[Foundation-l] roadmap for WM affiliation ; a name for self-identified affiliation

Thu Jul 14 16:18:00 UTC 2011

Thanks for the kind words.  And the only thing that's stopping us from

> having that many sites in the movement is Trademark Law / Branding .
>  The idea works and requires no resources, just a small campaign of
> communication offering up the possibility.
>
>
Not so much that; but protecting Wikimedia brandmark is *really* important
because otherwise it will get misused.

I dislike the idea of making it ultra-accessible for basically anyone to
stick "Part of the Wikimedia Movement" on their website - it serves little
purpose (per se) and you are going to get the vast majority of people
slapping it on as a neat badge (or to take advantage of the brand) without
actually subscribing or forwarding our aims. Wikimedia has broad aims, but a
reasonably narrow focus, and that makes the movement hard for some to
digest.

I don't think any direct affiliation should be as simple as making use of a
badge - there is nothing wrong with being a little selective, and there are
many benefits.

The way that other bodies do this is to set up an alternate brand name, as
you are suggesting, and this is the way we should go. The boy should have a
snappy and clear brand name, with the same clear message. It initially
should be formed within the WMF eco-system with a comittee drawn from the
various aspects of the Foundation.

There should be a lightweight way of signing up to the movement, with
various levels. So it could start with the free-for all option of a little
badge saying:
* "We support X movement, free content etc."

Then the next step should require a simple vetting process to make sure they
meet the aims/goals of the movement. That allows them the "Part of" badge.

Finally, for the larger and significant projects there should be some form
of "top level" affiliation or partnership that allows them access to
the committee and organisational structure.

I think people would find this more digestible. Advantages:

* Allows us to develop a new brand name with a clearer message
* Means the WMF isn't left "responsible" for the members/supporters of the
movement (as the WMF would simply be a member of the movement)
* It takes it away from the Foundation a little, which may be more palatable
to others and encourage them to sign up

The people to learn from here is the free software movement - Apache and GNU
have gone through all of these stages and have some ideas we can use.
Tom