Re: [Wikimediauk-l] UK chapter membership numbers

2018-04-10 Thread
Yes, at the AGM the tripling of membership numbers was explained as being due to an increase in members joining. No meaningful facts were presented to the members, but the impression given by the Chair and the CEO was that there would be more information publicly available. My question was "why".

Re: [Wikimediauk-l] UK chapter membership numbers

2018-04-10 Thread Charles Matthews
> On 10 April 2018 at 11:41 Fæ wrote: > > It appears that the jump in numbers was a one-off event, there has > been no continued growth since whatever happened. I don't know what happened. I did correspond with the office about a prompt to renew. One could simulate such a

[Wikimediauk-l] UK chapter membership numbers (John Byrne)

2018-04-10 Thread John Byrne
As very often in recent years, I got a notification of my post sent an hour or so ago, with completely blank text.  Yet Katie has clearly seen it, as she quotes me. Have others also got blanks? Can the rather cryptic instructions for replies be clarified, or is there some bug?  I get the digest

Re: [Wikimediauk-l] UK chapter membership numbers

2018-04-10 Thread John Lubbock
Thanks Stevie. We are trying to work on an integrated communications and membership strategy to grow the membership further. As always there are capacity issues as to what we can do with the number of staff and funding we have, but I am always willing to listen to people's ideas for how we could

Re: [Wikimediauk-l] UK chapter membership numbers (John Byrne)

2018-04-10 Thread Stevie Benton
" though you are right to imply that the chapter is over-sensitive to criticism... " John, I must have missed that bit as I didn't see Katie imply that at all. If anything, I think the chapter receives, and always has received, a lot of unwarranted criticism from people who have ill-defined

Re: [Wikimediauk-l] UK chapter membership numbers

2018-04-10 Thread Richard Nevell
Dear Fae, My memory could be failing me, but I thought it was explained at the AGM that the increase was a result of asking donors to become members. It sounds like you are more interested in the 'how' of the process and the 'who' as you seem dissatisfied with the answer to *why* there was an

[Wikimediauk-l] UK chapter membership numbers

2018-04-10 Thread John Byrne
As I recall, the "successful membership drive" consisted in offering donors to convert some of their donation into a chapter sub. I doubt anyone knows who most of them are, and I doubt a high proportion know much about the movement or the chapter, beyond the experience of a reader.  Some of

Re: [Wikimediauk-l] Wikimediauk-l Digest, Vol 153, Issue 7

2018-04-10 Thread John Byrne
Once again my post is (to me) a header and blank text, but others can evidently see it, which is something.  Katie seems to see the only possible problem as the chapter getting criticised... John/JohnbodOn 10 April 2018 at 18:57 wikimediauk-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org wrote:Send Wikimediauk-l

Re: [Wikimediauk-l] UK chapter membership numbers

2018-04-10 Thread Katie Chan
Oh I don't know, maybe this "yawning gap" wouldn't be so wide if the chapter don't get criticised for both not increasing its membership numbers and having increased its membership numbers. Just a wide guess KTC Sent from my Samsung

Re: [Wikimediauk-l] UK chapter membership numbers

2018-04-10 Thread Stevie Benton
Exactly what Katie says. The chapter can't win here. It gets criticised if membership doesn't grow because some see it as a kind of failure. Then, when the chapter grows its membership it is seen as some kind of entryist threat. I find it particularly notable that these criticisms come from the

Re: [Wikimediauk-l] UK chapter membership numbers (John Byrne)

2018-04-10 Thread John Lubbock
We welcome constructive criticism, and I am happy to listen to any members' concerns and ideas for improving Chapter-Community cohesion and communication. :) John Lubbock Communications Coordinator Wikimedia UK +44 (0) 203 372 0767 Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered

Re: [Wikimediauk-l] Wikimediauk-l Digest, Vol 153, Issue 7

2018-04-10 Thread Katie Chan
My phone must have sent you a different email than what I typed on it, because I don't recall typing the word "only" anywhere on my previous reply. Maybe my memory's going, but I also vaguely recall typing something about them being criticised for not doing something AND being criticised for

Re: [Wikimediauk-l] UK chapter membership numbers (John Byrne)

2018-04-10 Thread Rex X
I'm also willing to listen to criticism of the chapter, and I promise I'll do my best to address any issues that I can, as long as it does not fall directly within the operational remit of the staff. I don't share the concern about the jump in membership. All the reports I have seen indicate