Hi Toby, I asked several questions about this year's Annual Plan, only some of which received responses even after multiple pings from me, so I regret to say that I get the impression that community questions and input on the annual plan may be brushed aside. I wish that the situation was different. It seems to me that responding to good-faith community inquiries and comments about the Annual Plan should be a high priority throughout WMF. I would be grateful to receive answers to my questions that are still awaiting replies.
Pine On Oct 10, 2015 12:43 PM, "Toby Negrin" <tneg...@wikimedia.org> wrote: > Hi Folks -- > > I would suggest that if you are unhappy with the banners you apply your > energy to the annual planning process[1]. As long as the budget goes up 20% > year over year and page views fall, the Fundraising team will need to crank > up the banners. > > It's worth pointing out that Fundraising is one of the strongest voices for > fiscal restraint at the Foundation. > > -Toby > > [1] https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/2015-2016_Annual_Plan > > On Fri, Oct 9, 2015 at 4:09 PM, Pete Forsyth <petefors...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > I want to be clear about my previous message -- I am not questioning any > > individual person's integrity in the process, and I know from firsthand > > experience that a tremendous amount of good work goes into this stuff. > But > > I think the process that has evolved around developing the campaign is > > broken. > > > > In Megan's message, I see a great deal of emphasis on the specific points > > that are attributable to community suggestions/requests. But there is a > > bigger point that gets lost: It's not about where the ideas come from, > it's > > about whether the final result "gets it right." > > > > If the WMF produced mission-compatible banners without any community > > consultation at all, I'd be happy, and I think most others would be too. > > Running an open process is not the right way to measure success here. An > > open process is one of many ways to surface problems, and maybe to > generate > > ideas; but it's not the be-all end-all. > > > > The fund-raising department is clearly held accountable on its > > easily-measured performance. It needs to also be held accountable to the > > mission. How to do that is a difficult design and management problem, > and I > > don't pretend to have the perfect answer. But it's something that needs > to > > be done. > > > > Pete > > [[User:Peteforsyth]] > > > > On Fri, Oct 9, 2015 at 3:58 PM, Pete Forsyth <petefors...@gmail.com> > > wrote: > > > > > I agree, that banner does not reflect the values of this movement. Pure > > > and simple; it's not a grey area, and not worth my time to discuss for > > the > > > 97th time. > > > > > > Personally, I long ago gave up participating in these discussions, for > > the > > > most part -- because the same valid points get made over and over > again, > > > and the same *AWFUL* errors are made year after year in the > fund-raising > > > campaign. > > > > > > Leila's post here is heartening, and I'm glad that somebody has the > > energy > > > to articulate the concerns so well. I, myself, do not; I have simply > lost > > > faith in the integrity of the Wikimedia Foundation's fund-raising > > > operation. I am, honestly, ashamed to tell people that I used to work > in > > > the fund-raising department there (though I believe the work we did was > > > valuable). > > > > > > I recently heard from a high-ranking executive at a software company. > She > > > told me that she had given money to the Wikimedia Foundation, and then > > > looked into the WMF's budget, and the messages in the campaign she had > > > responded to. The word she used to describe her feeling was > "mortified." > > > She had considered asking for her money back, but had decided against > it. > > > > > > Fortunately, she was sophisticated enough not apply her negative > feelings > > > to Wikipedia, but rather to the Wikimedia Foundation. But can the WMF > > > afford to assume that will always be the case? > > > > > > Apparently, the thinking thus far is, "yes." > > > > > > -Pete > > > [[User:Peteforsyth]] > > > > > > On Fri, Oct 9, 2015 at 2:56 PM, Leila Zia <le...@wikimedia.org> wrote: > > > > > >> Hi Megan, > > >> > > >> Thank you for the update and all the hard work the team has done > during > > >> Q1. > > >> My comments below. > > >> > > >> On Fri, Oct 9, 2015 at 1:58 PM, Megan Hernandez < > > mhernan...@wikimedia.org > > >> > > > >> wrote: > > >> > > >> > > >> > The team has used this first quarter to test a wide variety of brand > > new > > >> > banners. From images, to banners highlighting photos from Commons, > and > > >> > different messages, we’ve found a few new ways to share the > > fundraising > > >> > message with Wikipedia readers. With updated designs, we’ve ended > the > > >> > quarter with a banner that performs roughly 20% better than the > best- > > >> > performing banner from last quarter. > > >> > > >> > > >> I saw that banner and I want to do all I can to help you not use it > even > > >> if > > >> it performs 20% better. I put my story in p.s. so it's easier to skip > > for > > >> whoever chooses to skip. This is a true story. :-\ > > >> > > >> > > >> > Better performing banners are required > > >> > to raise a higher budget with declining