Wikipedia means the world to me. I have edited and written a few articles for the online encyclopedia, and I just donated to their foundation, as I do regularly. (Donate here.)
One of the things I love most about Wikipedia is that it's a fandom of knowledge, an experiment in democracy: its users are (or are encouraged to be) its producers.
While it's not perfect, it knows it, and says so: the Wikipedia article "Reliability of Wikipedia" includes links, for instance, to its own "multiple systemic biases".
What would make the encyclopedia better is more participation on the part of its users, which it invites.
So, given that it's all about the importance of participation, I emailed to Katherine Maher, executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, an edit of the thank-you letter she sent me.
Here's a clip of Maher's thank-you letter:
"Dear Fresca,
"Thank you for your one-time gift of $ 50.00. Your support of Wikipedia’s mission means everything right now.This letter feels very personal this year. I’m writing to you from my home, which has also become my office. Perhaps you can relate. It seems like so much has been upended in one way or another over the past year—pandemic, school closures, economic strain, the list goes on."
[END CLIP]
Hm. Do you notice something's missing? Something upended in the past year (or, I would say, one of the things that upended the year, not something that "has been upended")--something that shouldn't be shunted to "the list goes on"?
In the spirit of Wikipedia, I wrote a reply suggesting possible edits, ...with sources:
[BEGIN REPLY]
Hello!I am happy to support Wikipedia--I just wrote on my social media that it is one of the loves of my life. [1]I want to suggest an edit to your thank-you letter. To the list of things that have upended our year, I would add "a growing movement for racial justice" or "the killing of George Floyd" (the title of the Wikipedia article)---or some other phrase to acknowledge the global response to the death of George Floyd in police custody.The lack of an overt mention suggests that these events are not important upenders ("and the list goes on" means "other less important things", right?).They are important around the world.
For instance, as you know, Merriam-Webster agreed to update its definition of racism after a 22-year-old Black woman requested that it include a definition of systemic oppression.
From VOA News:
"The worldwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died in police custody last month in Minnesota, have resulted in a sea change in public attitudes regarding racial and social injustice.
A Civiqs poll comparing support for Black Lives Matter between April 2017 and June 2020 found a significant increase in support. In 2017, 37% of registered voters supported BLM, while in 2020, 52% supported the movement."[2]Thank you for your work!Wikipedia means the world to me.--Fresca[1] What I posted on social media:
"Wikipedia is one of the loves of my life: it's proof that we can cooperate to build a better world.It shouldn't work--a bunch of strangers writing an encyclopedia?--but it does!(It's not perfect: Wikipedia itself warns that it's not strictly reliable, but it's a great starting point. It taught me to check my sources--there is no wholly reliable human source of knowledge.)I've edited and written a few articles, but mostly I support it with $, which I just did.Also, I love and respect that Wikipedia questions itself and publishes its own self-critique--what a model![2] "How George Floyd's Death Has Impacted American Life", Sandra Lemaire , June 26, 2020, VOA News, https://www.voanews.com/usa/race-america/how-george- floyds-death-has-impacted- american-life
[END REPLY]
| I expect fundraising communication is automated. I'll be curious to see if I get a reply and/or, even better, if the letter is changed. Here's hoping! | ||||||
I hope someone there reads what you wrote and responds and revises accordingly.
ReplyDeleteI think there's room for another change. “It seems like so much has been upended in one way or another over the past year—pandemic, school closures, economic strain, the list goes on.” Kind of wobbly, because the things named are not what's been upended. *By* might help — by the pandemic, by school closures, and so on. But Black Lives Matter is a different matter, not comparable to the virus). So maybe something like this:
So many events have changed our lives over the past year — the pandemic, school closures, economic strain, the growing awareness of systemic racism and its effect on everything from policing to public health.
Do you think the omission might have been deliberate? To avoid “politics”? The letter doesn't mention rising threats to democracy throughout the world either.
MICHAEL:
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining in!!!
Yes, yes, to your changes: I too thought it read poorly--the pandemic was not upended--it upended us! I didn't want to get into the grammar
Your "events have changed our lives over the past year" is smoother and clearer.
I did wonder if the omission of racial injustice might be a deliberate fundraising decision.
It's not what Wikipedia usually is or wants to be... You know? They are more like a nerd who just wants to be CORRECT.
It makes me shudder to think The Marketing Department could be behind this.
Reading the letter again, it does have a lot of blather.
"We’re here no matter what life throws your way"?
GROAN.
I don't think so. If life throws a power outage our way, pretty quickly, there goes the Internet.
Here's the whole thing:
" Dear Fresca,
Thank you for your one-time gift of $ 50.00. Your support of Wikipedia’s mission means everything right now.
This letter feels very personal this year. I’m writing to you from my home, which has also become my office. Perhaps you can relate. It seems like so much has been upended in one way or another over the past year—pandemic, school closures, economic strain, the list goes on. But I take comfort in knowing that Wikipedia’s purpose remains steady: to make knowledge available to you. We’re here no matter what life throws your way.
Slowly and steadily, we’re building knowledge for the world, whatever that world looks like. We’re here every day, as a resource for whatever questions you might have. We’re here so you can keep exploring, even if your exploring these days happens mostly from home.
Francesca, thank you for helping Wikipedia continue to grow and be here for the world. I'm grateful and deeply honored to be on this journey with you.
Katherine
Katherine Maher, Executive Director
Wikimedia Foundation"
P.S. Penny Cooper says she would never write a thank-you letter like that.
ReplyDelete"Just say thank you," she says. "That is entire in itself."
("Entire in itself"? Yes! She really said that. I don't know where she gets some of the things she says.)
Penny Cooper gets it! (Though I never say “gets it.”)
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the automated response. I received the same email, only with my name, in acknowledgement of my donation.
ReplyDeleteI donate to them for the same reasons you do, whenever I can.
Penny Cooper is right, per usual. A simple Thank You is best.
ReplyDelete"the list goes on" does not mean things of lesser importance, more that the writer does not have time to list every little (or big) thing that has been upended.
ReplyDeleteCROW: Hi! Nice to see you! Thanks to all of us who keep Wikipedia alive!
ReplyDeleteBINK: I think Penny Cooper heard that from John Stanek... :)
RIVER: Yes, in a private writing, I see what you mean.
But in public writing, the choice of what gets named is more important. I should hope the executive director of an educational resource would make time to be careful about what they list.