Community of the Wikimedian projects

As the creation of Volunteer Council (named as Wikicouncil at the beginning) failed (Board didn't want to create such body), there is a possibility for changing the approach for the creation of the common body for the Wikimedian projects. Proposal on this page describes the Community of the Wikimedian Projects (CWP).

In short, projects interested in coordination of their activities would be able to opt-in the body where they would be able to make decisions related to all project members. Examples of such decisions may be granting bot status at one place, increasing communication level between projects, coordinating activities around particular WikiProjects and whatever else which some or all projects from this group see as their common interes.

Coordination between projects is almost non-existing. While it works inside of language boundaries, it is rare out of them. And we have a lot of tasks which are common to all projects, especially if we are talking about the same project types (like Wikipedia is). We are wasting a lot of resources and efforts by doing one task a number of times. Instead of that, we should start to work on the common goals together.

Opting in

Opting in CWP should be done by making a community decision inside of a particular project. The process of the community decision is up to a particular community and their own rules and customs. Sometimes it is simple majority, sometimes it is 2/3 majority and sometimes it is consensus-like 80% majority. Before opting in, community of a particular project should describe its own process for making decisions which affect the whole project.

Community which opts in should make the next decisions at the time of opting in:

• To adopt all decisions already made by CWP. (If the project is opting in at the time of CWP's creation, it should adopt only the initial document.)
• To delegate at least one person for coordination inside of the CWP.
• To decide how it will make decisions: only on project-wide referendum, by a special body which represents the projects, by a single representative or a group of representatives; or in combination of all of them.

Full members and observers

Project with at least 10 very active contributors is qualified to become a full member. Projects with less than 10 very active contributors are able to make a project group. Project group which represents at least 10 very active contributors is qualified to become a full member.

Full member projects are able to vote in the decision making process, while observing projects are not able. In all other cases rights of observing projects are equal to the rights of full member projects.

Constituting the CWP

CWP will be constitued at the time when 10 projects (or groups of projects) with the right to vote join the CWP.

CWP bodies

• Decision-making body:
  • Council of the Wikimedian Projects is the body which is consisted of the representatives or delegates of all full member projects.
• Working bodies
  • The Secretariat is the main coordinating body. Its role is to coordinate activities of CWP. The Secretariat is giving reports to the CWP quarterly.
  • Working groups are permanent or non-permanent CWP bodies made to address a particular issue.

All members of CWP's bodies have to be Wikimedians, while members of the working bodies don't need to be members of the project-member.

Decision making process

All of the decisions should be made with a clear support of all project-members. Projects are able to decide how it would be made. They may choose to make all of the decisions inside of their communities or to elect one or more persons to represent their will. All proposals should consider that fact and leave enough of time for decision.

Council of Wikimedian Projects may delegate to the working bodies power to make a particular decision.

CWP's first tasks

• Chosing the Secretariat of the CWP.
• Addressing common issues, like centralized bot flags are.
• Translating and analyzing rules made by communities.
• Making a program for self-education of the community members according to the projects needs.

Transitional notes

• This proposal is on discussion until the June 30th, 2008. Until that time the next tasks should be done:
  • The document should be finished in details.
  • Provisional Secretariat, a body which should made the rest of the job should be formed by volunteers interested in this issue.
• During another three months (until September 30th, 2008) the next tasks should be done:
  • Provisional Secretariat should make an analysis of the official statistics and define which projects are qualified to be the full members and which may be observing members (or need to make a group of projects to have the right to vote).
  • Provisional Secretariat should contact all Wikimedian projects and present to them this proposal.
  • Projects should opt in.
  • If CWP wouldn't be constituted in that time, Provisional Secretariat may give three months more grace period. If CWP wouldn't be constituted in that time, Provisional Secretariat should declare that the constitution of CWP didn't succeed.

End notes

• The main idea behind CWP is to make a body which would be able to address common issues on the existing projects. Its primary goal is not to deal with non-existing projects or the global structure of Wikimedian community.
• CWP may decide to take care about the projects which don't have very active contributors. However, it may be done only in coordination with the Board of Trustees of Wikimedia Foundation.
• As CWP is an opt-in body, until it doesn't represent the clear majority of the Wikimedian community, it shouldn't be able to make decisions related to make any meta decisions, including aproving or disaproving new projects, stewards or any other global Wikimedian body. However, if the project members of CWP decides so, it may be able to approve Arbitration Committees or similar bodies inside of the member projects.
• CWP may decide to act as an intermediate body between project members communities and Wikimedia Foundation.

Volunteers willing to be members of the Provisional Secretariat

If you are willing to become a member of the Provisional Secretariat, sign here.

• Millosh
• Geoff Plourde
• Mardetanha