Wikimedia Foondation

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Aneat the Foondation

The Wikimedia Foondation (WMF) is ae non-profit organisation registert in the USA, hostin wabsteids kent aes the “Wikimedia projects", sic as Wikipedia n Wikinews, n this website, Meta-Wiki n aw. The Foondation is go'erned bi ae Buird o Trustees. Its affice is locatit in San Francisco, USA. Its former headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida wis claisit oan Januair 31, 2008. Offeecial information aneat the Foondation can be foond at the Foondation wabsteid: wikimediafoundation.org.

Buird o Trustees

The Wikimedia Foundation Buird o Trustees manages the foondation n supervises the deesposeetion n soleecitation o donations. The Buird is the ultimate corporate authoritie fer the Wikimedia Foondation, Inc. (article IV, sec. 1 of the Wikimedia Foondation bylaws) n nou conseests o ten Trustees n three vaik seats:

See n aw the histerie o the Buird o Trustees n ae chairt shawin the Buird seats ower time.

The Wikimedia Foundation Buird Haundbeuk gies aen owerluik o the role o the Buird n its duties. The Foondation wiki hauds leets o its past n upcomin meetings (wi records), n its resolutions.

Organisation

Chainnels o collouge

The Wikimedia Foondation is managed thanks tae the uiss o:

Meta-Wiki fer collouge n organisation o aw publeec issues. This wiki is compleatlie publeec n eeditable bi awbodie n is monieleidic n aw.
wikimediafoundation.org is the offeecial wabsteid o the Foondation. This wiki is compeatlie publeec, but eeditin access is yinlie grauntit tae lippent memmers o the communitie. We ettle tae owrset pages in several leids. Feedback aneat this wabsteid can be affered here on Meta-Wiki at the Foondation wiki feedback page.
wikimedia-l is ae publeec mailin leet fer the communitie tae tauk aneat tapics sib tae the Foondation n its waurks.
internal-l is ae non publeec mailin leet, wi access restreectit tae buird memmers n afficers.
private-l is anither private mailin leet that wis uised tae tauk aneat techneecal issues amang the Foondation n aw.
VRTS is ae ticketin seestem that's uised bi Wikimedia Foondation staff n volunteers tae haunnle emails fae the publeec.
IRC is fer real-time tauk wi ither Wikimedians.

Channels for support

The Wikimedia Foundation manages the following channels for support:

Trust and Safety Meta page provides an introduction into Trust & Safety work, as well as information about programs, policies, and resources.
General Trust & Safety inquiries: ca wikimedia.org
Threats of imminent physical harm (also supporting human rights crisis response): emergency wikimedia.org
Assessment of child protection concerns: legal-reports wikimedia.org
Disinformation support inbox for partnering functionaries and local admin teams: drt wikimedia.org
Human Rights team Meta page provides an introduction into Human Rights work, as well as information about programs, policies, and resources.
General Human Rights inquiries: talktohumanrights wikimedia.org

Whit dae we spend siller oan

See oor yearllie reports, monthlie reports n financial reports.

Whaur dis the siller come fae

The Wikimedia Foondation is operatit n run uisin siller raised wi fundraisin n ither donations. Fer mair information, please see the donations page.

Wikimedia affeeliates

In acknowledgement o the diversitie o groops contreebutin tae oor muivment, the Buird o Trustees appruivs recognition o the follaein models o affeeliation wi the Wikimedia muivment. Affeeliates can chynge fae the ae affeeliation status til anither, n shid prioritise cooperation wi yin anither wioot onie peckin order. Gif ye wish tae stairt an affeeliate or ar luikin fer mair information aneat affeeliation, ye micht want tae contact the Affeeliations Committee.

Muivment pairtners

Muivment pairtners ar lik-myndit organiations that acteevelie support the Wikimedia muivment’s wairk. Thay ar leetit publeeclie n grauntit leemitit uiss o the maurks fer publeecitie indicatin thair support o n collaboration wi Wikimedia. Muivment pairtners ar no yet bein recognised bi Wikimedia. Mair information oan futur recogneetion can be obtained fae the Affeeliations Commeettie.

Naitional or Sub-naitional chaipters

Naitional or Sub-naitional chaipters ar incorporatit frestaunnin non-profits representin the Wikimedia muivment n supportin muivment wairk globalie, focused wiin ae geographie. Chaipters or naitional/sub-naitional organisations uise ae name that clearlie airts thaim tae Wikimedia n ar grauntit uiss o Wikimedia trademaurks fer thair wairk, publeecitie, n fundraisin.

Themateec organisations

Themateec organisations ar incorporatit freestaunnin non-profits representin the Wikimedia muivment n supportin wairk focused oan ae speceefic theme, tapeec, subject or issue wiin or across kintras n regions. Themateec or focused organisations uise ae name that clearlie airts thaim tae Wikimedia n ar grauntit the uiss o Wikimedia trademaurks fer thair wairk, publeecitei n fundraisin.

Uiser groops

Uiser groops ar apen memmership groops wi aen estableesht contact person n histerie o waurks, designed tae be easie tae form. User groops can (but dinna hae tae) choose tae incorporate n ar grauntit leemitit uiss o the Wikimedia maurks fer publeecitie sib tae events n waurks.

Wikimedia coordination an waurks

Waurk coordination

Wikimedia Meta-Wiki (this wiki) is ae wabsteid aneat the Wikimedia Foondation's waurks n coordination.

