[Foundation-l] Funding for the newly elected Board Members

Mon Jun 21 12:00:04 UTC 2004

Anthere wrote
"though I tried to suggest a couple of journalists to connect to irc or only
use emails, I really do not understand why they strongly insist on phone
meeting or better, face to face meetings"

I suppose journalists then meet you at a place that is convenient for you.
They are used to travel and send the bill to their employer.

Perhaps you just ment it to be an example of how external relations have
their own dynamics.

Anthere wrote
"Jimbo made the great suggestion that Angela meet us there [Paris] as well.
It will allow her to meet with french
wikipedians AND it will probably be the first and the last opportunity for
the whole year, for the board to meet face to face for really low cost."

Does 'the board' now mean the three active members by default :) ?

In my own experience communicating only through (e)mail about sensitive
affairs is a risky business. People easily  misinterpretate the message.
Emoticons are a meagre tool for building interpersonal relations. Correcting
misunderstandings takes time, if they are recognized as such at all. It is
quite possible that the board will have to discuss sensitive matters
sometime or another. So to me paying Angelas' trip to Paris is worthwile.

I believe it is indeed customary for volunteer organisations to cover
expenses. I also believe lots of wellfare organisations have a sliding scale
over time for what is appropriate in this matter. In the Netherlands there
was a huge uproar recently when the media disclosed that the president of
the Dutch Heart Disease foundation earned more than our prime minister
(volunteers for the organisation went on strike). I'm not a bit afraid
things will turn in this direction at all, it is just an extreme example
that makes a nice story, but there are many examples of wellfare orgs with
large overhead costs and it makes peoples discomfort with a blank check
understandable.

So maybe we could agree on a budget for representational costs. I'm sure if
people can visit a page where board members log activities like external
contacts and results together with major expenses (not every phone call),
trust that this is money well spent will build. By the way other wikipedians
may engage in similar activities, Erik Moeller already has a semi official
role that comes close to this. How do we deal with that?

Maybe we should continue the discussion on meta where a vote could be held,
first on Angelas trip then on the wider issues.

Summing up, I think covering expenses to let the board do a good job is only
fair.

Erik Zachte