[Foundation-l] A question to all board candidates...

Sun May 30 09:30:11 UTC 2004

--- Angela <sloog77 at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>  --- Anthere <anthere9 at yahoo.com> wrote: ...
> > A user from a rather minor wikipedia contact the
> > foundation mailing list, to ask for help on
> setting
> > a local association ...
> > Question : what do you do ?
> 
> I would suggest she read [[m:Starting up a local
> Wikimedia chapter]].
> 
> Oh... except that page doesn't exist yet. :)
> 
> It would be great if those who have been working on
> starting up the French and German associations could
> help to create such a page. It could be a record of
> their experiences and a collection of advice for all
> future users wanting to set up chapters in their own
> local area. 
> 
> I don't yet know how much influence the board will
> need to have in setting these up. Should they have
> rules on exactly what the associations are allowed
> to
> do? How can these be enforceable? Perhaps a
> discussion
> on this list on what the relationship between board
> and association should be might help such a page to
> develop. The [[m:Starting up a local Wikimedia
> chapter]] page also needs to include the
> Foundation's
> principles and advice on what associations need to
> do
> to meet those. How detailed should these be? I would
> not like to see the board have an undue amount of
> influence over these. I see it more as something to
> support them where needed rather than being there to
> determine exactly what a chapter should do.
> 
> Have the people working on the French and German
> ones
> got any views on whether board input would have
> helped
> them? Or is it felt that the board should just be
> there to officially approve them after the details
> have been finalised on the local Wikimedia project?
> 
> Angela.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Angela 

On one hand, I think the foundation board should have
little influence in local chapter daily activity, once
the chapter has agreed to follow some common
principles.

However, there are some areas of overlapping, as the
financial ones. And there is currently little
discussion about this, that I would like to see appear
in time. Donations collected by local associations, in
the name of Wikimedia, should also participate in
part, to the maintenance of our technical framework,
or purchase of domain names for example. This
financial relationship should be established quite
early on in the association life.

I also think we should be globally aware of efforts
made world wide and try to have balance. For example,
should money collected in a french association be only
used in France, or try to finance for example
distribution in a country such as Switzerland. I would
say "yes". But then, a distribution in Switzerland (or
promotion or whatever) should be for efficiency a
collaboration with projects in italian and german as
well perhaps (for example). Hence, it is a project
wide issue.

Another point I can think of, is the relationship
between a paying member in a local chapter and a
paying member in the foundation. Should they
participate twice ? Just mentionning as well, that
should fees be established, they should take into
account the png and financial level of each country.
16 dollars is fine in many countries, it is not in
many others. 

Incidently, all this would highly require help from
professional translators, who would be able to help
local chapter and Foundation communicate with
certainties on legal issues.

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