Is this site a scam? Are you skimming off Simon Wardley's work?
FAQ Details
No, this site is not a scam. We understand your concern about someone potentially profiting from Simon Wardley's work, but this site operates with Simon's explicit encouragement and support for community growth.
Simon's Position on Community Growth
Simon Wardley has been very clear about his desire to see the Wardley Mapping community grow and flourish. In a recent LinkedIn post, Simon directly addressed this topic and clarified his position:
"Wardley Mapping has always been open under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike licence (CC BY-SA), which means others are free to use and adapt the material (with proper attribution). That's as intended."
Creative Commons License
Simon has made his work available under the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike license (CC BY-SA). This means:
- Anyone can use the material for any purpose
- Anyone can adapt and build upon the work
- Proper attribution must be given to Simon Wardley
- Derivative works must be shared under the same license
This is not accidental - it's intentional. Simon wants his work to spread and be built upon by the community.
Community Encouragement
Simon explicitly encourages community members to:
- Build websites and resources about Wardley Mapping
- Write books and create educational content
- Develop tools and applications
- Share experiences and case studies
- Organize conferences and events
As Simon states in his post:
"I encourage others to build sites, tools, write books and share experiences. I'm not the one doing this, the community is."
No Direct Financial Gain for Simon
Importantly, Simon makes it clear that he receives no direct financial benefit from community efforts:
"From the conferences, the books, the tools, the websites - I make no money at all nor do I pay anyone to do this... Mapping is a community, it is not some money making machine for myself. It's a gift."
However, as the central figure in Wardley Mapping, Simon benefits indirectly from the community's growth. Popularizers and community builders do the heavy lifting in making Wardley Mapping accessible to newcomers, converting them into practitioners who can then work with the broader community. This ecosystem growth strengthens the entire field and Simon's position as its founder.
Our Approach
This site operates with:
- Proper attribution to Simon Wardley throughout
- Educational focus to help people learn Wardley Mapping
- Community spirit aligned with Simon's vision
- Transparency about our purpose and approach
The Community Ecosystem
Simon acknowledges and supports a diverse ecosystem of Wardley Mapping resources, including:
- His own site at swardleymaps.com
- Community sites like learnwardleymapping.com (run by Ben Mosior)
- Tools like Online Wardley Maps and Map Keep
- Books and conferences created by community members
Conclusion
This site exists to serve the Wardley Mapping community with educational content and resources. We operate with Simon's blessing and encouragement, following the principles of open knowledge sharing that he has established. The goal is to help more people discover and learn Wardley Mapping, not to profit from Simon's work.
If you have any concerns about our approach or would like to verify our legitimacy, we encourage you to reach out to us directly or consult Simon's own statements about community growth and the Creative Commons nature of his work.