[arg_discuss] ARG SIG meeting: Transcript

[Wendy Despain]

"Yeah, I sign up"


:-)



On Fri, May 15, 2009 9:46 am, John Evans wrote:

> This is a transcript of the short ARG SIG online meeting that happened

> today.

> There will be an official summary posted later if you don't want to

> read

> the whole thing; basically the meeting was about the governance of the

> SIG in the sense of interfacing with the IGDA.

>

> Beginning of transcript

> =====

> <Andrhia> Hmm

> <Andrhia> I guess this is probably late enough

> <Andrhia> So HEAR HEAR

> <Andrhia> I call to order this historic event in which we take our

> governance into our own hands &c &c

> <Andrhia> So here's the basic problem, as I see it.

> <Andrhia> We need some minimal governance to do things like maintain

> the email list and interface with the IGDA

> <Andrhia> This stuff in particular is complicated right now, because

> there's a search on for a new executive director of the IGDA -- I

> think Jason is stepping down

> <Andrhia> So it's not just us, the whole organization is in a kind of

> transitional phase right now

> <Andrhia> I can just keep doing this stuff to my existing standard,

> such that it is, and that's fine, if everybody thinks it's OK

> <Andrhia> But I feel really weird about that, because two of the other

> three founding members of the leadership council have bowed out, and

> nobody chose me to be here, I just kind of volunteered.

> <Andrhia> And I think if somebody else would like to have a crack at

> it, that would be really great.

> <imbri> heh, such is the way with the world. that's why you shouldn't

> volunteer for things ;)

> <Andrhia> But aside from those boring day-to-day administrative

> things, there's the looming issue of the SIG and what we want to do

> with it and how all of THAT should be orgnized

> <Andrhia> So we have, ex., ARGology, or Topics of the Week, or weekly

> chats

> <JohnEvans> M-hm...

> <Andrhia> Great ideas that are executed for a little while and then

> lose steam

> <Andrhia> (Imbri: Oh god, so I've learned)

> <Andrhia> Anyway, I feel like as any sort of a leader, my great

> failure here is in not keeping these things going on my own steam

> <imbri> as far as losing steam on various project, i think that's

> natural and normal

> <Andrhia> And maybe the solution there is to wave our hands and say

> that these should be committee-run or volunteer run

> <Andrhia> Or maybe we make a, I don't know, a sign-up sheet, and you

> can be the person making topic of the week for June, and you can do

> July...

> <imbri> not only are these projects volunteer based, but they're about

> a (fairly) new form of entertainment which is changing and updating

> and filled with people who do not want to define things and box things

> in

> <Andrhia> Haha

> <Andrhia> Yeah.

> <imbri> so it's hard to commit to things because "omg what if we

> stifle creativity!"

> <Andrhia> Im just wicked jealous of the writer's SIG

> <Andrhia> They *totally write books*

> <Andrhia> And then *get them published*

> <Andrhia> It's amazing

> <imbri> well, it's got a few years on us and a larger pool of people

> to draw from

> <JohnEvans> Yeah, they *are* pretty awesome. ;)

> <Andrhia> Shhh!

> <imbri> a lot of these problems are, probably, membership issues

> * Andres slaps himself

> <imbri> which is a chicken/egg thing

> <Andrhia> Yeah, maybe

> <imbri> you can't draw in the members without showing worth, you need

> the members to do stuff to show the worth

> <Andrhia> *nod*

> <Andrhia> I wonder what our actual membership number is right now

> <JohnEvans> But, if you just start somewhere, you can start building

> interest...

> * Andrhia tries to find the link that might tell her

> <imbri> (playing the role of the cynic...)

> <Andrhia> Hmm

> <imbri> but to do things requires dedication which, in our history,

> seems to feed off of positive feedback

> <Andrhia> Not as many as I'd thought!

> <Andrhia> We have 289 email list subscribers as of right now

> <imbri> and consistantly having time - which is a rarity in our field

> because when stuff is going on, you drop off the planet for a month or

> so

> <Andrhia> Yes, you are correct

> <Andrhia> And that's one of the reasons I'm terrified of being the

> Sole Supreme Administrator of the SIG

> <imbri> (you being whoever, not just *you*)

> <imbri> well, i'm willing to step in and help you out a bit

> <JohnEvans> I'd like to help. I set up Argology and I got the "unsafe

> warning" taken care of, so...

