How the chapter works/Board approvals

This is one of what will be a number of pages explaining how Wikimedia UK operates. This page covers the various types of approval that the Board gives to pieces of text. (The actual business of approvals of members is covered elsewhere: see Membership/Process.)

Routes

There are various routes to approval, including but perhaps not restricted to the following:

Route	Comments	Typical examples
Majority	Vote of the Board to approve or not.	Used for past minutes at the Board meetings, after changes that may be made in real time. Used for press releases.
Two-star (**)	72 hours notice of text to office list, and one Board member must positively approve.	Current mechanism for the wiki version of newsletter.
One-star (*)	24 hours notice of text to office list, and one Board member must positively approve.	Current mechanism for blog postings. In that case the Board member approving may be the author or poster.
Delegated	No approval needed.	Member renewal messages.

Mechanisms, places and version control

The default mechanism for version control would be a wiki page either on this wiki or the office wiki (possibly with a transfer of a draft from the office wiki here). This offers known advantages:

• all versions are in the history;
• all edits may be commented;
• the Talk page can be used.

Particularly, there is just one version active at a given moment. On the other hand, discussion is often going on via an email list. There are therefore three main candidates for mechanism:

• wiki-style;
• onlist (with competing versions and merging);
• onlist with feedback to X and iteration (i.e. X is tasked with incorporating comments into new versions).

Deadlines

Certain pending approvals have identifiable deadlines, but others are open-ended.

Tabulation

Area	Route	Comments
Minutes	Majority	The preliminary text is posted here in draft (unofficial); and after 24 hours is citculated to the office list. The minutes become official only after their approval at a Board meeting.
Guidelines to staff	Majority	Wiki mechanism; edits should reflect the current Board view but do not require formal decisions.
Press releases	Majority	Typically: onlist, feedback to the Head of PR, may have outside involvement in drafting. Usually a tight deadline.
Newsletter, wiki version	**
Newsletter, PDF version	???	Teething troubles.
Newsletter, mailing out to members	*
Blog posting	*	For quicker approvals a Board majority is another route.
OTRS replies	Delegated subject to a guideline	No approval usually necessary, but certain topics must be referred to the Board directly, press mails must be forwarded to the Head of PR, and some officer business should be forwarded.
Membership renewals	Delegated
Membership approvals messages	Delegated	Implementation after Board decision on approvals.
Reports	Unknown	Two pending, probably majority vote with feedback to drafter.

Pending

Item	Timescale	Comments
Annual Report	AGM?
Kickstart report	WMF deadline 31 December	Drafting
Newsletter (December)	Open-ended	All three versions need approvals.
Minutes	January Board meeting	Posted on UK wiki in draft at Minutes 7Dec10.