C. Wikimedia Venezuela | RIF J-40129321-2 | 
www.wikimedia.org.ve 

Member, Wikimedia Foundation Affiliations Committee
Phone: +972-52-4869915
Twitter: @maor_x
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[Wikimedia-l] Recognition of Georgia Piedmont Wikimedians

2016-02-25 Thread Carlos M. Colina


Dear all,

I am honoured to announce, on behalf of the Affiliations Committee, the 
recognition of a new Wikimedia User Group in the US: Georgia Piedmont 
Wikimedians [1]


Among their goals are continuing to organize meetups of wikimedians in 
the region (they have been doing it informally for a few years already) 
and other activities like edit-a-thons, photo-hunts in Atlanta and other 
areas, and collaborating with other organizations.


Welcome to the family!

1: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Piedmont_Wikimedians
--
"*Jülüjain wane mmakat* ein kapülain tü alijunakalirua jee wayuukanairua 
junain ekerolaa alümüin supüshuwayale etijaanaka. Ayatashi waya junain."

Carlos M. Colina
Socio, A.C. Wikimedia Venezuela | RIF J-40129321-2 | 
www.wikimedia.org.ve 

Member, Wikimedia Foundation Affiliations Committee
Phone: +972-52-4869915
Twitter: @maor_x
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

2016-02-25 Thread Chris Keating

>
> I have to register disagreement with the idea that the WMF board is
> duty-bound to serve the Foundation over the Wikimedia movement.
>

I still feel this is more a semantic issue than a practical one.

In UK law trustees are required to put the interests of their charity first
when making decisions. That means they are required to put the interests of
the *objectives* of their charity first (even if it means winding up the
actual charity to do so).

I don't know whether Florida law and US charity practice has the same
effect as UK law does in this situation. But if it does then it makes it
easier to follow Pharos's advice below (which I basically agree with)



>
> The whole purpose of the Foundation is to serve the Wikimedia free
> knowledge movement, as stated in the bylaws.  This does not mean that WMF
> board members must constantly poll Wikimedia movement members on what to
> do, or only consider what is popular at the time.
>
> I believe the WMF board is indeed duty-bound to support the goals the
> Wikimedia movement, in the way that they feel these goals would best be
> served over the long-term.  Of course, their opinions on the best methods
> to achieve these goals may well differ from the majority of rank-and-file
> movement members at times, but it is also part of their duty to pursue what
> they feel is best for achieving basic movement goals.
>
> Brion is also right that at some point in time, when the goals of the
> Wikimedia Foundation and movement are "accomplished", if the free knowledge
> paradigm is so successfully distributed throughout academia and society
> that it no longer makes sense to continue as a corporate entity, it would
> make sense to wind it up.  (I don't foresee this happening for decades.)
>
> Perhaps this is merely a translation issue of what "Movement" means in
> different languages, but I thought it was an important point that needed to
> be stated.
>
> Also, I think the possible models on how to achieve these goals are indeed
> more diverse than just those on offer in San Francisco and Berlin.
>
> Thanks,
> Pharos
>
> On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 12:16 PM, Denny Vrandecic <
> dvrande...@wikimedia.org>
> wrote:
>
> > Thanks to all the answers to my response. I am still reading them, and I
> > probably will not be able to answer to all in a timely manner (I have to
> > work, after all), but I wanted to make a few things clearer, quickly:
> >
> > Milos, I indeed do not care about reelection. And if I have to choose
> > between truth and political wisdom, I hope to continue to choose the
> first.
> >
> > More importantly, Milos, I did a massive error in my formulation, as I
> know
> > realize, which lead to a misunderstanding. I have to apologize for that.
> > When I said that the Board has to make a decision in the interest of the
> > Foundation when there is a conflict between the Communities and the
> > Foundation, I was phrasing myself very badly, I now realize. I actually
> did
> > not mean a direct conflict between a single Community and the Foundation,
> > i.e. with these two as being directly opposed to each other and fighting
> > over something, but rather the more complicated case of a decision where
> > there is a conflict of interests between the Foundation and the
> > Movement-at-large, the Board is obliged to decide in the best interest of
> > the Foundation.
> >
> > I do not buy in the mythology of an "evil community" at all. I do not
> even
> > buy into the mythology of a great divide between the communities and the
> > foundation. There are plenty of people who are active and constructive in
> > both, and who bridge both. The cases where the Foundation and the
> Movement
> > are directly opposed to each other should be extremely rare, and,
> > thankfully are. I don't think there was anything even close to that
> brought
> > to the Board in my tenure so far.
> >
> > More often though is the case that there is a third-party situation, e.g.
> > an imminent and considerable legal threat to the Foundation. In that
> case,
> > the interests of the Movement at large has to be secondary for the Board.
> >
> > I regard the Movement-at-large as much more resilient than any and each
> of
> > its parts. And I am thankful for that, because I think our mission is
> much
> > too important to leave it with a small NGO in the Bay Area. It has to be
> a
> > mission carried by every single one of us, it has to be a mission that is
> > inclusive of every one who wants to join in realizing it.
> >
> > I have overstated my point in my last mail, obviously, and also
> > intentionally to make a point (and thanks for everyone to calling me out
> on
> > that). But as many have confirmed, there is truth in this overstatement.
> I
> > don't think that such situations will occur often. But when they occur,
> and
> > that is what I said, they will be painful and frustrating and potentially
> > shrouded in confidentiality / secrecy. Therefore it remains my strong
> > belief, that reaf

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

2016-02-25 Thread Pharos

Hi Denny and all,

I have to register disagreement with the idea that the WMF board is
duty-bound to serve the Foundation over the Wikimedia movement.

The whole purpose of the Foundation is to serve the Wikimedia free
knowledge movement, as stated in the bylaws.  This does not mean that WMF
board members must constantly poll Wikimedia movement members on what to
do, or only consider what is popular at the time.

I believe the WMF board is indeed duty-bound to support the goals the
Wikimedia movement, in the way that they feel these goals would best be
served over the long-term.  Of course, their opinions on the best methods
to achieve these goals may well differ from the majority of rank-and-file
movement members at times, but it is also part of their duty to pursue what
they feel is best for achieving basic movement goals.

Brion is also right that at some point in time, when the goals of the
Wikimedia Foundation and movement are "accomplished", if the free knowledge
paradigm is so successfully distributed throughout academia and society
that it no longer makes sense to continue as a corporate entity, it would
make sense to wind it up.  (I don't foresee this happening for decades.)

