What websites are you talking about, Gerard? I couldn't get that part. Africa is way more engaged and active that the impression that often passes to the rest of the movement, and I believe that the WMF staff that went to Wiki Indaba has noticed that (it was impossible not to notice it, IMO). I was at Wiki Indaba, and my impression is that the WMF was well and properly represented at the conference, that the money was well spent and that there will be/ already are practical and noticeable improvements in the engagement with the wiki communities in Africa on the part of the WMF after that.
Best, Paulo Gerard Meijssen <[email protected]> escreveu no dia sábado, 16/11/2019 à(s) 16:12: > Hoi, > What language does the staff, the departments speak. > > What chance for the current bias to be sustained and for no real progress > where we do a mediocre job at best.. Did we EVER research what the effect > was of ending the free access to our articles when we ended our program. Do > we know how to make a difference and are we willing to let go of what holds > us back? > > Just compare the recent conventions and the money spend. Africa could be so > much more active when our websites are as good there as what we are > accustomed to. Yes, staff went to Africa and then what? > Thanks, > GerardM > > On Sat, 16 Nov 2019 at 16:04, Peter Southwood < > [email protected]> > wrote: > > > If the changes get staff more directly and personally involved in > > communicating with the rest of the community it could be helpful to both > > groups, > > Cheers, > > Peter > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Wikimedia-l [mailto:[email protected]] On > > Behalf Of Dariusz Jemielniak > > Sent: 16 November 2019 12:39 > > To: Wikimedia Mailing List > > Subject: Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Chief of Community > > Engagement to leave the Foundation > > > > hi, > > > > speaking just in my personal opinion and capacity, without discussing it > > with anyone else: only time will tell whether this structural change > works, > > and jumping to conclusions is definitely premature. > > > > In principle, as a person specializing in management and organizational > > change, I can tell that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. I can > > definitely see a lot of possible benefits to the restructuring though, > and > > we definitely DO want all WMF departments to be in touch with the > > communities. The proposed approach tries to address the siloses. Every > > department will have good interface with the CE issues, and this is a > good > > thing. Whether it leads to better CE prioritization is unknown yet, but > > structurally it can definitely help. > > > > On a practical level, given the fact that our previous search for the > > C-level position for CE took more than half a year, AFAIR, in the short > > term the assumed approach allows us to leapfrog a lot of turmoil, which > > could be damaging to community engagement in this crucial moment (last > > stretch of our strategic exercise effort). In the long run - I am certain > > that the WMF leadership does not believe in things written in stone. > > > > I'd be really reluctant to assume the restructuring is good or bad for > the > > community as it is, everything depends on how the new structure is used > in > > practice. > > > > best, > > > > dj "pundit" > > > > > > > > > > On Sat, Nov 16, 2019 at 1:29 AM Paul J. Weiss <[email protected]<mailto: > > [email protected]>> wrote: > > I find the disbanding of the Community Engagement department at WMF to be > > quite concerning. I will go so far as to say that I view it as a mistake > > that will have negative impacts well into the future. > > > > For one thing, the structure of an organization is in some sense a > > statement of priorities. I believe this move does indeed say to > employees, > > the community, allied organization, and the rest of the world that the > WMF > > is now placing less value on engaging the community. Given that many in > the > > community have been feeling this already, this is not an opportune time > to > > make this transition, even if it were a good idea for other reasons. > > > > Another issue is the specific placement of individual teams. For example, > > you say that returning the Trust & Safety team to the Legal department is > > intuitive. It certainly is not to me, and that move in particular is > > concerning. The team's homepage on Meta states that it "identifies, > builds > > and – as appropriate – staffs processes which keep our users safe; > design, > > develop, and execute on a strategy that integrates legal, product, > > research, and learning & evaluation to proactively mitigate risk as well > as > > manage the overall safety of our online and offline communities when > > incidents happen." The legal aspect is only one of many in the team's > > purview, and hopefully not a large one. > > > > In my experience, units within legal departments take a very legalistic > > view of their work. As one example, many colleges and universities have > an > > office for students with disabilities. In the US, those that are in legal > > or policy departments tend to focus very much on doing the minimum they > > have to do under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), rather than > > being student-centered. (This is the case here at the University of > > Washington.) Compare this to the focus of units for women, students of > > color, etc., often hierarchically under student services, who are much > more > > proactive and supportive. > > > > I definitely do not want Trust & Safety to narrow its focus to ensuring > > enforcement & reducing liability. As you know, legal but negative > behavior > > is a significant threat to the future of Wikipedia and sister projects. > The > > team needs to be organizationally placed to maximize, not minimize, its > > access to resources, the community, and other staff as well as its > impact. > > Placing it in Legal could, for example, decrease significantly contact > and > > trust from our community members whose experience with laws is that they > > are used as