prospectacle writes:
"An important choice remains for this site. What kind of organisation will we be, practically, legally and financially?
A for-profit, shareholder corporation seems out of the question, by general consensus (correct me if I'm wrong), but other questions remain. The basic choice is this:
Will we be like a charity, a co-op, or a recreational club?
This is a gross simplification, but gives some idea of the options involved. Feel free to offer alternatives. So what should we be, what is our purpose, really? And what kind of a structure is required to make sure we serve that purpose, and that money doesn't end up in the wrong pockets?
Bonus question: which jurisdiction should we set ourselves up in to fulfil our mission most effectively?"
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 12 2014, @11:55AM
When I read "community control", all sorts of adages spring to mind, including "too many cooks in the kitchen" and "designing a horse by committee".
The truth is that an organization, even a non-profit, needs a strong leader. Decisions by committee often fail [mindyourdecisions.com] and ultimately, you want a leader who can be changed if they are not going in a direction that you like.
(Score: 2) by quadrox on Wednesday March 12 2014, @12:10PM
You make a good point, even though it was never my intention to let the community vote on every single decision. The daily operation is of course left to staff and management.
But the community should decide the direction and be able to veto major unwanted changes (or initiate desired changes).
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Peristaltic on Wednesday March 12 2014, @02:36PM
And there you go. Yes.
Run it using the non-profit model and create some kind of "power user" perk for which members may pay something like $15 / year. The perk doesn't have to be over the top, just something to create a notion of extra value for members that care about the site.