Hi Shani, Thanks for your post to the mailing list. I appreciate your comments directed at the BoT.
Hopefully the collective voices will make an impact. Warm regards, Sydney Poore User:FloNight Wikipedian in Residence at Cochrane Collaboration On Thu, Feb 18, 2016 at 8:37 PM, Shani <[email protected]> wrote: > Yury, this is a very important example, but indeed off-topic. It deserves a > separate thread, but not before addressing the current main crisis, which > all others stem from. > > At this point, it is inconceivable that there is still such a "disconnect" > between what WMF employees & volunteers accross the movement are saying, > and what the BoT is thinking, saying & doing. > > There have been repeated requests for engagement & action from the BoT, > both on and off this list. The first step in that direction has to be to > openly admit something is wrong, as Asaf rightly noted on this list no so > long ago. It takes courage to look the truth in the face and admit > mistakes. And itcll be hard for a while. But it has to be done and it's > worth the effort if we want to move forward positively. > > Like others, I believe this is the biggest crisis, crossroad, challenge > (call it what you will), we have ever faced as a movement. But as wise > people said, crisis also offers new opportunities and gifts, if confronted. > > We have to fix this disconnect before we go on "fixing the internet". > > And I wonder -- what else has to happen for the BoT to realize what both > community and employees are saying for months now, embrace it and act on it. > > Respectfully, > Shani. > On 19 Feb 2016 01:46, "Yury Bulka" <[email protected]> wrote: > >> There are certain things that affect many volunteers >> directly. A slightly off-topic example: >> https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T59608#1637250 >> >> The fact that: >> > "the WMF education team has no engineering resources" >> >> ...affects volunteers. >> >> Sincerely, >> Yury Bulka >> (Wikimedia Ukraine) >> >> Craig Franklin <[email protected]> writes: >> >> > Yaroslav, >> > >> > You're correct in that most volunteers don't care directly. The problem >> is >> > that a lot of the BoT's recent difficulties have crossed the line from >> > "angry encyclopedia people venting on a mailing list" to "serious and >> > negative attention from the mainstream press". If there is too much of >> the >> > latter, it may create a perception amongst the general public than even >> if >> > Wikipedia is a useful resource, that it is incompetent with handling >> > money. As a result, donations dry up, and difficult and unpleasant >> choices >> > have to be made around budget. >> > >> > So yes, this sort of thing can influence rank and file editors most >> > seriously, albeit indirectly. >> > >> > Cheers, >> > Craig >> > >> > >> > On 19 February 2016 at 07:52, Yaroslav M. Blanter <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> > >> >> >> >> To be honest, most volunteers do not care. We understand of course that >> if >> >> things would go really wrong, for example, servers stop running, or >> money >> >> runs out and ads are introduced, or English Wikipedia admins continue >> >> resigning/being desysopped without proper replacement, so that we have >> ten >> >> active admins, then we are in serious trouble. But as far as things are >> >> running quasi-normal, we just continue. I was making 50 to 100 edits per >> >> day five years ago, I am making 50 to 100 edits per day now, I will >> >> probably still be making 50 to 100 edits per day in five years, unless I >> >> die or leave because of a serious demotivation - and this demotivation >> is >> >> unlikely to be related to WMF. I think staff are way more vulnerable to >> all >> >> kinds of events. >> >> >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines >> > New messages to: [email protected] Unsubscribe: >> > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, >> > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines >> New messages to: [email protected] >> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, >> <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > New messages to: [email protected] > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines New messages to: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe>