weapons and tools to oppress rather than engendering fairness > > and cooperation. > > > > Please, please carefully consider the all ramifications of this > > reorganization before it is implemented. > > > > Thank you, > > Paul Weiss > > Libcub on en.wp > > > > --------- Original Message --------- > > Subject: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Chief of Community Engagement > > to leave the Foundation > > From: 'Katherine Maher' <[email protected]<mailto: > [email protected] > > >> > > Date: 11/15/19 3:36 pm > > To: 'Wikimedia Mailing List' <[email protected]<mailto: > > [email protected]>> > > > > Hello everyone, > > > > I am writing to let you know that Val D’Costa, Chief Community Engagement > > Officer, is leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. I also want to share some > > changes we’re making around how the Foundation organizes staff in the > > Community Engagement department. > > > > Val joined us last January, bringing nearly three decades of experience > > launching and growing international initiatives in emerging markets. With > > the Wikimedia 2030 movement strategy as a guide, Val and her team drafted > > an ambitious new vision for the work of Community Engagement—focused on > > decentralization of power and resources, safe and welcoming spaces, > > equitable collaboration, increased language and cultural fluency, > dedicated > > programs for groups such as women and young people, and expansive > > partnerships in service of free knowledge. > > > > With this vision in hand, Val and I both see this as the right juncture > for > > her to move on to her next professional challenge. While she will be > > leaving the position of Chief of Community Engagement, she will remain on > > as a consultant to me for a brief period. > > > > I am deeply appreciative of Val’s time with us at the Foundation and want > > to thank her for the contributions she has made to the Wikimedia > movement. > > She has been a passionate and persuasive advocate for our mission and > > pushed us to expand our vision of what could be possible for our > movement. > > I wish her the absolute best in what she does next. > > > > *== What comes next for Community Engagement ==* > > > > I'll be direct -- we are making changes to the CE department structure. > > > > We will not be starting a search for a new Chief of Community Engagement. > > Instead, over the course of the next few weeks, the seven teams currently > > within the Community Engagement (CE) department will be integrated into > the > > Foundation’s other departments. By January, all of the teams will have > > joined their new departments, and “Community Engagement” will no longer > be > > a standalone department. > > > > The teams currently in CE will be integrated with other Foundation > > departments aligned with executive leadership goals and based on their > > scope and focus, as well as how they might grow in the future. Some of > > these alignments are intuitive, such as Trust & Safety returning to the > > Legal department; others might not be immediately apparent. > > > > *== What does this mean for your work? ==* > > > > Although we have a good sense of which teams will integrate with which > > departments, we are still meeting with the individual teams to work on > the > > specific details of the transition. Our focus is on continuity for > existing > > community programs and support for Foundation staff in making this > change. > > You may hear from staff seeking input on those arrangements, and I want > to > > thank you in advance for any feedback you may have. > > > > We expect to wrap up these conversations in early December, to begin > > transitions in mid-December, and for the transitions to be completed by > the > > beginning of January, at which point we’ll be able to share an overview > of > > the new arrangements in full. > > > > The work of the Community Engagement teams will remain the same > throughout > > this period of transition. For example, if you need something from Trust > & > > Safety or Community Resources, they’ll continue to be here to work with > > you. If you have a project or program underway with a CE team or staff > > member, that work will also continue. If you have any questions, please > > feel free to reach out to Greg Varnum at [email protected]<mailto: > > [email protected]> or leave > > your question in Wikimedia Space [1] and we’ll make sure we find an > answer > > to your question. > > > > *== Why are we making this change? ==* > > > > The Community Engagement department has grown and evolved since it was > > created in 2015. We have brought in people with an increasingly diverse > set > > of skills and backgrounds and introduced new support for additional > > languages, geographies, and areas of work, such as community health. > > > > While this has helped the Foundation come a long way in addressing the > > needs of the movement, it has also created complexity. The breadth of > > activities and competencies now supported by the department is quite > > large—today, we have people working on issues as diverse as GLAM > collection > > management, participatory grantmaking, and contributor safety—and > > increasingly, across many geographies, cultures, and languages. > > > > This has created challenges for how we effectively coordinate such a > range > > of specializations, how we assess their efficacy and impact against our > > mission. At the same time, as the Foundation has grown, we have developed > > capacities in other departments who will be good partners to those > serving > > our community mission. > > > > In making these changes, we see an opportunity to align the functions of > > the Foundation with the future of the mission and movement, and better > > serve long-time contributors and emerging communities alike. Over time, > we > > anticipate these new arrangements will deepen the understanding of > > community efforts among all Foundation staff and programs, integrate > > community perspective across program design and support, and open up > space > > for bold and fresh thinking about how to move our movement