[Imc] PROPOSAL: cooperative staffing arrangement

[Zachary C.Miller]

I wonder what plans we have for keeping the IMC space staffed once it
is opened up? I imagine we don't have the money (yet) to have a paid
staff member. If we are going to use the space to raise revenues
(which I think we really should do) then we need to have it open
during some regular recurring hours. 

A thought burst into my head as a possibility and I wanted to find out
what people thought about it.

I work from home over the net. 

If we got a decent net connection (at least as good as what I have at
home, which is 1.5 down, 256 up) then I could move my home office to
the IMC space and work from there every day for at least 8 hours.

I could act as a cashier, a phone answerer, a general office
coordinator while I was there as long as these duties didn't majorly
detract from my ability to spend most of the time working at my job.

Benefits to IMC:

We would have someone present at the IMC every day for at least 8
hours. 

Free staff person. No compensation neccessary apart from the use of
the net connection.

My computer(s) comes with me and others would be welcome to use it
when I wasn't working. This gives the IMC at least one decent
server/workstation on site.

Drawbacks to IMC:

I don't know if having me doing work for a for-profit company using
IMC's resources would jeopardize IMC's non-profit status. 

Benefits to me: 

An office space and a set schedule would do wonders for my circadian
rhythms and time organization.

This is the one way I could devote a lot of time to IMC without
jeopardizing my job.

I have to get my self out of the house every day. 

Drawbacks to me:

I have to get my self out of the house every day. 

Other issues:

If business/activity started really booming at the space (which I hope
it does) then I won't be able to take care of everything myself _and_
get my work done. I need it to be a situation where 90% of the time
there is nothing that I have to do for IMC but be physically present
and 10% of the time I might be selling stuff or answering questions or
whatever. If things get beyond that threshhold then we may need to
find additional staffers.

Someday (when I have paid off my copious debts, perhaps in a year) I
would be interested in being a full time paid staff member/techie for
the IMC if no one else is already (or if whoever is needs a
break). This experience might give both myself and the IMC an idea of
whether such a thing would be worthwhile. 

There is a potential that in 3 or 4 months my job may become a
half-time rather than full-time commitment. I am looking for someone
to do job-sharing with so that two people work 20 hours/week and share
my current (easily sharable) salary. (If any techies out there are
interested in this please email me privately). My boss is sold on this
idea and so am I. Perhaps if this works out I could commit a lot more
time to IMC work (on either a volunteer or a paid basis depending on
how things go).

What do people think of this idea? Does IMC already have well
established plans for staffing the space? Do people think it would be
better to just do shifts of volunteers who can give their full
attention to IMC work while they are there?

-- 
Zachary C. Miller - @= - http://wolfgang.groogroo.com/
IMSA 1995 - UIUC 2000 - Just Another Leftist Muppet
 Social Justice, Community, Nonviolence, Decentralization, Feminism,
 Sustainability, Responsibility, Diversity, Democracy, Ecology
Ya Basta! - http://www.greens.org