I'm sorry to hear that you feel this way, Gerard. I personally would like to feel more assured that the WMF is looking into the longer future and actively plannning for the day that donations no longer support a large staff doing lots of things.
I am concerned today that the team specifically tasked to work closely with so many elements of the community has lost 7% of its staff, and 30% of its leaders, in a single week. This should be a concern in any organization. With respect to the Knight grant - I know that many times grant applications are made for considerably more than is given, and I am interested to know how much the WMF requested in the first place. I would also like to know whether or not the Board was formally advised of the request before it was submitted. Since the Board must approve acceptance of any donations over $100,000 USD, it seems to be obvious that they should be consulted and possibly should actively approve any grant applications where the dollar value sought is higher than that amount. I don't believe the current policies require advance approval or even advance notification, though. Risker/Anne On 12 February 2016 at 03:54, Gerard Meijssen <gerard.meijs...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hoi, > I am not complaining. I point out that all this huha does not get us > anywhere. I am not afraid to give an opinion and I am not afraid to be a > contrarian when I think it makes sense. Yes, things happened that were not > beautiful. They are not what upset me. What upsets me is that people like > Siko and Anna are leaving. Because they are part of "my" Wikimedia > Foundation. What upsets me is that I routinely use Magnus's tool and > process hundreds of thousands of records and am to understand that official > query is stunted and does not allow for this "because it was not in the > design" and it is then pointed out that it takes money to solve this... > > My point is that baying for blood is not what helps us forward. What I do > know is that when sheer negativity is not coupled with an ability to stop > and move forward, we will get in a downward spiral. I fault Pine for not > being able to stop. What I wish for is for people like Anna and Siko and > money for our environment and not for an endowment. > Thanks, > GerardM > > On 12 February 2016 at 09:35, Michel Vuijlsteke <wikipe...@zog.org> wrote: > > > Gerard, > > > > I was waiting for this mail. For me personally, your complaining is > > achieving exactly the opposite of what you think. > > > > It sounds as if you'd much rather prefer to stick your head in the sand > and > > hope things will blow over. "Move along, nothing to see here -- oh look! > > something positive over there!" is not going to solve anything. > > > > Michel > > > > On 12 February 2016 at 09:24, Gerard Meijssen <gerard.meijs...@gmail.com > > > > wrote: > > > > > Hoi, > > > Pine as you are talking about "self inflicting wounds" I take it you > are > > > not talking in your personal capacity. When is it enough for you? When > > are > > > you going to talk about positive things, things that will move us > > forward. > > > Why ask for blood and more blood? What is it that you hope to achieve? > > > > > > Who do you represent in this unending litany of negativity and what > have > > > you achieved in this way? When Lila was engaged in her role, she was to > > > direct in a different direction and she is doing that. You may not like > > it > > > and that is ok. > > > Thanks, > > > GerardM > > > > > > On 12 February 2016 at 08:43, Pine W <wiki.p...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > > Dariusz, thanks for continuing to engage here. Besides the good > > questions > > > > that others have asked, I'll add a few: > > > > > > > > 1. If the Knowledge Engine is such an important project, why is it > not > > > > mentioned in > > > > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2015-16 > > > ? > > > > > > > > 2. I realize that as a percentage of the WMF budget, $250k is a > > > relatively > > > > small number. As others have said, this is not a reason for opacity > > about > > > > it, nor a reason for not having a conversation with the community > about > > > > something so strategically important as a decision to explore the > > > question > > > > of "Would users go to Wikipedia if it were an open channel beyond an > > > > encyclopedia?" It's one thing to have a blue-sky exercise thinking > > about > > > > possibilities, and another thing to take a $250k step in that > > direction, > > > > especially without consulting the community. > > > > > > > > 3. I am getting tired about seeing bad news in general about WMF > > > > governance, planning, and turnover. I am curious how you plan to > > address > > > > those issues. Like you, I would rather that we be talking about our > > > > movement plans for the next 10 years. However, it's difficult to have > > > those > > > > conversations when WMF is making so many self-inflicted wounds. The > > > recent > > > > round of resignations is of respectable people from the WMF staff is > > > making > > > > the situation that much more concerning and that much more difficult > to > > > > recover from. It seems to me that WMF leadership has lost control of > > this > > > > situation, and I'd like to hear what the recovery plan is. > Personally, > > I > > > > feel that we need leadership that can build good relationships with > the > > > > staff and community, is transparent by default, and is capable of > > > restoring > > > > the credibility of the organization's planning, execution, and > > goodwill. > > > I > > > > think that we may need new leadership to make that happen. I am > > > interested > > > > to hear your thoughts. > > > > > > > > Pine > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Thu, Feb 11, 2016 at 7:32 PM, Dariusz Jemielniak < > dar...@alk.edu.pl > > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > 11.02.2016 10:23 PM "SarahSV" <sarahsv.w...@gmail.com> napisał(a): > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >> > > > > > >> > > > > > > Hi > > > > > > Dariusz, > > > > > > > > > > > > T > > > > > > he grant application doesn't restrict the search engine to > > Wikimedia > > > > > projects. It says that the "Knowledge Engine by Wikipedia [is a] > > system > > > > for > > > > > discovering reliable and trustworthy public information on the > > > Internet. > > > > > > > > > > My understanding is that the top range could potentially be all > > > > open/public > > > > > resources, but this is the far stretched total goal, and still not > a > > > > > general search engine of all content including commercial one. > > > > > > > > > > And a rrasonable realistic outcome can be just improving our > searches > > > > > across projects. > > > > > > > > > > I can't comment on the initial ideas or goals, as I was not on the > > > Board > > > > > before August 2015, but this is what I understand we build now. > > > > > > > > > > . > > > > > > > > > > > > The document says the "Search Engine by Wikipedia" budget for > > > 2015–2016 > > > > > ($2.4 million) was approved by the board. Can you point us to > which > > > > board > > > > > meeting approved it and what was discussed there? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I dont recall this specifically, and I'm going to elude this > question > > > by > > > > > going to sleep (and hoping someone better informed may pick). > > > > > > > > > > Good night! > > > > > > > > > > Dj > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > > > 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 > > > > 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 > > > 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 > > 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 > 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 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>