Getting on the Wikimedia Board Options

[A spatula said what?]

From the Wikipedia "foundation-l" mailing list:

We also appointed someone to one of the vacant expertise seats appointed
by the board. His name is Matt Halprin, and in brief, Matt is with the
Omidyar Network and a former eBay executive who was in charge of trust
and safety there. Matt has met with a number of us over the past several
months, and I invited him to join us in Buenos Aires and meet the entire
board. The Omidyar Network is very interested in supporting our strategy
development discussions, and I look forward to having Matt's experience
and insight as we continue with the process.

Search these for "board":

Sunlight Foundation Announces $4 Million Invesment From Omidyar Network

Goodmail Systems Secures Additional $4 Million in Funding from Omidyar Network

Seesmic raises $6 million in round two

Endeavor announced today that it has received a commitment of up to $10 million from Omidyar Network

[Somey]

That's unfortunate - Pierre Omidyar was the guy who founded eBay, and he seemed like such a nice guy... Most of his philanthropic efforts up until now have been fairly responsible, socially-speaking. The appointment of one of his people to another entity's board usually means he's about to make a big grant, if he hasn't already.

To think that he's been hoodwinked like this is very disturbing. It could even mean that someone associated with the WMF has figured out a way to spin their story so that it looks like they're doing something beneficial, to the extent that people with serious money are actually falling for it.

[Moulton]

Maybe he envisions a secondary market in used encyclopedia articles.

[A spatula said what?]

Maybe he envisions a secondary market in used encyclopedia articles.

More likely a proving ground for new patent-pending online reputation systems.

[GlassBeadGame]

Maybe he envisions a secondary market in used encyclopedia articles.

More likely a proving ground for new patent-pending online reputation systems.

Well at least he is not a Wikipedian. This is probably on balance a good thing that follows from Gardner's gradual transformation of WMF into a grown-up operation. I would rather it not be a representative of a grant maker from the techie sector. They might be too tolerant of some unsavory aspects of the internet and might bring libertarian ethos with them. I would prefer that it was a representative of Sloan who have given $3,000,000 or The Flora Hewlett Foundation who just gave $500,000. They would be more likely to provide prudent guidance based on long established non-profit practices and an ear to the concerns of the wider communty.

[tarantino]

Well at least he is not a Wikipedian. This is probably on balance a good thing that follows from Gardner's gradual transformation of WMF into a grown-up operation. I would rather I it not be a representative of a grant maker from the techie sector. They might be too tolerant of some unsavory aspects of the internet and might bring libertarian ethos with them. I would prefer that it was a representative of Sloan who have given $3,000,000 or The Flora Hewlett Foundation who just gave $500,000. They would be more like to provide prudent guidance based on long established non-profit practices and an ear to the concerns of the wider communty.

Omidyar also just gave WMF $2 million.

You may recall that they along with Bessemer Venture Partners and a few angel investors provided $4 million in funding to Wikia in 2006.

[A spatula said what?]

More likely a proving ground for new patent-pending online reputation systems.

His extensive experience with online communities, trust, and reputation, will make him an excellent addition to our Board.

TOLD YOU SO!!

Coming soon: Admins to be renamed POWER EDITORS, barnstars to be replaced with GOLD STARS and RETALIATORY FEEDBACK to replace edit wars.
Of course the advertisements on the site will easily fund the patent licensing fees to Omidyar and his friends at ebay. Plus no more irritating and profit sapping mirror and forks as Omidyar effectively owns creative commons.

[anthony]

The appointment of one of his people to another entity's board usually means he's about to make a big grant, if he hasn't already.

Good call. What other organizations did that happen with?

[Apathetic]

That's unfortunate - Pierre Omidyar was the guy who founded eBay, and he seemed like such a nice guy... Most of his philanthropic efforts up until now have been fairly responsible, socially-speaking. The appointment of one of his people to another entity's board usually means he's about to make a big grant, if he hasn't already.

prophetic!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...9082502561.html

[RMHED]

That's unfortunate - Pierre Omidyar was the guy who founded eBay, and he seemed like such a nice guy... Most of his philanthropic efforts up until now have been fairly responsible, socially-speaking. The appointment of one of his people to another entity's board usually means he's about to make a big grant, if he hasn't already.

prophetic!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...9082502561.html

Pierre has just bought himself some Wikipedia influence for a bit of loose change (at least for him). Wikipedia is for sale and Jimmy and the gang are doing a good job of pitching it to the serious players, though for them it's just a kind of hedging, a small outlay that might just pay off bigtime.

This post has been edited by RMHED: Wed 26th August 2009, 12:00am

[anthony]

The appointment of one of his people to another entity's board usually means he's about to make a big grant, if he hasn't already.

Good call. What other organizations did that happen with?

Here's one. Poor negotiation skills on the part of the WMF. They should have held out for at least $4 million.

[GlassBeadGame]

More likely a proving ground for new patent-pending online reputation systems.

His extensive experience with online communities, trust, and reputation, will make him an excellent addition to our Board.

TOLD YOU SO!!

Coming soon: Admins to be renamed POWER EDITORS, barnstars to be replaced with GOLD STARS and RETALIATORY FEEDBACK to replace edit wars.
Of course the advertisements on the site will easily fund the patent licensing fees to Omidyar and his friends at ebay. Plus no more irritating and profit sapping mirror and forks as Omidyar effectively owns creative commons.

