The functional assumption being that what the WMF/WMIN are solving are technical challenges for which outcomes are immediately apparent. I believe that what they are both doing is engaging with an eco-system and that is an adaptive challenge for which outcomes are not always know immediately. There is much complexity in the model and solutions emerge - not necessarily are known at the outset.
Thank you. Best, Gautam ________ http://www.akshara.org.in/ On 20 October 2013 22:40, Pradeep Mohandas <prad2...@yahoo.com> wrote: > Hi, > > IIRC a call was put out on the list for discussion on the budget by the > Chapter EC. > > I however agree that something like an exit budget to see how programmes > funded have worked out and the impact they had on Wikipedia would be a > helpful exercise to help the Chapter in future fundraising and budget > exercises. > > Pradeep > > Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone <http://overview.mail.yahoo.com?.src=iOS> > > ------------------------------ > * From: * Ashwin Baindur <ashwin.bain...@gmail.com>; > * To: * Wikimedia India Community list < > wikimediaindia-l@lists.wikimedia.org>; > * Subject: * Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] Mashable: Where Do Wikipedia > Donations Go? Outgoing Chief Warns of Corruption > * Sent: * Sun, Oct 20, 2013 12:36:16 PM > > Keeping this post in mind, the idea of Rs 110 Lakh budget for the > Chapter really raises a lot of disquiet in my mind. > > Frankly, imho budget growth should be organic, not catastrophic. The > items proposed for expenditure should be discussed amongst the > community and explicit support got for this. Plus last year's budget > details & what they were planned for & how many objectives were met > needs to be clear to the public. > > Ashwin > > On Sun, Oct 20, 2013 at 4:20 PM, Anirudh Bhati <anirudh...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > Mashable: Where Do Wikipedia Donations Go? Outgoing Chief Warns of > > Corruption > > > > http://mashable.com/2013/10/17/wikipedia-donation-corruption/ > > > > When Wikipedia decided to roll out an aggressive fundraising effort a few > > years ago, the free encyclopedia came with a remarkably effective battle > > plan. For the entirety of the campaign, co-founder Jimmy Wales stared > > visitors down from the top of every page, making you feel guilty every > time > > you viewed an article without paying a dime. > > > > It worked. From 2011 to 2012, Wikipedia's fundraising arm, the Wikimedia > > Foundation, pulled in $38.4 million. It was a major increase from the $5 > > million raised from 2007 to 2008, one that occurred even as editorial > > involvement with Wikipedia was on the decline. > > > > But where does all this money go? > > > > In an unusually candid statement last month, outgoing Wikimedia > Foundation > > Chair Sue Gardner criticized the way her organization has doled out > funds. > > Too much is being spent on groups that do too little to enhance the > value of > > the encyclopedia itself, she argued. What's worse, many of those being > > awarded grants are the same people responsible for giving them out, which > > Gardner warned could lead to "log-rolling, self-dealing and other corrupt > > practices." > > > > Though not in charge of Wikipedia's content, the Wikimedia Foundation, or > > WMF, is the most powerful promoter of the open-source encyclopedia. It > > manages the technical infrastructure and day-to-day business operations > of > > Wikipedia — one of the most-visited sites in the world. > > > > WMF is based in San Francisco, but more than 40 independent-chapter > > Wikimedia organizations exist around the world, ostensibly advancing the > > foundation's agenda in their native regions. These chapters are the > biggest > > recipients of Wikimedia grant funding. But according to Gardner, it's not > > clear how filling the coffers of the chapter organizations benefits the > site > > as a whole. > > > > Last year, the Funds Dissemination Committee gave out $5.65 million in > > grants, the lion's share of which — 89% — went to affiliate chapters. > And 12 > > chapters in particular received 83% of the total grants. > > > > "I believe that currently, too large a proportion of the movement's > money is > > being spent by the chapters," Gardner, who has largely been responsible > for > > the foundation's transition into a fundraising behemoth, wrote in > response > > to the FDC's latest report. > > > > "The value in the Wikimedia projects is primarily created by individual > > editors: individuals create the value for readers, which results in those > > readers donating money to the movement." > > > > In an email to the Daily Dot, Gardner noted that these opinions were "not > > new, nor are they unique to" her. > > > > Indeed, Gardner's statement echoed the criticism of a number of prominent > > Wikipedia editors and critics in recent years. The concern is that all > this > > funding has done less to help the site than it has to create a > "professional > > bureaucratic class” surrounding the Wikipedia project,” as the Register’s > > Andrew Orlowski put it. Orlowski points out that the foundation’s staff > grew > > from three full-timers in 2006 to 174 in 2012-13. > > > > Gardner herself notes that there are very few members on the FDC who > aren't > > also chapter members. In fact, the majority of the committee's members > are > > either former or current chapter board members. > > > > The coziness that exists between the FDC and chapter board members calls > up > > memories of past chapter improprieties. In 2012, a former chapter board > > member was accused of using his position within the organization to > promote > > Gibraltar on the site. At the same time, he served on the Gibraltar > > government payroll as a PR consultant. > > > > Though Gardner believes the FDC is uniquely transparent and that its > members > > are capable of acting without self-interest, others aren't quite so > > convinced. > > > > One critic, Gregory Kohs, co-founder of the muckraking site > Wikipediocracy, > > describes the foundation’s appetite for expansion as “empire building.” > He > > argues that the work of a nearly 200-member Wikimedia staff could easily > be > > done by a workforce a fraction of the size. > > > > But it's not just the longtime critics. Many everyday Wikipedians are > > concerned about whether WMF still exists to serve Wikipedia, or vice > versa. > > > > Conflicts of interest are a major area of concern throughout Wikipedia > > culture, and editors like Tango say they are unavoidable with so much > money > > involved. > > > > "'Assume Good Faith' is a great policy when writing an collaborative > > encyclopaedia," Tango writes, referring to a fundamental principle on > > Wikipedia whereby editors are encouraged to assume all contributions to > the > > encyclopedia are done with good intent. "It's not so simple when you are > > dealing with [$11 million]." > > > > But others are less concerned about corruption and more worried about how > > chapters actually spend all that money. Andreas Kolbe, an active > Wikipedian > > and Wikipediocracy moderator, says many of the chapters have a propensity > > for spending on projects intended to bring publicity rather than > genuinely > > enhancing the site. > > > > "I see little evidence of a customer (i.e. reader) focus in chapters' > > spending decisions," Kolbe wrote. > > > > Despite those frank statements on Wikimedia and the FDC, Gardner heaps > lots > > of praise on the organization she's leaving. She insists the WMF is > > adaptable and that, with the right changes, it can shift funding > priorities. > > One way to do that is to make the FDC more diverse. And Grant seekers, > > Gardner said, "should need to be able to say clearly how their plan will > > make an important contribution to helping Wikimedia movement achieve its > > mission." > > > > At any rate, Gardner plans to step down soon. Will her successor heed her > > advice? > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Wikimediaindia-l mailing list > > Wikimediaindia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > To unsubscribe from the list / change mailing preferences visit > > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l > > > > > > -- > Warm regards, > > Ashwin Baindur > > ------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimediaindia-l mailing list > Wikimediaindia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > To unsubscribe from the list / change mailing preferences visit > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimediaindia-l mailing list > Wikimediaindia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > To unsubscribe from the list / change mailing preferences visit > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l > >
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