Hi, can you pick a name that's more aligned with our standardization policy? https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Standardization if it's not possible, we need to come up with a naming scheme for such mailing lists.

We have an existing list "wikipedia-bn@lists.wikimedia.org" for Bengali Wikipedia.

This new list seems to be across projects, so wikimedia, and based on language alone.

We do not already have a "wikimedia-bn@lists" which would seem like it fits.

Except that would also be reserved for the Wikimedia Bangladesh chapter if it wanted one.

Reading the description of the list it seems to me this is supposed to be a meta list including all Bengali speakers across projects and chapters.

So maybe "wikimedia-bn-meta@lists.wikimedia.org" could work here.

Seeing the ESEAP mailing list, I think, it would be OK, if we get the name as wikimoitree@lists.wikimedia.org

In T365915#9862244, @Bodhisattwa wrote:

Seeing the ESEAP mailing list, I think, it would be OK, if we get the name as wikimoitree@lists.wikimedia.org

It is not OK. ESEAP is one of the largest hubs (and a regional one, not thematic). It's comparing apples and oranges.

I'd go with hub-thematic-wikimoitree@ or hub-wikimoitree@

Also I need to check if hubs gets recognized by AffCom or not.

hub-wikimoitree@ or wikimoitree-hub@ is fine for us.

There is no process to recognize any hubs, whether regional or thematic, until now by AffCom or any other body.

I talked to some people at community resources and they said this should be first approved by affcom. Sorry. Let me contact them.

In T365915#9868908, @Ladsgroup wrote:

I talked to some people at community resources and they said this should be first approved by affcom. Sorry. Let me contact them.

As of now, AffCom should not have the mandate to approve or disapprove hubs, they deal with affiliates only. I am not sure why CR is referring to them but anyway, it can always be confirmed.

Bangla Wikimoitree is a cross border initiative between Wikimedia Bangladesh Chapter and West Bengal Wikimedians User Group, India. Both are approved affiliates. Bangla Wikimoitree has it's own cross border projects. The lastest one was "Wiki Loves Bangla". In 2022. when the initiative started the number of volunteers were limited and could be managed by CC'd mails. Now as the number of volunteer increased, we feel a mailinglist will help to manage the communication more efficiently.

I believe the analogy of "apples and oranges" to compare ESEAP and Bangla Wikimoitree is not appropriate. More appropriate analogy can be "a big apple and a small apple".

As Bodhisattwa mentioned, there is no approval process (or denial process) for "hubs". Even the the word "hub" is relatively new considering the past history of CEE or ESEAP (formerly ESEA). The definition and functions of "hub" is still a matter of active discussion to include in the Movement Charter. Even we were invited to join Wikimedia Summit this year to discuss this at length where AffCom members were also present. If anyone claims hubs need approval from AffCom, they need to update themselves with the latest news and developments regarding this matter.

However, having the word 'hub' or not in the address is not our primary concern. We need a mailinglist for a more efficient communication channel.

I asked affcom and CR and my understanding from their points is that the number of hubs should be low, around a dozen in total. This is something for global council to decide so we have to wait for that. AffCom suggested that I request a formal policy built on what can get a mailing list and what can't (we already have a policy for wikimedia wikis). You have to wait until we get a better understanding of what could be considered hub and what couldn't.

That means this process will get hung up indefinitely since historically it is proven that policy making takes years to come up to any usable form. However, we cannot cease our works for indefinite time. Is there any other suggestion you can give us, like any other category we can registered on? Or should we consider to move on to other platforms?

In T365915#9871325, @Ladsgroup wrote:

I asked affcom and CR and my understanding from their points is that the number of hubs should be low, around a in total. This is something for global council to decide so we have to wait for that. AffCom suggested that I request a formal policy built on what can get a mailing list and what can't (we already have a policy for wikimedia wikis). You have to wait until we get a better understanding of what could be considered hub and what couldn't.

Again, it is not upto the AffCom to limit the number of hubs which is to be operational and they are not an official recognizing body for hubs yet. So, there is no point to consider their statement which is beyond their jurisdiction.

Speaking of policies, I have just noticed T349429 where you have approved creating a mailing list with a name of their own choice from a non-affiliate project without asking any questions or oversight, even though the admins of this mailing list were both blocked by a Wikipedia community on consensus due to allegations of personal attacks and harassment. Whereas our request is coming from two affiliates with perfectly good standing and one of them is a national chapter, yet we are mocked for the naming of the mailing list of our choice because of our size and told to wait because AffCom with no locus standi said so. I am wondering why you are treating the two tickets in two different ways and what's the policy for that discrimination.

Anyway, if you think that calling us a hub is a blocker to create this mailing list, we can always say that we are a collaborative community network or collaborative community project, which is very much true for us. If that is fine for you, then please create the mailing list under those categories. We just want to communicate in an effective way without getting into unnecessary bureaucracies.

Again, comparing apples and oranges. They requested a mailing list for a project. Not a Wikimedia Hub.

I will create this under type of project.