Are you really so naive to not know that what actual has been going on within the Wikipedia "community" for a long tie is much worse than what you describe? Wikipedia is a MMORPG. All MMORPGs are driven by reputational economies based on exchanges of favors and influence. See Castronova. All this nonsense about editors writing articles for an encyclopedia is just the game board and is only true in a virtual sense. If you ever met SlimVirgin or JzG you already know this. Encyclopedic concepts like sourcing and neutrality only exist as tokens in the form of "WP:NOR" and "{{fact}}" to be wielded by avatars who could not hope to engage in sustained intellectual activity outside this virtual world. At least one board member might now understand this.

[Moulton]

His extensive experience with online communities, trust, and reputation, will make him an excellent addition to our Board.

Jimbo's biggest fear is that the project falls into disrepute.

Bringing on board a person who understands how to build a community of reputable players is a good idea, but I fear it comes way too late in the game. The more disreputable players have mostly driven off the reputable academics who might have onced helped Wikipedia reach its original objective.

[Malleus]

His extensive experience with online communities, trust, and reputation, will make him an excellent addition to our Board.

Jimbo's biggest fear is that the project falls into disrepute.

Bringing on board a person who understands how to build a community of reputable players is a good idea, but I fear it comes way too late in the game. The more disreputable players have mostly driven off the reputable academics who might have onced helped Wikipedia reach its original objective.

I'm quite certain that many "reputable academics" have chosen not to get involved in wikipedia, whether they've been "driven off" or not. The academic imperative to publish is not met by wikipedia articles, and not all "reputable players" will be academics anyway.

It would not be difficult to make a case that academics are perhaps those least likely to be able to write a neutral article on a subject dear to their hearts, as opposed to espousing the view they hope will make their name and give them tenure. Let's not fall to our knees in awe of "reputable academics"; the world of academia is no more "reputable" than any other human endeavour.

[John Limey]

His extensive experience with online communities, trust, and reputation, will make him an excellent addition to our Board.

Jimbo's biggest fear is that the project falls into disrepute.

Bringing on board a person who understands how to build a community of reputable players is a good idea, but I fear it comes way too late in the game. The more disreputable players have mostly driven off the reputable academics who might have onced helped Wikipedia reach its original objective.

Academics really tend to respect other academics. If that's who you want at your encyclopedia, you should be appointing leading scholars to your board, rather than internet businessmen. If the WMF wants to become a serious entity, they should track down an academic heavyweight or two. Of course, those people might actually push for some real change that others would find unwelcome ... who knows. The saddest thing, in my opinion, about the WMF is that of all of the people the person who is in fact the closest to being a qualified scholar is Jimbo himself what with his unfinished PhD. In my opinion, even just recruiting some ambitious Assistant Professor from a major research school would do a lot of good.

[EricBarbour]

That's unfortunate - Pierre Omidyar was the guy who founded eBay, and he seemed like such a nice guy...

Many years ago, at the Computer Museum, I met a volunteer who claimed to be one of eBay's early employees (1997). I asked him what it was like to work there, and he said something to the effect that "Pierre is a real nice guy, unless you've got something that he wants. Then he'll destroy you, and everyone around you, to get it." He said he left, and blew off substantial stock options, after working there for a year and seeing Pierre and Jeff Skoll "doing business". He said he was "appalled at how ruthless and sleazy they were....they filed completely phony tax returns, they lied to the SEC, they lied to state regulators, etc. etc......"

How true is any of that? No idea. But I do know that eBay has made itself a whole lot of enemies over the years.

[Milton Roe]

Academics really tend to respect other academics. If that's who you want at your encyclopedia, you should be appointing leading scholars to your board, rather than internet businessmen. If the WMF wants to become a serious entity, they should track down an academic heavyweight or two. Of course, those people might actually push for some real change that others would find unwelcome ... who knows. The saddest thing, in my opinion, about the WMF is that of all of the people the person who is in fact the closest to being a qualified scholar is Jimbo himself what with his unfinished PhD. In my opinion, even just recruiting some ambitious Assistant Professor from a major research school would do a lot of good.

Once they got the BLP issue out of the way, perhaps.

Until then, they don't need a Ph.D. to tell them that applying a privacy invasion device to other people, that they wouldn't want applied to themselves (and in fact, have taken serious amounts of time and effor to KEEP from being applied to themselves) is evil.

It doesn't take an academic degree to figure out when somebody is being an asshole. Although if you're the king, it might take somebody like Isaiah to point things out when the person being an asshole, is yourself.

[Malleus]

The saddest thing, in my opinion, about the WMF is that of all of the people the person who is in fact the closest to being a qualified scholar is Jimbo himself what with his unfinished PhD.

What a load of cock. Anybody, probably even you Limey, can fail to finish anything, including PhDs. There is admittedly some kudos in having a PhD, at least in some subjects, but in failing to get one?

[The Joy]

The saddest thing, in my opinion, about the WMF is that of all of the people the person who is in fact the closest to being a qualified scholar is Jimbo himself what with his unfinished PhD.

What a load of cock. Anybody, probably even you Limey, can fail to finish anything, including PhDs. There is admittedly some kudos in having a PhD, at least in some subjects, but in failing to get one?

Our thekohser has a unfinished PhD and he certainly is no moron!

I remember a professor in my undergraduate school saying that, in order for one to get a PhD, one had to write a 300-800 page dissertation on a unique topic that added to current scholarship. The moment he said "300-800 page", I didn't want to get a PhD!

[Kelly Martin]

Jimbo's biggest fear is that the project falls into disrepute.

No, it's not. His biggest fear is that the project falls into insignificance. He could care less how much repute it has, as long as it continues to get attention.