valerie Jan 8 04:51:57 2004 Valerie Mates valerie Jan 8 04:51:57 2004 Val valerie Jan 8 04:51:57 2004 Valerie Mates valerie Jan 8 04:51:57 2004 Val valerie Jan 8 04:51:57 2004 Valerie Mates valerie Jan 8 04:51:57 2004 Val valerie Jan 8 04:51:57 2004 Valerie Mates valerie Jan 8 04:51:57 2004 Val valerie Jan 8 04:51:57 2004 Valerie Mates valerie Jan 8 04:51:535 responses total.
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1. Resources, not just hardware and phone lines but also staff. We are getting hard to manage at our size. 2. No. 3. Yes. 4. Freedom of speech is important. I don't like obscenity much, but we can't satisfy everybody. 5. Depends on the situation. I'd resign if things got too busy to ever do the board work (not that much work to do, mostly).
(Good questions, Valerie!)
1) What do you see as the most pressing issues facing Grex? > Functionality (read speed and reliability), Membership growth (public >awareness) > >2) Should board meetings be conducted by Robert's Rules? > Nope. The president should strive to maintain order, and the board as a >whole should strive to function in an orderly manner. If this is so, then >a structured procedure is unnecessary. > >3) Should Grex seek 501(c)3 status? > Yes. It was the original intent, it may well increase donations, and since >we try to maintain the standards anyway, why not obtain the benefits as well? > >4) Which is more important, freedom of speech or freedom from obscenity? > Freedom of speech is a basic element in the construction and maintenance >of a free society. Who defines obscenity, or the freedom from it? 5) At some point in the future while you are a member of the Grex board of directors, if you found yourself really busy with other activities and unable to devote much time to being on the Grex board, how would you handle it? I would try to weigh the time I had available against the time requirements of my position and if I felt I could not reasonably and properly fulfill my responsibilities in that time, I would either drop other activities, or resign my position, depending on personal priorities. 7) Should members have access to more dial-in modems or other perks than non-members, as an incentive for non-members to join? I don't know. I think there should be *some* incentive, but I'd like to devote some more time to brainstorming and considering.
1) I think the most important thing is to keep Grex a healthy, viable community. Grex succeeds because it has a lot of people who think it's a good place. The most important thing is keeping those people and gaining new ones. 2) I will admit that there are times when I wish the board meetings were more orderly and, if not professional, then at least focussed. I don't think we need RRO though. 3) If Grex can obtain 501(c)3 status without having to make any major changes to our culture, then yes, definitely, we should go for it. 4) Freedom of speech is more important to me. 5) If I were too busy to do work for Grex, I would ask for help. If I felt that someone else would really do a better job and Grex would be better off without me, I'd resign. 6) I'd like to add a thank you to Valerie for entering this item! 7) I guess I draw the line between one-time perks and ongoing perks. I thought giving out Grex handbooks to new members was a good idea, but I think having extra phone lines comes too close to "providing services for payment" for me.
Lessee, I'll save question one for a later because it's very important and I'd like to consider it for a while. Other than a crying need to get up on the 670, which we're working on, I don't se Grex as being in crisis right now. 2)Nope. The board doesn't need RRO right now. Maybe someday if the temperament of the system and of the board changes a great deal we might, but I think we actually get more done (and maintain a more friendly atmosphere)without 'em./ 3)Yes, I think we ought to go for 501c3 status. I agree with the other candidates who have said, we're already sticking to guidelines -- why not get the benefits, too, as long as it doesn't require a major change in our community to do so. (I don't think it does.) 4)While I abhor obscenity, I abhor censorship more. I will always vote for free speech if the issue comes up. 5)If I were too busy to meet my responsibilities, I certainly step down, just as I'm stepping down as secretary of the board. The good of grex is very important to me. 6) I want to keep access to grex as open and equal as we possibly can. I think that extra lines or ongoing percs are a mistake since they would fundamentally change the character of our community. One of the reasons I was interested in helping to found Grex was in response to the problem of the growing disparity between the information "haves" and the information "have-nots". I don't think that the ability to pay membership dues is the only 9or the best) criterion for how valuable a presense an individual is on grex.
Very helpful responses to valerie's questions!
Now I have a question just for mta. At the last Board meeting,
some rather unpleasant comments were apparently made about large-sized
people. Apparently you expressed some serious reservations about
staying on the Board because of this. I would appreciate some more
info. What exactly was said? What exactly were your feelings?
How do you weigh your commitment to the Grexers who elected you
to serve a full term against your desire not to be insulted?
It's over, it was inadvertent, and if I thought there was any chance it might happen again, especially intentionally, I would have regretfully left. Given how it was worked out amongst us, I feel comfortable committing to another term on the board. However I don't think that serving on the board should *ever* expose a board member to insults or insensitive remarks. I wouldn't tolerate that sort of treatment of anyone else and I was relieved to find that neither do my fellow board members. As to exactly what was said or by whom, I prefer to leave the incident in the past. Suffice to say that some of the remarks were insnsitive, but none were directed at me or intended to be offensive. I am commited to serving the grex community, as I've shown through my many years of working on Grexes behalf. But no, I won't do it at the cost of my dignity. I wouldn't think anyone would be expected to.
1. Usability (hardware and software improvements, staff time to impliment them, etc.) Membership. I'd very much like to see the fraction of users who are members higher. 2. no. I think RRO is a needless imposition. The board meetings run fine now, as far as I'm concerned. 3. Yes. 4. Freedom of Speech. Obscenity doesn't really bother me. Censorship does. 5. If I really didn't have enough time, I'd step down in favor of someone who does. 6. Nothing add at the moment. 7. No, I don't think there should be "for pay" differences other than those necessary to keep the sytem running and a good netazin.
