[Strategic] consensus

[Kai Krueger]

On 08/30/2010 01:43 PM, Frederik Ramm wrote:
> Tim,
>
> TimSC wrote:
>> Have you, as a working group, any idea on how to reach community
>> consensus on strategy?
>
> First and foremost, this working group is about OSMF's strategy. OSM the
> project doesn't have, and will never have, a strategy.
>
> Of course OSMF's strategy might include polling the community on issues.
> But that's a matter for the working group to decide ;)

Imho, this is perhaps one of the most important "strategic" questions 
the SWG should and has to solve at some point in the future. I.e. how 
OSMF sees its interaction with the wider OSM project. If OSMF intends to 
stick to its mantra of "supporting, not controlling the community", 
there will inevitably by times where controversial decisions have to be 
made where OSMF needs to "ask the community". However, at the moment 
there does not appear to be a defined  way for OSMF to do this.

I see three obvious parts to this question: How, who and when.

How is perhaps the least interesting part, but somewhat important 
nevertheless. I.e. ask via the mailinglists, through simple internet 
polls such as doodle, via a "representative survey", through a council 
of local chapter representatives, create a secure voting system...

Who: Who actually is "the community" to be asked? Is it all active 
contributors (defined in the same way as in the CT?)? Is it all members? 
Are large data users and tool developers part of it? Wikifidlers and 
Documentation writers? Only OSMF members?...

When: Under what circumstances does the heavy instrument of "ask the 
community" get activated? For tagging decisions? For decisions on a 
project logo or "corporate" branding? For decisions of what to spend 
resources on? For decisions of how to change the...

The individual "when part", probably somewhat determines the how and 
who, but in a 300.000 diverse community, these aspects somehow need to 
be defined beforehand to minimize potential conflicts.

These are very difficult questions to answer and probably rather 
controversial in themself. So perhaps now is not the best time to ask 
them...

Kai



>
> Bye
> Frederik
>
>
>
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