[Foundation-l] phone numbers (was Setting up Wikinews languages)

Fri Dec 3 14:05:33 UTC 2004

Jens Ropers wrote:

>
> Would it be a good idea to set up some restricted access shared 
> Wikipedian telephone directory, where people can opt to give their 
> phone number and hrs of "reachability" and time zone? The directory 
> probably should only be readable by registered Wikipedians who give 
> their own phone number as well.
>
> Do people think that's a nutty idea or does something along these 
> lines possibly make sense?

We did that a while ago, the emergency developer contact list. The basic 
idea was to give developer phone numbers to various active Wikipedians, 
so that someone could be contacted when the site went offline. Now we've 
got more developers, so there's always someone hanging around on IRC. 
Erik wasn't on the list, so that wouldn't have helped in this case. I'm 
a bit more wary about giving out my phone number now than I used to be. 
Wik was on the list of active Wikipedians, and he did make a 
half-hearted attempt to publish my phone number to get back at me for 
blocking his vandalbot. He didn't make any threatening phone calls to 
any of the developers, which I appreciate.

I'm sure Erik would be quite happy giving Jimbo his phone number, after 
all I'm pretty sure Erik has Jimbo's. It was a phone call from Erik to 
Jimbo that convinced Jimbo to get moving on the creation of the 
Wikimedia Foundation.

-- Tim Starling