On Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 11:08 AM, Nathan <nawr...@gmail.com> wrote: > That's a pretty bold statement for the WMF to make - "If you don't > trust the WMF, don't contribute to WMF projects." Are you sure that's > what you meant?
Hi Nathan, let me try to clarify what I mean by trust in this context. We can, indeed must, talk very openly about what works and what doesn't, and whether we're doing the right kinds of things. That discourse, and the readiness to engage in it and to change course for the right reasons, is key for a relationship based on mutual trust to work. It's easy for us to accidentally send mixed messages, though, as this thread has shown. Because so many things are done in response to community consensus, there may be an expectation that this is always the case, and that that's just how we work. Change in Wikimedia projects has, however, always been a continuous process of give and take, with a certain element of arbitrariness, seeking to find the right balance between acceptance and progress, and "being bold" to try new things. That process can be very messy, as the image filter discussion has shown. So, what I'm saying is that if you (generic "you") believe, for whichever reason (lack of trust, philosophical reasons, or whatever), that WMF shouldn't be permitted to make meaningful changes in Wikimedia projects without obtaining upfront community consensus, you'll probably find more satisfaction and joy in volunteering in a different context. That's not how WMF projects operate, and they are very unlikely to ever do so, for reasons that have been articulated here and elsewhere. Indeed, it's part of WMF's understanding of itself that part of its job is to continually challenge existing agreements and practices in order to support positive change. Erik -- Erik Möller VP of Engineering and Product Development, Wikimedia Foundation Support Free Knowledge: http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Donate _______________________________________________ foundation-l mailing list foundation-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l
