Evan Prodromou wrote:
I don't know about the other MediaWiki developers,
but the only reward
I'd ask for for working on MediaWiki is that people work hard to make
great articles and a strong, friendly communities with this software.
If I could ask for anything else, I'd ask that people treat each other
with the gratitude and respect they deserve. Everyone who puts work
into these projects -- editorial, technical, community-building --
deserves our appreciation and kudos.
The smell of money always changes the parameters of the game. When you
hire someone to do a job that was previously shared by members of the
volunteer community: That when perceptions of inequality begin to creep
in. People start to expect things from the hired hand, and stop doing
it themselves. Appreciating key volunteers can be tricky. Sometimes a
more valuable reward is the right way to go; other times a mere "Thank
you" is all that it takes. Token gifts can also work. These do not have
great monetary value (if any). Perhaps Jimbo could send them each a
six-place setting of genuine collectors' item Nupedia mugs. At least it
would help to clear them out of his cellar. :-)
Ec