[Foundation-l] Re: 100, 000 files uploaded to the Wikimedia Commons

Mon May 23 23:51:09 UTC 2005

Delirium a écrit:
 > Anthere wrote:
 >
 >> Since you decided to announce it yourself, could you be good enough to
 >> put an announcement on the foundation website please Erik ?
 >
 >
 > In Erik's defense, this was hardly a unilateral press release he
 > personally announced; it was wiki-written by the Wikimedia Commons
 > community, with edit history available at
 > http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Press_releases/100K  (Indeed,
 > one member of the board, Angela, was among the people who helped 
write it.)
 >
 > -Mark

Not really. Since you attribute part of this energy to Erik and Angela's 
work, allow me to clarify why I am a bit unhappy.

I was the contact for the whole Ars Electronica deal. It was I who made 
all the mail exchanges on the topic. It took me time.

When JoiIto asked for a description of the project, it is I alone who 
thought of Villy's report on Quarto (I take care of this publication, so 
I know what is in it).

So, I digged up Villy's report and asked the community help for 
translation in english. I provided the report to JoiIto.

Later, Villy had the niceness to write for me a short report, precisely 
to make a press release. Then, I talked to Amgine so that he could 
prepare an article on wikinews.

Then, I posted the press announcement on grantwiki to keep it private.

Two days ago, when I realised there was a commons press release going 
on, I warned the community about the issue.

Angela then picked up the press release on grant wiki and merge it in 
the article.

So, what you qualify as Erik great work and Angela input in the 
article... are maybe true, but are also definitly a complete 
misrepresentation of who made the job about the press release and the 
whole Ars Electronica event.

It is easy to use the work done by others to make one's appear great.

This is something more and more frequently done in this community.

Much to my disappointement I must say.

I will be frank. There is greatness in helping the community.
However, as for me, it takes me a lot of time and energy and this time 
and energy are taken on my own personal, private and professional life.

Some people are great enough that they are able to work heavily with no 
benefit whatsoever, but for thinking they did something great.

But for most normal people like me, and probably like you, heavy work 
should be compensated by something. Some like money, some want power. It 
depends. Well, I like that people job is recognised as their job.

In this case, my job and Villy's job and the main translator was just 
hidden under a carpet and attributed to someone else. The whole 
happiness of announcing a great even to the community, was not left to 
those who helped, but stolen by others. I would have been very happy to 
announce this. And I thought it would be fair as I took care to manage a 
bit of it. If not I, I would have been happy that villy's manage it, 
because he is a heavy contributor there and he made the description oand 
the press release bit.

I think Mark, that there are great expectations in the community. But 
with these expectations, do not forget to thank people. And to properly 
recognise each contributions to the global work. Because when this sort 
of things repeat and repeat and repeat over and over, all you get are 
very tired people who think themselves cheated and stolen.

So, tonight, I thought I could indeed myself just update silently the 
Wikimedia Foundation website and let all the "fame" again on others.

But I am tired. While this very nice announcement was made, I took more 
than an hour to try to fix Linuxbeak issue on the english wikipedia. 
Silently. It needed to get done as Jimbo's was not around. But this is 
about the invisible daily work most of the board is about. I do not deny 
Erik work, I do not deny Angela made a nice merge and indicated it was a 
merge. But what is visible and understood by the community is that... 
there were no other people implied in this. As you write it "Indeed,
 > one member of the board, Angela, was among the people who helped 
write it"

So, it would be other people to proudly make the announcement, and get 
the pride of doing the job well, and others like myself to do the little 
work behind. That works for a while; it can not work for ever. It is not 
a sustainable solution Mark.

Once those who *actually* do the silent and invisible work behind the 
scene get tired, then nothing gets done.

I will NOT update silently the WMF website. I have my dignity tonight.

Ant