Minutes – 11/29

Attendees: Mike, Thiago, Phil, Katie, Devin, Charles, Drew, Dan

Agenda

• New group creation/ sorting
  • 3 Proposals
    • Sorting
      • Jake and Drew discussed group creation policy, split up into movement, operational, working (catch-all), affinity
        • Working groups
          • Definition: A collection of 5 or more people, conform to solidarity, shared goal, consider themselves GA-accountable, doing work for movement, may or may not be a member of operational Spokes Council
        • Affinity groups have lax creation policy, only requirements are non-violent and don’t claim to speak for the movement while adhering to all current principles
        • We’re putting this off for a forum thread, Ravi will talk to facilitation and Drew will make forum thread, Etherpad to compile definitions
      • Group Creation
        • No official stop to group adding happened
        • Katie’s proposal to continue freeze until elimination proposal on Saturday
        • We are officially, on-consensus, on group-creation strike until Saturday
• Office budget
  • We’re putting more stuff on the forum, lists of equipment
  • We need to purchase netbooks right now
  • Proposal: budget is being refactored for the last time, green-colored stuff is going for voting next meeting
  • Voting on 3-4 netbooks (roving), [x] used laptops, 1-2 roving projectors next meeting
    • Google docs on the forum needs review
  • Arguments on sound equipment, speakers don’t factor into pricing decisions
    • Devin was voted with executive control on budget, he is person to speak to for this, ASAP, will be buying netbooks and a projector tonight or ASAP
    • Proposed Budget: https://docs.google.com/a/nycga.net/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aqr_AlTj25ngdFlFMFh3cVFkMDQ0MWhiVlZfcnp2bXc
• Hardware intake plan
  • Consensus for Linux-based kiosk machines with permanent document and network storage, Phil is bottom-lining
• Direct Action tech help
  • We need to reach out to DA, see what they need, we mostly need ideas for product solutions to use
• Electoral reform nycga.net request
• Mass email policy
• Update on Group Reorganization Proposal
• Temperature check on training proposal
• Seems positive, 300 passes to distribute through Spokes and the GA to WG’s
• We need $5,000 for a day of training event at Pace University to go to organizing 2.0 in relationship with Pace University, this fee is just for deposit to sign contract
  • No precise amount because details are not finalized
• Tech-Ops sponsors by asking for $5k to the GA
• Consensus

Report-backs:

• comm cluster
  • Met Monday (11/28, 2PM), discuss proposal to thin out groups online
  • Proposal was introduced, http://www.nycga.net/groups/tech/forum/topic/ows-group-update-proposal-living-document/
  • Changes to groups possibly being announced on nycga banner (w/ linebreak under housing)
  • Proposal will be presented on GA Saturday (proposal edits are being closed on Thursday at 1:30 PM for polish), was announced @Spokes
• ows.net
  • Wireframes online were a big mistake, meeting tomorrow with media, design, press, outreach at 11AM (60 Wall)
    • Sitemap developed, will be proposed and then opened for opinions, developers will start working as soon as wireframes are available
    • General direction of site with wireframes done by the 18th (Dec)
    • Design, meeting will be run on a voting system
• occupy.net
  • CRM report back – Ravi wants to use it for volunteer management
    • People are getting excited, but we need three more things
      • Users with access to use in group (trainees), help fixing CRM to divide access (Dana is PM’ing), global lists need to be set up (InterOcc is only active one)
    • Subdomain? participate.occupy.net? Engagement sub-site of occupy.net? (Drupal-based)
    • Scope: Working Groups in NYC only, not other occ’s (for now), we’re pushing a power-user policy using bottom-liners from various groups (Brooklyn GA, VS)
    • Proposal to send e-mails to NYCGA.net users when participate launches?
      • Careful to make sure privacy is being protected, public response must be balanced (public response to org folks sending typos is being criticized for being too lax, possibly because source was included)
      • Proposal to Spokes? We should bring to comm cluster first, if yes we’ll do Spokes on Friday
• spokes
• Was “a shitshow” (Drew got yelled at)
• Proposal was passed out for group reduction, no productive response