You'd find me a very active, persistent, and experienced board member. I am a constant participant in the conferences and in party on Grex. Experience tells me the board should be more active in finding ways to combat spam and loss of members. I was treasurer for Arbornet. I would be glad to be treasurer for Grex -- wouldn't mind it a bit. Paying bills and doing monthly balance sheets is nothing new to me. I have been on the board of Arbornet as President and other positions. I was responsible in the oversight and project management of moving M-Net to colocation at WWNet, moving the Arbornet office out of the highpriced New Center, organizing brunch fundraisers, and doing the first ever snail mail fundseeking from mailing lists provided from outside sources. I even oversaw the rebuild/acquisition of the new M-Net hardware in 2000 after our system was badly damaged after a hacking incident. My background with hardware and software is extensive. I've worked on Sun server hardware (I donated a Sun 3 server to Grex back in 1997). I currently work around IBM and various OSes from AIX to Linux and FreeBSD. Most of my software experience involves websites and scripting. My experience in politics and nonprofits is very diverse. I've served on the SecureWorld Expo 2004 Seattle Executive Steering Council, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post boards, volunteered with Veterans for Common Sense and Gulf War Veterans organizations, and am even a member of the Military Order of the Cootie (MOC) which is the honor degree bestowed upon the elite VFW members who have served as VFW leadership. Vote for me and I'll stick to an agenda to see the spam gets blocked, the new system comes up, and the membership improves. I'll get things done.38 responses total.
I have also changed the statement in the voting program to the above. If you've already voted, feel free to review everyone's statements again and give me another consideration. Thanks!
Tod, how would you suggest increasing membership, apart from getting NextGrex online and getting a spam filter going?
woll spam ever get blocked i mean why even say its possible its not no matter what some asshole out there finds a way to keep it going and we all get fucked we need to fight for something in the lines of realism exit exit respond pass
re #2 Thank you for the great question, Sindi. I think a person seeks membership because they feel compelled to contribute to something they want to belong and be a part of. While being a public access system on the Internet may attract those actively seeking it, I think there needs to be some proactive canvassing. I also think there needs to be a dialogue to retain the status quo with existing users.
Can you be more detailed?
A quarterly newsletter in both electronic and paper format would be a good way to show that Grex is active and to let people know what the latest projects and initiatives are. I also think it wouldn't hurt to get a snail mail mailing list from a similar institution of known donors and send them an introduction along with an invitation. Editorials that mention Grex wouldn't hurt...mazine, newspaper, trademag, or otherwise.
I would like to thank tod for volunteering his time to GreX.
tod Otis Spunkmeyer sc Dec 3 12:23 Seattle 866-867-5245 User Started Channel tod Dec 3 13:48:29 party (shelled to bbs) At this time you've been monopolizing a login session for two days, flouting Grex's policy on idle users. Why should anyone vote for a candidate who regards policy as something to be sneered at?
Why shouldn't anyone vote for a candidate who likes Grex so much that he stays awake for days at a time just to use it?!
Not only that, but he is *actively* monitoring both party and bbs, effectively having at-the-minute information of anything which is happening on GreX. How much can you say for your meager contribution, russ?
re #10 Yea, its actually pretty disturbing that I'm online participating.
Re #6: Some years back there was talk in Coop of putting out a Grex newsletter. It never happened. The problem was not that people thought it was a bad idea - it was lack of volunteers. It's easy to come up with ideas for nice things to do, much harder to find people to do them. Todd, would you be willing to set up the newsletter and undertake the publicity efforts you describe, at least for long enough to establish proof-of-concept?
re #12 Absolutely. I currently run a newsletter for my VFW post. There wouldn't be too much in the way of duplicating the effort for Grex.
Todd, you ran for and were elected to the board of directors of Arbornet 3 previous times, but resigned before completing each of those terms. How should a voter view this record with regard to Grex? Currently, you are serving a term on the Board of Arbornet as a remote director, and are listed as the vice president. The Board of Arbornet has never met during your current term, and so I don't know if you are really the vice president any more, but in the absence of the previous outgoing president, it would seem to me his duties fell to you. Why didn't you perform, or at least attempt to perform, those duties? Or if you did, what did you do and why didn't you succeed? How can you be expected to serve on the Grex board better than you have for Arbornet (the parent organization of M-Net)? How will you allocate your efforts when there is a conflict between what is required for Arbornet and Grex? For example, if there are Board meetings for both on the same day, which will you prioritize first? You have talked about initiatives for Arbornet, in election items, that you say you will do for Grex, but I haven't noticed that anything has happened. (See www.arbornet.org, conf:elect03, item:4 for an example). Why not? Why should Grex voters have more confidence in you than you have shown you can handle for Arbornet?
