[Wikimediauk-l] DNA Digest editathon on 29 May
Is anyone involved in this and can share more information about expectations for this event? I note that there is some fuss being made about potential COI on en.wp, though I suspect that this is just a question of how it has been presented so far. DNA Digest is a registered UK charity and this has the look of an interesting editathon to me. As it is practically on my doorstep I'm thinking about attending. Links: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-dnadigest-wikipedia-editathon-tickets-11414183129 http://dnadigest.org/frequently-asked-questions/ Fae -- fae...@gmail.com https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fae ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
Re: [Wikimediauk-l] A charter for our volunteer committees?
I have raised some quick comments on the talk page, including a question about the title volunteer committees as other recognized committees not listed in the document are by definition composed and driven by volunteers. The document gives the impression that only committees without any delegated powers are volunteer committees, which seems odd phrasing. PS please allow for the fact that date on my email may be up to a day earlier than the actual posted date. Fae On 7 May 2014 15:07, Michael Maggs mich...@maggs.name wrote: I have made a proposal for discussion. See the Engine Room: The following resolution was approved by the Wikimedia UK board in December 2013: [We should] redefine the role and purpose of the non-board committees to give them greater prominence, and if need be re-constitute and re-vitalise them with greater volunteer input to drive forward programmes. At present, the roles and memberships of non-board committees are somewhat unclear, and that has led to atrophy and lack of focus. Board/committee communication needs to be improved, and better board support for the committees’ work is needed. We would hope and expect that this will result in considerably greater community involvement. I have put up a draft charter for discussion at Volunteer committees, and would like to hear what everyone thinks. Insofar as it's possible for a charter to re-vitalise our committees (bearing in mind it's only people not policy that can ultimate do that), is this a move in the right sort of direction? Michael Link: https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Engine_room#A_charter_for_our_volunteer_committees ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk -- fae...@gmail.com https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fae Personal and confidential, please do not circulate or re-quote. ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
Re: [Wikimediauk-l] DNA Digest editathon on 29 May
Grant application here https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Project_grants/Genetics_data_edit-a-thon Cheers Simon -Original Message- From: wikimediauk-l-boun...@lists.wikimedia.org [mailto:wikimediauk-l-boun...@lists.wikimedia.org] On Behalf Of Fæ Sent: 07 May 2014 20:34 To: UK Wikimedia mailing list Subject: [Wikimediauk-l] DNA Digest editathon on 29 May Is anyone involved in this and can share more information about expectations for this event? I note that there is some fuss being made about potential COI on en.wp, though I suspect that this is just a question of how it has been presented so far. DNA Digest is a registered UK charity and this has the look of an interesting editathon to me. As it is practically on my doorstep I'm thinking about attending. Links: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-dnadigest-wikipedia-editathon-tickets-11414183129 http://dnadigest.org/frequently-asked-questions/ Fae -- fae...@gmail.com https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fae ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
Re: [Wikimediauk-l] DNA Digest editathon on 29 May
On 8 May 2014 10:02, Simon Knight sjgkni...@gmail.com wrote: Grant application here https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Project_grants/Genetics_data_edit-a-thon As I checked the WMUK events list yesterday and could not see it there, I presumed it was not a supported event. Perhaps the organizer could fix that? Since my email, Jimmy Wales has now speculated about the event[1], so a volunteer might want to chip in with the facts about Chapter involvement, and add a relevant link there. Link: 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Jimbo_Wales#Possible_COI_with_an_upcoming_edit-a-thon Fae -- fae...@gmail.com https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fae ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
Re: [Wikimediauk-l] Second Queen St Mill Museum editathon, 10 May
A reminder: this event is on Saturday. On 10 April 2014 17:42, Andy Mabbett a...@pigsonthewing.org.uk wrote: We're running another editathon, at Queen Street Mill in Burnley, on 10 May. This is a fantastic opportunity to use the mill's archives and to meet and work with the curators. Booking essential: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:GLAM/Queen_Street_Mill_Museum/event_2 -- Andy Mabbett @pigsonthewing http://pigsonthewing.org.uk -- Andy Mabbett @pigsonthewing http://pigsonthewing.org.uk ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
[Wikimediauk-l] Test
This is a test message to see if my email from this address gets through to the list or not. If it does, then yay my problem with posting to this list is fixed, and please accept my apologies for the spam. If it doesn't, then how did you get hold of this message?! Thanks, Mike ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
Re: [Wikimediauk-l] Test
Oh, cool, this came straight through. :-) I no longer need to use my work address to send emails to this list - yay. :-) Apologies again for the spam! Thanks, Mike On 8 May 2014, at 21:12, Michael Peel em...@mikepeel.net wrote: This is a test message to see if my email from this address gets through to the list or not. If it does, then yay my problem with posting to this list is fixed, and please accept my apologies for the spam. If it doesn't, then how did you get hold of this message?! Thanks, Mike ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
Re: [Wikimediauk-l] Test
No problem Mike! I received it :-) On 8 May 2014 21:14, Michael Peel em...@mikepeel.net wrote: Oh, cool, this came straight through. :-) I no longer need to use my work address to send emails to this list - yay. :-) Apologies again for the spam! Thanks, Mike On 8 May 2014, at 21:12, Michael Peel em...@mikepeel.net wrote: This is a test message to see if my email from this address gets through to the list or not. If it does, then yay my problem with posting to this list is fixed, and please accept my apologies for the spam. If it doesn't, then how did you get hold of this message?! Thanks, Mike ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
Re: [Wikimediauk-l] A charter for our volunteer committees?
Hi all, It's good to see the role of the WMUK committees being focused on - thank you Michael for starting this. However, I think it's a real shame that the committees are becoming much more advisory than they were supposed to be when they were originally envisaged and created just a few years ago. The charter here basically gives the committee no powers whatsoever. Compare it with the proposal I posted in 2012 at: https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/General_Committee_Charter which was aimed at giving the committees some amount of delegated power to decide what would or wouldn't happen. Instead, now we're seeing committees that may or may not be able to give input to staff members (depending on whether staff members decide if they want to consult the committees or not). The power balance is very much on the side of the staff, who hold individual viewpoints (which are generally very good and worth listening to - but they are individual viewpoints) rather than viewpoints balanced across a spectrum of views (which is what a committee can provide). It's also worth remembering that the staff were hired to support the community rather than the other way around... If the priorities could be flipped here, and the committees are given the direct ability to give recommendations to the WMUK board or to make some level of budget decisions, then I think it's useful to continue to have the committees. If not, then I would ask why the committees exist here... Thanks, Mike On 7 May 2014, at 15:20, Fæ fae...@gmail.com wrote: I have raised some quick comments on the talk page, including a question about the title volunteer committees as other recognized committees not listed in the document are by definition composed and driven by volunteers. The document gives the impression that only committees without any delegated powers are volunteer committees, which seems odd phrasing. PS please allow for the fact that date on my email may be up to a day earlier than the actual posted date. Fae On 7 May 2014 15:07, Michael Maggs mich...@maggs.name wrote: I have made a proposal for discussion. See the Engine Room: The following resolution was approved by the Wikimedia UK board in December 2013: [We should] redefine the role and purpose of the non-board committees to give them greater prominence, and if need be re-constitute and re-vitalise them with greater volunteer input to drive forward programmes. At present, the roles and memberships of non-board committees are somewhat unclear, and that has led to atrophy and lack of focus. Board/committee communication needs to be improved, and better board support for the committees’ work is needed. We would hope and expect that this will result in considerably greater community involvement. I have put up a draft charter for discussion at Volunteer committees, and would like to hear what everyone thinks. Insofar as it's possible for a charter to re-vitalise our committees (bearing in mind it's only people not policy that can ultimate do that), is this a move in the right sort of direction? Michael Link: https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Engine_room#A_charter_for_our_volunteer_committees ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk -- fae...@gmail.com https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fae Personal and confidential, please do not circulate or re-quote. ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
Re: [Wikimediauk-l] A charter for our volunteer committees?
On 8 May 2014 21:48, Michael Peel em...@mikepeel.net wrote: Hi all, It's good to see the role of the WMUK committees being focused on - thank you Michael for starting this. However, I think it's a real shame that the committees are becoming much more advisory than they were supposed to be when they were originally envisaged and created just a few years ago. The charter here basically gives the committee no powers whatsoever. Compare it with the proposal I posted in 2012 at: https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/General_Committee_Charter which was aimed at giving the committees some amount of delegated power to decide what would or wouldn't happen. I believe the general understanding of https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Articles_of_Association/2013_EGM_revision#Delegation_of_Directors'_powers is that 1. Committees are sub-committees of the Wikimedia UK Board means that those committees would consist entirely of trustees. Instead, now we're seeing committees that may or may not be able to give input to staff members (depending on whether staff members decide if they want to consult the committees or not). The power balance is very much on the side of the staff, who hold individual viewpoints (which are generally very good and worth listening to - but they are individual viewpoints) rather than viewpoints balanced across a spectrum of views (which is what a committee can provide). It's also worth remembering that the staff were hired to support the community rather than the other way around... Power balance? Removing parentheses, that sentence reads The power balance is very much on the side of the staff, who hold individual viewpoints rather than viewpoints balanced across a spectrum of views. With the following sentence, I do wonder what this is driving at. Of course all committee members are going to advocate for particular perspectives, which is why there has to be a chair. With the first sentence, this is apparently about delegated powers to manage staff? My experience of a couple of the committees would suggest, on the basis of particular instances: (1) There can be an issue about committee members laying down the law (Mike, you are guilty of that); (2) There can be an issue with staff role and actions; (3) There can be an issue if participants disregard the role of chair. But I don't think any of these is particularly a charter issue. The things I can bring to mind are at the level of what I would call savoir faire. If the priorities could be flipped here, and the committees are given the direct ability to give recommendations to the WMUK board or to make some level of budget decisions, then I think it's useful to continue to have the committees. If not, then I would ask why the committees exist here... Well, they can do the first, and they are not going to be able to do the second (budget) thing directly, as I understand the status quo: they are clearly able to influence discussion of budgetary matters. The point would be to have a layer of effective discussion between the strategic focus of the Board, and the detailed implementation by the office and contractors. I think it would be a mistake to define the clearing-house function out of existence. Charles ___ Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediau...@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
