From matt.mattarn@gmail.com Thu Aug 27 11:45:16 2009 Received: with ECARTIS (v1.0.0; list llg-members); Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:45:16 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mail-gx0-f219.google.com ([209.85.217.219]) by chain.digitalkingdom.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1MgjyC-0002E2-Eu for llg-members@lojban.org; Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:45:16 -0700 Received: by gxk19 with SMTP id 19so1584358gxk.0 for ; Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:45:06 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:received:date:message-id:subject :from:to:content-type:content-transfer-encoding; bh=x37MNdjN881hB/3DyX5In+8utwFfcqJGVOlks3f7gco=; b=PERma2atv+A/kXkaz6bwGERPSiaODwfM1vGSy6bsnirHVbf32k+II28Cq14+ft6NZH nSjAP9djgfexdnds0dGtEHafVeESNDHwzQx8XxhP6ca7YuYbfiHcFAngUOSFjyv5L4it 6xkHrVJE09Htkf7JF5XGYy+n3MMXTxwDz1Nw8= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:date:message-id:subject:from:to:content-type :content-transfer-encoding; b=Xqbl+uZjalLfjalN3I6atb8A6Vp9h8x4eABWbq/Fnqh8QZ6dKuMwiXxzrIHvP7GsnN GCdToUvYyM2qo59gE3RlNAs0Q93TzwGDtPXSRkfg17RWkpsX6IMXlP+8OGoErIF186R9 vaI3R71EQ0MYTb/7VW2mE0Vn94sAlaNGT6vtM= MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.150.174.13 with SMTP id w13mr381324ybe.94.1251398706155; Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:45:06 -0700 (PDT) Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:45:06 -0400 Message-ID: Subject: [llg-members] Bob: Activity is low because it's a business meeting. From: Matt Arnold To: llg-members@lojban.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by Ecartis X-archive-position: 766 X-ecartis-version: Ecartis v1.0.0 Sender: llg-members-bounce@lojban.org Errors-to: llg-members-bounce@lojban.org X-original-sender: matt.mattarn@gmail.com Precedence: bulk Reply-to: llg-members@lojban.org X-list: llg-members > I of course am bothered by the absolute silence among the bulk of membership > for several days now.  We switched from having the meeting on IRC (which had > lots of participation that continued for a surprisingly long number of > hours) to using the members' list in order to make it easier for more people > to participate. When and where was the IRC channel meeting announced? I would have liked to have participated in that. I would be on the IRC channel more often, but unfortunately I am not in the habit of opening up an IRC client. > But there is no participation at all, and the members > meeting seems to have become something to simply check off each year as a > pro forma legal event, rather than something that involves the community in > governing the organization. That's because it's a business meeting full of parlaimentarianism. When the community knows it's going to be like that, they stay away. Not just in Lojban, but in Penguicon and every other Board I'm involved in. I know the arguments for a structured system, but in real-life experience, I've never seen it bring any value so much as act as a chilling effect. It's not the fault of the people involved, but the tightly-structured format tends toward stagnation. Granted, Boards of Directors must exist because they are legally required. The other Boards I participate in are for science fiction conventions. Generally they are distant figureheads who exist to make sure the Conchair doesn't go crazy and run the convention into the ground. As a result, the convention committee is the only place where the community is involved. I attended a uniquely successful board meeting at a relaxicon this weekend. It was a meeting of the Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association, trying out a new methodology. They invited everyone in Michigan fandom with a big announcement of what they would do. They spread out a bunch of surplus A.A.S.F.A. cash on a board table in front of them, and invited people to present ideas to them for fun things to spend money on for the relaxacon. There were many presentations, and it felt like a TV show. I presented a scarf marionette that I made on the spot, and used it to promote a puppet-making workshop I wanted to run. They voted and I got cash at the end of the meeting. We now feel like the Board is a vibrant and exciting force for real improvements, not just a legal fiction like it used to be. -Matt