This from the person who was always complaining about how Grex and M-Net were separate and never the two shall meet, but I guess that was just when it helped him avoid answering questions about how he censored people on Grex.
I also have a question regarding your practice of coming through at intervals, and erasing all of your (many, many) previous posts. This is a great inconvenience to users who don't know how to simply "fix" their participation lists. Is this something you'll continue to do if elected to the board?
re #14 John. It takes a team to make a Board of Directors work. The members of Grex are willing to hold their BoD accountable. I'm eager to work with the Grex BoD under that pretense. I've not been afforded that luxury with Arbornet over the past year. I've been involved with Arbornet for over 10 years now in different capacities. Arbornet has gone through MANY changes culturally, virtually, and in its very tangible state. I last ran for Arbornet in 2003. We had regular meetings and seemed to be progressive. It was very enjoyable. First thing I did was get the annual filings in order with the State of Michigan. In the past year, M-Net turned stagnant and the BoD has not answered email. I have taken some initiatives on my own time to bring to the table but there is no table to bring it to. The few times I've addressed this in the M-Net policy conference and e-mail to the board, there has been a lack of serious tone in director and membership responses. The tone has almost been mocking and rude. This is not a conducive environment for me. I'm fairly embarrassed to endorse M-Net in its current state. I assure you I will not be staying on the Arbornet BoD. The resignations you speak of: The first resignation was due to a corrupt ugly election in 1994 -- polygon and a few others can attest to that. The other 2 resignations were unhappily announced online -- without complaint from members. I actually received fairly good feedback and praise for my contributions upon the resignations. Its not as if I'd just disappeared or lost interest. The resignations were driven by personal priorities (the first was employment related and the second a divorce.) I'm sure most can sympathize with those priorities. (Keep in mind, this is all over a 10 year span with most of those years being active and productive participation.) I've stated my intentions and goals with Grex. I'm a witting participant in BBS and often in party. I'm available. I'm volunteering. Give me a shot. re #16 I also have a question regarding your practice of coming through at intervals, and erasing all of your (many, many) previous posts. Unfortunately, BBS reports scribbled responses as new responses. I am not a techie so I can't fix this problem. If you want me to say that I will never scribble a response again because I'm campaigning then it simply just isn't going to happen. I'm not going to change how I participate as a user, though, I do apologize if my previous scribbles have caused pain and suffering. (For the record, I have registered a complaint with the State of Washington regarding an online stalker which prompted those scribbles.)
Todd, I have always felt that Arbornet needed you at the time you referred to (actually I think it was 1993). And it needed polygon as well. Linda Clippert and I hung in there but you didn't. It was a long time ago, it was unquestionably a tough time, and you certainly weren't the only one who ran out of the burning building. I don't think that should be a big issue now, over 10 years later. However, *three* resignations needs some explanation. So does your most recent term with no significant activity from you while serving on the Arbornet Board, in my opinion. You have a prominent position and share a large amount of responsibility for what has happened during that term, wouldn't you say? I think your record over time is pretty awful, though I agree there are some positive things you have done. I would prefer to see some positive leadership from you as a Grex user, before deciding to ignore your past and present with Arbornet and giving you my vote for shot #5 as an elected Board member.
This question goes to all candidates and grex in general: Should some attempt be made to contact those people who were members in the past but who are not now, to determine why they are no longer members, and if certain things were changed/done on grex, if they would return as members? It seems reasonable to me, but some might consider it "harassment" or "invasion of privacy", the the PC brain damaged environment in which we live.
re #18 My experience in nonprofits is not limited to Arbornet. Arbornet stinks. I would not recommend my worst enemy to waste their time there. If you go back and re-read #0, then you'll see Arbornet is not the only place I've been volunteering time to nonprofits. My "record over time" with Arbornet spans 10 years. Your biggest complaint is that I bailed on a rigged election after a long dialogue with keats and polygon about making such a decision. I think I did what any sane person would have done. If you're out to toot your own horn for jumping onto an election for a completely empty board because Linda wouldn't resign then knock yourself out. I wasn't interested in joining in on collusion. Now, you would like to portray an accusation that I've been inactive in my recent term is also unfounded. I was the first to talk to Rex about moving the system to a2hosting.com on a rack server and we're well on our way to doing that with ZERO operating expenses henceforth. Arbornet remains a 501(c)3 after narrowly escaping a dissolution which I was able to get the State of Michigan to back Arbornet out of. If that is inactivity then I guess I can't do any better. In regard to the userbase and culture of Arbornet, I'm done. Finished. Finito. Ispravit. I believe a board member has fiduciary responsibility to the membership of whatever organization they are entrusted but once the public confidence in said value is null and void then its academic wheel spinning. I've done what I can for Arbornet and it will be there for years to come but I can't change the tide in the ascerbic atmosphere it encourages at this point. That will take a camp counselor, drill instructor, and hit squad to make those problems go away any time soon. John, feel free to talk about "ignore past & present" in regards to Arbornet but I really fail to see where I've done so bad in light of what system and culture we're talking about.
re #19 I think a blind survey would be harmless as a matter of privacy. I would make it a system wide survey, though. The survey would address former members, current members, and potential members..asking what values they have liked, currently enjoy, or would like to see.