Perhaps this is merely a translation issue of what "Movement" means in
different languages, but I thought it was an important point that needed to
be stated.

Also, I think the possible models on how to achieve these goals are indeed
more diverse than just those on offer in San Francisco and Berlin.

Thanks,
Pharos

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 12:16 PM, Denny Vrandecic 
wrote:

> Thanks to all the answers to my response. I am still reading them, and I
> probably will not be able to answer to all in a timely manner (I have to
> work, after all), but I wanted to make a few things clearer, quickly:
>
> Milos, I indeed do not care about reelection. And if I have to choose
> between truth and political wisdom, I hope to continue to choose the first.
>
> More importantly, Milos, I did a massive error in my formulation, as I know
> realize, which lead to a misunderstanding. I have to apologize for that.
> When I said that the Board has to make a decision in the interest of the
> Foundation when there is a conflict between the Communities and the
> Foundation, I was phrasing myself very badly, I now realize. I actually did
> not mean a direct conflict between a single Community and the Foundation,
> i.e. with these two as being directly opposed to each other and fighting
> over something, but rather the more complicated case of a decision where
> there is a conflict of interests between the Foundation and the
> Movement-at-large, the Board is obliged to decide in the best interest of
> the Foundation.
>
> I do not buy in the mythology of an "evil community" at all. I do not even
> buy into the mythology of a great divide between the communities and the
> foundation. There are plenty of people who are active and constructive in
> both, and who bridge both. The cases where the Foundation and the Movement
> are directly opposed to each other should be extremely rare, and,
> thankfully are. I don't think there was anything even close to that brought
> to the Board in my tenure so far.
>
> More often though is the case that there is a third-party situation, e.g.
> an imminent and considerable legal threat to the Foundation. In that case,
> the interests of the Movement at large has to be secondary for the Board.
>
> I regard the Movement-at-large as much more resilient than any and each of
> its parts. And I am thankful for that, because I think our mission is much
> too important to leave it with a small NGO in the Bay Area. It has to be a
> mission carried by every single one of us, it has to be a mission that is
> inclusive of every one who wants to join in realizing it.
>
> I have overstated my point in my last mail, obviously, and also
> intentionally to make a point (and thanks for everyone to calling me out on
> that). But as many have confirmed, there is truth in this overstatement. I
> don't think that such situations will occur often. But when they occur, and
> that is what I said, they will be painful and frustrating and potentially
> shrouded in confidentiality / secrecy. Therefore it remains my strong
> belief, that reaffirming the current Board as the movement leadership body
> is a bad idea, because the overstated incompatibility that I have described
> remains.
>
> I could imagine with a much smaller Board of Trustees, which itself is a
> constituent of a body representing the whole Movement.
> I could imagine a wholly new body to represent the whole movement.
> I could imagine many, many small new bodies who somehow make local
> decisions on the one side and bubble up to an ineffective, but extremely
> resilient and representative voice.
> I could imagine many other models.
> But I have a hard time to imagine the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia
> Foundation sincerely filling out the role of the movement leadership, due
> t

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

Sorry that somehow went to wrong list.

On Feb 25, 2016 9:29 AM, "Brion Vibber"  wrote:
>
> Thanks again for your responses, Denny. I think it really helps to get a
clearer perspective on things "on the inside", and that informs the kind of
things we need to think and talk about as a company and as a movement.
>
> I know it's a super awkward position to be putting all of you in,
especially at this juncture. I hope we'll all get through this sanely and
we can talk about ways to better align our various structures to our needs
with less immediate stress.
>
> -- brion
>
> On Feb 25, 2016 9:16 AM, "Denny Vrandecic" 
wrote:
>>
>> Thanks to all the answers to my response. I am still reading them, and I
>> probably will not be able to answer to all in a timely manner (I have to
>> work, after all), but I wanted to make a few things clearer, quickly:
>>
>> Milos, I indeed do not care about reelection. And if I have to choose
>> between truth and political wisdom, I hope to continue to choose the
first.
>>
>> More importantly, Milos, I did a massive error in my formulation, as I
know
>> realize, which lead to a misunderstanding. I have to apologize for that.
>> When I said that the Board has to make a decision in the interest of the
>> Foundation when there is a conflict between the Communities and the
>> Foundation, I was phrasing myself very badly, I now realize. I actually
did
>> not mean a direct conflict between a single Community and the Foundation,
>> i.e. with these two as being directly opposed to each other and fighting
>> over something, but rather the more complicated case of a decision where
>> there is a conflict of interests between the Foundation and the
>> Movement-at-large, the Board is obliged to decide in the best interest of
>> the Foundation.
>>
>> I do not buy in the mythology of an "evil community" at all. I do not
even
>> buy into the mythology of a great divide between the communities and the
>> foundation. There are plenty of people who are active and constructive in
>> both, and who bridge both. The cases where the Foundation and the
Movement
>> are directly opposed to each other should be extremely rare, and,
>> thankfully are. I don't think there was anything even close to that
brought
>> to the Board in my tenure so far.
>>
>> More often though is the case that there is a third-party situation, e.g.
>> an imminent and considerable legal threat to the Foundation. In that
case,
>> the interests of the Movement at large has to be secondary for the Board.
>>
>> I regard the Movement-at-large as much more resilient than any and each
of
>> its parts. And I am thankful for that, because I think our mission is
much
>> too important to leave it with a small NGO in the Bay Area. It has to be
a
>> mission carried by every single one of us, it has to be a mission that is
>> inclusive of every one who wants to join in realizing it.
>>
>> I have overstated my point in my last mail, obviously, and also
>> intentionally to make a point (and thanks for everyone to calling me out
on
>> that). But as many have confirmed, there is truth in this overstatement.
I
>> don't think that such situations will occur often. But when they occur,
and
>> that is what I said, they will be painful and frustrating and potentially
>> shrouded in confidentiality / secrecy. Therefore it remains my strong
>> belief, that reaffirming the current Board as the movement leadership
body
>> is a bad idea, because the overstated incompatibility that I have
described
>> remains.
>>
>> I could imagine with a much smaller Board of Trustees, which itself is a
>> constituent of a body representing the whole Movement.
>> I could imagine a wholly new body to represent the whole movement.
>> I could imagine many, many small new bodies who somehow make local
>> decisions on the one side and bubble up to an ineffective, but extremely
>> resilient and representative voice.
>> I could imagine many other models.
>> But I have a hard time to imagine the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia
>> Foundation sincerely filling out the role of the movement leadership, due
>> to the inherent constraints and incompatibilities between these roles. As
>> rare as they appear, they do appear.
>>
>> Dariusz, you say that a disengagement from the Foundation by the
community
>> would increase a specific Foundation versus the rest of the movement
>> situation. I don't think that the formal composition of the Board matters
>> as much as its role, duties, and obligations.
>>
>> The German Wikimedia chapter, the one chapter I have a bit experience
with,
>> is a membership organization. The Board is elected by the members in its
>> entirety. I don't see any claim of that Board to lead the German
Wikimedia
>> communities. I don't see that the German chapter is significantly closer
to
>> the German Wikimedia communities, or that their relation to the
communities
>> is considerably less strained, than the Foundation is to the overall
>> communities (besides the obvious

Re: [Wikimedia-l] What it means to be a high-tech organization

2016-02-25 Thread Yaroslav M. Blanter


On 2016-02-25 03:09, SarahSV wrote:
On Wed, Feb 24, 2016 at 4:20 PM, phoebe ayers  
wrote:








The Foundation could pay that number of workers, especially if it found
imaginative ways to do it.

For example, it could set up a department that accepts contracts from
individuals and groups who want certain articles to be written or
rewritten. Instead of paying a PR company, those people would pay the
Foundation. The Foundation would maintain a list of excellent editors 
and
would offer the contract to the most appropriate, taking a percentage 
of

the fee for itself.






I am sure this has been discussed before, but I also think this is a bad 
idea. Whereas I can imagine that as an exceptions some editors can be 
supported by the Foundation via an engagement grant, it should really 
stay an exceptions. The obvious reasons are:


- Different image of the movement, and, as a consequence, less 
donations, as Risker already pointed out.

- Possibly POV will be compromised in paid articles.
- Unhealthy situation within the editing community. In the debates with 
WMF staff when we disagreed, I always felt awkward, because they were 
paid arguing with me, and would do it until they convince me or I give 
up, and I was doing this in my free time, and got tired very quickly. I 
also had very unpleasant experiences interacting with some chapter 
people whose only goal was to keep their position. They did not care 
about the quality, efficiency, anything, only about their personal good. 
And if somebody defends their personal good, you know, thy usually win, 
and the quality loses. Now, imagine there is a content dispute between a 
user who is paid (and is afraid to lose the salary) and a user who is 
unpaid and have to do the same for free - I am sure a paid user will be 
way more persistent.


There should be many other reasons which I am sure have been already 
voiced.


Cheers
Yaroslav

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

2016-02-25 Thread Denny Vrandecic

Thanks to all the answers to my response. I am still reading them, and I
probably will not be able to answer to all in a timely manner (I have to
work, after all), but I wanted to make a few things clearer, quickly:

Milos, I indeed do not care about reelection. And if I have to choose
between truth and political wisdom, I hope to continue to choose the first.

More importantly, Milos, I did a massive error in my formulation, as I know
realize, which lead to a misunderstanding. I have to apologize for that.
When I said that the Board has to make a decision in the interest of the
Foundation when there is a conflict between the Communities and the
Foundation, I was phrasing myself very badly, I now realize. I actually did
not mean a direct conflict between a single Community and the Foundation,
i.e. with these two as being directly opposed to each other and fighting
over something, but rather the more complicated case of a decision where
there is a conflict of interests between the Foundation and the
Movement-at-large, the Board is obliged to decide in the best interest of
the Foundation.

I do not buy in the mythology of an "evil community" at all. I do not even
buy into the mythology of a great divide between the communities and the
foundation. There are plenty of people who are active and constructive in
both, and who bridge both. The cases where the Foundation and the Movement
are directly opposed to each other should be extremely rare, and,
thankfully are. I don't think there was anything even close to that brought
to the Board in my tenure so far.

More often though is the case that there is a third-party situation, e.g.
an imminent and considerable legal threat to the Foundation. In that case,
the interests of the Movement at large has to be secondary for the Board.

I regard the Movement-at-large as much more resilient than any and each of
its parts. And I am thankful for that, because I think our mission is much
too important to leave it with a small NGO in the Bay Area. It has to be a
mission carried by every single one of us, it has to be a mission that is
inclusive of every one who wants to join in realizing it.

I have overstated my point in my last mail, obviously, and also
intentionally to make a point (and thanks for everyone to calling me out on
that). But as many have confirmed, there is truth in this overstatement. I
don't think that such situations will occur often. But when they occur, and
that is what I said, they will be painful and frustrating and potentially
shrouded in confidentiality / secrecy. Therefore it remains my strong
belief, that reaffirming the current Board as the movement leadership body
is a bad idea, because the overstated incompatibility that I have described
remains.

I could imagine with a much smaller Board of Trustees, which itself is a
constituent of a body representing the whole Movement.
I could imagine a wholly new body to represent the whole movement.
I could imagine many, many small new bodies who somehow make local
decisions on the one side and bubble up to an ineffective, but extremely
resilient and representative voice.
I could imagine many other models.
But I have a hard time to imagine the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia
Foundation sincerely filling out the role of the movement leadership, due
to the inherent constraints and incompatibilities between these roles. As
rare as they appear, they do appear.

Dariusz, you say that a disengagement from the Foundation by the community
would increase a specific Foundation versus the rest of the movement
situation. I don't think that the formal composition of the Board matters
as much as its role, duties, and obligations.

The German Wikimedia chapter, the one chapter I have a bit experience with,
is a membership organization. The Board is elected by the members in its
entirety. I don't see any claim of that Board to lead the German Wikimedia
communities. I don't see that the German chapter is significantly closer to
the German Wikimedia communities, or that their relation to the communities
is considerably less strained, than the Foundation is to the overall
communities (besides the obvious locality of their relation).

Dan, Brion, James, in particular thanks to you for arguing why my
overstatement was, well, an overstatement. But I still remain convinced
that the view of the Board as having the role of leading the movement is
merely an accident of the fact that we have no other obvious leadership,
and that the Board is being sucked into that vacuum. It is not designed to
be so, and, I argue, due to the legal and formal obligations, it shouldn't.

MZMcBride, I currently lack the time to answer to your specific and
excellent points in particular. Sorry. I hope to come back to it.

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 8:24 AM, Dariusz Jemielniak <
djemieln...@wikimedia.org> wrote:

> On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 10:43 AM, Milos Rancic  wrote:
>
> > Thus, not the senate, but assembly is the right form of our
> > organization:

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

(I should clarify I don't think the pledge is necessarily wrong; it reads
to me like a straightforward affirmation of the conflict of interest policy
and I think it can't really be blamed for a notion of siding against the
community. But if it's confusing, maybe let's consider clarifying.)

-- brion
On Feb 25, 2016 7:54 AM, "Brion Vibber"  wrote:

> On Feb 25, 2016 6:55 AM, "Andrea Zanni"  wrote:
> >
> > On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 2:48 PM, Brion Vibber 
> wrote:
> >
> > > What I will disagree on is with the notion that the board has to take
> the
> > > org's side against the movement by definition. It is my understanding
> that
> > > the board has the role of oversight of the org -- that is, it's the
> board's
> > > job to ensure that the Foundation is effectively accomplishing the
> goals it
> > > was created to perform.
> > >
> >
> > As much as I agree with Brion,
> > probably Denny's message is telling us a lot.
> > I haven't read carefully the WMF Board Pledge of personal commitment, but
> > this is not the first time this issue is discussed: see for example
> > Cristian mail, two months ago, tackling the very specific thing. [1]
>
> One thing we should do is ensure that the legal obligations of a trustee
> of a Florida not for profit corporation are not conflated with an
> arbitrarily-written 'pledge of personal commitment' (or, to be sure, our
> own preferences).
>
> If the pledge is poorly worded or just wrong, it should be corrected.
>
> (IANAL, so I'll leave further talk of legal obligations to those more
> familiar with the topic.)
>
> -- brion
>
> >
> > Maybe the Board "feels" a lot of pressure about this, and this is a
> problem
> > on itself.
> > We all know that "toxicity" of an environment doesn't need laws or
> written
> > rules, but people being people, social pressure, etc.
> > If Board members feels without power, bound to the WMF and not the
> > Movement, that's a real problem we need to look into.
> >
> > Aubrey
> >
> > [1]
> >
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2015-December/080600.html
> > ___
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> 
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

2016-02-25 Thread Dariusz Jemielniak

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 10:43 AM, Milos Rancic  wrote:

> Thus, not the senate, but assembly is the right form of our
> organization: assembly which would select *paid* Board members.
> Besides the load, I want Board members to be accountable to
> Wikimedians, not to the for-profit or non-profit entities which give
> them money.
>

I am not, and have not been employed by any Wikimedia organization.

>
> Yes, it's scary to be accountable to people you lead. I completely
> understand that.
>

I have no idea where you get this idea from in my letter. I am not scared
to be accountable to people I lead, and I hope I have stated my readiness
in this department clearly.

>
> The costs of having 100 people assembly won't be significant at all.
> First of all, the most of the people in such large body would be
> anyways mostly consisted of those going to Wikimedia Conference and
> Wikimania. If you really care about money, scale the initial body to
> 40-50 and ask all chapters that sending three or more people to those
> conferences to contribute expenses for one to such body. If you put
> that way, the costs could rise up to ~5%, if they raise at all.
>

If you envisage a large, 100 people assembly during Wikimania or Wikimedia
Conference, then indeed it is possible to arrange without significant
additional cost. However, I believe this is basically an entirely different
idea than the one Denny described (or at least the one I understood we're
discussing). An assembly would be a body who would voice their opinion only
once a year in practice, most likely. I'm not sure what exactly would it
do, but surely it would be difficult for it to agree/vote on situations
happening within a span of weeks, rather than months.

>
> So, please, reconsider your ideas on the line: from speaking about bad
> bureaucracy, while in fact increasing inefficient one -- to thinking
> about efficient, democratically accountable bureaucracy, with
> everybody content by its construction.
>

I am not convinced if a body of 100 people meeting once a year is an
efficient way to reduce bureaucracy. Of course views may differ.

>
> Said everything above, I have to express that I am pissed off by the
> fact that the Board members are constructive as long as they are under
> high level of pressure. Whenever you feel a bit more empowered, I hear
> just the excuses I've been listening for a decade.
>

I am saddened you have this perception.
https://xkcd.com/552/

>
> Please, let us know how do you want to talk with us in the way that we
> see that the communication is constructive.

That is a good topic for a separate thread! Currently, the list we use is
limited to 1500 English speakers.

An idea that I have been trying to champion for a while was also
community-liaisons: community elected people whose responsibility is
day-to-day communication with the WMF and back. This would not be a
decisive role, and it is independent from whether we have a senate or
assembly or not, but could at least increase the reach of communication and
decision making in some areas.

Also, discourse is a platform that perhaps will take off at some point.

dj
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

On Feb 25, 2016 6:55 AM, "Andrea Zanni"  wrote:
>
> On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 2:48 PM, Brion Vibber 
wrote:
>
> > What I will disagree on is with the notion that the board has to take
the
> > org's side against the movement by definition. It is my understanding
that
> > the board has the role of oversight of the org -- that is, it's the
board's
> > job to ensure that the Foundation is effectively accomplishing the
goals it
> > was created to perform.
> >
>
> As much as I agree with Brion,
> probably Denny's message is telling us a lot.
> I haven't read carefully the WMF Board Pledge of personal commitment, but
> this is not the first time this issue is discussed: see for example
> Cristian mail, two months ago, tackling the very specific thing. [1]

One thing we should do is ensure that the legal obligations of a trustee of
a Florida not for profit corporation are not conflated with an
arbitrarily-written 'pledge of personal commitment' (or, to be sure, our
own preferences).

If the pledge is poorly worded or just wrong, it should be corrected.

(IANAL, so I'll leave further talk of legal obligations to those more
familiar with the topic.)

-- brion

>
> Maybe the Board "feels" a lot of pressure about this, and this is a
problem
> on itself.
> We all know that "toxicity" of an environment doesn't need laws or written
> rules, but people being people, social pressure, etc.
> If Board members feels without power, bound to the WMF and not the
> Movement, that's a real problem we need to look into.
>
> Aubrey
>
> [1]
>
https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2015-December/080600.html
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 4:01 PM, Dariusz Jemielniak
 wrote:
> First, my ideas to reform the Board are not incompatible with a
> "senate-like" idea.
>
> Second, I think that I see at least several reasons why a Senate for
> WIkimedia movement may not be the best way to go:
> 1) we already advance bureaucracy. Setting up yet another committee in a
> hope, that it will solve problems rarely works. It is better to improve the
> existing institutions.
> 2) Separating the movement's Senate from the WMF's Board will further
> advance the divide and disengagement.
> 3) We already have bodies, whose responsibility is oversight over the
> movement's resources (the FDC). After four years of lobbying for this idea,
> I'm really happy to see now that the WMF will be treated more like other
> organizations in the movement and will undergo a review. We DO NOT need
> more ideas to separate the WMF from the movement, we need just the
> opposite. In my view, the Board should gradually include oversight of the
> movement, rather than just the WMF.
> 4) The costs of having a 15-20 people Senate that meets in person twice a
> year match the costs of a small chapter. I don't think it makes sense,
> resource-wise.
> 5) Ultimately, Denny's proposal leads to polarizing the field into the WMF
> vs. everyone else. I would very much rather see a situation in which the
> WMF is primus inter pares.

Once again I got instinct to find appropriate literature, which
describes properly contemporary bureaucratic nonsense and doublespeak.
But I will resist this time.

FDC was the product of long-term struggle between chapters on one side
and Board, ED and staff on the other one. That will be always the case
until we get the unified global body, which democratically represents
all of the stakeholders.

Thus, not the senate, but assembly is the right form of our
organization: assembly which would select *paid* Board members.
Besides the load, I want Board members to be accountable to
Wikimedians, not to the for-profit or non-profit entities which give
them money.

Yes, it's scary to be accountable to people you lead. I completely
understand that.

The costs of having 100 people assembly won't be significant at all.
First of all, the most of the people in such large body would be
anyways mostly consisted of those going to Wikimedia Conference and
Wikimania. If you really care about money, scale the initial body to
40-50 and ask all chapters that sending three or more people to those
conferences to contribute expenses for one to such body. If you put
that way, the costs could rise up to ~5%, if they raise at all.

So, please, reconsider your ideas on the line: from speaking about bad
bureaucracy, while in fact increasing inefficient one -- to thinking
about efficient, democratically accountable bureaucracy, with
everybody content by its construction.

It appears in my vision that "more oversight" will practically mean
creation of "Community Oversight Committee", which would be used as
one more excuse, while their members would be politely intimidated not
to talk anything "too hard" to the others, under the excuses of
loyalty to anybody else than the movement itself.

Said everything above, I have to express that I am pissed off by the
fact that the Board members are constructive as long as they are under
high level of pressure. Whenever you feel a bit more empowered, I hear
just the excuses I've been listening for a decade.

Please, let us know how do you want to talk with us in the way that we
see that the communication is constructive.

-- 
Milos

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

Denny, with all due respect, I think you have things backwards.

https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Pledge_of_personal_commitment

"committed to Wikimedia Foundation’s goal to establish and maintain the
highest level of public confidence in its accountability"

Your interpretation seems to be "committed to Wikimedia Foundation".  But
you need to read that whole sentence.  The *goal* of the Foundation, to
maintain the highest level of public confidence, is the important part.
This goal can be threatened by members of the Foundation, and defended by
members of the movement at large.  Which is what's happening right now, and
which is why your interpretation is met with such disagreement.

"In every instance in which I represent the Wikimedia Foundation, I will
conduct my activities in a manner to best promote the interests of
Wikimedia Foundation."

Again, the *interests* of the Foundation, not the Foundation itself.
Which, again, are threatened by this crisis.

I hope this has just been a temporary lapse in understanding that you are
suffering from due to difficult times and elevated emotions.  But it's
clear that we need the board to protect the movement, which of course is
the *interest* and *goal* of the Foundation.

I am a relatively insignificant staff member, sure.  But still, I want to
say to the community at large that most of my friends and people I've
talked to are fully committed to the movement, and not to some abstract
useless loyalty to a Foundation that does not operate in the movement's
best interest.  But that does not mean that the crisis we face now is a
simple cut and dry problem.  The movement includes many voices that are not
heard on this list, and we have to think hard about how to account for all
those voices, and do the best thing for free and open knowledge.

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 9:54 AM, Andrea Zanni 
wrote:

> On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 2:48 PM, Brion Vibber 
> wrote:
>
> > What I will disagree on is with the notion that the board has to take the
> > org's side against the movement by definition. It is my understanding
> that
> > the board has the role of oversight of the org -- that is, it's the
> board's
> > job to ensure that the Foundation is effectively accomplishing the goals
> it
> > was created to perform.
> >
>
> As much as I agree with Brion,
> probably Denny's message is telling us a lot.
> I haven't read carefully the WMF Board Pledge of personal commitment, but
> this is not the first time this issue is discussed: see for example
> Cristian mail, two months ago, tackling the very specific thing. [1]
>
> Maybe the Board "feels" a lot of pressure about this, and this is a problem
> on itself.
> We all know that "toxicity" of an environment doesn't need laws or written
> rules, but people being people, social pressure, etc.
> If Board members feels without power, bound to the WMF and not the
> Movement, that's a real problem we need to look into.
>
> Aubrey
>
> [1]
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2015-December/080600.html
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

2016-02-25 Thread Dariusz Jemielniak

First, my ideas to reform the Board are not incompatible with a
"senate-like" idea.

Second, I think that I see at least several reasons why a Senate for
WIkimedia movement may not be the best way to go:
1) we already advance bureaucracy. Setting up yet another committee in a
hope, that it will solve problems rarely works. It is better to improve the
existing institutions.
2) Separating the movement's Senate from the WMF's Board will further
advance the divide and disengagement.
3) We already have bodies, whose responsibility is oversight over the
movement's resources (the FDC). After four years of lobbying for this idea,
I'm really happy to see now that the WMF will be treated more like other
organizations in the movement and will undergo a review. We DO NOT need
more ideas to separate the WMF from the movement, we need just the
opposite. In my view, the Board should gradually include oversight of the
movement, rather than just the WMF.
4) The costs of having a 15-20 people Senate that meets in person twice a
year match the costs of a small chapter. I don't think it makes sense,
resource-wise.
5) Ultimately, Denny's proposal leads to polarizing the field into the WMF
vs. everyone else. I would very much rather see a situation in which the
WMF is primus inter pares.

cheers,

dj






On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 8:48 AM, Brion Vibber  wrote:

