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Task force/Recommendations

From Strategic Planning

In January 2010, the Task Forces proposed recommendations based on the research and discussion. These recommendations must now be evaluated and synthesized into a five year strategic plan.

The movement priorities refer to:
1 Maintain Strong Growth in Readership
2 Value, respect, and strive for diversity in editors
3 Encourage the Growth Path from New to Active Editors
4 Stabilize the Infrastructure
5 Encourage Innovation


Task force recommendations map to Movement priorities

Task force Recommendation Feedback Movement priorities
Advocacy Be prudently cautious with Wikimedia Foundation advocacy in general There's some disagreement about whether the WMF should pursue an advocacy agenda at all
Advocacy Net neutrality
Advocacy The Voice of Wikimedia
Advocacy If Wikimedia chooses to engage in advocacy, do so on issues that are critical to long-term growth 1, 2
Advocacy Pursuing environmental strategies and tactics
Advocacy Advocacy against extension of copyright and in favour of a strong public domain
Financial sustainability Income: Continue to build upon the proven success of fund raising by soliciting donations of money from individuals and institutions as the primary source of revenue Community giving has proven to be the most reliable income stream 1, 3, 4, 5
Financial sustainability Growth: Increase the resources devoted to fund raising from donations 1, 3, 4, 5
Financial sustainability Additional sources of income 1, 3, 4, 5
Financial sustainability Longer term stability 1, 3, 4, 5
Financial sustainability Investment committee 1, 3, 4, 5
Community health Volunteer recognition Example Example
Community health Improve consensus-building processes Example Example
Community health Demarcate and strengthen volunteer roles Example Example
Community health Tools for community health Example Example
Community health Social networking features Example Example
Movement roles Investing in chapter development Example Example
Movement roles Establishing a Volunteer Council Example Example
Movement roles Establishing a Chapters Network Example Example
Movement roles Promoting real life events Example Example
Movement roles Enable nonmembership structures such as university departments to serve in the chapter role Example Example
Movement roles Enable volunteers to form Regional Working Groups as a sub-Chapter status Example Example
Wikipedia Quality Global WikiProjects Wikiprojects should be considered on a cost/benefit analysis to prevent stagnant/dead wikiprojects. What's the cost of failure? Example
Wikipedia Quality Senior Editors Some expressed concerns that a demarcated "senior" status would lead article ownership and elitism. In addition, there were concerns that the process for determination of senior editors was not clearly laid out. Example
Wikipedia Quality Core values and Baseline quality standard Feedback reflected a suggestion that Wikipedia re-examine whether verifiability or truth should be the standard. Example
Offline Content reuse from WMF projects Example Example
Offline Use of cellphones Example Example
Offline Schools Example Example
Offline Article selection Example Example
Local Languages Outreach Example 1,2,3
Local Languages Stimulate creation of local content There is a lack of sources in many local languages, especially about local topics. Anything that would increase the amount of local sources would be welcome. For example promoting scientific research and publishing in small languages, and collecting voice recordings that could be used as sources. Many languages does also lack orthographies or have orthographies that ain't supported by widespread fonts or Unicode. To help creating orthographies or fonts for existing orthographies would make sense. 1,2,3
Local Languages Localization and internationalization of the MediaWiki software Example 1,2,3,(4?)
Local Languages Minimize the bandwidth that is required to load pages Example 1,2,3,4
China Promote the Wikimedia movement and involve the public at large using meetups and a group blog, which can be found at http://www.bloki.org Example
China Lift the obstacles for participation Example
China Improve content quality and expand coverage on local topics Example
China Build online and offline partnerships Example

Task force recommendations

Gaps

In this process, some task forces were unable to come to recommendations. Some of these may have recommendations on their task force pages that could use input and discussion. Those task forces are:

Summaries

For each Task force below, list of recommendations.

Advocacy

  • Be prudently cautious with Wikimedia Foundation advocacy in general.
  • Net neutrality.
  • The Voice of Wikimedia.
  • If Wikimedia chooses to engage in advocacy, do so on issues that are critical to long-term growth.
  • Pursuing environmental strategies and tactics.
  • Advocacy against extension of copyright and in favour of a strong public domain.

Financial sustainability

  • Income: Continue to build upon the proven success of fund raising by soliciting donations of money from individuals and institutions as the primary source of revenue.
  • Growth: Increase the resources devoted to fund raising from donations.
  • Additional sources of income: Continue with and/or explore the following types of revenue sources; Licensing /royalty agreements, more traditional sponsorship opportunities and more corporate giving, tiered donor membership levels, government funding, advertising and commercial sponsorship.
  • Longer term stability: An endowment fund would seem to have some advantages to the longer term financial stability of the WMF.
  • Outline: Wikimedia should establish an investment committee to appropriately manage and safeguard its funds.

Alliances and partnerships

Community health

  • Volunteer recognition.
  • Improve consensus-building processes.
  • Demarcate and strengthen volunteer roles.
  • Tools for community health.
  • Social networking features.

Movement roles

  • Investing in chapter development.
  • Establishing a Volunteer Council.
  • Establishing a Chapters Network.
  • Promoting real life events.
  • Enable nonmembership structures such as university departments to serve in the chapter role.
  • Enable volunteers to form Regional Working Groups as a sub-Chapter status.

Quality

  • Global WikiProjects.
  • Senior Editors.
  • Core values and Baseline quality standard.

Offline

  • Content reuse from WMF projects.
  • Use of cellphones.
  • Schools.
  • Article selection.

Local Languages

  • Outreach.
  • Stimulate creation of local content.
  • Localization and internationalization of the MediaWiki software.
  • Minimize the bandwidth that is required to load pages.

Arabic

China

  • Promote the Wikimedia movement and involve the public at large.
  • Lift the obstacles for participation.
  • Improve content quality and expand coverage on local topics.
  • Build online and offline partnerships.