19: I think that if something like that was done, and done in a respectful way (assuming nonresponses ARE responses and actively avoiding multiple mailings to the same recipients), that it would not be a problem, and might be useful. I would not jump to implement suggestions made as a result of that process, but I would certainly make them fodder for discussion with the aim of making the system more responsive to the needs of its users and supporters. You have to keep in mind that management by majority rule is not a terribly efficient system, but it is not immune to improvement either.
Here are the results of "last -10 tod" from arbornet just a minute ago: tod ttyp9 65.110.50.10 Mon Dec 6 16:14 - 19:04 (02:49) tod ttypl 65.110.50.10 Mon Dec 6 12:45 - 15:15 (02:30) tod ftp foxxy.triohost. Sat Dec 4 09:47 - 09:48 (00:00) tod ttypj 65.110.50.10 Sat Dec 4 09:00 - 10:56 (01:55) tod ttypr 65.110.50.10 Fri Dec 3 14:29 - 18:18 (03:49) tod ttyp6 65.110.50.10 Fri Dec 3 12:05 - 13:27 (01:22) tod ttypa 65.110.50.10 Thu Dec 2 18:57 - 19:48 (00:50) tod ttyp7 65.110.50.10 Thu Dec 2 15:16 - 17:32 (02:16) tod ttyp7 65.110.50.10 Thu Dec 2 07:43 - 15:16 (07:32) tod ttypl 65.110.50.10 Wed Dec 1 12:48 - 20:50 (08:01) wtmp begins Wed Dec 1 05:00:42 EST 2004 This does not look like the record of someone who has given up on the userbase of Arbornet, and I have to ask whether Tod is being truthful.
Stop being slutty, Russ.
Todd, I have referred to your record on Arbornet's board, which you mentioned prominently in resp:0, and I have speculated about what relevance it might have to expectations I could have for the Grex board. I'm not here to speak of my own record there; it's not very important here. But you brought your Arbornet record up; you're a candidate here; I think it is reasonable for me to question the parts of it which make me uncomfortable. And also the parts which I think should have an impact on Grexers who are voting. I have agreed you've done some good things for Arbornet. I'll admit I am largely unfamiliar with many of those things, because I was not involved with them myself, but I appreciated them nonetheless. I think there is a great deal you could offer to either Arbornet or Grex if you were motivated and committed. I apologize that it will be taken personally by you, but I do have doubts about your commitment to do the things you say you could and will do. Please feel free to take this comment as an invitation to explain why I should not have those doubts. I haven't said anything about the culture of M-Net, or the culture of Grex. If you want to go into your role on M-Net, and your role on Grex, then please feel free to do so.
The last time someone tried to explain and help you out, jep, you brutally censored them. You should be thankful tod is putting out an arm and a leg to talk to you these days.
I like Todd. He is one of the kindest people I've met on Grex, and is genuinely interested in helping other people. He's intelligent, and knowledgeable about a lot of different things. Some of his ideas could benefit Grex a great deal. I don't believe he'll follow through on them or keep up his commitment to Grex for very long, but that doesn't mean he's a bad person or that one shouldn't admire his many good qualities. It's too bad that, in order to note any characteristic about a person which is not glowingly positive, that you can be perceived as hating them or as saying they are a worthless human being. I think Todd is a great guy. I just don't think he should win a Board seat.
I think that a seat on the board might very well encourage Todd to do more. The board race is neither a popularity contest nor a reward for past deeds, and the responsibilities of a general board member on Grex are not terrible huge. Why not take a chance? What's the worst that could result?
Todd has already indicated that he thinks a seat on Grex's board is worth more than a seat on Arbornet's. That should encourage him to contribute more to Grex than he has to M-Net.
Regarding #27; Don't be hatin'.
To be an asset to Grex requires a willingness to both make policy and abide by it, as well as an urge to seek the truth. Todd's actions (consistent over months) betray contempt for policy, and I see little will to confront the truth here.
Yes, I think it would be a good idea to contact past members and ask how come they are no longer members.
So is _that_ the real reason behind the ID policy? Collection of information for use as a harassment tool if one doesn't contribute money?
Your stupidity is astounding.
Your tactics for getting me to contribute money so you can harass me are pathetic.
Don't let them get you down.
Follow the eternal optimist!
TROGG IS DAVID BLAINE
You have several choices: