Election results, Voting has begun Options

[Kelly Martin]

So it is only a constitutional monarchy in relation to the treatment of the organization's volunteers, who are responsible for the creation of "encyclopedic content", which is the only outcome of any potential value generated by the enterprise? As for WMFs other activities, such as the office Christmas party and tours of the Jimmy Wales Memorial Awards Wall and Photo Gallery it run just like any other normal non-profit?

The WMF does not generally consider the editors of the various projects to be "WMF volunteers". As far as I can tell, the WMF's take on the relationship is that each project is a separate, distinct, unincorporated organization that has chosen to avail itself of the WMF's services. As such, the WMF has no direct authority over, nor responsibility to, the organizations that are responsible for and govern the several projects. The only time I've seen the WMF even remotely suggest that project editors are "WMF volunteers" has been in fundraising entreatises.

[dogbiscuit]

So it is only a constitutional monarchy in relation to the treatment of the organization's volunteers, who are responsible for the creation of "encyclopedic content", which is the only outcome of any potential value generated by the enterprise? As for WMFs other activities, such as the office Christmas party and tours of the Jimmy Wales Memorial Awards Wall and Photo Gallery it run just like any other normal non-profit?

The WMF does not generally consider the editors of the various projects to be "WMF volunteers". As far as I can tell, the WMF's take on the relationship is that each project is a separate, distinct, unincorporated organization that has chosen to avail itself of the WMF's services. As such, the WMF has no direct authority over, nor responsibility to, the organizations that are responsible for and govern the several projects. The only time I've seen the WMF even remotely suggest that project editors are "WMF volunteers" has been in fundraising entreatises.

Nor does the WMF deliver anything to the volunteers other than servers and some software maintenance - and some waffle on news programmes (when they can't get some Australian thongster to do it for them). English Wikipedia and German Wikipedia might be self-sufficient by some definitions, but if they are serious about Simple English, for example, you'd think the WMF would see the need for some nurturing.

[Casliber]

I had no idea who Casilber, Risker, or Cool Hand Luke was before this election. I'd never heard of them before, so really can't say how I feel about them. Heard of Jayvdb, never interacted with them. As for Rlevse and Vassyana, I know both of them reasonably well (Vassyana even more so). They've both got good heads on their shoulders. I disagree that Vassyana is a "Prem Rawat Kool Aid drinker". I managed to dig this up and I think that it was more an issue of wanting a pair of fresh eyes rather than "OMG he's biased etc". And if Vass is a prem rawat kool aid drinker....what does that make me?

Gawd, Steve, you have a short memory - I gave you some pointers about article writing a while back...

[GlassBeadGame]

So it is only a constitutional monarchy in relation to the treatment of the organization's volunteers, who are responsible for the creation of "encyclopedic content", which is the only outcome of any potential value generated by the enterprise? As for WMFs other activities, such as the office Christmas party and tours of the Jimmy Wales Memorial Awards Wall and Photo Gallery it run just like any other normal non-profit?

The WMF does not generally consider the editors of the various projects to be "WMF volunteers". As far as I can tell, the WMF's take on the relationship is that each project is a separate, distinct, unincorporated organization that has chosen to avail itself of the WMF's services. As such, the WMF has no direct authority over, nor responsibility to, the organizations that are responsible for and govern the several projects. The only time I've seen the WMF even remotely suggest that project editors are "WMF volunteers" has been in fundraising entreatises.

This is a correct description of WMF's "position" on their relationship with Wikipedia's editors. This is, from a laibility standpoint, very good for WMF and very bad for editors, especially the admins. When shit meets fan it is likely that WMF's position will be contested, possibly from multiple quarters.

[SDJ]

could've been worse. Obviously not all of them are perfect or even desirable, but given the candidates, I couldn't have expected a much better result.

The candidates I really objected to will not be appointed.

Going by percentages, the top 5 differentiated themselves, but Vassyana, Jayvb, Carcharoth, and Wizardman were pretty tightly bunched.

Lifebaka received 116 votes, Laniveil 117.

I don't know that Vassyana should be appointed. S/he finished 7th in the %support metric by a mere 0.9% over Carcharoth. In the other 2 measurable metrics (raw support and net support), Vass didn't even finish 8th. S/he was all the way back in 9th in those, while Carch was the clear #7 in both. If this were the BCS (I know, it's not, it's the JWCS), Carch would be the clear choice.

You again lol. What about raw oppose and net oppose? And 0.9 percent is nearly a whole percent ahead.

Do I know you?

could've been worse. Obviously not all of them are perfect or even desirable, but given the candidates, I couldn't have expected a much better result.

The candidates I really objected to will not be appointed.

Going by percentages, the top 5 differentiated themselves, but Vassyana, Jayvb, Carcharoth, and Wizardman were pretty tightly bunched.

Lifebaka received 116 votes, Laniveil 117.

I don't know that Vassyana should be appointed. S/he finished 7th in the %support metric by a mere 0.9% over Carcharoth. In the other 2 measurable metrics (raw support and net support), Vass didn't even finish 8th. S/he was all the way back in 9th in those, while Carch was the clear #7 in both. If this were the BCS (I know, it's not, it's the JWCS), Carch would be the clear choice.

Who knows, I suggested to Jimbo that maybe appointing an extra arb or two maybe a good idea if the results were close...

This might truly be the best solution. Let's hope he comes up with something similar.

[Steve Crossin]

I had no idea who Casilber, Risker, or Cool Hand Luke was before this election. I'd never heard of them before, so really can't say how I feel about them. Heard of Jayvdb, never interacted with them. As for Rlevse and Vassyana, I know both of them reasonably well (Vassyana even more so). They've both got good heads on their shoulders. I disagree that Vassyana is a "Prem Rawat Kool Aid drinker". I managed to dig this up and I think that it was more an issue of wanting a pair of fresh eyes rather than "OMG he's biased etc". And if Vass is a prem rawat kool aid drinker....what does that make me?

Gawd, Steve, you have a short memory - I gave you some pointers about article writing a while back...

Oh yeah! *headdesks* Sorry!

[Casliber]

Oh yeah! *headdesks* Sorry!

..and I have used teh little {{vo}} template a few times, nice one.

[everyking]

Jayvdb, one of the successful candidates, made some very bold and intelligent comments on Jimbo's talk page, amidst the discussion on Jimbo's period of reflection:

"There is no Jimbo mail in my inbox. We are supposed to be an agile web 2.0 crowdsourcing thingamawatsit, and here we are waiting 5 days for a bog simple decision from a board member after a 14 day election has been held by the community. This delay is unreasonable, and is an example of the "Jimbo problem" that a large segment of the community is growing dissatisfied with. Other projects manage just fine without a constitutional monarch. If you wanted to put an inordinate amount of time into evaluating and reflecting, you should have kept these days clear in your calendar; the dates have been well advertised for a long time, and this sudden revelation puts other peoples calendars into a state of limbo."

"I also hope Jimbo doesnt get inventive. The tactical nature of the voting meant that the community was focused on top seven. If there is a need for change, and I am partial to having a bigger committee, it should be discussed within the community before hand, and the community should know what they are voting on. If we do want more people on the committee this year, the appropriate way to handle that is to decide the seven who will be appointed to the committee now, and consider anyone with 50% or higher as eligible for appointment if/when the community has discussed that thoroughly."

Now I regret not voting for this guy. Sorry, John!

[Kato]

Jimbo Ponders his veto : Day Two

"The community is only part of the process.
Ummmmmmmmmmm."

Meanwhile, tensions flare on Jimbo's talk page.

I actually prefer that Jimbo take his time. We definitely don't want anyone slipping through the cracks again [link to the Essjay controversy] , though the linked situation was a blindside to everyone. SDJ 20:48, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

* If I remember correctly Essjay was a direct apointment by Jimbo. ViridaeTalk 21:21, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Yeah. The Essjay Controversy (T-H-L-K-D), where Jimbo unilaterally appointed a guy to Arbcom he already knew was a phony and had lied to the media about his position in order to promote WP. Lets hope Jimbo's legendary "careful reflection" stops anything else like that "slipping through the cracks again"!

[Random832]

Yeah. The Essjay Controversy (T-H-L-K-D), where Jimbo unilaterally appointed a guy to Arbcom he already knew was a phony and had lied to the media about his position in order to promote WP.

I don't recall that Jimbo already knew this.

[Kato]

Yeah. The Essjay Controversy (T-H-L-K-D), where Jimbo unilaterally appointed a guy to Arbcom he already knew was a phony and had lied to the media about his position in order to promote WP.

I don't recall that Jimbo already knew this.

I'm pretty sure he did. He appointed him to Arbcom when Essjay got the role at Wikia, while other Arbitrators disapproved but didn't voice their concerns.

According to Wikipedia itself.

