[Wikipedia-l] Re: Stop for a moment, please

Tue Jan 27 02:16:29 UTC 2004

Jimmy Wales wrote:

> Michael Snow wrote:
>
>>Currently, Wikimedia (the umbrella for the Wikipedia and other projects) 
>>is organized based on consensus, if you ignore the largely unused 
>>dictatorial powers. Consensus is not the same thing as democracy.
>>    
>>
>
>Well, to be perfectly clear, the foundation itself is not organized
>based on consensus.  It's organized based on me spending tons of money
>for several years to make this all happen, and my effort to carefully
>set this up as a public charity, and dictating how that's to be done
>by selecting board members and a process for member representation.
>
>The projects of the foundation *are* based on consensus, of course,
>and I see no reason for us to contemplate any change to that.
>
>--Jimbo
>
Correction accepted, and the clarity is appreciated. I would still 
suggest that consensus is a goal worth striving for in the foundation 
itself. Dictation certainly helps to get things started sometimes. But 
because of the way humans are, I doubt any dictator can succeed here 
unless the dictation is ultimately accepted by a consensus. So I 
appreciate your efforts to take other opinions into account and provide 
mechanisms for a consensus to develop.

I do agree with Uli that ideally someday "no single person with 
superpowers is needed". Unless perhaps you plan to live forever.

--Michael Snow
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