> <Andrhia> At the very least I really want to have a deputy who, you

> know, has the moderation password and the email address of IGDA people

> to talk to when something goes horribly awry

> <imbri> and can offer a combined hour or two a week

> <Andrhia> It doesn't even take that much time, honestly ^_^

> <Andrhia> It's more of a "being there if the phone should happen to

> ring" kind of situation

> <Andrhia> Hahaha

> <Andrhia> You're both all good in my book ^_^

> <Andrhia> So I mean

> <Andres> I can help also if needed

> <Andrhia> ...do I just email around the list admin link and pwd?

> <Andrhia> Should we set up a process where somebody says "OK, I

> volunteer" and the next step is "Any objections?" to the list?

> <Andrhia> ..my head hurts, wah wah

> <imbri> honestly, i'd say just email around the link & pwd

> <Andres> yep, +1

> <Andrhia> I think I'm fundamentally afraid of seeming arbitrary, or

> elitist

> <JohnEvans> We have to start somewhere. ;)

> <Andrhia> Or unfair

> <Andrhia> Hah

> <Andrhia> OK

> <imbri> i don't really think that people will have any objections

> <imbri> and, if they do, we can address them (or sucker them into

> helping out as well)

> <imbri> (guilt works well ;))

> <Addlepated> I think we're happy to have people who want to take

> charge :)

> <Andrhia> That's the spirit ^_^

> <Andres> We should up a process where somebody says "OK, I volunteer"

> and the next step is Andrhia decides what to do about it :)

> <Andrhia> Hahahaah

> <Andrhia> OK

> <Andrhia> So I think what we just decided on was a self-selected

> steering committee or people who have the list password and get the

> admin emails

> <imbri> and, that way, i think that the more natural leaders and

> active types will fall into the admin role a bit more organically

> <Andrhia> er, of people

> <Andrhia> I'm not sure what to do about the IGDA stuff

> <Andrhia> There's a SIG-leader email list

> <JohnEvans> So, does the IGDA want to have someone designated the sole

> leader of the SIG?

> <Andrhia> But with the situation with the IGDA what it is, I'm not

> sure HOW I would get anybody else onto that list

> <Andrhia> I think not a sole leader, but they need to know who to talk

> to?

> <JohnEvans> Ah, right...

> <imbri> well, perhaps we should wait that out

> <imbri> a) until igda leadership re-solidifies

> <Andrhia> *nod*

> <imbri> b) until we get a better feel over who the more active

> sig-admin types are

> <imbri> we'll probably be able to make a better judgment of things

> then

> <Andrhia> OK

> <Andrhia> So basically I'll hang out as the acting chairman because

> I'm already on the list?

> <imbri> yep :)

> <JohnEvans> And you're doing such a good job. ;)

> <imbri> i think anyway

> * Andres agrees

> <imbri> and, yeah, you're doing a good job

> <Andrhia> Hahah

> <Andrhia> Well, thank you

> <Andrhia> This has been a big, horrible thing hanging over my head

> <Andrhia> And you have all been so very nice to me today ^_^

> <imbri> well, if you'd rather we can all pounce

> <imbri> OMG WHO IS THIS ANDRHIA CHICK AND WHY DOES SHE SUCK SO MUCH?!

> <Andrhia> So I think what we can do is post a transcript of this

> <Andrhia> Pahahah

> <Andrhia> See, what you don't know is, that's *totally what I always

> expect to get*

> <JohnEvans> Yeah, I think I know the feeling...

> <Andrhia> ..I might be a little neurotic

> <Andrhia> Anyway, here are my next actions, I think

> <Andrhia> I'll post the transcript or maybe talk one of you into doing

> it

> <Addlepated> that's why I quit volunteering for stuff... I'm just sure

> I'll screw it up :P

> <Andrhia> Everyone who wants to volunteer for our steering commitee

> thing say on the list "Yeah, I sign up"

> <Andrhia> And sometime over the weekend I'll put together a Welcome

> New Administrator! package with some information in it

> <Andrhia> Is that cool?

> <imbri> sounds good :)

> <Andrhia> OK, cool

> <JohnEvans> Yep!

> <Andrhia> And that gives other people on the list a few days to

> comment in case the OMG WH DOES ANDREA SUCK SO MUCH contingent wants a

> little more input

>

> =====

> End of transcript

>

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Wendy Despain
quantumcontent.com