Main Wikimedia waurks

Projects of the Wikimedia Foundation (read more...)
Wikipedia Free encyclopedia	Wiktionary Dictionary and thesaurus	Wikinews Free content news source	Wikibooks Free textbooks and manuals
Wikiquote Collection of quotations	Wikisource Free source documents	Wikiversity Free learning tools	Wikivoyage Free travel guide
Wikispecies Directory of species	Wikimedia Commons Shared media repository	Wikidata Free knowledge base

Some waurk histerie

12 Januair, 2001: Wikipedia launched at Wikipedia.com, freestaunin fae Nupedia.
12 Dizember, 2002: Wiktionair wis brocht online.
27 Juin, 2003: Wikiquote wis stairtit oan wo.wikipedia, the Wolof Wikipædia.
10 Julie, 2003: Wikiquote muivs tae the quote.wikipedia.org n later gat its ain domain name (wikiquote.org).
10 Julie, 2003: The Wikibooks waurk gat its ain domain name at textbook.wikipedia.org, later muivin tae wikibooks.org. See Wikimedia News.
24 November, 2003: Project Sourceberg (nou Wikisource) wis offeecialie launched aes sources.wikipedia.org. Afore that, it wis found on ps.wikipedia.org, the Pashto Wikipedia. On 6 Dizember, 2003, ae vote wis held oan chyngin the waurk's name, n it wis renamed tae “Wikisource”.
5 September, 2004: Efter launchin in August 2004, Wikispecies wis taulkt aneat bi the buird. It wis offeecialie merged wi ae sister waurk oan 14 September, 2004.
7 September, 2004: The Wikimedia Commons wis launched.
3 Dizember, 2004: Efter ae brief demonstration phase in November, the Ingils beta version o Wikinews became operational. Wikinews is meant tae be ae free content news soorce that allous oniebodie tae report news oan ae wide varietie o subjects.
Apryl 2005: 501(c)(3) non-profit status grauntit bi the U.S. Internal Revenue Service wi the NTEE Code: B60 (Adult, Continuing Education).
November 2005: Wikimedia awarded memmership in the Yird Technologie Netwairk.
2 Juin, 2006: The Wikimedia Incubator wis launched.
15 August, 2006: Wikiversity's beta phase offeecialie began (Ingles Wikiversity).
30 October, 2012: Wikidata wis launched, the first new Wikimedia waurk sin 2006.
10 November, 2012: Wikivoyage muived tae Wikimedia servers aes ae beta waurk, efter ae tauk oan hostin ae travel guide waurk. It wis fulie launched oan 15 Januair, 2013. Ye can see the Wikipedia airticle fer mair information oan its pre-WMF days.

Histerie

The early histerie o Wikipædia wis chairacterised bi muckle chaos n weel-meanin strangeness. Wikipædia Go'ernance wis conductit, effecteevelie, bi Jimmy Wales (Jimbo) alane, wi the asseestance o mailin leet pairteecipants.

The braider mandate o the expaundin waurks bein conseedert, led til ae suggestion in ae [$message wikien-l message] by Sheldon Rampton:

Ah think that we shid gae een further n ettle fer the ultimate goal o creautin "Wikimedia." That's media wi aen "m." It wid uise Wiki-style rules tae enable publeec parteecipation in the creaution n eeditin o aw kynds o media: encyclipædias n ither referance waurks, nou news, buiks, feection, museec, video etc. Lik nou braidcast media, it wid hae differentiated "chainnels" n "programs," ilkane wi sel-selectin audiences. Onlike nou media, thou, the audience wid be acteevelie involved in creautin its ain programmin n aw, insteid o simplie watchin it passeevelie.

The “wikimedia.org” domain name wis boucht bi mav in waitin fer ae Wikipedia/Wikimedia non-profit tae come intae exeestance tae ain it.

Oan 20 Juin, 2003, Jimmy Wales - wha'd been operatin Wikipedia unner the aegis o his companie Bomis - said the creaution o the Wikimedia Foondation that wis tae serve aes the pairent, non-profit, organisation o Wikipedia, Wiktionary, Wikiquote, Wikibooks, n ither freelie licensed wiki waurks subsequentlie eikit tae the "Wikimedia faimilie". See the Wikipedia airticle oan Wikimedia: the Wikimedia Foondation n aw.

The first buird o trustees wis makit up o 5 people, Jimmy Wales, Tim Shell, Michael Davis, Angela Beesley n Florence Devouard. In 2006, Tim n Angela left the buird, while Erik Möller, Jan-Bart de Vreede, Kat Walsh n Oscar van Dillen joined it. In October, Florence Devouard became the chair o the buird, replacin Jimmy Wales. Go'ernance, oreeginalie relyin oan Jimbo fer the maist pairt, evolved ower the years thewaird ae mair communitie based approach. The first employees joined the organisation in 2005, Danny Wool n Brion Vibber.

The organisation tuik ae new turn in the summer o 2007, whan Sue Gardner wis hired tae serve aes interim ED. At that time, the staff wis makit up o aboot 10 people, maist in Florida's office n ithers tae be foond in the UK, Germanie n the Netherlands. Maist o the commeetties set up in Januair 2006 ar at this point onacteeve n abandoned.

In 2007, the Foundation decided to move away from its Florida office. San Francisco was chosen as the destination (Boston was its main competitor).^[1] The former headquarters in Florida were closed on January 31, 2008.

The Foundation's San Francisco headquarters were originally at 39 Stillman Street. In 2009, it moved less than a kilometer to 149 New Montgomery Street, and in 2017 to its current location at One Montgomery Tower.

The Board was substantially restructured in April 2008. For more information, see:

Board Restructure announcement by Vice-Chair Jan-Bart de Vreede
Board Restructure Questions and Answers
Board Restructure diagram

Ither airtins

Soorces

↑ Tim Starling on the wikimedia-l mailing list, 17 April 2015