> Denny, thanks for sharing your thoughts, and there's a lot I agree with and
> more I can empathize with.
>
> What I will disagree on is with the notion that the board has to take the
> org's side against the movement by definition. It is my understanding that
> the board has the role of oversight of the org -- that is, it's the board's
> job to ensure that the Foundation is effectively accomplishing the goals it
> was created to perform.
>
> WMF is not a for-profit company where that success boils down to
> shareholder price. It's a non-profit founded to improve the world's access
> to knowledge.
>
> It's important for us to remember that the WMF is a tool, a means to an
> end, not an end of itself. That tool has cracks in it and needs to be
> repaired, and it is the board's unique responsibility to ensure that
> happens if the executive cannot.
>
> -- brion
> On Feb 24, 2016 5:24 PM, "Denny Vrandecic" 
> wrote:
>
> > I disagree very much with Dariusz on this topic (as he knows). I think
> that
> > a body that is able to speak for the movement as a whole would be
> extremely
> > beneficial in order to relieve the current Board of Trustees of the
> > Wikimedia Foundation from that role. It simply cannot - and indeed,
> legally
> > must not - fulfill this role.
> >
> > To make a few things about the Board of Trustees clear - things that will
> > be true now matter how much you reorganize it:
> >
> > - the Board members have duties of care and loyalty to the Foundation -
> not
> > to the movement. If there is a decision to be made where there is a
> > conflict between the Movement or one of the Communities with the
> > Foundation, the Board members have to decide in favor of the Foundation.
> > They are not only trained to so, they have actually pledged to do so.
> >
> > - the Board members have fiduciary responsibilities. No, we cannot just
> > talk about what we are doing. As said, the loyalty of a Board member is
> > towards the organization, not the movement.
> >
> > - the Board members that are elected by the communities or through
> chapters
> > represent the voice of the communities or the chapters. That's not the
> > case. All Board members are equal, and have the same duties and rights.
> Our
> > loyalty is towards the organization, not towards the constituency that
> > voted for us.
> >
> > These things are not like this because the Wikimedia Foundation has
> decided
> > in a diabolic plan for world domination to write the rules in such a way.
> > These things are so because US laws - either federal or state laws, I am
> > not a lawyer and so I might be babbling nonsense here anyway, but this is
> > my understanding - requires a Board of Trustees to have these legal
> > obligations. This is nothing invented by the WMF in its early days, but
> > rather the standard framework for US non-profits.
> >
> > Now, sure, you may say that this doesn't really matter, the Foundation
> and
> > the Movement should always be aligned. And where this is usually the
> case,
> > in those few cases where it is not it will lead to a massive burn.
> >
> > Once you are on the Board, you do not represent the Communities, the
> > Chapters, your favourite Wikimedia project, you are not the
> representative
> > and defender of Wikispecies or the avatar of Wiktionary - no, you are a
> > Trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation, and your legal obligations and
> duties
> > are defined by the Bylaws and the applicable state and federal laws.
> >
> > So, whoever argues that the Board of Trustees is to be the representative
> > of the communities has still to explain to me how to avoid this
> conundr

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

2016-02-25 Thread Andrea Zanni

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 2:48 PM, Brion Vibber  wrote:

> What I will disagree on is with the notion that the board has to take the
> org's side against the movement by definition. It is my understanding that
> the board has the role of oversight of the org -- that is, it's the board's
> job to ensure that the Foundation is effectively accomplishing the goals it
> was created to perform.
>

As much as I agree with Brion,
probably Denny's message is telling us a lot.
I haven't read carefully the WMF Board Pledge of personal commitment, but
this is not the first time this issue is discussed: see for example
Cristian mail, two months ago, tackling the very specific thing. [1]

Maybe the Board "feels" a lot of pressure about this, and this is a problem
on itself.
We all know that "toxicity" of an environment doesn't need laws or written
rules, but people being people, social pressure, etc.
If Board members feels without power, bound to the WMF and not the
Movement, that's a real problem we need to look into.

Aubrey

[1]
https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2015-December/080600.html
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Message just sent to the BoT

2016-02-25 Thread Gerard Meijssen

Hoi,
It is not only staff that suffer. It is really depressing what goes on. I
find that I do less than I used to do. It is the little things that keep me
going.. I blogged about it ..

http://ultimategerardm.blogspot.nl/2016/02/wikidata-little-things.html

Be good, be gentle
Gerard

On 25 February 2016 at 14:04, Liam Wyatt  wrote:

> On Thursday, 25 February 2016, Ariel Glenn WMF 
> wrote:
> 
>
> > Make no mistake, this is not just about an ED.  It's also about failure
> of
> > oversight, powerlessness of staff, and a culture of exclusion, among
> other
> > things.  If, as I hope, the Board acts decisively to remove the current
> ED,
> > that will only be the first step in a mountain of work ahead of us.
> Hard,
> > painful, exhausting work.  But we can't begin to get started on it until
> > that first step is taken.
> >
>
>  I'd like to highlight this point in particular. It also echoes Oliver
> Keyes statement yesterday.
>
> When the Board makes its next official statement detailing its response to
> the current situation, I sincerely hope that it does not only address the
> ED. That is a necessary statement, but would not be a sufficient one.
>
> I hope that the statement will ALSO include some degree of detail about HOW
> the board will also address the problems of governance and oversight that
> has led to the current situation. In the past, the WMF has required
> Wikimedia-UK to undertake a formal governance review, and that might be an
> appropriate precedent to apply here.
>
> I'm NOT calling for specific governance changes need to be
> implemented immediately. That would be a mob-mentality, and any
> immediately-implemented changes would be reactionary. Nevertheless, a
> statement to the effect of "we're thinking about it, trust us" would not be
> sufficiently believable at this point in time when trust is so low. So
> instead, I really hope the board can make some specific (and therefore
> accountable!) assurances about how it will be investigating changes to
> governance over the next few months.
>
> - Liam / Wittylama
>
>
>
> --
> wittylama.com
> Peace, love & metadata
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

Denny, thanks for sharing your thoughts, and there's a lot I agree with and
more I can empathize with.

What I will disagree on is with the notion that the board has to take the
org's side against the movement by definition. It is my understanding that
the board has the role of oversight of the org -- that is, it's the board's
job to ensure that the Foundation is effectively accomplishing the goals it
was created to perform.

WMF is not a for-profit company where that success boils down to
shareholder price. It's a non-profit founded to improve the world's access
to knowledge.

It's important for us to remember that the WMF is a tool, a means to an
end, not an end of itself. That tool has cracks in it and needs to be
repaired, and it is the board's unique responsibility to ensure that
happens if the executive cannot.

