If you want an overview of the brand project I recently made an interview with Zack McCune at WMF about it.
You can find it on Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WP_74_-_right_on_brand.mp3 or, if you prefer regular podcast players, here: http://wikipediapodden.se/episode-74-right-on-brand/ / Jan Ainali Den sön 2 feb. 2020 kl 16:04 skrev Gerard Meijssen < gerard.meijs...@gmail.com>: > Hoi, > I totally agree that it is about community.. There are some 200 Wikipedia > communities, there is Commons, Wikisource and the community I am most > involved in Wikidata. What ties it together is the organisation of it all. > THAT is Wikimedia for me, both the org and the movement. > Thanks, > GerardM > > On Sun, 2 Feb 2020 at 12:12, Frans Grijzenhout <fr...@wikimedia.nl> wrote: > > > Thanks Pine, +1, in particular for this sentence, which goes beyond the > > legal status of the brand name: "I think that the Wikipedia brand is, > in a > > way, the brand of the community. WMF is the steward of the brand, and > > should not use the brand in ways which the community has not authorized > by > > consensus." > > Frans > > *Frans Grijzenhout*, voorzitter / chair > > +31 6 5333 9499 > > -- > > *Vereniging Wikimedia Nederland* > > Mariaplaats 3 - 3511 LH Utrecht > > Kamer van Koophandel 17189036 > > http://www.wikimedia.nl/ > > > > > > Op zo 2 feb. 2020 om 01:31 schreef Pine W <wiki.p...@gmail.com>: > > > > > Hello, > > > > > > I have waited to return to this thread until I could clear enough > > > space in my mind to try to address it thoroughly. Apologies for the > > > delay. I will try to address multiple topics in one email. > > > > > > I think that the Wikipedia brand is, in a way, the brand of the > > > community. WMF is the steward of the brand, and should not use the > > > brand in ways which the community has not authorized by consensus. > > > > > > There was a previous mailing discussion on Wikimedia-l in September > > > 2019. I would have expected an update after that discussion if WMF was > > > considering moving ahead with rebranding itself. An email announcing > > > that the matter was being reviewed by the Board, and/or that WMF was > > > starting an RfC, would have been fine. Community consultations or an > > > RfC could have taken place at that time without using outside > > > contractor. > > > > > > I don't appreciate being surprised. Given that the focus of this > > > effort in WMF is inside of its Communications Department, I think that > > > staff should be especially proactive in communicating what they are > > > doing with regards to major initiatives, and prior to engaging in a > > > contracting process with donors' funds. > > > > > > Staff appear not to have addressed, at least in public on English > > > Wikipedia, the sockpuppeting allegations with regards to Snøhetta. [1] > > > [2]. > > > > > > Also worth noting is the RfC, which was previously mentioned in this > > > thread: > > > > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Requests_for_comment/Should_the_Foundation_call_itself_Wikipedia > > > . > > > The current count as of the time of my writing this email is 26 > > > support and 292 oppose. > > > > > > This series of events should have been handled differently. Nobody is > > > perfect, but there are problems here that appear to be more > > > significant than a simple one time failure to communicate on an issue > > > of moderate importance. > > > > > > One oversight that I made in my earlier email, and which I will > > > correct with an apology for not stating this earlier (I too can be > > > wrong), is that problems in this series of events could include > > > decisions that were made by the WMF Board. However, without access to > > > WMF's internal communications, it is impossible to know how this > > > series of events happened. > > > > > > I am not advocating adding stress to people who do good work, or > > > people who have so much work that they can't realistically handle > > > everything that they're told to do. It is possible that staff are > > > simply overworked. However, while I don't enjoy writing about this > > > topic, sometimes changing personnel is for the best. This happens in > > > government organizations and companies, and I imagine happens on > > > occasion in WMF, although often in private. Also, in WMF and in > > > affiliate boards, sometimes board members are replaced as a result of > > > elections. In the community, we occasionally revoke people's > > > permissions or block people in public, and here too people sometimes > > > are replaced as a result of elections. I realize that this is a topic > > > that can be stressful, but I think that candor is appropriate. I feel > > > rooted in the English Wikipedia community and I think that what I say > > > in this paragraph is consistent with how our community works, and is > > > consistent with how I see government agencies sometimes work in the > > > United States. At the same time (and I wish that I said this in my > > > previous email) the point isn't to have a culture where people should > > > be fearful on a daily basis. I would hope that generally things go OK > > > for people, and that one time mistakes which are easily reversed don't > > > result in someone feeling fearful. What is more concerning is a > > > pattern of problems, or an error that results in a single major > > > problem that is difficult to reverse. > > > > > > I personally have made considerable efforts during my personal time to > > > try to address what I heard was widespread fear among WMF staff about > > > communicating in public, and that interest continues. A "culture of > > > fear" can limit communication and erodes trust. At the same time, I > > > think that the WMF Board and staff should communicate proactively > > > about initiatives and decisions with significant implications. > > > > > > Pine > > > ( https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pine ) > > > > > > [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Sn%C3%B8hettaAS > > > [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Leilaoes > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > 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> > _______________________________________________ > 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>