traffic. We’ll continue > > testing > > >> new > > >> > banners into the next quarter and sharing highlights as we go. > > >> > > > >> > > >> I've said this couple of times in the past through different channels > > >> (sorry to those of you who have heard this before) but I think it's > key > > to > > >> repeat it here just so we are all clear about what we know and what we > > >> don't know. > > >> > > >> We know that our pageviews are not growing globally (depending on how > > you > > >> look at the trend and predictions, they are going down with a slow > slope > > >> or > > >> are almost flat, neither case is good.). > > >> > > >> We also know that a higher budget means more work for Furndraising to > > meet > > >> the budget. > > >> > > >> We do not know the relation between the decline in pageviews and our > > >> ability to raise money, we do not have research evidence for the above > > >> statement given the data we have, so I highly encourage all of us not > to > > >> repeat this statement (even though it sounds very intuitive) until we > > show > > >> such evidence because the more we say it, the more we believe it. > Ellery > > >> explains what we know and don't know about this specific topic when I > > ask > > >> him a question about this in Metrics Meeting in April 2015. That > > >> discussion > > >> is recorded starting minute 37, second 38 here > > >> < > > >> > > > https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/WMF_Monthly_Metrics_Meeting_April_8%2C_2015.ogv > > >> > > > >> . > > >> > > >> Best, > > >> Leila > > >> > > >> p.s. Here is the story: > > >> I open my laptop at 5:30am to check few definitions on Wikipedia for > an > > >> upcoming early morning meeting. The room is dark and the only source > of > > >> light is my laptop, I go to Wikipedia and I see that banner > > >> < > > >> > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fundraising#/media/File:Sept2015BannerEx.png > > >> >. > > >> I'm still sleepy, and probably my mind is not functioning the way it > > >> normally does, nevertheless, here is what comes to my mind: I have a > > >> sudden > > >> feeling of fear. I see a very black background, and I think someone > very > > >> important has died. I look a bit more, and I see some red colors, > then I > > >> think something in the order of SOPA has happened. I'm getting quite > > >> nervous. I look at the text, but it's too long for me to parse it at > > that > > >> moment with the thoughts I have in the background. I look more at the > > >> background, I see some orange colors, some yellow colors, and a little > > >> human circled, I first think that whole color combination is a flame > > (red, > > >> orange, yellow, and the semi shape of a flame), then I think someone > is > > >> jailed/executed. My eyes finally manage to see the right-hand-side of > > the > > >> page, and I see there are dollar signs and numbers. I sigh in relief, > > and > > >> then I get really upset (though I manage to pass that stage soon). > Now, > > if > > >> I was not involved in the movement, I'm not sure if I would pay or not > > >> (maybe I would) seeing that banner, but because I'm in the Movement, I > > got > > >> really sad seeing myself going through that experience because I know > > >> more. > > >> I also acknowledge that different people have different backgrounds > and > > >> experiences in life. What I see as a sign of death and war, may not > be a > > >> signal for many other people (though the color black is almost > > universally > > >> used for signalling death), and I acknowledge that you cannot > > accommodate > > >> everyone. But please be aware, some people get really scared seeing > this > > >> kind of banner. > > >> > > >> I said the story above, but I also want to say that I understand the > > >> pressure on you. I've said it here > > >> < > > >> > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fundraising/2015-16_Fundraising_ideas#Banner_test_ideas > > >> > > > >> (and btw, huge thanks for being open to suggestions :-), and I'm > saying > > it > > >> here as well: I'm happy to help us to fix such an experience for our > > >> users. > > >> Please let me know if you're open to test new designs. I'm more than > > happy > > >> to help you for some time for us to bring in more designers and > > community > > >> members into this conversation. I'm sure we can do this. > > >> > > >> > > > >> > -- > > >> > > > >> > Megan Hernandez > > >> > > > >> > Director of Online Fundraising > > >> > Wikimedia Foundation > > >> > _______________________________________________ > > >> > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > >> > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > >> > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > >> > Unsubscribe: > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l > > , > > >> > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org > ?subject=unsubscribe> > > >> _______________________________________________ > > >> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > >> Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > >> < > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/guidelineswikimedi...@lists.wikimedia.org > > > > > >> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l > , > > >> <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > > >> > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
