Wikimedia: Difference between revisions
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'''Wikimedia Foundation''' is a private tax-exempt corporation (IRS 501) in the state of Florida, USA. | '''Wikimedia Foundation''' is a private tax-exempt corporation ([[not-for-profit project]]) (IRS 501) in the state of Florida, USA. | ||
Generally, its critics point to Wikimedia as a classic [[insider culture]], and '''''not a good model''''' for [[Consumerium Governance Organization]] or any other nonprofit entity that is actually trying to serve users and disadvantaged people and other living things. | Generally, its critics point to Wikimedia as a classic [[insider culture]], and '''''not a good model''''' for [[Consumerium Governance Organization]] or any other nonprofit entity that is actually trying to serve users and disadvantaged people and other living things. | ||
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==board status== | ==board status== | ||
It was founded by | It was founded by [[Jimmy Wales]], on the [[Wikimedia Board of Trustee]]s as "member for life". As this demonstrates, [[w:Wikipedia|Wikipedia]] has no [[independent board]]. Three of the five members have association with [[Bomis]] in the form of being employed by the corporation, ex-employee or owner, and only 2 of the five current board members are elected by the community. The other three positions are currently held by "permanent" board members. As long as this structure remains, Wales and his close associates will maintain a permanent majority, with control over all final decisions. [[w:Wikimedia|Wikimedia]] claims that they are in the proccess of revising this structure, and it will become more open very soon. | ||
==funding== | ==funding== | ||
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Bomis.com donates all the bandwidth needed for Wikipedia and its sister projects. | Bomis.com donates all the bandwidth needed for Wikipedia and its sister projects. | ||
Some believe that an [[independent board]] is a necessity to increase funding to a point where [[service outage]]s would end | Some believe that an [[independent board]] is a necessity to increase funding to a point where [[service outage]]s would end. | ||
==Claims of funding used to support MediaWiki software development== | ==Claims of funding used to support MediaWiki software development== | ||
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==Assets== | ==Assets== | ||
Supporters of the Wikimedia foundation claim that most longstanding participants in the [[Wikipedia]] project | Supporters of the Wikimedia foundation claim that most longstanding participants in the [[Wikipedia]] project have greeted the formation of the nonprofit with great enthusiasm. Plans are in the work to set up nonprofit organizations in European countries to complement a global foundation. Wales has given all rights and ownership in the Wikipedia name(s) to these foundations. | ||
Supporters also can point to the fact that [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia Wikipedia] has grown to over 1.5 million articles, with editions in over 100 languages, and thus is probably the largest and best known [[Wiki]] community. They also might claim that this success would not have been possible without the current leadership or organizational structure, or the policy of "[[neutral point of view]]". They generally believe that widespread mainstream acceptance of the project would not have been possible had content been allowed to be more polemical, and less built on consensus. | |||
==Wikimedia's bias== | ==Wikimedia's bias== | ||
Many dispute Wales' contribution and neutrality. The much vaunted [[wiki ideology]] of "[[neutral point of view]]" is also very strongly criticized: | Many dispute Wales' contribution and neutrality. The much vaunted [[wiki ideology]] of "[[neutral point of view]]" is also very strongly criticized: Though other editors ostensibly correct misinformation, there is no procedure to assure correction and when corrections are made, it can happen hours, days or weeks after the misinformation has been served and forked to readers and to other web services. | ||
During election or war-time propaganda campaigns, a few hours of misinformation can be useful, but this possibility of disinformation cannot be avoided in [[wiki]]s. | During election or war-time propaganda campaigns, a few hours of misinformation can be useful, but this possibility of disinformation cannot be avoided in [[wiki]]s. | ||
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Jimmy Wales claims to try to stay out of dipute resolution | Jimmy Wales claims to try to stay out of dipute resolution | ||
and remain "neutral" as much as possible "so as to not influence editorial decisions," | and remain "neutral" as much as possible "so as to not influence editorial decisions," | ||
but it is apparent that he does intervene, e.g. the notorious case of [[English Wikipedia User Secretlondon]]. | but it is apparent that he does intervene, e.g. the notorious case of [[English Wikipedia User Secretlondon]]. He can influence others who do "dispute resolution" and sometimes will | ||
[[block IP]]s for "[[vandalism]]". This is | [[block IP]]s for "[[vandalism]]". This is | ||
the most "[[sysop vigilantiism|heavily abused power]]", "especially" when | the most "[[sysop vigilantiism|heavily abused power]]", "especially" when | ||
extended to | extended to "[[trolls]]". | ||
When Wales "chats" with other users they get a picture of how | When Wales "chats" with other users they get a picture of how he | ||
tends to see things and usually "[[defer]]" to this person who they see | tends to see things and usually "[[defer]]" to this person who they see | ||
as | as an [[GodKing|awe-inspiring founder]]. Certain [[sycophant]]s skew | ||
issues towards the way | issues towards the way the founder sees them. None of these are unusual: | ||
[[Group dynamics]] suggest that this cannot be avoided but staying concious about this kind of phemonemom helps to minimize the damage it does, the [[systemic bias]] it creates, [[groupthink]] reinforced. | [[Group dynamics]] suggest that this cannot be avoided but staying concious about this kind of phemonemom helps to minimize the damage it does, the [[systemic bias]] it creates, [[groupthink]] reinforced. | ||
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==Wiki management and policy criticism== | ==Wiki management and policy criticism== | ||
Some participants in the [[Wikipedia]] and other [[GFDL corpus]] projects have raised concerns with the people and processes employed by the "foundation". They claim that it has structural problems and that is unlikely to ever outgrow these. Most of the criticisms have to do with [[wiki management]] problems: | |||
* | *Claims that [[Wikipedia violates GFDL]]. | ||
* | *Claims that Wikipedia's [[name space]] is [[EPOV]] and favours Wikipedia itself inherently, e.g. creating use of ISO language codes in [[mediawiki]] as if they are invocations of Wikipedia in that language, not simply references to "that page in that language". | ||
For example [[Wikipedia:fr:Commerce | For example [[Wikipedia:fr:Commerce �uitable]] or [[w:fr:Commerce �uitable]] map incorrectly to the [[interwiki link standard]] name which is [[fr:Wikipedia:Commerce �uitable]]: | ||
::It is not up to the service to decide what languages to serve in, nor is it up to the service to decide how to carve up space within that language - that's up to the language itself. Not only that, but the name of the service is itself expressed in a language: Hawaiian and Greek, combined using English rules of [[proper noun]] formation. | ::It is not up to the service to decide what languages to serve in, nor is it up to the service to decide how to carve up space within that language - that's up to the language itself. Not only that, but the name of the service is itself expressed in a language: Hawaiian and Greek, combined using English rules of [[proper noun]] formation. | ||
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*[[Libel chill]] employed as a tactic to silence critics, including those who have raised simple legal issues re the [[GFDL]] and [[charitable status]], which any contributor or citizen has a right to do. | *[[Libel chill]] employed as a tactic to silence critics, including those who have raised simple legal issues re the [[GFDL]] and [[charitable status]], which any contributor or citizen has a right to do. | ||
''See [[link transit]] for various attempts to resolve this issue.'' [http://www.squidoo.com/safe-tanning-with-tanning-booth PC Pro School] | |||