forward. > > > > *== What about the future? ==* > > > > Some people may be wondering, what does this mean for the proposed work > in > > the Annual or Medium Term plans, or the planned restructure of the > > Community Engagement department to a new regional approach? > > > > We remain fully committed to the work and goals of the Medium Term Plan. > > For example, although Val was not able to attend Indaba to celebrate with > > the African community, our COO and Deputy General Counsel, Janeen Uzzell > > and Tony Sebro, both attended. > > > > The planned restructure and expansion of CE was intended to help us > support > > the community in achieving these goals. This includes the MTP’s focus on > > building a thriving movement, increasing community health and diversity, > > and growing among new languages, regions, and audiences. We set these > goals > > as part of our interpretation of the Movement Strategy, and they will > > remain our focus for the medium term. > > > > I still believe we need to make many of these changes, as well as be > > prepared for further changes that may arise from the recommendations of > the > > Movement Strategy Working Groups. We see a future that could include > > improved regional support, and expanded programmatic support for emerging > > communities, whether those are new languages, geographies, or areas of > > practice. > > > > However, we are putting those plans on hold for the next few weeks, while > > we focus is on supporting the existing teams through this transition. I > > want us to make sure that goes well, before turning our attention to the > > future. That said, I fully expect to resume work on how we expand our > > support for these critical new areas in the first quarter of the new > > calendar year. > > > > == Final thoughts == > > > > I want to be absolutely clear that these changes are in no way an > > indication that the Foundation is decreasing our commitment to support > for > > the movement. I hope you see how this offers an opportunity to do the > exact > > opposite—to set us up to support the movement in the best way we can. > > > > For those with an interest in Wikimedia history, it’s worth noting that > the > > Foundation has taken many different shapes over the years. In 2014, teams > > focused on community support were embedded in other departments. At the > > time, we were much smaller, and our ability to truly engage with the full > > breadth of the movement was more limited. In 2019, the community > engagement > > teams are better resourced, more global, and more representative of the > > movement (although there’s always space for continued improvement). > > > > We see this as the right moment to integrate the perspectives, > experiences, > > and skills of these teams across the Foundation, ensuring that support > for > > the movement is woven into all the Foundation’s work. As Wikimedians, we > > know change is a constant—and it is through change that we often do our > > best work, solve our hardest problems, and find our new path forward. > Thank > > you in advance as we take this next step to support the future of our > > movement. > > > > Sincerely, > > Katherine > > > > [1] > > > > > https://discuss-space.wmflabs.org/t/wikimedia-foundation-chief-of-community-engagement-to-leave-the-foundation/2194-- > > > > Katherine Maher (she/her) > > > > Executive Director > > > > Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/> > > _______________________________________________ > > 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: [email protected]<mailto: > > [email protected]> > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > <mailto:[email protected]<mailto: > > [email protected]>?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > > -- > > ________________________________________________________ > > [http://crow.kozminski.edu.pl/minds.jpg]<http://nerds.kozminski.edu.pl/> > > prof. dr hab. Dariusz Jemielniak > > kierownik katedry MINDS (Management in Networked and Digital Societies) > > Akademia Leona Koźmińskiego > > http://NeRDS.kozminski.edu.pl <http://nerds.kozminski.edu.pl/> > > > > > > > > Ostatnie artykuły: > > > > * Dariusz Jemielniak, Maciej Wilamowski (2017) Cultural Diversity of > > Quality of Information on Wikipedias< > > http://crow.kozminski.edu.pl/papers/cultures%20of%20wikipedias.pdf> > > Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology 68: > 10. > > 2460–2470. > > * Dariusz Jemielniak (2016) Wikimedia Movement Governance: The > Limits > > of A-Hierarchical Organization< > > http://www.crow.kozminski.edu.pl/papers/wikimedia_governance.pdf> > Journal > > of Organizational Change Management 29: 3. 361-378. > > * Dariusz Jemielniak, Eduard Aibar (2016) Bridging the Gap Between > > Wikipedia and Academia< > > http://www.crow.kozminski.edu.pl/papers/bridging.pdf> Journal of the > > Association for Information Science and Technology 67: 7. 1773-1776. > > * Dariusz Jemielniak (2016) Breaking the Glass Ceiling on Wikipedia< > > http://www.crow.kozminski.edu.pl/papers/glass-ceiling.pdf> Feminist > > Review 113: 1. 103-108. > > * Tadeusz Chełkowski, Peter Gloor, Dariusz Jemielniak (2016) > > Inequalities in Open Source Software Development: Analysis of > Contributor’s > > Commits in Apache Software Foundation Projects< > > > http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/asset?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0152976.PDF > >, > > PLoS ONE 11: 4. e0152976. > > _______________________________________________ > > 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: [email protected] > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > -- > > This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. > > https://www.avg.com > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 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: [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 and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > 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 and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l New messages to: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe>
