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Comments inline.<br>
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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 9/25/2013 11:50 AM, Randall G.
Arnold wrote:<br>
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cite="mid:805859313.345361.1380124203781.open-xchange@email.1and1.com"
type="cite">
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<div> Thanks for the reply Ben. Replies below. </div>
<div> </div>
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>>On September 25, 2013 at 10:29 AM Ben Brown <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:ben@generik.ca"><ben@generik.ca></a> wrote:
<br>
<br>
>>We welcome members (and occasionally, the public) to sit
in on board meetings, but usually only a handful attend (we have
about 55 members including the 7 on the board). >>Openness
and transparency is important to us as well, so long as member's
privacy isn't violated. Because of that, we don't normally name
members who are behind on dues >>unless there's a
suspension on the table (which would be announced publicly
anyway), for instance. </div>
<div> </div>
<div> Agreed with that. For instance, it's my opinion that new
Board nominees should be temporarily excused from the meeting
while the Board deliberates on their eligibility. Still trying
to get that going... </div>
</blockquote>
<br>
Your process of board elections seems to differ from ours. We
typically elect board members yearly at the AGM (or at a special
member meeting if a board member leaves before the end of their
term). We elect two members that aren't board nominees to run the
vote and count ballots from the membership as a whole. The board
itself doesn't have the capacity by themselves to elect new board
members.<br>
<br>
<blockquote
cite="mid:805859313.345361.1380124203781.open-xchange@email.1and1.com"
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<div> <br>
</div>
>>If your concern is members are being left out because of
physical space constraints, what about streaming your meetings
online via webcam and using IRC to conduct >>business with
remote participants? If there are times that meetings need to be
face-to-face (depending on your bylaws), limit the frequency of
them and try and find a larger >>space to use for those.
<div> </div>
<div> We are in agreement on taking advantage of technology.
We're just not there yet. My preference would be to open all
Board meetings to broadcast by default, but again there is some
disagreement there. </div>
<div> </div>
<div> My concern is that the general community is disenfranchised
by a default tendency of leadership to act in private,
especially without followup release of proceedings. I'm just
surprised to be fought on this and wondered if I'm actually in
the wrong. <br>
<br>
</div>
</blockquote>
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Followup release of proceedings.. your board meeting minutes are
available to the membership, are they not? In Canada that's required
by law (unless it's an in-camera meeting), not sure what's required
in the states. If the general community is concerned about board
transparency (or access to board meetings), you'll certainly hear
about it. I don't understand either why other board members would
have a problem with that.<br>
<br>
<blockquote
cite="mid:805859313.345361.1380124203781.open-xchange@email.1and1.com"
type="cite">
<div> >>Chaotic meetings can be smoothed out by a powerful
meeting chair. However, controlling a meeting of 180+ attendees
would be a massive undertaking for anyone. </div>
<div> </div>
<div> Absolutely agreed, and it's frustrated me that our Board's
conversation keeps circling back to that when it's sheer common
sense. However, I'm put in mind of stockholder meetings... is
it unrealistic to think a once-a-year large assembly is a good
idea to consider? </div>
<div> </div>
</blockquote>
<br>
They should keep in mind that they're part of a board for a
hackerspace, not a fortune 500 company. In the interest of the
community (which I believe to be integral to a hackerspace), there
shouldn't be anything in a board meeting that should be kept from
the membership (aside from the previously mentioned privacy concerns
when it comes to specific members). There are in-camera meetings for
that, and those should be the extremely rare exception.<br>
<br>
As for general meetings, it's not unrealistic to have a large
assembly once or twice a year. With Kwartzlab, we have an Annual
General Member Meeting, where we present the yearly financial
report, take care of any new bylaws or changes to the corporation
(where members need to vote on), and to elect the board for the next
year. We do have the occasional member meeting during the year for
special circumstances, but those don't happen often.<br>
<br>
That said, any member can sit in on our board meetings, and view any
reports (financial or otherwise) if they wish. After all, it's the
only way we can encourage newcomers to participate in the board
process for when the rest of us want to retire ;)<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
Ben<br>
<br>
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