This discussion comes back every year. Every year we get the same reassurance that it's being looked into, that we'll try to do better, that things have been tested, etc.
The reality of the matter is that the alarmist and misleading stuff *works*. And that it's most probably not going anywhere. Just like last year and the year before. On Wed, 18 Dec 2019, 22:58 Samuel Klein, <meta...@gmail.com> wrote: > I've heard this asked this by 3-4 people recently > * A family member (checking in to make sure things were ok) > * A local grantmaker (who likewise has supported WP at least once before) > * A couple undergrads (on phones, asking eachother what to do if WP went > down during finals) > > All worried either that there had bee some sudden change, or that knowledge > or access would be lost in the near future. Perhaps there's a way to reach > the same people while highlighting our commitment to persistent access to > knowledge across time. And maybe a way to measure interpretation or > reaction to a banner in addition to its conversion rate. [Some banners are > so delightful that they are a welcome improvement to a page without; and > I've occasionally thought we should run some of those, w/ low probability, > continuously year-round.] > > Wikilove, > SJ > > On Wed, Dec 18, 2019 at 4:38 PM Fæ <fae...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > Sadly I had a similar experience only this weekend. > > > > We were enjoying a going away lunch with friends who are out of the > > country over Christmas, when one of them asked about Wikipedia's > > problems, knowing that I often volunteer time to it. He claimed that > > the site was spamming screen-sized pop-up banners trying to raise > > money because they were going bust. I had to advise him how wealthy > > the Foundation was, with hundreds of staff and extra cash in an > > endowment fund. > > > > Isn't it about time that the Wikimedia Foundation came to terms that > > /plenty/ of money is made through sensible fundraising, without every > > year embarrassing the whole Wikimedia Community by promoting the > > impression that Wikipedia is about to close down if the public don't > > give them enough money to keep their servers powered up over > > Christmas? Making 10% more money every year is growth for the sake of > > it unless we can understand in an accountable and transparent way > > where that extra 10% is needed; preferably right there in the > > fundraising banner so folks don't get the impression that Wikipedia is > > about to vanish. > > > > Thanks, > > Fae > > > > On Wed, 18 Dec 2019 at 20:34, Jacob Jose <jacob.j...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > I also felt like how Benjamin's dad did.. If one is viewing using the > > > mobile app, the red banners fill the entire screen and one has to > scroll > > > down to get to the content. I think the fund solicitation ads need to > be > > > much less loud than it's now.. > > > > > > Background: I have been an active Wiki contributor for over 10 years > now. > > > > > > On Wed, Dec 18, 2019 at 2:27 PM Benjamin Ikuta < > benjaminik...@gmail.com> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > My dad recently said to me: > > > > > > > > "I was solitated by them after looking something up. I thought it > > strange > > > > the way they were pleading for donations. They made it sound like > they > > > > might be shutting down if we the general public didn't donate." > > > > > > > > Has there been any research into how common it is for readers to get > > the > > > > wrong impression from the marketing messaging? > > > > > > > > I've heard of this sort of thing happening before, and I think it's > > highly > > > > antithetical to our values to be deceptive. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > > > > New messages to: 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 and > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > > > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > -- > > fae...@gmail.com https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fae > > > > Personal and confidential, please do not circulate or re-quote. > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > -- > Samuel Klein @metasj w:user:sj +1 617 529 4266 > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > New messages to: 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 and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
