3 ms·

Over half of the board is elected by the community of editors, so it doesn't seem very likely https://wikimediafoundation.org/role/board/ https://wikimediafound

by jcrben 7y ago

Over half of the board is elected by the community of editors, so it doesn't seem very likely https://wikimediafoundation.org/role/board/ https://wikimediafoundation.org/role/board/. I vote in these elections and count Dr. James Heilman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Heilman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Heilman) as a friend.

geowwy 7y ago
In the case of insolvency I don't think the board will have much choice.
- elect_engineer 7y ago
  Full disclosure: I am the author of the Wikipedia essay "Wikipedia has cancer". See https://news.ycombinator.com/reply?id=21700802 https://news.ycombinator.com/reply?id=21700802 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Guy_Macon/Wikipedia_has_Cancer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Guy_Macon/Wikipedia_has_C... Re: "In the case of insolvency I don't think the board will have much choice"; this is a key point to understanding my essay. Imagine someone winning a huge lawsuit and the WMF not being able to pay. Or imagine a really bad scandal (something like The New York Times publishing conclusive proof that the WMF is a front for ISIS) and donations drop through the floor, followed by the WMF continuing to increase spending until they run out of funds. None of these doomsday scenarios are likely, but they are not impossible either.
elect_engineer 7y ago
Full disclosure: I am the author of the Wikipedia essay "Wikipedia has cancer". See https://news.ycombinator.com/reply?id=21700802 https://news.ycombinator.com/reply?id=21700802 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Guy_Macon/Wikipedia_has_Cancer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Guy_Macon/Wikipedia_has_C... It is not true that "Over half of the board is elected by the community of editors". The WMF board is composed of ten members: Four who are appointed by the board itself; Three who are selected by the community encompassed by all the different Wikimedia projects Two who are selected by the local chapters and thematic organizations One emeritus for the foundation's founder, Jimmy Wales. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation#Board_of_trustees https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation#Board_of_...
- droid404 7y ago
  There are giant voids in the hierarchy between new and established users and between long term editors and the people above. These are mostly sustained by overworking people which in turn is caused by the crappy software. That there are rules, eh I mean guidelines, is somewhat of a joke without means to enforce them. Disagreements across the void are more often than not resolved by ignoring the lower ranking editor. The concept of consensus[sic] is truly a joke with no clear path forwards. Money doesn't solve anything apparently.

by jcrben 7y ago

geowwy 7y ago

In the case of insolvency I don't think the board will have much choice.

elect_engineer 7y ago
Full disclosure: I am the author of the Wikipedia essay "Wikipedia has cancer". See https://news.ycombinator.com/reply?id=21700802 https://news.ycombinator.com/reply?id=21700802 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Guy_Macon/Wikipedia_has_Cancer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Guy_Macon/Wikipedia_has_C... Re: "In the case of insolvency I don't think the board will have much choice"; this is a key point to understanding my essay. Imagine someone winning a huge lawsuit and the WMF not being able to pay. Or imagine a really bad scandal (something like The New York Times publishing conclusive proof that the WMF is a front for ISIS) and donations drop through the floor, followed by the WMF continuing to increase spending until they run out of funds. None of these doomsday scenarios are likely, but they are not impossible either.

elect_engineer 7y ago

Full disclosure: I am the author of the Wikipedia essay "Wikipedia has cancer". See https://news.ycombinator.com/reply?id=21700802 https://news.ycombinator.com/reply?id=21700802 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Guy_Macon/Wikipedia_has_Cancer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Guy_Macon/Wikipedia_has_C... It is not true that "Over half of the board is elected by the community of editors". The WMF board is composed of ten members: Four who are appointed by the board itself; Three who are selected by the community encompassed by all the different Wikimedia projects Two who are selected by the local chapters and thematic organizations One emeritus for the foundation's founder, Jimmy Wales. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation#Board_of_trustees https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation#Board_of_...

droid404 7y ago
There are giant voids in the hierarchy between new and established users and between long term editors and the people above. These are mostly sustained by overworking people which in turn is caused by the crappy software. That there are rules, eh I mean guidelines, is somewhat of a joke without means to enforce them. Disagreements across the void are more often than not resolved by ignoring the lower ranking editor. The concept of consensus[sic] is truly a joke with no clear path forwards. Money doesn't solve anything apparently.