first recommendation - alliances?

first recommendation - alliances?

Ok, so if we've differentiated between "an alliance" and "a partnership" (in the "difference between partner and alliance" thread below), and the mandate of this taskforce is to create 2-4 recommendations for this topic - I suggest that the first recommendation should be specifically aimed at the "alliance" aspect.

As distinct from "a partnership", an alliance with any one (or multiple) organisation needn't be for a specific task or timeframe but an ongoing thing. That's what alliance means - long term and open-ended. Furthermore, an alliance is a two-way thing, not a seller-buyer arrangement like a partnership might be. There are only a certain number of organisations we should/could ally with - because "common values" is a key element of alliances - then the question is Not "who to ally with" but instead "what does an alliance mean/achieve" and "how to create an alliance".

Basically, if the WMF was to have some form of formal alliance with another organisation there are only a limited number of organisations that we have enough shared vision with - the EFF, CreativeCommons, Linux, Mozilla, OpenStreetMap, OLPC...

So, what do you think an alliance should achieve for the WMF? What does an alliance with the WMF achieve for the other organisation(s)? And finally - what do you think of the idea of having all of these organised with each other as a group - effectively a "free-culture alliance"?

Witty lama13:10, 13 December 2009

I very much hope we can move toward some sort of "free-culture alliance". It would probably be worth getting input from Wikimedia Poland on this issue, because I believe they have achieved an alliance of this kind in their country.

Pharos23:30, 15 December 2009
 

I've started "recommendation 1" along these lines. Thoughts appreciated.

Witty lama13:56, 20 December 2009