[Foundation-l] Charity Navigator rates WMF

Thu Oct 8 21:17:41 UTC 2009

On Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 2:06 PM, Anthony <wikimail at inbox.org> wrote:
> On Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 4:49 PM, Mike Godwin <mnemonic at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Gregory Kohs writes:
>>
>>>
>>> For comparison, witness an organization cited by Charity Navigator as
>>> "similar" to the WMF -- the Reason Foundation -- and see how their Expenses
>>> are a much larger portion of revenue for them, and thus obtain a 3-star
>>> rating:
>>> http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=7481
>>
>>
>> My long-time friends at the Reason Foundation wish very much that they and
>> their programs could have the same kind of impact in the world that the
>> Wikimedia Foundation and its programs have.  Compare, for example, the Alexa
>> rankings of wikipedia.org and reason.com.
>
> Damn straight, Mike.  People who contribute to the Wikimedia
> Foundation don't care about what portion of their donations goes to
> pay the salaries of you and Sue.  They just care about number of web
> hits per dollar.
>
> And just look at how great of an impact Wikipedia has on the world
> compared to Reason Magazine.  Wikipedia viewers arrive in droves to
> read about top topics like The Beatles, Michael Jackson, and YouTube,
> while Reason Magazine subscribers get stories on such useless topics
> as The Defeat of Communism, Rising Prices in Post-Crisis America, and
> Why Washington Shouldn't Run Detroit.  You should tell your friends at
> the Reason Foundation what they can do to make the same kind of impact
> as Wikipedia on the world.  They need to stop trying to spread their
> esoteric beliefs and start catering to the whims of the mass public!
>
> Reason Magazine - delete, POV, original research.

Without primary and secondary sources, Wikipedia should be blank.

We are not them - but we rely on them intimately.

You have reached and exceeded the point of reducto ad absurdum.  This
is part of why you, too, are a less than optimally effective critic of
Wikipedia.

-- 
-george william herbert
george.herbert at gmail.com