On 2/12/14, 10:55 PM, Mathias Damour wrote:
I like that initiatives such as the individual-engagement grants,
user-group recognition, etc. are opening up more avenues for
Wikimedian organizations, organized along different lines, to find a
more recognized (and funded) role in the movement.
I like them too, saved I want it to be supervised by my chapter rather
than the WMF !
Mark, may you "disclose" which country you are from/live in ? I am
from France, living in France.
Since you asked: I am Greek by ethnicity, I live in Denmark, and I
mostly grew up in the USA. So I guess, no one country? That is part of
what causes my discomfort with nation-state-based organizations, because
I fit in none of them particularly well. Should I orient my activities
under Wikimedia Denmark, where I live? But I am not Danish, and I speak
the language poorly. Maybe Wikimedia Greece? I don't live there, and
haven't really in a long time, though I do speak Greek and have the
right genetics. Maybe some kind of Wikimedia USA? I don't live there
either, though I used to, and I do speak English well. What I feel most
comfortable in is a global movement that does not require me to prove
allegiance/membership in any particular country; deciding which country
my Wikimedia participation belongs to seems decidedly unhelpful, for me
personally.
In other projects this doesn't seem to be as big of a deal. I'm a heavy
participant in OpenStreetMap, which is an organization legally based in
the UK. That's a country I have no connection to at all. But it doesn't
really matter, because the OSM Foundation does things I benefit from,
since they aren't really UK-specific: they maintain the servers,
maintain and develop the software, look after the legal situation of the
project, etc. As a map editor, I have no complaints with their
stewardship of the core project. Of course, actual mapping activities
happen on a distributed basis (it is difficult to map Denmark well, if
you don't live here), but that doesn't mean there is anything wrong with
letting the UK organization continue to manage maintenance of the
servers and software.
-Mark
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