[Foundation-l] Update of Foundation organization

Wed Mar 7 21:08:32 UTC 2007

Oldak Quill wrote:

>On 06/03/07, Ray Saintonge <saintonge at telus.net> wrote:
>  
>
>>This is naive.  I am very much in support of of maximum volunteer
>>input.  You cannot oblige anybody to work a specified number of hours
>>per week unless they are getting something out of it.  That something
>>may still be intangible, like personal satisfaction, instead of money;
>>pure altruism is unlikely to be enough.
>>    
>>
>Surely those who volunteer their time and energy to Wikimedia projects
>are in some way committed to what the Foundation is trying to achieve?
>If this is the case, then most of our volunteers *do* get satisfaction
>out of their work. I don't think this satisfaction would disappear if
>they started being asked to do tasks rather than electing to do them.
>Volunteers would volunteer to their own areas of interest, after all.
>Perhaps I misunderstand you?
>
The range of task available to be done on Wikipedia.  Very few of us 
will find that even a norrowly defined box of tasks is ever exhauted.  
It is a mistake to think that because you can adapt to having a larger 
box of tasks handed to you, others will react the same way to such 
circumstances.  Someone's refusal to expand his box of tasks does not 
imply a lessened committment to Wikipedia.  You can ask volunteers to do 
additional tasks, but you cannot oblige them to do those tasks.

>>When you start to hassle them
>>by phone or whatever they're more likely to say, "Screw you!" and go
>>away.
>>    
>>
>If someone volunteers to a position that involves phone communication
>then they I would guess that they'd understand why it was necessary.
>I'm not denying that they'd sometimes get annoyed.
>
Very few of us have volunteered to be involved in telephone communication.

>Similarly, I feel committed to what the Foundation is aiming to
>achieve. I started to get involved with Wikimedia by editing articles
>on Wikipedia. I was pleased to be adding to a free encyclopedia. I
>loved the fact that what I added could be adapted and reused without
>ever becoming unfree. I slowly began to appreciate the aims of the
>Foundation on a far more philosophical level. It is this kind of
>philosophical commitment that allows me to stand in the cold for a
>couple of hours and would allow me to be relied upon in a specified
>voluntary position.
>
Philosophical committment comes with time, but a volunteer must still 
give priority to real life.

Ec