Yeah, I've been getting this feedback each year for at least the past years too. I am pretty sure that most of the people who were alarmed and told me, did not thoroughly read the message, but mostly picked up on cues. It may be that I have more of such people in my circle of acquaintances than you :)
Lodewijk On Wed, Dec 18, 2019 at 4:44 PM Samuel Klein <[email protected]> wrote: > I think the current messages are quite good and clear, the ones I've seen > get better each year. > I don't find the messaging alarmist or misleading. But perhaps subtle cues > can change how they are perceived. > > [I also don't usually get this feedback from people outside our community > (last: in 2012), so it might just be random walks through feedback space.] > > > > > On Wed, Dec 18, 2019 at 7:30 PM Michel Vuijlsteke <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > This discussion comes back every year. Every year we get the same > > reassurance that it's being looked into, that we'll try to do better, > that > > things have been tested, etc. > > > > The reality of the matter is that the alarmist and misleading stuff > > *works*. And that it's most probably not going anywhere. Just like last > > year and the year before. > > > > > > On Wed, 18 Dec 2019, 22:58 Samuel Klein, <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > I've heard this asked this by 3-4 people recently > > > * A family member (checking in to make sure things were ok) > > > * A local grantmaker (who likewise has supported WP at least once > before) > > > * A couple undergrads (on phones, asking eachother what to do if WP > went > > > down during finals) > > > > > > All worried either that there had bee some sudden change, or that > > knowledge > > > or access would be lost in the near future. Perhaps there's a way to > > reach > > > the same people while highlighting our commitment to persistent access > to > > > knowledge across time. And maybe a way to measure interpretation or > > > reaction to a banner in addition to its conversion rate. [Some banners > > are > > > so delightful that they are a welcome improvement to a page without; > and > > > I've occasionally thought we should run some of those, w/ low > > probability, > > > continuously year-round.] > > > > > > Wikilove, > > > SJ > > > > > > On Wed, Dec 18, 2019 at 4:38 PM Fæ <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > Sadly I had a similar experience only this weekend. > > > > > > > > We were enjoying a going away lunch with friends who are out of the > > > > country over Christmas, when one of them asked about Wikipedia's > > > > problems, knowing that I often volunteer time to it. He claimed that > > > > the site was spamming screen-sized pop-up banners trying to raise > > > > money because they were going bust. I had to advise him how wealthy > > > > the Foundation was, with hundreds of staff and extra cash in an > > > > endowment fund. > > > > > > > > Isn't it about time that the Wikimedia Foundation came to terms that > > > > /plenty/ of money is made through sensible fundraising, without every > > > > year embarrassing the whole Wikimedia Community by promoting the > > > > impression that Wikipedia is about to close down if the public don't > > > > give them enough money to keep their servers powered up over > > > > Christmas? Making 10% more money every year is growth for the sake of > > > > it unless we can understand in an accountable and transparent way > > > > where that extra 10% is needed; preferably right there in the > > > > fundraising banner so folks don't get the impression that Wikipedia > is > > > > about to vanish. > > > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > Fae > > > > > > > > On Wed, 18 Dec 2019 at 20:34, Jacob Jose <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > I also felt like how Benjamin's dad did.. If one is viewing using > > the > > > > > mobile app, the red banners fill the entire screen and one has to > > > scroll > > > > > down to get to the content. I think the fund solicitation ads need > to > > > be > > > > > much less loud than it's now.. > > > > > > > > > > Background: I have been an active Wiki contributor for over 10 > years > > > now. > > > > > > > > > > On Wed, Dec 18, 2019 at 2:27 PM Benjamin Ikuta < > > > [email protected]> > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > My dad recently said to me: > > > > > > > > > > > > "I was solitated by them after looking something up. I thought > it > > > > strange > > > > > > the way they were pleading for donations. They made it sound like > > > they > > > > > > might be shutting down if we the general public didn't donate." > > > > > > > > > > > > Has there been any research into how common it is for readers to > > get > > > > the > > > > > > wrong impression from the marketing messaging? > > > > > > > > > > > > I've heard of this sort of thing happening before, and I think > it's > > > > highly > > > > > > antithetical to our values to be deceptive. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > 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> > > > > > > > > -- > > > > [email protected] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fae > > > > > > > > Personal and confidential, please do not circulate or re-quote. > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > 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> > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > Samuel Klein @metasj w:user:sj +1 617 529 > > 4266 > > > _______________________________________________ > > > 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> > > > > -- > Samuel Klein @metasj w:user:sj +1 617 529 4266 > _______________________________________________ > 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>
