<CPOV> Wikimedia evolution in terms of governance and the creation of a Foundation (Fuster, Mayo)

[nathaniel tkacz]

Hi Mayo and Gregory,

I agree with Gregory that it was strange not to hear anything of these
characters. I try to avoid the kinds of esoteric name dropping competitions
that go in FLOSS discussions ("if you don't know the importance of this
character, or the significance of this or that project, then..." etc.), but
on the question of early governance I would think that Sanger's role in
particular would be crucial.

What I would like to ask Mayo, however, is on the topic of the Spanish Fork
(SF) as I am writing about software forking at the moment. I get the
impression you consider the SF a highly significant moment in Wikipedia's
history - a key event in which the project is both transformed and becomes
clear about its new direction. Is this indeed what you think, and if so
could you comment a little more?... (I would also love to hear what everyone
else thinks or has written about the SF).

As an aside, the SF is also interesting because it was centrally about
thinking how to cover Sanger's and other employees' salary, or at least that
is how the question of advertising was framed at the time. The actual online
exchange that took place is very interesting (I'm using it in my writings)
and is quite revealing on questions of power, authority and other juicy
stuff. Might be interesting for Mayo because the end of Sanger, the SF and
the emergence of the Foundation are connected in interesting ways.

Not being a Wikipedian or involved in these histories personally my
knowledge is pretty sketchy, but if there are some veterans from these
events lurking on this list it would be good to read some accounts closer to
the source.

Best

Nate


On Mon, Mar 8, 2010 at 12:39 AM, Gregory Kohs <thekohser at gmail.com> wrote:

> Mayo, I'm having a difficult time with your thesis, because you fail
> to even mention once either Dr. Larry Sanger or attorney Alex Roshuk.
> Are you familiar with the work of these gentlemen between the years
> 2000 and about 2004, as it related to Wikipedia and Wikimedia
> Foundation genesis?  If so, was there a reason you deliberately
> excluded mention of them?  If not, then I suggest you familiarize
> yourself with their work and probably reconfigure your essay to
> include their perspectives.
>
> --
> Gregory Kohs
> Cell: 302.463.1354
>
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-- 
Nate Tkacz

Research Fellow,
RMIT University

Twitter: http://twitter.com/__nate__
Homepage: www.nathanieltkacz.net
Current project: http://networkcultures.org/wpmu/cpov/about-2/
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