-- brion
On Feb 24, 2016 5:24 PM, "Denny Vrandecic"  wrote:

> I disagree very much with Dariusz on this topic (as he knows). I think that
> a body that is able to speak for the movement as a whole would be extremely
> beneficial in order to relieve the current Board of Trustees of the
> Wikimedia Foundation from that role. It simply cannot - and indeed, legally
> must not - fulfill this role.
>
> To make a few things about the Board of Trustees clear - things that will
> be true now matter how much you reorganize it:
>
> - the Board members have duties of care and loyalty to the Foundation - not
> to the movement. If there is a decision to be made where there is a
> conflict between the Movement or one of the Communities with the
> Foundation, the Board members have to decide in favor of the Foundation.
> They are not only trained to so, they have actually pledged to do so.
>
> - the Board members have fiduciary responsibilities. No, we cannot just
> talk about what we are doing. As said, the loyalty of a Board member is
> towards the organization, not the movement.
>
> - the Board members that are elected by the communities or through chapters
> represent the voice of the communities or the chapters. That's not the
> case. All Board members are equal, and have the same duties and rights. Our
> loyalty is towards the organization, not towards the constituency that
> voted for us.
>
> These things are not like this because the Wikimedia Foundation has decided
> in a diabolic plan for world domination to write the rules in such a way.
> These things are so because US laws - either federal or state laws, I am
> not a lawyer and so I might be babbling nonsense here anyway, but this is
> my understanding - requires a Board of Trustees to have these legal
> obligations. This is nothing invented by the WMF in its early days, but
> rather the standard framework for US non-profits.
>
> Now, sure, you may say that this doesn't really matter, the Foundation and
> the Movement should always be aligned. And where this is usually the case,
> in those few cases where it is not it will lead to a massive burn.
>
> Once you are on the Board, you do not represent the Communities, the
> Chapters, your favourite Wikimedia project, you are not the representative
> and defender of Wikispecies or the avatar of Wiktionary - no, you are a
> Trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation, and your legal obligations and duties
> are defined by the Bylaws and the applicable state and federal laws.
>
> So, whoever argues that the Board of Trustees is to be the representative
> of the communities has still to explain to me how to avoid this conundrum.
> Simply increasing the number of community elected seats won't change
> anything in a sustaining way.
>
> This is why I very much sympathize with the introduction of a new body that
> indeed represents the communities, and whose loyalty is undivided to the
> Movement as a whole. I currently do not see any body that in the Wikimedia
> movement that would have the moral authority to discuss e.g. whether
> Wikiversity should be set up as a project independent of the Wikimedia
> movement, whether Wikisource would deserve much more resources, whether
> Stewards have sufficient authority, whether the German Wikimedia chapter
> has to submit itself to the FDC proposal, whether a restart of the Croatian
> Wikipedia is warranted, etc. I am quite sure that none of these questions
> are appropriate for the Board of Trustees, but I would love to hear the
> opinion of others on this.
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Feb 24, 2016 at 4:35 PM, Denny Vrandecic  >
> wrote:
>
> > Thank you for the diverse input. A few points to Razmy's proposal.
> >
> > I have trouble with suggestions that state "we can ensure diversity by
> > creating regional seats". First, why these regions? What does each region
> > seat represent? Potential readers? Actual readers? Human population at
> > large? Why not number of active editors? Without deciding that we do not
> > know whether the regions you suggest make any sense.
> >
> > Second, why regions at all? How do regions ensure that we have a
> diversity
> > in age? Sex? Gender? Wea

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

> I suppose Jimmy is the most responsible for spreading that. What I can't 
> understand is the fact
> that I don't see that too much (s)elected Board members have integrity
> above Jimmy's rumors threshold.

And the first part, as it wasn't well formatted initially: There is
specific Board culture, transferred from generation to generation of
Board members. The culture of siege, where the community is the
archenemy. As Denny is repeating the same thing I heard from some of
the previous Board members, while Jimmy is the only one with more than
year and half of being in the Board, I suppose it's about Jimmy.

The second option is possibility that that culture is so strong, that
it already assimilated almost everybody else up to the level of being
able to transfer the mythology to Denny.

The third option is possibility that Jan-Bart and Stu have such
powers, that they were able to indoctrinate Denny for six months of
being together in the Board.

I think the first option is the most reasonable one.

-- 
Milos

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Message just sent to the BoT

2016-02-25 Thread Liam Wyatt

On Thursday, 25 February 2016, Ariel Glenn WMF  wrote:

> Make no mistake, this is not just about an ED.  It's also about failure of
> oversight, powerlessness of staff, and a culture of exclusion, among other
> things.  If, as I hope, the Board acts decisively to remove the current ED,
> that will only be the first step in a mountain of work ahead of us.  Hard,
> painful, exhausting work.  But we can't begin to get started on it until
> that first step is taken.
>

 I'd like to highlight this point in particular. It also echoes Oliver
Keyes statement yesterday.

When the Board makes its next official statement detailing its response to
the current situation, I sincerely hope that it does not only address the
ED. That is a necessary statement, but would not be a sufficient one.

I hope that the statement will ALSO include some degree of detail about HOW
the board will also address the problems of governance and oversight that
has led to the current situation. In the past, the WMF has required
Wikimedia-UK to undertake a formal governance review, and that might be an
appropriate precedent to apply here.

I'm NOT calling for specific governance changes need to be
implemented immediately. That would be a mob-mentality, and any
immediately-implemented changes would be reactionary. Nevertheless, a
statement to the effect of "we're thinking about it, trust us" would not be
sufficiently believable at this point in time when trust is so low. So
instead, I really hope the board can make some specific (and therefore
accountable!) assurances about how it will be investigating changes to
governance over the next few months.

- Liam / Wittylama

-- 
wittylama.com
Peace, love & metadata
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 1:53 PM, Florence Devouard  wrote:
>> responsible for spreading that. What I can't understand is the fact
>> that I don't see that too much (s)elected Board members have integrity
>> above Jimmy's rumors threshold.
>
> You are not very clear here Milos. Can you rephrase ? Thanks

OK, likely the influence of my Serbian syntax and semantics...

I wanted to say that there are not a lot (that's a kind of euphemism
for "few"; the only clearly visible of them being Dariusz) Board
members since your and Angela's departure (a decade?) that have
personal integrity which could resist Jimmy's rumors.

