[Advocacy Advisors] Does the Foundation intend to propose any actual actions?

Fri Feb 15 23:07:31 UTC 2013

On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 1:39 PM, Stephen LaPorte <slaporte at wikimedia.org> wrote:
> James S.,
>
> It is certainly a possibility--the criteria for are available here:
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Legal_and_Community_Advocacy/Foundation_Policy_and_Political_Association_Guideline

Stephen,

That says, "Policy and political issues include public support for or
against proposed laws and executive actions, online backing for
political initiatives, and partnerships with organizations to promote
shared policy and political positions.... [examples include]
Collaborative Advocacy / We collaborate with another organization to
take action on a particular policy or political question."

Am I correct in saying that there have not been any such actions since
that Foundation Policy was approved?

I propose that the Foundation survey the community asking about how
often they expect such actions to take place. I am sure there will be
a wide range of opinion. Some such as myself would support formal
proposal and consideration rather frequently, and plenty of people
think that they should never occur.

Will you perform such a survey?

Sincerely,
James Salsman

> However, I hope this list can also serve a more general purpose, as a venue
> to share and discuss the legal and policy questions that are relevant to our
> mission. Personally, I find it useful to hear about issues that are
> important to Wikimedians around the world. Wikimedians have a lot of
> expertise and knowledge on issues like copyright, and this list is open so
> that can be shared.
>
> Ideally, if/when the WMF or any community member needs to consult on a
> potential advocacy proposal, this list will already discussing the topic and
> can provide useful feedback.
>
> Best,
> Stephen
>
> On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 7:44 PM, James Alexander <jalexander at wikimedia.org>
> wrote:
>>
>> James,
>>
>> As a community member I think the SOPA discussion and more global
>> discussions after that made it quite clear that actions should be incredibly
>> rare and that, generally, it's better for them to come from the community
>> rather then from suggestions that the Foundation makes. I'm sure that the
>> legal staff will make suggestions that they think need to be made but they
>> should do so incredibly judiciously, community members on this list should
>> not feel themselves so restrained.
>>
>> My general understanding of this list from the start was as more of a
>> space for community members (including at times staff members, but in their
>> role as community members) to discuss and isolate ideas that rang true and
>> needed more input or action from the community. If none of them are
>> emerging, it's a clear sign that the community isn't comfortable creating an
>> action out of them.
>>
>> James
>>
>> James Alexander
>> Wikimedia Foundation
>> (415) 839-6885 x6716 @jamesofur
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 11:09 AM, James Salsman <jsalsman at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Stephen,
>>>
>>> Does the Foundation intend to ever propose any actions in the interest
>>> of the projects or their editors for community approval?
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Advocacy_Advisors mailing list
>>> Advocacy_Advisors at lists.wikimedia.org
>>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/advocacy_advisors
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Stephen LaPorte
> Legal Counsel
> Wikimedia Foundation
>
> For legal reasons, I may only serve as an attorney for the Wikimedia
> Foundation. This means I may not give legal advice to or serve as a lawyer
> for community members, volunteers, or staff members in their personal
> capacity.
>
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