Andrew Orlowski, a frequent Wikipedia critic and a writer for The Register, a British technology news and opinion website, criticized Jimmy Wales for hiring Essjay at the venture-capital-funded 'Wikia' and for appointing him to the Wikipedia arbitration committee after Essjay had apparently admitted his previously claimed academic and professional credentials were false.

Update: Essjay was taken on by Wikia on January 7th 2007, and revealed his ID to Wikia and Wales and co then. And was later appointed to arbitration committee on February 23rd 2007. I think they had more than one meeting in between - some big meal or other was mentioned.

There is no question - Wales knew.

[Kelly Martin]

Jimbo needs time to find out what he can get away without withing offending too many of what he thinks of as the stakeholders, the people who he feels that he needs to keep on his good side. Once he's determined what course of action is safest, he'll take it.

One thing you have to remember about Jimbo is that he's a coward. He hates taking risks; he will try to convince someone else to take them if he can, and will defer action as long as possible to try to figure out what the safest course is before acting. At this point, he's waiting for his inner circle to chime in on how many more Arbitrators he should create, and which of the candidates he should choose to fill those roles. It's unlikely that he'll fail to seat any of the top seven (although I am sure that there are many pressuring him to find an excuse to fail to seat Cool Hand Luke); the question becomes how he chooses the supplementals.

I imagine he's a bit ticked that he really can't get away with reappointing James; with his extremely poor showing in the election it would almost certainly engender a great deal of ill will if he were to try to appoint him anyway. With any luck, James will get the hint and fade away from Wikipedia entirely; both he and Wikipedia will be the better for it.

[CharlotteWebb]

Now I regret not voting for this guy. Sorry, John!

I agree but I doubt it would have done him any good. I'm pretty sure he just scuppered any chance he had of being appointed. Candidates who refuse to fly south should take the sparrow's lesson, at least until their eggs are hatched.

"Just what my agenda is..."

Special thanks to Bill Hicks (RIP)

[Anonymous editor]

Remaining in a state of jimbo for five days is rather disconcerting.

[GlassBeadGame]

Remaining in a state of jimbo for five days is rather disconcerting.

Enter Moulton with Jimmy Cliff parody.

[Moulton]

Remaining in a state of jimbo for five days is rather disconcerting.

Enter Moulton with Jimmy Cliff parody.

This one's easy...

Sitting In Limbo — Jimmy Cliff

Sitting here in Limbo
Waiting for the tide turn.
Yeah, now, sitting here in Limbo,
So many things I've got to learn.
Meanwhile, they're putting up a resistance,
But I know that my faith will lead me on.

Traveling around with Jimbo
Waiting for the dice to roll.
Yeah, now, sitting here in Limbo,
Still got some time to search my soul.
Meanwhile, they're putting up a ruckus,
But I know that my faith will lead me on.

I don't know where life will take me,
But I know where I have been.
I don't know what life will show me,
But I know what I have seen.
Tried my hand at love and friendship,
That is past and gone.
And now it's time to move along.

Sitting here in Limbo
Like a bird ain't got a song.
Yeah, I'm waiting here on Jimbo
And I know it won't be long
'Til I make my getaway, now.
Meanwhile, they're putting up a resistance,
But I know that my faith will lead me on.

I don't know where life will take me,
But I know where I have been.
I don't know what life will show me,
But I know the London Fetish Scene.
Tried my hand at love and kinship,
That is past and gone.
And now it's time to sing a song.

Gonna lead me on now.
Meanwhile, they're putting up resistance,
But I know that my faith will lead me on.
Sitting in Limbo, Limbo, Limbo.
Waiting on Jimbo, Jimbo, Jimbo.
Sitting in Limbo, Limbo, Limbo.
Meanwhile, they're putting up a ruckus,
But I know that my leash will lead me on.

[Kato]

Arbcom in a State of Jimbo news update.

Jimbo Ponders his veto : Day Three - in India

"Yes... not a muscle, Gita.
How long should leave him before we call a doctor?"

[Milton Roe]

Arbcom in a State of Jimbo news update.

Jimbo Ponders his veto : Day Three - in India

"Actually, Babu, how would appointing this Cool Hand person look like? Obviously it is nonsensical! I do not think so you can do it..."

[The Joy]

Knowing Wikipedia's luck, India and Pakistan will go to war and Jimbo will never be able to release his decision about ArbCom as he will be trapped in India.

The Community will have to decide itself!

Oh, and on a side note, it would be really bad if India and Pakistan went to war.

[Anonymous editor]