(1) MOST PRESSING ISSUES - Grex must maintain healthy growth cycles
harmonious with its resources in order to continue to provide meaningful
community.
(2) ROBERT'S RULES - Grex need not conduct board meetings with Robert's Rules
of Order, unless it is deemed useful by the board. The small size and
small amount of time devoted to meeting don't seem to warrant it, now.
(3) 501 (c) 3 STATUS - I'm unfamiliar with the significance of 501 (c) 3
status, at this time.
(4) FREEDOM OF SPEECH VS. OBSCENITY - Freedom of speech is certainly the more
important of the two freedoms. It does not, however, absolve of us the
responsibility to foster constructive dialogue.
(5) TIME CONFLICTS - Grex has been a meaningful environment of community for
me, and I'm willing to make a board position a balanced high priority in
my life. If that ever failed to be the case, I would work with the board
to alter the situation in an acceptable way.
(6) ADDITIONS - I'm an open-minded listener, a capable organizer, and a
flexible planner with a particular interest in constructive social
interchange. I'm currently mostly visible on Grex in the music conference
and as a host of an upcoming Grex book club. I manage, professionally,
and I'm involved with tutoring at an Ann Arbor middle school.
(7) MEMBER PERKS - I don't know that Grex has the resources to spare, at this
point, to offer enticing perks for members that wouldn't compromise the
system, as a whole. It's certainly worthwhile to investigate this as a
possible avenue of boosting membership, so long as it doesn't conflict
with Grex's resources and non-profit status.
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Then you're out of luck, Valerie.
#12...which is the problem I keep pointing out. You like all these candidates and have no real reasons not to vote for any one of them, so it becomes simply a popularity cont. Lacking any compelling issues to differentiate candidates, you simply vote for the ones you know best. Which means the same people get re-elected again and again. I thin of the deserving new people a chance to serve on the board, is to change the bylaws as follows: "No member of the board may run for consecutive terms unless, at the end of a nominating period, there is not a full slate of candidates otherwise running. Any current board member will normally be eligible to run again after not being on the board for at least one term". The current setup, where members of the board can serve consecutive terms makes it much harder for any new person to get elected. I think there are enough qualified grexers who would do a good job on the Board that it warrants this further restriction on election eligibility.
I had no trouble deciding who to vote for and I appreciated having lots of choices. The more candidates the better.
Any more questions for the candidates?
Re #14: I do not like term limits in any form - good people should be kept around. Elections are the preferred mechanisms for changing office holders. Cronyisms must be attacked by an active and alert membership. "The price of liberty.....". The word "normally" should not appear in bylaws.
Of course, you know, Richard, if you became a member you could make that motion for real. (Sorry, I haven't made that taunt in a while, and I just couldn't help myself. I realize I'm just asking for the standard "the membership system is a fascist exclusionary system which allows the rich to rule over the poor" response. But occasionally I just wish you'd put your money where your mouth is, Richard.)
<robh is tempted to propose it on Richard's behalf, just to enjoy the peace and quiet when it gets defeated and richard doesn't enter any responses for a few weeks>
TRUTH is always BITTER
sheesh, this isnt congress or the senate (Im opposed to term limits for most public offices) Grex is just a club basically that would ed benefit from having as many people involved as possible. The same people getting elected and re-elected all the time makes that much more difficult. As long as there are so many people who would do a good job on the board, my suggestion is perfectly logical. ( And as to rob's last response, Ive said many many times that the reason I am not a paying member is because I disagree with the established criteria for membership. I disagree with the restriction that one cannot become a member under any circumstances unless money changes hands, especially when all monetary contributions here are referred to as "donations" NOT fees. If after 3+ years on grex, starting and fw'ing several confs and being an active participant in much of what goes on here, I cannot prove my committment to grex unless money exchanges hands, I think that is wrong. Everything in this world always comes down to money and I find it a f m a
I cut mysel off...I was saying that it is sad that everything in this world always comes down to money, and that even in an otherwise enlightened place like grex, criteria for membership not based on something coming out of one 's wallet cannot be established for membership. I love grex, Id have contributed money to it a long time ago (and would certainly do so if grex were in a real financial crisis anyway) if I felt ike I could have a voice here regardless of whether I contributed anything. If I felt anyone could be a member regardless as long as they had demonstrated by staying around and being active for a period of time, that grex is a place that interests them and has value to them. Membership shouldnt be about money. It should be about committment, and that is something one demonstrates, not something one buys.
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Re #22: Richard, I assure you that you have no less of a voice here than you would if you contributed anything at all to the system.
<robh wonders why richard decided to single *robh* out, when aruba's response was the one that mentioned money> <robh is seriously thinking that maybe richard has some personal grudge>
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(The solution to that is for everyone to switch to *my* response separators...)
(No, mine. Mine! Mine!) (Why are we whispering?)
<robh is not whispering, robh is using party noises>
what's a response separator?
(shhhh....)
The response separators (rseps) are the headings that Picospan gives to responses. (Item separators (iseps) are the headings given at the beginning of displaying a new item.) These are configurable. For example, in my rseps I have it displaying the item # and item description, because I got tired of trying to browse back & find this information when there were a lot of responses. Valerie was going to set something up in the !change program to let you choose among some basic configurations, but I don't think she ever did it. The info conference is probably the place to ask if you want more details ... or maybe someone already did ask there.
Any more questions for the candidates, or anything more that the candidates want to say? The election still has a few days to run at this point.
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My statement is finally visible, for those interested...
You have several choices: