[Licom-l] A pre-event announcement

Fri Mar 27 07:34:43 UTC 2009

I'm of the same mind as Robert when it comes to the idea of translation. We
needn't go overboard with the translation of this message, since we're going
to have the CentralNotice anyway.

On Fri, Mar 27, 2009 at 6:00 PM, Robert Rohde <rarohde at gmail.com> wrote:

> Barring any additional slippage of the timeline, the vote will aim to
> start on the 2nd of April.
>
> I am of the general philosophy that surprises can annoy people, so I'd
> like to propose that we give the various core constituencies a heads
> up that this is coming a few days before hand (say by the 30th).  I
> would envision sending an email to the mailing lists of the major
> communities and posting an on-wiki note on a major forum (or two) for
> the wikis we are collectively familiar with.
>
> The purpose would be to give the core contributors a heads up and
> point them towards the main information pages (hopefully already
> translated for the major languages) a few days before everyone is
> presented with the global site notice.  As effective as the site
> notice can be in communicating, there is something of an aspect of
> shock and awe to it, and I think a low key message will help the
> communities feel valued and in the loop (feeling that the WMF
> communicates at the user base, rather than with it, has been a problem
> at times in the past).
>
> So, if we are going to try this, what do we need:
>
> 1) A message: something friendly that warns the vote is about the
> start and tells people where they can get more info.
> 2) A targeted list of places we want to deliver it.
> 3) Translations of that message as appropriate.
>
> For practical reasons, I'd focus on say the 10 largest communities
> plus whatever others the licom members are personally familiar with.
> I don't want people to feel this needs to be a huge translation and
> outreach effort per se since the more important effort is really
> running the vote and handling those associated documents, but I
> certainly wouldn't stop people if they want to carry the message far
> and wide.
>
> For a message I would have in mind something like (expressed here in
> an on-wiki form):
>
> == Licensing update progress notice ==
>
> The [[m:licensing update]] proposal to dual license all Wikimedia
> Foundation wikis under both the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL)
> and the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC-BY-SA) is
> moving into its final phase.  This proposal put forward by the
> Foundation and made possible by recent changes in the GFDL is
> contingent on community approval.  In a few days a site notice for all
> editors will announce the start of vote on this proposal that is
> expected to last three weeks.  In the mean time we would invite you to
> visit the [[m:licensing update|update proposal]] and its [[m:Licensing
> update/Questions and Answers|associated FAQ]] if you want to learn
> more.  We would also appreciate your help finishing the [[m:Licensing
> update/Translation|translation effort]] for the core documents
> associated with this process.
>
> ~~~~  for the [[m:Licensing update/Committee|Licensing Update Committee]].
>
>
> I'd welcome any thoughts on this proposal for a prevote announcement,
> as well as suggestions for improving the message (which I just pulled
> of the top of my head).
>
>
> I would also note that if we are going to create a blog or other
> centralized communications venue, then now is the time.  Since such a
> thing could be included in this announcement.
>
> -Robert Rohde
>
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