-- 
Milos

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

2016-02-25 Thread Florence Devouard


Le 25/02/16 13:13, Milos Rancic a écrit :

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 2:23 AM, Denny Vrandecic
 wrote:

- the Board members have duties of care and loyalty to the Foundation - not
to the movement. If there is a decision to be made where there is a
conflict between the Movement or one of the Communities with the
Foundation, the Board members have to decide in favor of the Foundation.
They are not only trained to so, they have actually pledged to do so.


First, I suppose it's clear to you that you won't be reelected because
of this paragraph. While your legal obligations belong to WMF, your
political obligations belong to those who elected you. And the
paragraph above is far from being politically wise.

Second, this is the exact part of the Board's internal mythology about
the enemies inside of the movement. They've been repeated since
Florance and Angela leaved the Board.


Amusingly... when we were first elected, Angela was the representant of 
non-contributing members (the term to say they did not pay a fee to be 
members) whilst I was representant of contributing members (the ones who 
paid a fee. Hm)


I suppose Jimmy is the most

responsible for spreading that. What I can't understand is the fact
that I don't see that too much (s)elected Board members have integrity
above Jimmy's rumors threshold.


You are not very clear here Milos. Can you rephrase ? Thanks

Flo



Third, may you give to me *one* example of movement being in
confrontation with WMF's legal foundations, thus requiring Board to
react to protect WMF against the evil community?





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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform

2016-02-25 Thread Fæ

On 25 February 2016 at 12:13, Milos Rancic  wrote:
...
> Second, this is the exact part of the Board's internal mythology about
> the enemies inside of the movement. They've been repeated since
> Florance and Angela leaved the Board. I suppose Jimmy is the most
> responsible for spreading that. What I can't understand is the fact
> that I don't see that too much (s)elected Board members have integrity
> above Jimmy's rumors threshold.
>
> Third, may you give to me *one* example of movement being in
> confrontation with WMF's legal foundations, thus requiring Board to
> react to protect WMF against the evil community?

I'm probably a good example of when 'the Board' thought they needed
to protect the WMF against a prominent community member. At the time
when I was inaugural Chair of the Chapters Association, I was
informally advised by two board members that Jimmy briefed the WMF
board against me, though I was never copied. Now after a couple of
years of gossip since these events, I have no doubt that I was
investigated by WMF legal. The WMF has publicly refused to copy me
with their reports or internal emails about me, or to confirm whether
they do or do not still have reports on record.

Denny's email is correct in many respects, with our experience over
the last ten years, it is hard to imagine the WMF changing in a way
that would allow a Wikimedia community focused organization to have
sufficient resources or political power to be able to hold the
Foundation to account. In the current set up, the WMF at the top level
would only see a strategic threat and WMF legal would advise against
allowing the risk. Individuals within the WMF do believe otherwise,
some have always been vocal about it, however while Jimmy sits on the
board as a voting trustee and has sufficient power or charisma to
suppress dissent within the board, changing to more healthy attitudes
is impossible.

In the next round of elections, perhaps we should be looking for a WMF
trustee with sufficient character to push through real change over a
few months, rather than the current board who think that vaguely
talking about change happening in 2017, or 2018, or just waiting until
the old guard is ready to retire, is radical enough. I would be
delighted to see Christophe be the next Chair, as a young man with
plenty of hard earned political scars and impressive achievements,
though he may have nicer ways of spending his time.

Fae

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[Wikimedia-l] WMF Language team office hour and online meeting on March 2nd 2016 (Wednesday) at 1400 UTC

2016-02-25 Thread Runa Bhattacharjee

[x-posted announcement]

Hello,

The next online office hour session of the Wikimedia Language team is
scheduled for next Wednesday, March 2nd 2016 at 14:00 UTC. This session is
going to be an online discussion over Google Hangouts/Youtube with a
simultaneous IRC conversation. Due to the limitation of Google Hangouts,
only a limited number of participation slots are available. Hence, do
please let us know (on the event page
) if you
would like to join in the Hangout. The IRC channel #wikimedia-office and
the Q&A channel for the youtube broadcast will be open for interactions
during the session.

Our last online round-table session was held in November 2015. You can
watch the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYWZ6C4N93Y

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

Thank you
Runa

== Details ==

# Event: Wikimedia Language team's office hour session

# When: March 2nd, 2016 (Wednesday) at 14:00 UTC (check local time
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20160302T1400)

# Where: https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cbn4a2gubl4m6au3jv0gllh5t0k and
on IRC #wikimedia-office (Freenode)

# Agenda: Content Translation updates and Q & A

-- 
Language Engineering Manager
Outreach and QA Coordinator
Wikimedia Foundation
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[Wikimedia-l] Message just sent to the BoT

2016-02-25 Thread Ariel Glenn WMF

The following is the text of a letter I just sent to the Board of Trustees.
--

A tale from the trenches

I wake up every day short on sleep, check staff mail, check wikimedia-l,
check the facebook discussion group, check signpost comments, check irc,
check officewiki recent changes, check wikimediafoundation recent changes...

I gear myself up to learn who may have left today, what they will have
said, to digest the outpouring of support and sadness from others, and the
deafening silence from those who are in a position to put an end to all of
this.

I go over the reasons again in my mind that we're in this crisis: bad
hirings, decisions in secret, dissembling and coverups about the processes
that led to those decisions; refusal or inability to state a clear vision,
let alone get buy-in or the involvement of staff/community in shaping that
vision; restructuring the organization following these same broken
processes.  And so much more.

Make no mistake, this is not just about an ED.  It's also about failure of
oversight, powerlessness of staff, and a culture of exclusion, among other
things.  If, as I hope, the Board acts decisively to remove the current ED,
that will only be the first step in a mountain of work ahead of us.  Hard,
painful, exhausting work.  But we can't begin to get started on it until
that first step is taken.

In November at The Meeting (you all know which one I mean), Jimmy Wales
called on all of us to give Lila Tretikov a second chance, a chance to
rebuild the trust that had been lost.  We're well beyond that point now.
That trust is irrevocably broken.  It's possible that she would be able to
play a part in the healing and regrouping that must happen within the WMF
going forwards, but only as a private individual.  I would have to have
some distance from things in order to figure that out, and none of us has
that right now.  What I do know is that the current situation is toxic, and
getting increasingly more so.

We're bleeding out.  Slowly at first, but it's a just matter of time--and
probably not much of it--before that trickle turns into a flood.  I plead
with the one organization that has the ability to stop it, to step in and
do so.

SOS...

Sincerely,

Ariel Glenn
tech gnome, WMF staff
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Transition plans for WMF leadership - Board Reform